Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A New Jersey couple has been indicted for allegedly running an investment scam that took investors’ money with a promise to receive high returns on the development of real estate properties mostly in the Cleveland area. The scam operated as a Ponzi scheme, with victims being misled and lied to, and some early investors paid with funds from later investors. Victims are being asked to contact the FBI.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Gainesville, Florida – DaMorie Lamontay Miles, 19, of Gainesville, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and one count of receipt, possession, transfer, or production of a firearm which is not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A Mexican national was sentenced yesterday to 41 months in prison for her involvement in a massive international alien smuggling organization.
“We take seriously organized human smugglers who seek to undermine the integrity and security of our borders and our immigration laws for their ill-gotten gains,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Even criminal smugglers who live outside of our nation’s borders will face the justice of our courts when they violate our laws designed to keep our borders safe and secure.”
“Alien Smuggling Organizations do not care about your hopes and dreams; they care only about your money,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “This sentencing represents a major blow to a complex criminal organization that has been successfully dismantled thanks to the work of our AUSAs and law enforcement partners. My office is incredibly proud to work alongside Homeland Security Investigations and other Department of Homeland Security components to continue picking apart these alien smuggling organizations and hitting them where it hurts: in the pocketbook.”
According to court documents, from on or about Nov. 13, 2020, and continuing to March 7, 2023, Monica Hernandez-Palma, 34, and others, were part of an international alien smuggling organization (ASO) that illegally brought thousands of aliens from Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Columbia, Guatemala, Honduras, and Ecuador into the United States from Mexico. The ASO operated stash houses in Monterrey, Mexico, and Piedras Negras, Mexico. Hernandez-Palma operated the stash house in Piedras Negras and coordinated with other members of the ASO to transport aliens to the stash house and then into the U.S. illegally. Hernandez-Palma worked with others to house aliens, after which the aliens would meet foot guides who led them across the U.S.-Mexico border by crossing the Rio Grande River.
Hernandez-Palma worked with co-conspirator and San Antonio, Texas-based smuggler, Enil Edil Mejia-Zuniga, who facilitated travel of the aliens from South America to the United States. Mejia-Zuniga directed operations, as well as paid armed “coyotes,” load drivers, and stash house operators. To facilitate their operation, the ASO operated stash houses in Monterrey, Mexico, and Piedras Negras, Mexico. According to court documents, Mejia-Zuniga admitted that the ASO smuggled between 2,500 to 3,000 aliens into the United States in just two years. Mejia-Zuniga stated that the organization charged between $6,500 to $12,000 per alien, totaling approximately $16 to $30 million in financial gain for the ASO.
Enil Edil Mejia-Zuniga was sentenced to ten years in prison on July 9, 2025.
Hernandez-Palma pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring an alien to the United States and aiding and abetting bringing an alien to the United States for financial gain.
HSI Del Rio led U.S. investigative efforts, working in concert with the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, and U.S. Border Patrol. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Hernandez-Palma.
Trial Attorney Bethany Allen of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions section, on detail from the Office of International Affairs, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Duarte II, for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
The investigation and indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant United States Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 455 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 400 U.S. convictions; and more than 350 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A Pennsylvania man was sentenced today in the District of New Jersey to 60 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, a highly addictive controlled substance.
According to court documents, between July 2019 and July 2024, Michael Emma, 66, of Philadelphia, engaged in the unlawful sale of prescription oxycodone pills as a member of South Philadelphia’s notorious “10th and O Crew.” Emma obtained the pills from doctors’ offices in the area, and he and his co-conspirators worked in shifts to distribute the pills from a 24-hour restaurant.
During the course of the investigation, law enforcement purchased pills from one of Emma’s co-conspirators. A surveillance team then observed the co-conspirator counting the proceeds of the transaction with Emma. The photograph below captured Emma (on the left) after the transaction:
In June 2025, Emma pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances. Emma’s co-conspirators and leaders of the 10th and O Crew, Michael Procopio and Frank Procopio, were each convicted of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances and sentenced to six years in prison and four years and nine months in prison, respectively.
