Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Baltimore, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced, today, that a Maryland man faces indictment in connection with domestic terrorism charges. Daniel Amos, 51, of Aberdeen, is charged with three counts of repeatedly making harassing telephone calls and one count of influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a federal official.
Source: United States Department of War
The Department of War’s Economic Defense Unit, in partnership with the Office of the Undersecretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, announced a $25 million investment with ReElement Technologies Corp. to expand domestic refining capacity for rare earth elements and other defense-critical minerals.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
St. Thomas, USVI – U.S. Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced today that James King, Masaca Creque, Dwayne Blash, and Harry Davis were sentenced this week for their roles in bringing a large amount of marijuana to St. Thomas in their checked suitcases through the Cyril E. King airport.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
BOSTON – Six former Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) employees and one current MBTA employee were charged today in a Superseding Indictment for multiple conspiracies, including allegedly conspiring to falsify Red Line track inspection reports as well as to commit overtime fraud.
Source: United States Department of Justice
Damian Barnett, 22, a felon residing in the District who was previously convicted of two attempted carjackings, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 28 months in prison for illegally possessing a loaded unholstered pistol in a residential neighborhood, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A complaint was unsealed today charging Abdul Zahir Qadeer, also known as “Haji Abdul Zahir,” a former general in Afghanistan’s Border Force and First Deputy Speaker of Afghanistan’s National Assembly’s House of the People, with conspiring to import heroin and methamphetamine and related firearms offenses. Qadeer is expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan today following his arrest in Nairobi, Kenya, on April 15, 2025, and extradition to the United States on July 10, 2026.
“While purporting to be a political leader of Afghanistan, Abdul Zahir Qadeer was allegedly leading a criminal enterprise dealing in dangerous and addictive narcotics and heavy weapons,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The Drug Enforcement Administration led an investigation that ended Qadeer’s audacious criminal activity, and now he will face justice in the United States.”
“Abdul Zahir Qadeer, a former high-ranking Afghan government official, allegedly also held a dual role as a large-scale international narcotics and military-grade weapons trafficker,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. “In an attempt to traffic massive amounts of poison and weaponry — including heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers — Qadeer allegedly sold a two-kilogram test shipment to a buyer, which was delivered in South Africa. Unbeknownst to Qadeer, that buyer was working with the DEA. The scale of potential devastation Qadeer was attempting to bring to the U.S. is terrifying. This brazen effort underscores the need for the commitment and expertise of our career prosecutors and DEA partners.”
“”The world is safer now that Abdul Zahir Qadeer is facing justice in the United States. As a former General for Afghanistan’s Border Force, Qadeer was entrusted to protect his country’s borders — instead, he exploited his position to facilitate drug and weapons trafficking that fueled violence and instability,” said Administrator Terrance C. Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “Make no mistake; we will use the full weight of the United States government to bring such individuals to justice. No matter where you are, no matter how powerful you think you are — you are not out of our reach.”
According to the allegations contained in the complaint and other public filings: Qadeer is a former member of Afghanistan’s National Assembly, which functioned as the legislature of Afghanistan until the Taliban regained control of the country in or about August 2021, and he was elected First Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly’s House of the People in or about 2012. Qadeer previously served as a general in Afghanistan’s Border Force, a paramilitary police organization responsible for securing Afghanistan’s border, commanding its Eighth Border Battalion in Takhar Province, Afghanistan. Qadeer is pictured below, dressed in blue, toward the left of the image:
Photo of Qadeer (in blue and on the left) with the Eighth Border Battalion. From the complaint.
Qadeer was also, until his arrest, a large-scale international narcotics and weapons trafficker. As alleged in the complaint, Qadeer engaged in extensive negotiations with an individual who purported to be a member of an international drug trafficking organization (the “DTO”) but, unbeknownst to Qadeer, was in fact a confidential source (CS-1) working at the direction of the DEA.
In or about November 2024, CS-1 began communicating with Qadeer about their potential partnership in trafficking hundreds of kilograms of heroin and methamphetamine for importation into and sale in the United States for the purported DTO. As an early step in their partnership, on or about Dec. 10, 2024, Qadeer sold a two-kilogram test shipment of methamphetamine delivered to CS-1’s associate in Johannesburg, South Africa, in exchange for approximately $14,000.
Photo of two-kilogram test shipment of methamphetamine allegedly sold by Qadeer. From the complaint.
Screenshot of message thread between Qadeer and CS-1. From the complaint.
