MIL Security Engine-1

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NEWARK, N.J. – A Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced to 121 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to commit child sex trafficking, Acting United States Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Soauib Butcher, 31, of Brooklyn, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor. Judge Farbiarz imposed the sentence on November 7, 2025, in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

In August 2019, Butcher met the victim at a train station and brought her to Elizabeth, New Jersey, where, from August 2019 to January 2020, the victim stayed with Butcher and a co-conspirator in a series of motel rooms. The co-conspirator posted advertisements depicting the victim on escort websites and, together with Butcher, arranged for customers to come to the motels to have sex with the victim in exchange for money.

In addition to the prison terms, Judge Farbiarz sentenced Butcher to five years of supervised release.

“Soauib Butcher supported himself, for several months, on the daily sexual exploitation of a minor. This sentence sends a message that this Office is committed to protecting children from sexual predators.”

– Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba

“Sexual exploitation is demeaning, damaging and puts already vulnerable minors in extremely unsafe circumstances,” Stefanie Roddy, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Newark, said. “Butcher profited off of the arrangement he had with this victim. The FBI and its partners work tirelessly so that these minors get the protection they deserve from predators.”

Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, with the investigation.

This investigation was conducted as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey’s Human Trafficking Task Force, which was formed in 2025. The Task Force brings together federal and state agencies to collaborate and dedicate resources to combat human trafficking and prosecute human trafficking offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The Human Trafficking Task Force is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron L. Webman, Deputy Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit, and Katherine M. Romano, Chief of the General Crimes Unit.

                                                                       ###

Defense counsel: Patrick Joyce, Esq., Maplewood, NJ

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MIAMI – A Mexican national made his initial appearance in federal court in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 17 after law enforcement recovered more than 50,000 fentanyl pills concealed inside a child’s toy.

According to the complaint affidavit, officers approached a vehicle driven by Guillermo Higuera German, 37.  During a consensual encounter, a certified narcotics K-9 conducted an open-air sniff and alerted to narcotics.

A search of the vehicle followed. Officers found several boxes and a Sesame Street-style school bus toy packed with thousands of fentanyl pills that weighed about five kilograms.  The investigation also determined that Higuera German was illegally in the U.S. and had been deported five times.

Higuera German is again subject to removal.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, made the announcement.

The DEA Miami Field Division and Fort Lauderdale Police Department are investigating, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection on potential immigration offenses.

About the Border and Immigration Crimes Enforcement (BICE) Section

This case is being prosecuted by the newly formed Border and Immigration Crimes Enforcement (BICE) Section. BICE was created by U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones to strengthen South Florida’s border security posture, protect maritime and land points of entry, enforce federal immigration law, and dismantle transnational smuggling networks operating through the region. The Section brings together narcotics, immigration, fraud, and violent-crime expertise into a single coordinated unit focused on border-driven threats.

BICE Deputy Chief Jeremy Fugate is prosecuting the case.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-mj-06666.

###

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Matthew Henry Jacober, 44, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of explosives and manufacturing crystal methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, in July 2025, Jacober possessed 50 pounds of dynamite, which he had secreted in a cave approximately 10 to 15 feet from a travel trailer where Jacober was residing. In 2021, Jacober was convicted in Kern County Superior Court of making a destructive device without a permit, a felony. As a convicted felon, Jacober was prohibited from possessing explosives. In addition, Jacober was in the process of manufacturing crystal methamphetamine in his trailer, where he possessed both finished product and methamphetamine in the process of changing from liquid to a crystal form.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad, and the Kern County Fire Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

Jacober is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on Feb. 17, 2026, Jacober faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the explosives charge and a mandatory minimum statutory penalty of five years, a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison, and a $5 million fine for manufacturing methamphetamine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ROANOKE, Va. – Nelson Deras-Pineda, 43, an illegal immigrant from Honduras with a history of driving under the influence and fleeing the scenes of traffic accidents, as well as entering the United States without authorization, was sentenced today to eight months in federal prison for illegal reentry by a previously removed alien.

“The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia will work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to hold accountable those individuals who flout the immigration laws of the United States,” Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today.

According to court documents, Deras-Pineda was arrested in June 2025 by the Roanoke City Police Department on felony DUI charges, his third DUI arrest in the last 10 years. Roanoke City officers contacted Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington to conduct an Immigration Alien Query.  At that time, it was determined that Deras-Pineda was in the United States illegally having previously entered the country in January 2003 and May 2006. He was subsequently removed following each of those illegal entries.

Deras-Pineda again reentered the United States, illegally and without authorization, at an unknown date following his 2006 removal.

Deras-Pineda has prior state convictions for fleeing the scene of an accident, driving without a license, and three DUIs.

Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia made the announcement.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, investigated the case for the United States.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlene R. Day prosecuted the case for the United States.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A former Michigan pharmacist was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for his role in a health care fraud scheme at a pharmacy he operated. He was also ordered to pay $4 million in restitution and to forfeit four real estate properties and $726,364.96.

According to court documents, from approximately 2011 to 2017, Nabil Fakih, 50, of Wayne County, billed Medicare for prescription medications that he did not dispense at the pharmacy he owned and operated in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. As part of the scheme, Fakih submitted fraudulent claims for reimbursement to Medicare for high-reimbursing prescription medications, such as blood thinners and lung disease inhalers that his pharmacy did not even have the inventory to dispense. He concealed his fraud by manipulating the inventory purchases at his pharmacy, as well as the receipt and transfer of the proceeds from the fraud, diverting the proceeds for his own personal use and benefit. As a result of his crime, Fakih caused a total of approximately $4 million of loss to Medicare.

In August 2024, Fakih pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud before a federal judge in the Eastern District of Michigan.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan of the FBI Detroit Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Mario Pinto of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Andres Q. Almendarez of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of 9 strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that on November 21, 2025, a federal jury in New Haven found ERIC D. COX, 42, of Southington, guilty of firearm and narcotics offenses stemming from a shooting in Hartford in 2020.

According to the evidence introduced during the trial, on September 4, 2020, Cox engaged in a violent altercation near Hartford Hospital in Hartford.  During the altercation in which Cox was slashed with a knife, Cox pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots at the individual who slashed him and others in the vicinity, which resulted in a bystander being shot multiple times.  Hartford Police responded to the incident and found several cartridge casings on Jefferson Street where the stabbing and shooting occurred, and a hospital employee found a discarded .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol outside the entrance of the hospital’s emergency department and notified law enforcement.  Police searched Cox’s car after the incident and found a bag containing approximately 28 grams of cocaine.  Subsequent analysis of the firearm revealed the presence of Cox’s DNA.

Cox’s criminal history includes a federal conviction in 2008 for a crack cocaine distribution offense for which he was sentenced to five years of imprisonment.

The jury found Cox guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, and possession of cocaine, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.

Cox is released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing, which is not scheduled.

The Hartford State’s Attorney’s Office prosecuted the other individual involved in the altercation.     

This matter has been investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hartford Police Department, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Dearington and Mary G. Vitale.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PROVIDENCE – A citizen of India currently residing in Dorchester, MA on a student visa has been ordered detained on a federal criminal complaint for his alleged role in a conspiracy targeting Rhode Island seniors, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.

Samyag Uday Doshi, 25, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Amy E. Moses on November 17, 2025 for his initial appearance following his arrest.  He has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. It is alleged that he participated in a scheme that caused a Rhode Island resident to turn over $54,000 in cash, with an attempted loss amount totaling more than $385,000.

According to allegations in the criminal complaint, law enforcement received a call for service regarding a Newport resident who was suspected to be the victim of an elder abuse financial fraud scam.  The individual received a voicemail on his cellular phone regarding a phony purchase and was instructed to call a telephone number provided to him to address the issue.  When he called the number, scammers falsely told him that he was speaking with a federal official and was under investigation for a myriad of charges, including money laundering.  The scammers represented that they could assist the individual through the investigation.

Over the course of approximately three weeks, scammers directed the individual to make multiple cash withdrawals of tens of thousands of dollars and to then mail the funds out of state or provide the funds to “couriers,” whom he met in person in Rhode Island.  The individual also made multiple inquiries about purchasing hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of gold bars.  These inquiries are believed to have been directed by members of the conspiracy.

           On November 17, 2025, the scammers attempted to arrange for the victim to deliver an additional $45,000 in cash.  The victim contacted law enforcement, who surveilled the delivery as it was made, as is alleged, to Doshi, who was arrested at the meet spot.

A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S Attorney Taylor A. Dean.

The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)-Providence and the Newport Police Department, with assistance from HSI-Chicago.

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 Rhode Island comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Intelligence & Analysis, and Rhode Island Police Departments in Warwick, Newport, Providence, East Providence, and Lincoln, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

LAS VEGAS – During the recent lapse in government appropriations, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada remained open and performed excepted duties related to national security, violations of federal law, and essential public safety functions.

The following are highlights of some cases prosecuted during the lapse in appropriations:

• Matthew Wade Beasley pleaded guilty to defrauding investors of money to fund loans, but in reality, he enriched himself and others, and to repay investors as if loans had been made. From 2017 to March 2022, he caused 1,213 investors to invest about $519.9 million. He paid himself about $33.5 million from the scheme, paid off gambling debts, and purchased luxury homes, high-end cars, and recreational vehicles. Sentencing is scheduled for January 28, 2026. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel Schiess and Jessica Oliva are prosecuting the case.
• A jury convicted Francisco Ivan Velazquez, a Mexican national, of operating a fraud scheme in which he impersonated an IRS officer and told victims he could obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars for them from a fictitious IRS program. Sentencing is scheduled for February 18, 2026. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
• Hua Xiao, Cheng Cheng Li, and Jianming Li from China, and Jisup Hwang from South Korea, were charged with operating brothels masquerading as massage parlors throughout Las Vegas and laundering the illegal proceeds. The FBI and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Steven Rose is prosecuting the case.
• Sergio Octavio Sanchez was indicted and made his initial court appearance for allegedly aiming the beam of a laser pointer at and in the flight path of a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department helicopter. The laser interfered with police operations and endangered the crew of the helicopter. A jury trial is scheduled to begin on February 23, 2026. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Tina Snellings is prosecuting the case.
• Steven Gregory Thornton was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to trafficking methamphetamine and felon in possession of a firearm. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Tina Snellings prosecuted the case.
• After a three-day trial, a jury convicted Elijah Sylee Shelton of possession of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. Sentencing is scheduled for January 8, 2026. The FBI and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys James Gaeta and Joshua Brister are prosecuting the case.
• Five-time felon Brenton Scott Williams was sentenced to 84 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. In furtherance of his crimes, Williams waited for individuals to leave the gun range, followed them as they left, and then later broke into their vehicles to steal their firearms. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
• Ryan Tyler Maness was sentenced to 10 years in prison for engaging in a sexually explicit conversation over Kik messenger with someone who he believed was a 13-year-old girl and attempting to engage in sexual activity with said minor. Maness attempted to meet who he believed to be a 13-year-old girl while being armed with a loaded firearm. At the time, he was on probation for a robbery conviction in Las Vegas. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Afroza Yeasmin prosecuted the case.

An Indictment merely contain allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

###

 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Mar’keise Bates (31, Jacksonville) to nine years and two months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Bates pleaded guilty on August 20, 2025.

According to court documents, police were dispatched to the River City Inn on March 3, 2025, in response to a disturbance. A hotel employee reported she had asked Bates to leave the hotel. Despite that, Bates returned with what appeared to be a gun in his waistband. The employee then saw another individual running while saying that Bates had pulled a gun on him. Police obtained surveillance video, which showed Bates holding a gun and pointing it at another person before running off. After viewing the surveillance video, police apprehended Bates and recovered the firearm he possessed, a Beretta M9 9mm semi-automatic pistol, in one of the hotel rooms. Prior to this, Bates was convicted of multiple felonies, including felony battery, robbery, aggravated battery upon a pregnant female, and sale of cocaine.           

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelli Swaney.

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.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Javier O. Jasso, 42, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on November 20, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Jasso to a total of 210 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Jasso’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.

Between January 24, 2024, and continuing until on or about May 28, 2024, Bryan Hall, Javier Jasso, and Jeremy Eaves worked together to sell cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl in and around the Lincoln and Omaha areas.  The group is responsible for possessing and/or distributing at least two kilograms of cocaine, 600 grams of methamphetamine, and 500 grams of fentanyl throughout the conspiracy.  Law enforcement also made multiple controlled buys from Jasso during this time.

A search warrant was executed at the residence of Eaves, Jasso, and Hall.  In Eaves’s bedroom, investigators found a baggie of M30 pills, $1,985 in U.S. currency, a package that was delivered to another residence containing drugs, his identification card, bank receipts, and 330 grams of methamphetamine.  In Jasso’s bedroom, officers seized $5,050 of U.S. currency and an additional $415 of U.S. currency from his wallet.  Drugs were also found on the floor in the community room. In a closet, officers found 170 grams of methamphetamine, baggies of M30 pills, pink pills, suspected MDMA, LSD, Adderall, unknown liquids, unknown pills, bags of mushrooms, THC cartridges, THC syrup, ammunition, and a Marlin lever action .22 caliber rifle.

Co-defendant Jeremy Eaves was sentenced on September 25, 2025, to 224 months’ imprisonment and 5 years of supervised release.

Co-defendant Bryan Hall was sentenced on October 23, 2025, to 30 months’ imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department.