MIL Security Engine-1

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

COLUMBUS, Ga. – A repeat offender who ran from deputies, scaling an airport fence during the chase, is facing a maximum of ten years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm.

Reginald Weeks-Lewis, 29, of Columbus, was found guilty of one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon at the conclusion of a one-day trial on Dec. 9, before U.S. District Judge Clay Land. The defendant faces a maximum of fifteen years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 24, 2026. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Armed repeat felony offenders are seeing their cases make it to the federal prosecutor’s office, where they face steep penalties,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm, and our office is working alongside our law enforcement partners to hold these individuals accountable for their crimes.”

“Our collaboration with local law enforcement and federal agencies is crucial in tackling the issue of gun violence,” said Acting ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robert Davis. “We will continue to pursue those who violate the law, especially repeat offenders, with the full weight of federal penalties.’”

“The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to our federal partners in order to remove firearms from the hands of those who should not have them,” said Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman. “We will continue to ensure that Muscogee County is a safer place to work and live for our citizens.”

According to court documents and statements referenced at trial, Weeks-Lewis was driving on Sidney Simons Boulevard in Columbus in the early hours of March 1, 2025, when Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office deputies on patrol observed a traffic violation and initiated a stop. At first, Weeks-Lewis slowed the vehicle down and began to pull off to the side of the road, but then abruptly made a U-turn and began traveling north on Armour Road. Weeks-Lewis lost control of the vehicle, and it traveled across four lanes of traffic, striking the left shoulder of the roadway and blowing out a tire. As deputies approached the car, Weeks-Lewis got out and ran. Deputies followed and loudly commanded him to stop; Weeks-Lewis repeatedly shouted to deputies that he had a firearm.

Weeks-Lewis ran toward the Columbus Municipal Airport and climbed its perimeter fence. A short time later, deputies found him lying face down on airport property in a brushy area. He was taken into custody; the defendant’s semiautomatic pistol with eleven rounds of ammunition in the magazine and one round in the chamber was found tucked between the driver’s seat and the center console of his car. Weeks-Lewis has prior felony convictions in Muscogee County Superior Court for burglary, theft by taking, obstruction, vandalism to a place of worship and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The case was investigated by the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with assistance from the Muscogee County District Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica Hansis is prosecuting the case for the Government.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BEAUMONT, Texas –A Port Arthur man has been sentenced to over 10 years in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Cory Donelle Williams, 44, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 125 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael J. Truncale on December 9, 2025.

According to information presented in court, in 2024, local law enforcement received information that Williams was distributing synthetic marijuana and methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas.  The investigation led to the execution of a search warrant at Williams’ residence resulting in the discovery of 56.3 grams of methamphetamine.

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.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Port Arthur Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lee.

###

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Deangelo Lamont Tell, also known as “Lil D,” 37, of Huntington, was sentenced on October 6, 2025, to five years and five months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 31, 2023, Tell sold approximately 27.34 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant near the 1800 block of Marshall Avenue in Huntington. As part of his guilty plea, Tell admitted to the transaction and to arranging it beforehand.

Tell further admitted to selling approximately 48.85 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant on February 3, 2023, and to arranging for another individual to sell approximately 55.75 grams of methamphetamine to the confidential informant on February 6, 2023. Both transactions occurred in Huntington.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cabell County Sheriff’s Office.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Courtney L. Finney prosecuted the case.

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-16.

###

 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Charles Dana Johnson II, 37, of Cairo, was sentenced on October 2, 2025, to seven years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 17, 2024, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Johnson in Parkersburg. Johnson admitted that he possessed a loaded SCCY model DVG-1 9mm pistol and a loaded Walther model P22 .22-caliber pistol that the officer found in Johnson’s waistband during the traffic stop.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Johnson knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for possession with intent to deliver heroin on October 2, 2016, and first-degree robbery on January 12, 2012, both in Wood County Circuit Court.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Wood County Sheriff’s Office.

United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin prosecuted the case.

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.

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. 2:25-cr-27.

###

 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CINCINNATI – The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio issued an order effective today unanimously re-appointing Dominick S. Gerace II as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. 