Thereafter, Qadeer continued to negotiate with CS-1 regarding the sale to the DTO of hundreds of kilograms of heroin and methamphetamine, along with hundreds of heavy machine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, pistols, and grenades, which CS-1 represented would be used by the DTO to protect its drug trafficking activities from interdiction by the United States government. Pictured below is a purported weapons order from CS-1 that Qadeer agreed to fulfill:
Screenshot of a purported weapons order that Qadeer allegedly agreed to fulfill. From the complaint.
Upon receiving the weapons order, Qadeer provided CS-1 with quotes of how much he would charge to source each weapon, including, for example, $11,579 for one sniper rifle, $9,670 for one type of machine gun, and $1,770 for 10 grenades in one box.
In or about April 2025, Qadeer attended a meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, with several individuals who he believed to be members of the DTO he would supply with narcotics and weapons. In reality, it was a meeting between Qadeer and multiple DEA confidential sources. Kenyan law enforcement officers arrested Qadeer immediately following the meeting.
Qadeer has been charged with narcotics importation conspiracy, which carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison; using and carrying machine guns and destructive devices during, and possessing machine guns and destructive devices in furtherance of, the narcotics-importation conspiracy, which carries a minimum penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison; and conspiring to use and carry machine guns and destructive devices during, and possess machine guns and destructive devices in furtherance of, the narcotics-importation conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The statutory maximum and mandatory minimum penalties in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit investigated the case. The FBI’s Tactical Aviation Unit assisted with Qadeer’s extradition to the United States from Kenya. The Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and Directorate of Criminal Investigations also provided assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan L. Bodansky and Chelsea L. Scism for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case.
The charges contained in a complaint are merely accusations. 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
A former Deputy U.S. Marshal was sentenced today to 45 months in prison for assaulting a federal inmate and writing a false report about the incident.
In April 2026, after a three-day trial, a federal jury in the Western District of Louisiana convicted Joshua Firmin, 49, of one count of Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law and one count of Falsification of Records.
“The great majority of law enforcement officers do essential work honorably and lawfully under difficult and high-risk conditions,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “But Joshua Firmin knowingly overstepped his authority when he assaulted a shackled prisoner and failed to uphold the trust placed in him when he lied about it in official documents. Today’s sentence represents appropriate accountability, and we are grateful to the law enforcement personnel who reported the misconduct and cooperated with the investigation.”
“The civil rights protections afforded to all U.S. citizens are a fundamental part of the Constitution,” said U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “The unlawful civil rights violation committed by Mr. Firmin against a shackled inmate, not only tarnishes the reputation, it also engenders public distrust of the innumerable law enforcement officers who so honorably protect and serve all of us. Today’s sentencing ensures that Mr. Firmin is being held accountable for his actions.”
“Firmin violated his oath as a law enforcement officer by abusing his authority,” said Special Agent in Charge Cloey Pierce of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG) South Central Region Houston Office. “The DOJ OIG will continue working with its law enforcement partners to ensure that anyone participating in this type of behavior will be brought to justice.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on February 29, 2024, Firmin, who was then assigned to operations duties at the federal courthouse in Lafayette, Louisiana, learned that a prisoner awaiting a court appearance in the courthouse cell block had made insulting remarks about Firmin to another courthouse employee. Shortly thereafter, Firmin entered the courthouse cellblock and unlocked the cell where the prisoner was being held, yanked the prisoner, who was restrained in handcuffs, waist shackles, and leg irons, out of the cell by his hair and slammed his head into the cellblock wall. As a result of the assault, the prisoner suffered a laceration to his scalp that required staples to close. Following the assault, Firmin wrote an official use of force report in which he falsely stated that the prisoner had attempted to spit on him and then inadvertently struck his head on a door while resisting efforts to escort him to another cell. However, another Deputy U.S. Marshal, who had witnessed the assault, promptly reported the misconduct to his chain of command, leading to an investigation by the DOJ OIG.
The case was investigated by the DOJ OIG South Central Region Houston Office.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Alec Ward of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chandra Menon for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
SAN DIEGO – The United States has filed a complaint under the False Claims Act (FCA) against Laurie Holcomb, founder of multiple cannabis companies, alleging that she illegally obtained five pandemic-related loans from the federal government. The United States alleges that Holcomb secured $1.4 million in federally-guaranteed Paycheck Protection Program loans, and subsequent forgiveness of the loans, by falsely certifying under penalty of perjury on loan applications that the businesses were not involved in illegal activity.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 151 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Joseph L. Crapsi, 31, of Cheektowaga, NY, who was convicted of pointing a laser pointer at an aircraft, was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.On March 2, 2024, a Delta Airlines flight was in flight and on approach to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Crapsi lives in the flight path of the airport and aimed the beam of a green laser pointer at the Delta Flight.The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles M. Kruly and Craig R. Gestring. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Patterson, the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Coons, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Allen B. Davis, II. # # # #