MIL Security Engine-1

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

TEXARKANA, Texas –A Texarkana, Arkansas woman has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Terri Lynn Cooley, 55, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder, III on December 16, 2025.

According to information presented in court, on October 11, 2023, Cooley was stopped in Texarkana, Texas for driving at night without headlights.  During the stop, it was discovered she had an active warrant and was arrested.  A search of the vehicle following Cooley’s arrest led to the discovery of 109.85 grams of methamphetamine.

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.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Texas Department of Public Safety; and the Texarkana, Texas, Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek.

###

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – A member of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios pleaded guilty today to racketeering charges, including his participation in two murders and one attempted murder.

James Jimenez, 25, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. U.S. Senior District Court Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for March 24, 2026. Miliano was arrested and charged in February 2025, and was alleged to have participated in the murders of Jandriel Heredia and Abraham Diaz in September 2023.

The Trinitarios is a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Trinitarios adhere to a Magna Carta, employ an internal hierarchy to organize and execute violence and undertake extensive efforts to maintain the secrecy of the organization and its members.  

In February 2025, federal racketeering charges were unsealed against 22 leaders and members of the Trinitarios. The charges were the result of a multi jurisdictional investigation that began in the aftermath of four murders and a series of attempted murders and shootings that took place in Lynn in 2023, allegedly committed by the Trinitarios criminal enterprise and its members. In March 2025, a Lynn member of the Trinitarios was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In June 2025, two members of the Trinitarios were charged with kidnapping a drug supplier. In July 2025, the leader of the Lynn Chapter was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Jimenez is the eighth defendant to plead guilty. 

During today’s court proceeding, Jimenez admitted to his membership in the gang and participation in two shootings where the Trinitarios intended to kill rival gang members. The first incident took place in August 2023 following the death of a Trinitario member who was believed to have been killed by a rival gang member. Jimenez and five other Trinitarios set out to ambush and kill rival gang members who were at a music studio in Lynn. 

Jimenez also admitted to his participation in the Sept. 2, 2023 murders of Jandriel Heredia and Abraham Diaz. Jimenez admitted to meeting with other Trinitario members prior to the shooting and learning about the plan to kill a rival gang member who the Trinitarios believed was present at a party on Essex Street in Lynn. Jimenez admitted to driving by the party a number of times, and relaying information about what he observed to the other Trinitarios knowing that the information would be used to further their plan to murder rival gang members. Later that night, members of the Trinitarios drove by the party and discharged numerous rounds at the people gathered outside celebrating a recent graduation. Seven people were shot during this incident, and Abraham Diaz and Jandriel Heredia later died from the gunshot wounds they sustained. After the shooting, Jimenez also worked with other Trinitarios and assisted in concealing and destroying evidence.

The charge of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity (also known as “racketeering conspiracy” or “RICO conspiracy”) provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. 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; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Ted Docks, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble; and Lynn Police Chief Christopher P. Reddy made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

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 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.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc. (Dana-Farber) has agreed to pay $15 million to resolve allegations that, between 2014 and 2024, it made materially false statements and certifications related to National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants. Specifically, Dana-Farber admitted that its researchers mispresented data and images that resulted in misinformation about research being published in 14 scientific journal articles.

As part of the settlement, Dana-Farber admitted that publications reused images to represent different experimental conditions; duplicated images to represent different testing conditions, mice, and/or timepoints; or rotated, magnified, or stretched images. Further, Dana-Farber admitted that a supervising researcher failed to exercise sufficient oversight over the researchers responsible for these publications, and that Dana-Farber spent funds from six NIH grants for these publications that were unallowable. As part of the settlement, Dana-Farber also admitted that another researcher received four NIH grants after submitting grant applications that discussed a journal article authored by the researcher, but did not disclose that certain images and data in that article were misrepresented and/or duplicated. The United States contends that Dana-Farber caused the submission of false claims to NIH by falsely certifying compliance with grant terms and conditions, spending grants funds on unallowable expenses, and obtaining grants through false and misleading statements.

“There is no place in scientific research, particularly cancer research, for fraud, waste and abuse, and my office will continue to investigate institutions, no matter how prestigious, to ensure that research data is not tainted and that taxpayer funds are used appropriately. Patients, and the medical community, rely on the important research conducted by institutions like Dana-Farber. It is critical, to say the least, that all research findings are accurately reported,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley.

“NIH has limited resources to support important research being conducted at institutions across the country,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement demonstrates that the Department of Justice will pursue grantees that undermine the integrity of federal funding decisions by failing to use research funds appropriately or by failing to abide by grant awards’ terms and conditions.”  

“The alleged falsification of research data and improper use of federal funds represents a serious breach of public trust and threatens the rigorous standards that uphold the credibility of the scientific process,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Individuals who violate federal grant-making rules not only risk legal consequences but also compromise the stewardship of taxpayer resources. HHS-OIG remains firmly committed to ensuring accountability and safeguarding the integrity of Department programs.”

Dana-Farber is a cancer treatment and research center headquartered in Boston, with locations across Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Dana-Farber receives research grant funding from federal government agencies, including NIH. Dana-Farber cooperated with the government in this matter and received credit under the Department’s guidelines for taking disclosure, cooperation, and remediation into account in False Claims Act cases.