In August, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi named Mr. Gerace as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. Pursuant to the Vacancy Reform Act, the Attorney General has the authority to name a U.S. Attorney to serve on an interim basis for up to 120 days. After that time, the district court may appoint a U.S. Attorney to serve until the vacancy is filled through Senate confirmation. President Donald J. Trump nominated Mr. Gerace as U.S. Attorney in July and his nomination remains pending in the Senate.

“I am grateful to the district court for its vote of confidence in my leadership and honored to continue to serve as U.S. Attorney,” Gerace said. “While I am proud of what this office has accomplished during the last 120 days, our job is never done. We will continue to work tirelessly to protect the public and ensure the safety of our communities here in Southern Ohio.”

As the court-appointed U.S. Attorney, Mr. Gerace will continue to serve as the chief federal law enforcement officer representing the United States in all federal criminal and civil litigation in the Southern District of Ohio. The district covers the 48 southern-most counties in the state of Ohio and is home to more than five million people. Mr. Gerace leads a staff of approximately 100 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel across three offices in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton.

Mr. Gerace is a former federal prosecutor with nearly a decade of experience in both the Southern District of Ohio and the Eastern District of Virginia, where he prosecuted cases involving national security, domestic and international terrorism, international drug trafficking, violent crime, bank and wire fraud, public corruption, tax evasion and money laundering. He previously served as Deputy Criminal Chief of the district’s Dayton office.

During his time as a federal prosecutor, Mr. Gerace received the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of U.S. National Security for his work in the federal investigation and prosecution arising from the August 2019 mass shooting in Dayton. He also received the U.S. Attorney’s Award for Outstanding Performance for his service as counsel in the first international terrorism trial held in the district.

Most recently, Mr. Gerace was a Partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, where he practiced in the areas of white-collar criminal defense, government investigations, compliance, and civil litigation.

Mr. Gerace earned his law degree, magna cum laude and Order of the Coif, from Georgetown University, where he was a senior board member of The Georgetown Law Journal and Editor-in-Chief of The Georgetown Law Journal’s Annual Review of Criminal Procedure. Following graduation from law school, Mr. Gerace clerked for the Honorable John M. Rogers of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Mr. Gerace earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the United States Military Academy and served as a tank platoon leader and company executive officer in the United States Army prior to attending law school.

# # #

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that ANDREI FAGARAS (“FAGARAS”), age 35, a Romanian national, was sentenced on December 2, 2025 for access device fraud, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(4). FAGARAS, who has been in custody since November 20, 2024, was sentenced to time served.

According to court documents, on November 13, 2024 and November 14, 2024, FAGARAS and two other individuals possessed device-making equipment, namely credit/debit card skimmers, at three retail locations in the Eastern District of Louisiana and installed those skimmers on point-of-sale machines.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.  Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

“We appreciate the collaboration with our federal and local law enforcement partners for their hard work on this investigation. Those who are involved in fraud regarding USDA taxpayer-funded programs will be investigated by our office to protect the integrity of those programs,” said USDA Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG) Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Wilkins.

The case was investigated by Special Agents of the United States Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General; Special Agents of the United States Secret Service; Deputies with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office; Deputies with the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office; Officers with the New Orleans Police Department; Officers with the Harahan Police Department; Officers with the Scott Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Christine M. Calogero of the General Crimes Unit is handling the prosecution.

*   *   *

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Randy Price, 52, of Wayne, was sentenced on October 2, 2025, to eight years and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 16, 2019, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Price in Charleston. Price attempted to flee on foot but was captured. Law enforcement seized a Raven Arms MP-25 .25-caliber pistol from the vehicle.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Price knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for involuntary manslaughter and aggravated robbery in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Court of Common Pleas on June 28, 2002.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Charleston Police Department.

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys JC MacCallum and Negar M. Kordestani prosecuted the case.

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. 2:22-cr-97.