The FBI, DEA, and Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Paul J. Koob and Nicholas K. Peone of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section 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.
The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, 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
Memphis, TN – National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is an annual observance that brings communities together and raises awareness about victims’ rights and services. It’s an opportunity to honor survivors and recognize organizations that have been fighting for victims’ rights, forge new partnerships to better serve and support victims of crime and strengthen existing partnerships.Since 1981, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week has challenged the nation to confront and remove barriers to achieve justice for all victims of crime. The theme…
Source: United States Department of Justice
Today, the Justice Department announced a settlement with PayPal Inc. to resolve a fair lending investigation into a discriminatory investment program created for black and minority-owned businesses. The settlement requires PayPal to launch a new Small Business Initiative that excludes criteria based on race, national origin, or other protected characteristics. As part of the initiative, PayPal will waive processing fees for $1 billion of transactions – a value of approximately $30 million – for eligible American small businesses that are veteran-owned or engaged in farming, manufacturing, or technology.
“This Department of Justice is delivering on President Trump’s vow to root out illegal DEI from every corner of corporate America,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “American corporations are on notice: you will face our aggressive enforcement if you use race or national origin to discriminate against qualified Americans.”
“With this settlement, PayPal agrees that race and national origin should play no part in determining which small businesses deserve its investment and financial support,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department will use the full range of its enforcement authorities to eliminate discrimination and ensure that all Americans have an equal opportunity to grow their small businesses.”
In addition to fee waivers, as part of the settlement PayPal will designate a director of the Small Business Initiative, conduct an assessment of the needs of American small businesses and determine how PayPal can best support them, submit plans and proposals for the initiative to the United States, provide training to employees on the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and report on the initiative annually.
PayPal announced the discriminatory Economic Opportunity Fund in 2020 to invest in black and minority-owned businesses. While the program gave a preference to businesses based on race, color, and national origin, it was not implemented to remediate any specific instances of past discrimination.
The Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits creditors from discriminating against credit applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, because an applicant receives income from a public assistance program, or because an applicant has in good faith exercised any right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Indian and Singapore Corporations and Company Official Charged with Conspiring to Defraud the United States and Causing the Death of Six Construction Workers
Two corporate entities and a shoreside superintendent face criminal charges in connection with the vessel crash that knocked down the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland.
A federal court unsealed an indictment today charging three defendants with conspiracy to defraud the United States and with causing the death of six construction workers on the bridge, among other charges.
On March 26, 2024, the Motor Vessel Dali, a 900-foot foreign flag container vessel, registered in Singapore, crashed into the bridge. The indictment alleges that the economic loss in this case is at least $5 billion.
Synergy Marine Pte Ltd, based in Singapore, and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd, based in Chennai, India, along with Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, 47, an Indian national who worked for both companies as the Technical Superintendent for the Dali, are charged with conspiracy, willfully failing to immediately inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and false statements. The two Synergy corporations are also charged with misdemeanor violations of the Clean Water Act, Oil Pollution Act, and Refuse Act for the discharge of pollutants into the Patapsco River, including shipping containers and their contents, oil, and the bridge itself.
“The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a preventable tragedy of enormous consequence,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This indictment is a critical step toward holding accountable those whose reckless disregard for maritime safety regulations caused this disaster. Six construction workers lost their lives, critical infrastructure was destroyed, pollutants were released into the Patapsco River and Chesapeake Bay, and the economic damage now exceeds five billion dollars. This Department is committed to securing justice for the victims and ensuring those responsible are held to account.”
“This indictment is the first step in our efforts to hold those accountable who caused the tragic deaths of six people and catastrophic damage to our region,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “The safety of our residents, ports, and infrastructure is of utmost importance to the prosperity of the District of Maryland. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland will continue to pursue those who commit crimes that jeopardize those interests.”
