Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
California-based companies Perfectus Aluminum Inc., Perfectus Aluminum Acquisitions LLC and four affiliated warehousing companies have agreed to pay a total of $549.5 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly and improperly evading, or conspiring to evade, antidumping and countervailing duties owed to the United States on aluminum extrusions imported from the People’s Republic of China (China).
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
An illegal alien who unlawfully possessed a firearm at a Fayette County gun range and her husband, who lied to an immigration judge in an effort to secure his wife’s release from custody and who paid another woman to fraudulently purchase firearms that others attempted to smuggle into Mexico, have pleaded guilty to multiple felony offenses and now face years in prison.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Seattle – A 57-year-old Fox Island, Washington, man was sentenced late yesterday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to three years in prison for his scheme to steal from an elderly client who trusted him as a financial advisor, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Juanita Faye Holtschneider, 58, of Fort Polk, La., was sentenced to 33 months imprisonment, three years of post-release supervision, and ordered to pay $322,098.70 in restitution, for her conviction of wire fraud and willful failure to pay federal employment taxes.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A Brooklyn tax preparer was sentenced on Friday to 36 months in prison for her role in a fraud scheme that fraudulently claimed more than $600 million in COVID-19-related employment tax credits.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Tiffany Williams, 43, of Brooklyn, conspired with others to file tax returns seeking fraudulent refunds based on the employee retention credit and paid sick and family leave credit, credits passed by Congress to aid struggling businesses during the COVID-19 global pandemic. From November 2021 to June 2023, Williams and her co-conspirators filed more than 8,000 false tax returns seeking COVID-19 related tax credits.
In total, Tiffany Williams and her co-conspirators sought more than $600 million in credits they and their clients were not entitled to receive, which caused a loss to the United States of approximately $45 million.
Williams previously pleaded to one count of wire fraud.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division and U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. for the Eastern District of New York made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Richard J. Kelley of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Toporovsky and James Simmons of the Eastern District of New York prosecuted the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
BOLESLAWIEC, Poland — A routine maintenance mission near Bolesławiec quickly turned into an emergency response for Sgt. Nicolette Frankowski when she witnessed a traffic collision unfold directly in front of her vehicle, March 4.
Frankowski, who works operations for U.S. Army Garrison Poland’s Bolesławiec Garrison Support Element, was traveling with interpreter Kamil Stuczynski, when a passing car collided with another vehicle attempting to turn left along a busy two-lane roadway.
“We saw it happen in slow motion,” Frankowski said. “As soon as the collision happened, our focus immediately shifted to making sure everyone was safe.”
Sergeant Nicolette Frankowski, operations specialist with U.S. Army Garrison Poland walks in Boleslawiec, Poland, April 23, 2026. Frankowski used her military police training and Polish language skills to secure a scene March 4. (Photo Credit: Marcus Fichtl)VIEW ORIGINAL
The crash sent one vehicle into a roadside ditch with airbags deployed and debris scattered across the street. Frankowski’s military police training kicked in and she immediately stopped to assist.
The pair moved the occupants away from traffic, assessed them for injuries, called police, and placed emergency warning triangles along the roadway to alert approaching vehicles around the curve.
“Everyone was in shock,” Frankowski said. “My biggest concern was calming everyone down and securing the scene.”
One of the drivers emerged from the damaged vehicle limping, prompting Frankowski to carefully assess him for injuries while reassuring him in Polish.
“I thought he was seriously hurt at first,” she said. “I kept asking if he was okay and encouraged him to sit down and stay calm.” The limp, thankfully, was later determined to be unrelated to the accident and connected to a previous surgery.
Stuczynski said Frankowski’s calm demeanor helped stabilize the situation until local police arrived.
“She stayed composed the entire time,” he said. “That helped everybody else stay calm too.”
For Frankowski, the interaction carried personal meaning beyond the immediate emergency.
Raised in Tampa, Florida, by parents who immigrated from Poland, Frankowski grew up in a Polish-speaking household where traditions, holidays and language remained central to family life. Speaking Polish at the scene helped her quickly connect with those involved in the accident.
“When people heard me speaking Polish, it immediately made things easier,” she said. “It helped build trust.”
Frankowski joined the Army Reserve nearly five years ago as a military police Soldier and first came to Poland in 2024 during a previous rotation with the 200th MP Command. After returning home, the 22-year-old raised her right hand and volunteered for another assignment, this time supporting USAG Poland.
“I loved being around the culture and the people,” she said. “After growing up in Florida, coming to Poland felt like a way to reconnect with part of who I am.”
Back home, she said, her Polish heritage was something primarily experienced within her family. Serving in Poland has allowed her to experience that connection more fully.