###

 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

KANSAS CITY – A federal trial jury convicted two individuals for their roles in a conspiracy to provide material support or resources to kill, kidnap, and maim persons and use weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in a foreign country. The defendants conspired to provide funds and equipment to separatist fighters in Cameroon to allow them to construct and use IEDs against various targets in the Northwest Region of Cameroon.

Francis Chenyi, Sr., 52, of Saint Paul, Mn., and Lah Nestor Langmi, 49, of Buffalo, Ny., both of whom are U.S. citizens of Cameroonian origin, were found guilty on Monday, Dec. 8, on multiple counts. Chenyi and Langmi were both found guilty of one count of a conspiracy to provide material support or resources intended it be used to carry out conspiracies to kill, kidnap, and maim persons in a foreign country and to use a WMD outside the United States. Chenyi and Langmi were also found guilty of one count of being involved in an international money laundering conspiracy that transferred funds from the United States to Cameroon to promote conspiracies to kill, kidnap, and maim and use WMDs abroad.

Additionally, Chenyi was found guilty of one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to use a WMD abroad.

“As the verdict indicates whether you’re committing a crime locally or – as in this case – supporting illegal conduct half a world away – when you conspire to violate federal law, we will hold you accountable.” said United States Attorney R. Matthew Price.

“The guilty verdict brings to close a conspiracy by a group of U.S. Citizens of Cameroonian origin to support a plot that, among other acts, included kidnapping Cameroonian civilians and holding them for ransom. Their actions also included providing equipment, supplies, and weapons to a separatist movement for the purpose of carrying out attacks against the government of Cameroon and its personnel,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen Cyrus, Kansas City Field Division. “We are grateful for the verdict, and it should send a strong message to anyone in the United States looking to provide support to these types of acts across the world.”

A third defendant, Claude Ngenevu Chi, 43, of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to use a WMD abroad on Nov. 19, 2025.

The evidence presented at trial showed that on around Nov. 5, 2020, Langmi sent an audio message to separatist fighters requesting they kidnap a traditional leader in Cameroon. Langmi said he had been tracking the traditional leader’s movements prior to the kidnapping. Following a battle with Cameroonian forces, separatists took the traditional leader along with the Catholic Cardinal Christian Tumi, who was traveling with the traditional leader, from their vehicles.

Following the kidnapping, Chenyi, provided the interrogation questions to be asked of the traditional leader and the Cardinal and approved the transferring of funds through peer-to-peer transactions to the separatists fighters in Cameroon to further the kidnapping.

Chenyi was involved in ransom payments paid by individuals outside of Cameroon for the release of family members taken in Cameroon and communicated with Langmi about these payments.

Multiple instances occurred in which co-conspirators, including Langmi, requested funds to purchase IEDs or components of IEDs for construction and use in Cameroon that were approved and funded by Chenyi. Chenyi also coordinated with individuals in Cameroon to ensure separatist fighters he supported obtained training on IED use. The defendants corresponded with co-conspirators in Cameroon to coordinate development, payment for, and logistical support toward IED use upon targets in Cameroon.

Specifically, around Dec. 3, 2020, Chenyi was requested to provide funds for construction of multiple IEDs to be used in connection with efforts to enforce a lockdown of an area before an upcoming election. Chenyi, along with Chi, agreed to provide funds for the IEDs’ construction and Chenyi coordinated the transfer of funds from the United States through peer-to-peer transactions to the separatist fighters in Cameroon.

Langmi coordinated with, and provided funds to, an unindicted co-conspirator to develop IEDs and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) in Cameroon and kept Chenyi apprised of the IED and RPG development.  Langmi also attempted to coordinate attacks near the 2021 African Cup of Nations soccer tournament hosted in Cameroon, as well as various cities throughout the Northwest Region throughout the spring of 2022.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for about two hours and 24 minutes before returning guilty verdicts yesterday to U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark, ending a trial that began Monday, Dec. 1, 2025.

Under federal statutes, Chenyi and Langmi each are subject to a sentence of up to 15 years for conspiracy to provide material support or resources and up to 20 years for conspiracy to commit international money laundering. Chi also is subject to a penalty of up to 15 years for providing material support or resources. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean T. Foley and Joseph M. Marquez for the Western District of Missouri, with the assistance of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The case was investigated by the FBI Kansas City Field Division.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Julio Cesar Nevarez-Erunez, 24, of Salem, Oregon, formerly of Downey, California, was sentenced on Dec. 4, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta to five years and 10 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, Nevarez-Erunez conspired with his co-defendant, Juan Niebla-Osuna, 28, of Downey, to distribute methamphetamine in the Eastern District of California and elsewhere. On July 13, 2022, Nevarez-Erunez and Niebla Osuna sold 15 pounds of methamphetamine to a confidential source. On Oct. 6, 2022, Nevarez-Erunez was arrested and found in possession of 40 pounds of methamphetamine and 5,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl. A search of the residence shared by the co-defendants in the Los Angeles area uncovered 7 more pounds of methamphetamine and 2.5 pounds of fentanyl powder.

Niebla-Osuna previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. On Aug. 28, 2025, Niebla-Osuna failed to appear for sentencing. A bench warrant has been issued for his arrest.

This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Haddy Abouzeid is prosecuting the case.

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. HSTF Sacramento is composed of agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Damisha Brown, 32, of Charleston, was sentenced on October 2, 2025, to time served, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $15,625 in restitution for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Brown received $15,625 in proceeds from a criminally derived Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loan, guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

According to court documents and statements made in court, co-defendant Kisha Sutton conspired with Brown and others to obtain fraudulent PPP loans. Sutton submitted a PPP loan application on Brown’s behalf on April 25, 2021. The application listed Brown as a sole proprietor hairdresser who received $75,000 in gross income in 2020. The application was filed with an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1040, Schedule C Profit or Loss from Business, stating that the applicant had earned $75,000 in 2020. As part of her guilty plea, Brown admitted that she never earned $75,000 as a hairdresser in one year and that the IRS Form 1040 submitted with her application was fraudulent and created solely to obtain the PPP loan.

A PPP lender in California approved Brown’s loan application. The $15,625 in loan proceeds was deposited in Brown’s personal bank account on April 30, 2021. Brown admitted that she knew the $15,625 represented proceeds from the fraudulent PPP loan. Between April 30 and May 27, 2021, Sutton received $3,500 from Brown as her share of the fraudulent PPP loan proceeds. Brown transferred the money to Sutton using a digital wallet application. Brown admitted that she transferred the $3,500 as Sutton’s compensation for facilitating the submission of her fraudulent loan, in keeping with their agreement. Brown further admitted that she spent the remainder of the loan proceeds on ineligible personal expenses.

The CARES Act made forgivable PPP loans available to qualifying sole proprietors, independent contractors and self-employed individuals adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, to replace their normal income and for certain other eligible expenses. Applicants were required to certify that they were in operation on February 15, 2020, and provide documentation showing their prior gross income from either 2019 or 2020.

Brown and Sutton, 44, of Jersey City, New Jersey, are among several individuals indicted by a federal grand jury on charges alleging they and others conspired, and aided and abetted one another, to obtain fraudulent PPP loans totaling $140,625.

After a two-day trial, Sutton was found guilty of aiding and abetting bank fraud and aiding and abetting laundering of monetary instruments by a federal jury on July 15, 2025, and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 11, 2025. Co-defendant William Powell, 35, of Huntington, was sentenced on August 27, 2025, to time served, followed by three years and six months of supervised release, including six months on home detention, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Co-defendant Jasmine Spencer, 33, of Charleston, was sentenced on September 2, 2025, to three years and six months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $15,625, after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting bank fraud. Powell and Spencer were each ordered to pay $15,625 in restitution. Co-defendant Shamiese Wright, 32, of Charleston, was sentenced on October 29, 2025, to three years and six months of federal probation, including six months on home detention, and ordered to pay $18,736.73 in restitution after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting monetary laundering.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO) Public Integrity and Fraud Unit (PIFU).

United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan T. Storage and Jennifer D. Gordon and former Assistant United States Attorney Holly Wilson prosecuted the case.

Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

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. 2:24-cr-192.

###