“The indictment alleges criminal conduct that not only destroyed the Key Bridge but brought the regional economy to its knees and claimed the lives of six Maryland residents,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “Adherence to laws governing safe operation of commercial vessels is essential to doing business in our nation’s ports. We enforce these laws to protect the public from future disasters like this fatal crash.”
“The indictment reveals a pattern of deception and egregious violations that led to the unsafe operation of the Dali which recklessly endangered the public and resulted in the ship striking the bridge,” said Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “This indictment should send a message to all ship operators that circumventing safety requirements and breaking U.S. laws will not be tolerated. I am proud of FBI Baltimore’s investigative teams who worked diligently over the last two years to find the truth and to hold those responsible accountable.”
“The United States will not be a safe harbor for violators who pollute our nation’s waterways. Today’s indictment alleges that reckless cost-cutting by dishonest foreign corporations on a foreign-flagged vessel with a foreign crew carrying hazardous cargo resulted in death, disruption of our economy, and the discharge of oil and other chemicals into the Patapsco River and the Chesapeake Bay,” said Assistant Administrator Jeffrey A. Hall of EPA’s Office for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Such tragedy must not happen again. This EPA will ensure that foreign companies do not profit off of polluting American communities. The hard work of our criminal investigators, who were among the first aboard the wrecked ship, was critical for securing this indictment, and we look forward to working with the Department of Justice to prosecute this case.”
“At the core of the Coast Guard’s mission is the protection of life and property and the facilitation of commerce,” said Acting Director Zinnia James of the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS). “The charges announced today reflect the Coast Guard Investigative Service’s unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and integrity of our nation’s maritime transportation system. This indictment alleges a reckless disregard for U.S. maritime laws and safety regulations, which had devastating consequences, leading to the tragic loss of six lives and catastrophic environmental and economic damage. Let this be a clear message: CGIS, alongside our federal law enforcement partners, will vigorously investigate and hold accountable any individual or corporation that compromises the safety of our ports and waterways.”
According to the indictment, the Dali lost power twice in a four-minute span, as it navigated out to sea from the Port of Baltimore, causing it to crash into the Key Bridge. The indictment alleges that a loose wire in a high-voltage switchboard likely caused the first power loss. Critical systems on the Dali were originally designed with reliable redundancies and automatic restart capabilities, so the Dali could quickly regain power after a blackout. But shortly after the vessel regained power, it lost power again. According to the indictment, the defendants allegedly altered the ship and relied on a flushing pump to supply fuel to two of the Dali’s four generators. However, the flushing pump was not designed to automatically restart following a blackout, and the Dali’s generators could not operate without a fuel supply, so the ship ultimately experienced a second blackout. The indictment alleges that if the Dali used the proper fuel supply pumps, the vessel would have regained power in time to safely navigate under the Key Bridge.
Synergy and Nair are also charged with obstruction of an agency proceeding and providing false statements and documents to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as it conducted a casualty investigation. The obstruction charges relate to, among other things, Nair’s statements to the NTSB that he was unaware that that the Dali was using the flushing pump to provide fuel to the generators.
The FBI, CGIS, and the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Phelps, Bijon Mostoufi, and Kimberly Phillips for the District of Mayland and Trial Attorney Leigh Rendé with ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case. Richard Udell, formerly of the Environmental Crimes Section, also assisted in this matter.
An indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of Ammunition by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on May 8, 2026.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
SAN FRANCISCO – A federal grand jury has indicted Elijah Armstrong, Nino Chindavanh, and Jayden Rucker on Conspiracy to Commit Hobbs Act Robbery, Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping, Attempted Hobbs Act Robbery, and Attempted Kidnapping relating to a violent robbery spree targeting cryptocurrency owners
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
On May 7, 2026, a Peoria, Illinois, man, Wallace Jordan, 56, was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment for distribution of methamphetamine and 24 months’ imprisonment for possessing a firearm as a felon by United States District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley.