MIL Security Engine-1

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England, today announced that MARCOS ISMALEJ IXPANCOC, also known as Marcos Hernandez Lopez and Jose Ernandez, 39, a citizen of Guatemala residing in Stamford, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after being deported and making false statements on applications for immigration benefits.

Ixpancoc was arrested today.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport and was ordered detained.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in October 2006, Ixpancoc was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona.  He identified himself to U.S. Border Patrol as Marcos Hernandez Lopez, claimed to be a citizen of Mexico, and was issued a voluntary return to Mexico.  In August 2012, Ixpancoc was again apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol in Texas.  He identified himself as Jose Ernandez and claimed to be a citizen of Guatemala.  He was removed to Guatemala in September 2012.  In June 2023, Ixpancoc submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) an application for legal permanent residency and work authorization under his true name and listed a home address in Stamford.  The fingerprints that USCIS collected in connection with those applications matched those collected when he was apprehended and removed under the names Marcos Hernandez Lopez and Jose Ernandez in 2006 and 2012.

It is further alleged that in Ixpancoc’s applications to USCIS, Ixpancoc falsely denied ever using any names other than Ixpancoc, falsely denied ever having been issued a final order of removal, and falsely denied ever having been removed from the U.S.  In addition, in connection with his application for legal permanent residency, Ixpancoc submitted a petition under the Violence Against Women Act claiming that he was the victim of abuse by a U.S. citizen spouse or child, and that his abuser was his son.  However, his son was two years old at the time he filed the petition.  Ixpancoc signed each of these applications under penalty of perjury.

If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Ixpancoc faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.  If convicted of the charge of making false statements on applications for immigration benefits, he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

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.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A federal district court in Nevada sentenced Eduardo “Eddie” Lopez of Las Vegas to 40 months in custody and $550,000 in criminal fines. In addition, Lopez must pay $2,496,101 in criminal restitution to the defrauded purchaser of his home healthcare company. Lopez was also ordered to forfeit $10,459,000 from the fraudulent sale of his home healthcare company.

Today’s sentence follows Lopez’s conviction in April for leading a conspiracy to fix the wages of home healthcare nurses in the Las Vegas area between March 2016 and May 2019 and for five counts of fraud for concealing the government’s antitrust investigation from the buyer during the sale of his home healthcare staffing company for over $10 million.  

“American workers are the bedrock of President Trump’s administration,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will continue to tirelessly fight for the innocent, like the hardworking nurses harmed in this case.” 

“Wage-fixing is a brazen crime rightly punished by a lengthy period of incarceration. The dignity of work in return for a fair wage is core to our free-market enterprise system. The Defendant — a convicted antitrust criminal — profited at the expense of his employees and the unwitting buyer of his home healthcare company.” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail A. Slater of the Antitrust Division. “Far from being a mere “technical violation,” wage-fixing is a real crime that harms innocent people — in this case nurses — and today’s sentence — the Justice Department’s first ever wage-fixing conviction — reflects that such conduct will not be resolved with a fine.”

“This case demonstrates the consequences of violating antitrust laws. By conspiring to fix wages, the defendant deprived hardworking nurses the right to earn a fair wage,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with the Antitrust Division and FBI to protect workers and we will prosecute those who seek to exploit others for personal gain.”

“A free and fair market are principles of the United States, and the FBI is committed to investigating those who seek to disrupt that and scam hardworking Americans,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The victims here are the hardworking nurses, who suffered loss of wages while they tirelessly cared for and helped Americans. The FBI will continue the fight against corruption and fraud across the country and globe.”

The Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office and the FBI’s International Corruption Unit investigated the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada. Senior Litigation Counsel Jeffrey Cramer and Mikal Condon, Assistant Chief Andrew Mast, and Trial Attorneys Paradi Javandel and Conor Bradley, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Anthony Lopez for the District of Nevada are prosecuting the case.

Anyone with information in connection with this investigation, or other antitrust and competition crimes, should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center by visiting www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations. Whistleblowers who voluntarily report original information about antitrust and related offenses that result in criminal fines or other recoveries of at least $1 million may be eligible to receive a whistleblower reward. For more information on the Antitrust Whistleblower Rewards Program, visit www.justice.gov/atr/whistleblower-rewards. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, today announced that ANTONIO BAEZ, also known as “Fat Boy,” 26; CORY LEWIS, also known as “City,” 36; JAVON HUTLEY, 33; and ROGER MOODY, 42, all of Hartford, have been charged by indictment with offenses related to the illegal trafficking of firearms and narcotics.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in June 2025, ATF began an investigation of Baez and other armed drug traffickers who were operating in the area of Evergreen Avenue in Hartford, where Baez and Moody resided.  Between June and October 2025, ATF undercover agents made multiple controlled purchases of fentanyl, which included carfentanil or other additives including xylazine and tramadol, from Baez, Lewis, and Moody, and a total of seven firearms from Baez, Lewis, and Hutley.

“The trafficking of guns and drugs, especially when the drugs are fentanyl mixed with extremely toxic additives, are a dangerous combination,” said U.S. Attorney Sullivan.  “We remain committed to using federal resources to thwart this criminal behavior and prosecute those involved.  I commend ATF for this effective undercover operation.  It has made our capital city safer.”

“This investigation targeted members of a criminal organization that endangered the community by trafficking firearms and distributing fentanyl,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Greco.  “ATF enforcement operations will continue to focus on disrupting shooters and those who enable them by providing firearms.”

Baez, Lewis, Hutley, and Moody were arrested on federal criminal complaints on October 15, 2025.  On that date, a search of Hutley’s residence on Sisson Avenue revealed two gun magazines and ammunition.  A search of Lewis’s residence on New Britain Avenue revealed a .357 magnum revolver.

On October 28, 2028, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned a 16-count indictment charging the four defendants.  Baez, Lewis, and Moody are charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.  If convicted of this charge, based on the type and quantity of drug attributed to each defendant, an a defendant’s criminal history, Baez faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of 40 years, Lewis faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life, and Moody faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.  Baez, Lewis, and Moody are also charged with one or more counts of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of controlled substances.

The indictment also charges Baez, Lewis, and Hutley with firearms trafficking conspiracy and firearms trafficking, and Lewis and Hutley with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.  These charges carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years on each count.

Baez, Lewis, Hutley, and Moody, who have been detained since their arrests, appeared yesterday in Hartford federal court and entered pleas of not guilty to the charges in the indictment.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  A charge is only an allegation, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.

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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

      LITTLE ROCK—After hearing four days of testimony, a federal jury found that Arthur Joyner distributed fentanyl pills to a man who died after ingesting those pills two days later. That transaction, which resulted in a conviction for distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, will keep Joyner, 43, of Little Rock, in prison for the rest of his life. On Thursday, following the four-day trial, the jury convicted Joyner of the charge after 45 minutes of deliberation.

      On March 5, 2024, a federal grand jury indicted Joyner on the single count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death. The jury returned the verdict to United States District Judge Brian S. Miller, who will sentence Joyner at a later date. Due to Joyner’s prior criminal record, which includes a serious felony drug conviction among other violent felony convictions, Joyner is facing a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. Joyner will remain in federal custody while awaiting sentencing.

      The evidence presented at trial showed that on October 13, 2023, an acquaintance of Joyner’s requested oxycodone pills from Joyner because this person had injured his back while working. The acquaintance specifically told Joyner to make sure the pills were real oxycodone, and not fake pills. Along with the request, the individual sent Joyner articles describing how fentanyl is being pressed and produced to look like oxycodone pills. Joyner responded, “they are real” and proceeded to send a picture of numerous blue pills with an “M” on one side and a “30” on the other, which purported to be oxycodone pills.

      Joyner then sold the individual three of those blue pills the next day, October 14, from a residence in Little Rock. The pills in fact contained fentanyl, and not oxycodone. According to testimony at trial, the individual took one of those pills at a hotel in Searcy sometime late in the evening on October 15, and then another one in the hotel between 8 and 9 a.m. on October 16. He stopped breathing within minutes of snorting the second fentanyl pill, and was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:23 a.m.

      The evidence at trial indicated that Joyner sold the three fentanyl pills for $30 and had been selling cocaine to the victim and others in the weeks prior to selling the fentanyl pills.

      In addition to the mandatory life sentence, the drug charge carries a fine penalty of up to $1,000,000. There is no parole in the federal system.

      The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Central Arkansas Drug Task Force, with assistance from the Searcy Police Department and the White County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Bryant and Chris Givens prosecuted the case.

# # #

Additional information about the office of the

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

https://www.justice.gov/edar

X (formerly known as Twitter):

@USAO_EDAR 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

HOUSTON – A total of 318 cases have been filed in relation to immigration and border security from Nov. 14-20, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. 

Among those are 182 people who face charges of illegally reentering the country. The majority have prior felony convictions for narcotics, violent crime, sexual offenses, prior immigration or other crimes. A total of 120 individuals are charged with illegally entering the country, while 18 others are alleged to have engaged in human smuggling.

One additional case charges Mexican national Jairo Amaya Martinez with assaulting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. The criminal complaint, filed Nov. 20, indicates Martinez was driving a white Chevrolet van and fled on foot as authorities approached to conduct a traffic stop. Court documents allege Martinez bit the agent on his left hand and forearm, while another officer attempted to subdue him. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

Other criminal complaints charge Mexican nationals Evencio Arellano-Felix and Ivan Garcia-Mendoza for illegal reentry after having been previously removed Oct. 18 and 21, respectively. Law enforcement allegedly encountered both in Roma. Garcia-Mendoza has a prior conviction for illegal reentry while Arellano-Felix was convicted of failure to identify with fugitive intent, according to the complaints against them.

Also charged with illegal reentry after removal is another Mexican national, Juan Humberto Martinez-Martinez. According to the charges, he was removed from the United States Aug. 10, 2022. However, authorities allegedly encountered him again near Rio Grande City this week.  

If convicted, all three face up to 20 years in federal prison. 

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE – Homeland Security Investigations, ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The cases are 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 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 and Project Safe Neighborhood.

Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal histories, including convictions for human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.  

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes. 

An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on November 19, 2025, Keahnard Rowell, also known as “Stacks,” 35, of New York City, New York, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier to a term of 60 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Rowell previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine base and fentanyl in Bennington, Vermont, in 2022.

According to court records, between mid-February and July 2022, Rowell was a high-ranking member of a violent drug-trafficking organization in Bennington led by co-conspirator William McLaughlin. While much of the violence was perpetrated by McLaughlin, Rowell was aware of it. Court records indicate that after a particularly violent beating of a woman by McLaughlin over a drug dispute, Rowell offered to protect the woman by bringing her to New York. Once there, however, Rowell took the woman’s phone and identification, thereby making her feel she was not free to leave his residence. In Bennington, Rowell supervised drug trafficking locations and sold drugs for the organization. He also took trips to New York to obtain more drug supply to bring back to Bennington for the organization to sell.

First Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Bennington Police Department, the Rutland City Police Department, the Vermont State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corinne Smith, Jonathan Ophardt and Paul Van de Graaf.  Rowell was represented by Jason Sawyer, Esq.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that ODINE DOMINICK (“DOMINICK”), age 35, was sentenced on November 20, 2025 by U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk to 292 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, along with a $300 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to possession with the intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl and a quantity of marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 841(b)(1)(D); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i); and being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).

According to court documents, in the fall of 2023, law enforcement officers observed a photograph of DOMINICK with a rifle magazine in his waistband and a video of DOMINICK inside of a stolen car with a handgun. On December 14, 2023, the New Orleans Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at DOMINICK’s residence and found over 100 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin; vacuum sealed bags of marijuana weighing over a kilogram; eight digital scales; drug trafficking supplies; 400 rounds of various calibers of ammunition; and a loaded Glock Model 23 .40 caliber handgun with an extended magazine.

Prior to his most recent arrest, DOMINICK was convicted of conspiracy to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine in Orleans Parish, and being a felon in possession of a firearm in St. Bernard Parish.

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.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David Berman and Sarah Dawkins of the Violent Crime Unit.

                                                                                                         ###

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

GALVESTON, Texas – A 59-year-old resident of League City has been indicted on multiple counts to include coercion and enticement of a minor, and possession and production of child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Authorities have now arrested Daryn Edwards. He is now making his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Hanovice Palermo.

A federal grand jury in Galveston returned the five-count indictment Nov. 18.

Edwards is charged with two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor and faces up to life in prison, if convicted. He is also facing two counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography which carries terms of 20 and 10 years, respectively. He could also be ordered to pay a $250,000 fine.

FBI Texas City conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren M. Valenti is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page. 

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

COVINGTON, Ky. – A Norwood, Ohio, man, Marcus Goodwin, 37, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 200 months in prison, for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.  

According to his plea agreement, Goodwin conspired with others to distribute over a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine from March 1, 2024 through February 14, 2025 in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Using a confidential informant, law enforcement conducted four controlled purchases of crystal methamphetamine totaling more than a kilogram from Goodwin. Upon arresting Goodwin, law enforcement found three handguns at a hotel room where he was staying, and an additional handgun and 1,192.9 grams of crystal methamphetamine at his residence. Three additional handguns were seized from a location Goodwin used to distribute drugs.

Goodwin was previously convicted of drug trafficking and voluntary manslaughter with specification in the Court of Common Pleas for Hamilton County, Ohio and served a sentence of 14 years for those offenses.  

Under federal law, Goodwin must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Louisville Field Office; Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Detroit Field Division; and Chief Jeff Mallery, Florence Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, DEA, and Florence Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Bracke is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

 

– END –

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

HOUSTON – A 56-year-old Columbian national illegally residing in Houston has been charged for theft of government funds, false representation of a U.S. citizen and aggravated identity theft, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

The individual’s true identity is unknown, but he was most recently known under alias Johnny Mina Rodriguez. He is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Hanovice Palermo at 2 p.m.

The now unsealed indictment, returned Nov. 5, alleges this individual fraudulently applied for and obtained Social Security Administration disability benefits in June 2011 by impersonating a U.S. citizen.

According to the charges, they continued receiving SSA disability until his arrest, resulting in a total theft of government funds exceeding $150,000.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years imprisonment as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine for each of the charges. He also faces an additional two years in prison for aggravated identity theft which must be served consecutively to any other prison term imposed.

SSA-Office of the Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen M. Lansden is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.