“At home it was always Polish traditions inside the house, but outside it was American life,” Frankowski said. “Being here has helped me learn more about my culture and feel connected to it in a different way.”
Sergeant Nicolette Frankowski, an operations specialist for U.S. Army Garrison Poland is flanked by the garrison’s command team, Col. Jeremy McHugh and Command Sgt. Maj. Alejandro Romar as she receives the Army Achievement medal for her actions during a traffic incident during a ceremony in Poznan, Poland April 17. (Photo Credit: Marcus Fichtl)VIEW ORIGINAL
Frankowski received the Army Achievement Medal recognizing her actions following the crash. Despite the recognition, she said helping others felt instinctive.
“I would have stopped no matter where I was — Poland or America,” Frankowski said. “I just wanted to make sure everyone was okay.”
Bemowo Piskie, Poland — On May 7, 2026, at Bemowo Piskie Training Area in Poland, three Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment (2CR) tested a Group 3 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) with a vendor during the Saber Strike combined arms live-fire exercise (CALFEX) to explore a potential partnership.
A Group 3 UAS weighs greater than 55 pounds and can fly longer distances than smaller sized systems.
“This Saber Strike CALFEX is showing that right now our platoons have a Group 3 asset, where they’re able to communicate with the intel cell and the fire cell,” said 1st Lt. Ethan Moore, UAS platoon leader, 409th Military Intelligence Company, 2CR. “Our drone can cue on the fire’s assets and call for fire on enemy positions at a greater distance than we’ve had before.”
At the CALFEX, Moore was joined by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Dalton Kastner, the standardization officer, and Spc. Mason Tomplait, the drone operator. The trio met with the Group 3 UAS vendor to evaluate its technology.
There are many advantages to utilizing a Group 3 UAS, which is considered medium-sized among drone capabilities
“Our short-range reconnaissance drones only go from five to seven kilometers; a medium-range reconnaissance might go 30 or more,” said Moore.
The RQ 7B Shadow is what Kastner knows to be the U.S. Army’s medium-sized drone for roughly 20 years.
1 / 4Show Caption +Hide Caption –U.S. Army 1st Lt. Ethan Moore, UAS platoon leader, assigned to the 409th Military Intelligence Company, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, follows the drone vendors prior to take-off during the combined arms live-fire exercise of Saber Strike, May 7, 2026, Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland. From April 27 to May 31, 2026 U.S. and Allied forces will exercise NATO’s Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative, demonstrating NATO’s ability to fight and win on the modern battlefield. Nearly 15,000 troops from eleven nations will train across the High North, Baltic region, and Poland, executing rapid maneuvers, air defense, counter-drone operations, and cyber defense to validate NATO’s regional defense plans in real time. This series of linked exercises, including Saber Strike, Immediate Response, and Swift Response, turns investment into capability. Soldiers integrate unmanned systems, AI-enabled command and control, and live data networks to move faster, decide faster, and fight more effectively across all domains. Sword 26 demonstrates how U.S. Army Europe and Africa drives transformation at scale while strengthening deterrence. Together with our Allies, we are building a unified, lethal force ready to defend NATO territory and respond to any threat. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Staff Sgt. Emilie Lenglain) (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Emilie Lenglain)VIEW ORIGINAL2 / 4Show Caption +Hide Caption –U.S. Army Spc. Mason Tomplait, the drone operator, assigned to the 409th Military Intelligence Company, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, watches a medium-range reconnaissance drone take off during the fcombined arms live-fire exercise of Saber Strike, May 7, 2026, Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland. From April 27 to May 31, 2026 U.S. and Allied forces will exercise NATO’s Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative, demonstrating NATO’s ability to fight and win on the modern battlefield. Nearly 15,000 troops from eleven nations will train across the High North, Baltic region, and Poland, executing rapid maneuvers, air defense, counter-drone operations, and cyber defense to validate NATO’s regional defense plans in real time. This series of linked exercises, including Saber Strike, Immediate Response, and Swift Response, turns investment into capability. Soldiers integrate unmanned systems, AI-enabled command and control, and live data networks to move faster, decide faster, and fight more effectively across all domains. Sword 26 demonstrates how U.S. Army Europe and Africa drives transformation at scale while strengthening deterrence. Together with our Allies, we are building a unified, lethal force ready to defend NATO territory and respond to any threat. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Staff Sgt. Emilie Lenglain) (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Emilie Lenglain)VIEW ORIGINAL3 / 4Show Caption +Hide Caption –Soldiers assigned to the 409th Military Intelligence Company, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, watch nearby as a vendor completes preflight checks of the Group 3 drone during night operations of the combined arms live-fire exercise during Saber Strike, May 7, 2026, Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland. From April 27 to May 31, 2026 U.S. and Allied forces will exercise NATO’s Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative, demonstrating NATO’s ability to fight and win on the modern battlefield. Nearly 15,000 troops from eleven nations will train across the High North, Baltic region, and Poland, executing rapid maneuvers, air defense, counter-drone operations, and cyber defense to validate NATO’s regional defense plans in real time. This series of linked exercises, including Saber Strike, Immediate Response, and Swift Response, turns investment into capability. Soldiers integrate unmanned systems, AI-enabled command and control, and live data networks to move faster, decide faster, and fight more effectively across all domains. Sword 26 demonstrates how U.S. Army Europe and Africa drives transformation at scale while strengthening deterrence. Together with our Allies, we are building a unified, lethal force ready to defend NATO territory and respond to any threat. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Staff Sgt. Emilie Lenglain) (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Emilie Lenglain)VIEW ORIGINAL4 / 4Show Caption +Hide Caption –U.S. Army 1st Lt. Ethan Moore, UAS platoon leader, assigned to the 409th Military Intelligence Company, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, watches the Group 3 drone being disassembled during the combined arms live-fire exercise of Saber Strike, May 7, 2026, Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland. From April 27 to May 31, 2026 U.S. and Allied forces will exercise NATO’s Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative, demonstrating NATO’s ability to fight and win on the modern battlefield. Nearly 15,000 troops from eleven nations will train across the High North, Baltic region, and Poland, executing rapid maneuvers, air defense, counter-drone operations, and cyber defense to validate NATO’s regional defense plans in real time. This series of linked exercises, including Saber Strike, Immediate Response, and Swift Response, turns investment into capability. Soldiers integrate unmanned systems, AI-enabled command and control, and live data networks to move faster, decide faster, and fight more effectively across all domains. Sword 26 demonstrates how U.S. Army Europe and Africa drives transformation at scale while strengthening deterrence. Together with our Allies, we are building a unified, lethal force ready to defend NATO territory and respond to any threat. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Staff Sgt. Emilie Lenglain) (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Emilie Lenglain)VIEW ORIGINAL
Comparing this updated medium-sized drone to the Shadow, Kastner said, “This system has extremely similar capabilities, with a much smaller footprint and a much smaller weight, and for me, that’s a positive. This system also has the vertical takeoff and landing, or VTOL kit, so it’s able to just take off straight up and then transition into forward movement.”
After the drone flew out, mission sets were sent to Moore, who coordinated with Tomplait in control of the gimbal camera on the system.
In real time, they could fly to specific areas of the training area and confirm friendly forces, possible enemy camps and target accuracy – all part of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).
Today, ISR relies more on machine-driven intelligence rather than the previously human-centered model.
“They’re able to get that long range, very good camera view to see the targets on the ground, to provide accurate targeting grids for us to push fires and to get faster reports,” explained Kastner, “to make those jumps even quicker with accurate and rapid intelligence.”
The combat-support training exercise lasted around 41 hours.
“They’ll be able to use infrared capabilities, and we’ll be able to do everything at night as well,” said Kastner.
With eight years of experience with drones, Kastner feels that the drone was easy to put together and use.
“They even have the controller for manipulating the camera and some of the programmable features in the camera as well, so it’s very user friendly,” said Kastner.
Moore, who’s also an intelligence officer, said the Army needs equipment like this in order for intel cells to find the enemy.
Moore added, “Not only is this craft able to fill a regimental gap in intelligence collection, but it’s also something that’s valid and capable in today’s conflict that we need to enable us for the intelligence collection and fires.”
Moore said when choosing a vendor, they must be able to modify and adapt as new technologies and capabilities emerge.
After departing Poland to evaluate other vendors’ drone systems, Moore and his team went to Project Flytrap in Lithuania — part of a series of exercises (including Sword 26, Saber Strike, Immediate Response, and Swift Response) that turn experimentation into capability.
Project Flytrap is a counter-unmanned aerial system exercise designed to integrate emerging technologies and inform future Army requirements and doctrine.
The Army stays innovative by partnering with vendors and the UAS industry, alongside the real-world feedback from Soldiers.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A federal jury in the Northern District of Illinois convicted an Illinois woman yesterday of unemployment insurance fraud for submitting false claims to a COVID-19 assistance program. From May 2020 and continuing through December 2022, Hmaidan and her co-conspirators submitted nearly 700 fraudulent unemployment insurance claims that caused over $11 million in fraudulent unemployment benefits to be dispersed.
“Hiam Hmaidan stole more than $10 million from American taxpayers during the COVID-19 pandemic through an unemployment insurance fraud scheme that submitted nearly 700 fraudulent claims,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “The Fraud Division will continue to find and prosecute fraudsters who exploited a national crisis to steal from Federal benefit programs.”
“Hiam Hmaidan nefariously used the identities of her tax clients and others without their knowledge or consent to steal over $10 million in unemployment insurance benefits meant to support struggling Americans,” said Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito of the U.S. Department of Labor. “Her conviction sends a clear message: my office, alongside Vice President Vance’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, will relentlessly pursue those who commit fraud and hold them accountable. Protecting the integrity of these critical programs isn’t optional — it’s our highest priority. Fraud is a tax you never voted for, and we’re coming after the people collecting it.”
“This guilty verdict is justice for the American people,” said Special Agent in Charge Adam Jobes of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Chicago Field Office. “Hiam Hmaidan took advantage of a program people relied on to get through a very difficult time. She and her co-conspirators stole millions from taxpayers at a time when families were struggling to keep a roof over their heads and food on their tables. Working closely with our fellow law enforcement partners, IRS-CI followed the money to expose the full scope of this scheme and helped bring it to an end. This verdict sends a clear message that if you try to cash in on a national crisis, you will be brought to justice and held accountable for your crimes.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Hiam Hmaidan, 54, of Orland Park, Illinois, operated an unemployment insurance fraud scheme in which she agreed with others to defraud the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program, which Congress established in 2020 as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
Hmaidan, together with her co-conspirators, submitted claims containing false information regarding the claimants’ employment status and the impact of the pandemic on their ability to earn a living. Hmaidan abused her position as a tax preparer by submitting many of the fraudulent claims using her clients’ names and personal information. Based on those fraudulent claims, unemployment insurance benefits were loaded onto debit cards and mailed directly to Hmaidan or to addresses accessible to Hmaidan and her co-conspirators. Once Hmaidan and her co-conspirators obtained the debit cards, they used the fraudulent proceeds on the cards to withdraw approximately $2.8 million in cash from ATMs near where they lived.
The jury convicted Hmaidan of one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and five counts of mail fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2. Hmaidan faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on all counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and IRS-CI investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Shy Jackson and Meredith B. Healy of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the Fraud Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Saul Castillo-Crespo, 28, an illegal alien from Mexico and a previously convicted sex offender, was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison for illegally re-entering the United States after deportation, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The Justice Department today announced that Rental Marketing Solutions, LLC (RMS), a property management company based in St. Petersburg, Florida, will pay $60,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by obtaining an unlawful eviction judgment against an active duty Navy sailor. This is the largest amount the Department has ever obtained for a single servicemember in a case involving the filing of a false military service affidavit.
“It is unacceptable and illegal for a landlord or property management company to file a false affidavit stating that an active duty servicemember is not in military service,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This SCRA violation had significant consequences, as potential landlords refused to rent to a sailor once they learned of the eviction on his record. He became homeless and his wife was forced to move back in with her parents in another state. The Justice Department will continue to fight to protect the rights of military families.”
“Protecting the civil rights of our servicemembers is a top priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to aggressively enforce the SCRA to protect the servicemembers who fight to protect us here at home. These servicemembers, along with their families, sacrifice to serve our country and deserve to be treated with dignity. No servicemember should ever be denied housing or have their record tarnished based on a false affidavit.”
The Department alleges that RMS named the sailor as a defendant in an eviction action for a property he had not lived in for several years, filed a false affidavit stating he was not on active duty, and obtained an eviction judgment against him in a Florida county court while he was assigned to the USS Nimitz at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. Because the eviction judgment showed up on his background reports, a dozen or more landlords refused to rent to him and his wife. For four months, he had to live separately from his wife and rotate among temporary accommodations, including sleeping on the berthed Naval ship, which had no heat.
The SCRA requires a plaintiff in a case where a defendant does not make an appearance to file an affidavit stating whether the defendant is in military service, with necessary supporting facts. This allows the court to appoint an attorney to represent the servicemember and to postpone the proceedings if a defense cannot be presented without the servicemember’s presence. Because RMS filed a false affidavit stating that the sailor was not in military service, he did not receive the benefit of those protections.
Under the settlement, RMS will pay $60,000 in compensation to the sailor and for ten years of credit monitoring for him. RMS will also be required to pay a $6,000 civil penalty and maintain SCRA policies and procedures to avoid committing future violations.
The Department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. Since 2011, the Department has obtained $489 million in monetary relief for 152,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the Department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA may have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil.