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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A Tennessee man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for a Memphis carjacking and using a firearm during the robbery.  His co-defendant in the robbery was previously sentenced to over nine years in prison.

According to court documents, during the early morning hours of April 9, 2024, Jadakiss Johnson, 23, and his co-defendant Tyrone White participated in a carjacking of the victim’s 2023 Toyota Camry at gunpoint. Johnson was the driver of the vehicle and once they arrived, White approached the victim, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of the Camry, pointed a gun at her and ordered her to get out of the vehicle. Later, when confronted by police, Johnson fled in a different car and on foot. Upon a search of Johnson’s getaway car, police found multiple firearms and a machinegun-conversion device.

Johnson is prohibited from possessing firearms based upon prior felony violent convictions and is considered a career offender under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines for numerous aggravated assault convictions.

On Aug. 25, Johnson pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting a carjacking and aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during the carjacking. White previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting a carjacking and aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during the carjacking and was sentenced on Oct. 30 to over nine years in prison.

At Johnson’s sentencing hearing, the United States presented evidence of the defendant’s violent behavior while in custody, including assaulting another inmate, as well as his repeated access to firearms before his arrest for this crime.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee, and Special Agent in Charge Jamey VanVliet of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Nashville Division  made the announcement.

The ATF and the Memphis Police Department investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Ashleigh Atasoy of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Regina Brittenum for the Western District of Tennessee prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative in Memphis conducted in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Tennessee and local, state and federal law enforcement. This joint effort addresses violent crime by employing, where appropriate, federal laws to prosecute violent gang members and other violent criminals in Memphis.  

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Engineered Structures, Inc. (ESI), located in Meridian, Idaho, paid $5,750,000 to settle civil fraud allegations that it was ineligible for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan that it received during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The settlement began with a lawsuit, United States ex rel. Karen Bloomfield v. Engineered Structures Inc., filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims presented to the federal government.

The whistleblower complaint alleged that ESI received an $8.6 million PPP loan for which it was ineligible. According to the complaint, ESI should have included temporary workers from staffing agencies in its employee headcount, which would have increased ESI’s average employee count above 500 employees, making ESI ineligible for the PPP loan. The complaint also contended that ESI made false representations in connection with its PPP Loan Necessity Questionnaire. After the United States declined to intervene formally in the litigation, the whistleblower continued the litigation. ESI agreed to pay $5,750,000 to settle the whistleblower’s allegations. The United States consented to the settlement. The whistleblower received a share of the settlement.

The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerard Mene with the assistance of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Case records may be found on PACER under case number 1:22-cv-789.

The civil claims settled are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BANGOR, Maine: A Jay man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for distributing narcotics and illegally possessing a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Stacy D. Neumann sentenced Thomas Ray Cook, 46, to four years in prison and three years of supervised release.

According to court records, Cook sold $600 worth of cocaine to a Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) confidential information source (CI) in February 2025 from Cook’s home in Jay. In March 2025, Cook sold the CI additional cocaine and seven firearms for $1,600, from a different residence in Farmington. Cook is prohibited from possessing firearms because of multiple prior Maine state felony convictions, including Aggravated Operating after Habitual Offender Revocation and Eluding an Officer.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and MDEA investigated the case.

Operation Take Back America: 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.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Southampton Recreation Association located in Richmond, the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors located in Alexandria, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference located in Norfolk, Cheers located in Richmond, the Metropolitan Business League located in Richmond, and the Employee Activity Association located in McLean, paid a combined $1,381,646 to settle civil fraud allegations that they were ineligible for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans that they received during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The allegations were that each was a 501(c)(4) entity and not eligible to receive funding through the PPP.

The resolutions obtained in this matter were the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The settlement began with a lawsuit, United States ex rel. The Tarbell Group, LLC. v. Cheers et al., filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims presented to the federal government and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The whistleblower in this matter received a ten percent share of each settlement.

The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Beerbower and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Gina Kim.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Case records may be found on PACER under case number 1:24-cv-849.

The civil claims settled are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Wendell man for armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm after robbing the PNC Bank in Zebulon on February 7, 2024.

“A violent criminal waiving a gun while wearing a mask terrorizes innocent employees and customers. We will not tolerate this antisocial mayhem in the Eastern District of North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “I want to thank our local and federal partners whose swift investigative work ensured this conviction. This menace will spend years in prison, away from law abiding citizens.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Victor Antwan Perez, 24, entered the PNC Bank in Zebulon on the morning of February 7, 2024, wearing a ski mask with a distinctive pattern, a black jacket, grey pants, black latex gloves, lavender crocs, and a black handgun.

Perez walked up to a teller, waved the handgun in her face, and demanded money while pointing the gun at her. As the teller gathered the money, Perez threatened to shoot her fingers off if she did not hurry.

Perez sped away from the bank with the stolen money. About three weeks later, law enforcement conducted a search warrant of Perez’s home and car, and recovered the distinctive patterned mask, a black jacket, grey pants, black latex gloves, lavender crocs, and a black handgun.

Officers also seized Perez’s phone, and forensic analysis placed the phone at the bank during the robbery.

Perez faces a mandatory minimum of seven years and a maximum of life in prison when sentenced.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles E. Loeser and Logan Liles prosecuted the case. The Zebulon Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-110-D-RJ.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former recording financial secretary of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, AFL-CIO, Local Lodge 21 (BRS Local Lodge 21), pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to embezzling nearly $55,000 from the labor union.

David L. Scofield, 65, of Independence, Mo., waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to an information charging him with four counts of bank fraud, one count of embezzlement theft of labor union funds, and one count of falsification of an annual financial report filed by a labor union.

Scofield was an officer of BRS Local Lodge 21, namely, the recording financial secretary, having been elected to that position in or about 2005, and holding that position until in or about November 2023. In that capacity, Scofield had access to BRS Local Lodge 21’s bank account and was authorized to use the checking account only for BRS Local Lodge 21’s expenses.

By pleading guilty yesterday, Scofield admitted that he used BRS Local Lodge 21’s bank account to make $54,412.67 in personal expenditures, including expenditures for the payment of his personal PayPal account, personal credit cards, and personal loans.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Scofield must pay a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $54,412.67.

Under federal statutes, Scofield is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole on the bank fraud counts to which he has pleaded guilty. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. The sentencing hearing has been scheduled for March 31, 2026.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudolph R. Rhodes IV. It was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards, Kansas City Resident Investigator Office.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

GREAT FALLS – A Hays woman accused of an assault on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation admitted to charges yesterday, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

The defendant, Heavenlee Drewann Sears, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Sears faces a term of imprisonment of 10 years, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for March 12, 2026. Sears was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that on the evening of September 29, 2023, the defendant and a co-defendant were driving around on the Fort Belknap reservation and drinking beer. Late in the night, the two went to a bar to buy more alcohol before driving to John Doe’s home.

When Sears and her co-defendant arrived at Doe’s house, they were highly intoxicated, and they beat him. Sears hit him multiple times on the head with a peppermint schnapps bottle. Around 6:00 a.m. on September 30, Sears called a family member to say something was wrong with Doe. While they waited for the family member to arrive, Sears analyzed the bloody footprints around Doe and realized she had made the prints. Sears also called 911.

Doe was taken to Fort Belknap Indian Health Services. He was unresponsive and breathing erratically. His admission records state his ears and face were bruised and swollen, his nose was lacerated, his upper lip was lacerated, and there was a human bite mark on his forehead. There were also bite marks to his left wrist and left upper chest. After he was intubated, Doe was life flighted to a higher level of care.

On September 30, 2023, Sears spoke to law enforcement. She reported Doe was drinking earlier with a friend. Sears first told law enforcement she blacked out and when she “came to,” she found Doe on the ground, with lots of blood around him and blood coming out of his mouth. She told law enforcement she called a family member and then called 911. Sears said she didn’t remember what happened to Doe.

When officers told her it seemed like she remembered more than she said she did Sears started to cry. She said she “probably” hit him because she was drunk and has a temper. Sears said she thought she might have hit Doe with the empty peppermint schnapps bottle. When asked if she hit him, she nodded. When asked if she hit him with the bottle, she again nodded. Sears did not know how many times she hit Doe, but she hit him more than once. The second time she hit him, Doe fell to the ground.

On October 18, 2023, Doe was admitted to the Long-Term Care Hospital in Billings, Montana. He was diagnosed with traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. Doe was largely unresponsive to stimuli and completely nonverbal due to his traumatic brain injury. Doe died on December 11, 2023.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and Fort Belknap Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

United States Attorney Kurt L. Wall announced that U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick sentenced Haskell (Trey) Knight, age 61, and Emily (Ricciardelli) Knight, age 41, both of Franklin, Tennessee, were sentenced to terms of imprisonment for their roles in an investment and bankruptcy fraud scheme. Haskell Knight was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison and Emily Knight was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison. The Court further ordered both to serve two years of supervised release after completing their terms of imprisonment. In addition to their terms of imprisonment, the Court ordered the Knights to pay restitution to their victims.           

According to admissions made as a part of their guilty pleas, the Knights defrauded four individuals out of $50,000 through false and fraudulent claims regarding a startup business, Udoxa. The victims were provided with false information to get them to invest. This included the existence of a rich investor, the availability of formation capital, and the strength of the start-up. After getting the victims’ money, the Knights used the majority of the funds to pay old business debts and for personal expenses. Based on promises made, the victims were expecting to be paid back with interest and to have the option to gain an ownership stake in a legitimate company. Neither of these happened. Instead, elaborate excuses were provided to the victims as to why they were not getting their money, including creating a fake employee and fake IRS liens, to claim that their funds were tied up. 

Shortly thereafter, the Knights filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the Middle District of Florida, and listed the Udoxa victims as unsecured creditors among others. In filing for bankruptcy, the Knights provided false information statement of income, assets and liabilities, as required by law and made numerous false statements under oath at the creditors’ meeting regarding this information. Specifically, they failed to disclose significant income from network marketing businesses as well as liabilities owed from prior business ventures and then gave false information under oath about their finances and more during the creditors’ meeting. The Knights both lied under oath at the creditors’ meeting claiming to be unemployed, despite being employed at the time.

These actions prevented the bankruptcy trustee from properly executing the bankruptcy proceeding, leaving the creditors, like the Udoxa victims, with less money than they should have received and allowing the Knights to walk away from approximately $578,147 in debts while keeping significant funds they were not entitled to keep.

U.S. Attorney Wall stated, “Fraudsters need to understand that this type of criminal conduct will not be tolerated. This sentence is evidence of that effort. We, along with our federal partners, are committed to continuing to bring financial predators, like this couple, to justice.”

“The day of reckoning has come for this duo who have left a trail of financial destruction going back decades,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. “We especially thank the victims for their patience in this case. This is a strong example of the unshakeable commitment the FBI has to protecting the American people from criminals who seek to do them harm physically or financially.”

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica M.P. Thornhill, who also serves as Deputy Chief of Economic Crimes Unit.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Richard Alan Spivey, a/k/a “Rick”, 62, of Tallahassee, pleaded guilty in federal court to distribution of child pornography and receipt of child pornography. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I deeply appreciate the incredible work of our law enforcement partners to stop this sexual predator from continuing to victimize and exploit children. My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting these sick individuals to the fullest extent to keep our communities and our children safe.”

Court documents reflect that in July 2024, the Tallahassee Police Department received a Cybertip report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) alleging that the defendant uploaded child pornography to a social media platform when sending it to another user as part of his chat messages. The investigation revealed that the defendant was a registered sexual predator based on his prior convictions for sex crimes. Law enforcement obtained search warrants for the defendant’s social media account and cell phone. A search of the defendant’s cell phone resulted in the discovery of online between the defendant and others during which he received and distributed child pornography videos.

Because of his prior convictions relating to sexual abuse or sexual conduct involving a minor, the defendant faces fifteen to forty years’ imprisonment, and lifetime supervision upon release.  

The case involved a joint investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 2, 2026, at 2:00 pm at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – A Lawrence man has been convicted following a four-day jury trial of drug trafficking conspiracy involving methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine.

Jose Dolores Batista, 65, was convicted on Nov. 20, 2025 of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine. The defendant will be sentenced before U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV at a later date. Batista was arrested and charged in June 2023.

Batista, a taxi driver, served as a courier for a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine in various quantities – including half and whole kilograms. In his role, Batista would deliver drugs, drive drug traffickers and collect drug money from various customers of the DTO on a daily basis.

Evidence presented at trial established that on multiple dates, Batista travelled to pick up drugs and drug proceeds. Specifically, evidence showed that Batista travelled on one occasion to pick up $8,000 as a partial payment for a kilogram of fentanyl. On another occasion, Batista travelled to South Lawrence to pick up a kilogram of cocaine and then drove the cocaine to Boston where he exchanged it for $15,000. On another occasion, he drove to Lowell to pick up 350 grams of fentanyl.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in New England; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Natick, Newton, Waltham and Brookline Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Dell’Anno and J. Mackenzie Duane of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case. 
        
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.