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The relator will receive $2,625,000 under today’s settlement. The qui tam case is captioned U.S. ex rel. Sholto David v. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc., No. 2:24-cv-11059-WGY (D. Mass.).  

U.S. Attorney Foley; AAG Shumate; and AIG Globerman made the announcement today.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Olivia Benjamin and Brian LaMacchia, Chief of the Affirmative Litigation Unit, handled the matter, along with Trial Attorney Megan Engel of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section).  

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

TULSA, Okla. – A Skiatook man was charged today for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Indian Country after being found incompetent to stand trial and was released.

According to court documents, Jacob Robin Gilmartin, now 22, was initially charged in 2023 with Second Degree Murder in 
Indian Country. Gilmartin was driving under the influence in 2021 and wrecked into another vehicle, killing Clifton Smith. 
While on pre-trial release, Gilmartin was in a second wreck, injuring only himself and being diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury. After a medical evaluation, Gilmartin was deemed incompetent to stand trial and was ordered released in June 2025.

On December 9th, seven months after being released, court documents allege that Tulsa County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched in reference to a domestic violence call. The 10-year-old victim ran to a neighbor’s house after receiving a severe laceration to his right arm that cut to the bone. The neighbor applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. The victim told deputies he sustained the injury when Gilmartin threatened to kill him and threw the knife at him.

Court records show that deputies followed the blood trail back to Gilmartin’s residence, where he was detained.   

Gilmartin is a member of the Cherokee Nation.

The FBI is investigating the case, and the defendant was arrested with the help of the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory Richard is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BILLINGS – A Sand Springs woman accused of tampering with drugs at a local health care center admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

The defendant, Kailyn Marie Smotherman, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with consumer products. Smotherman faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and at least 3 years of supervised release.

U.S. District Court Judge Susan P. Watters presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for April 15, 2026. Smotherman remains released with conditions pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that on January 19, 2023, Kailyn Marie Smotherman was discovered to have been tampering with controlled substances at the Garfield County Health Center in Jordan, Montana, where she worked as the Director of Nursing. Staff at the facility entered Smotherman’s locked office to retrieve a narcotics log and noticed several suspicious items, including hospital stock narcotics, an IV pole, tourniquets, needles, IV equipment, replacement vial caps, replacement medication labels, and what appeared to be blood on many surfaces. During a subsequent search of the office, staff and law enforcement found numerous vials of fentanyl that had been tampered with (caps removed and replaced) or had been emptied. They also discovered other controlled substances that had been replaced.

Staff reported concerns patients may have received saline solution instead of pain medication in the months preceding the incident.

A forensic chemist with the Food and Drug Administration conducted an analysis of the containers confiscated from Smotherman’s office and concluded the controlled substances had been tampered with and adulterated.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The DEA, FDA and Garfield County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

XXX

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

TULSA, Okla. – Today, a judge ordered Brandon Jerome Silas to 25 years imprisonment after a federal jury convicted him in May, for the fentanyl related death of 29-year-old Haley Nicole Scruggs.

In May, a federal jury convicted Silas, 45, of Distribution of Fentanyl Resulting in Death; four counts of Use of a Communication Facility in Committing, Causing, and Facilitating the Commission of a Drug Trafficking Felony; and Money Laundering. 

U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Silas to 300 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.

“Silas will be close to 70 years old when he is released from federal prison after killing Haley Scruggs,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “I am grateful for our federal and state partners who worked together to stop Silas from dealing deadly drugs in the Northern District of Oklahoma.”

“This sentence sends a message to those who distribute and profit from the distribution of poison in our communities,” said Joseph B. Tucker, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Dallas Division, which covers the State of Oklahoma. “The men and women of DEA and their law enforcement partners work tirelessly hold accountable those praying on the addictions of others, never wavering in the pursuit of justice.” 

In February 2022, Haley Scruggs fought with her boyfriend about wanting to purchase opioids. After completing drug rehabilitation, her boyfriend discovered that she was relapsing and told her that he would help her stay clean. But if she relapsed, they could not stay together.

While her boyfriend was at work the following day, Haley called her friend, Silas, several times, and sent him more than 90 text messages. A DEA agent testified that through texts, Haley explained to Silas how to get to her house. When Silas arrived, he texted Haley that he was there. Shortly after that, Haley stopped responding to her phone.

Concerned, her boyfriend left work and discovered Haley at home, unresponsive. He immediately called 911, and she was pronounced deceased.

During the trial, two witnesses took the stand and explained to the jury how they originally started purchasing pills from Silas in 2019. When they went to Silas for fentanyl, he warned both of them to “be careful.”

Silas’ bank records presented to the jury showed that money was being digitally transferred from various peer-to-peer cash applications into his accounts. Bank records indicated that Silas deposited or transferred more than $450,000 into his accounts over 14 months.

Court records show that Silas knew of Haley’s death and continued to sell drugs. He will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

DEA fentanyl seizures represent over 133 million deadly doses in 2025. Click here to find additional resources or learn more about the OnePillCanKill campaign.

The Drug Enforcement Administration Oklahoma City District Office and the Broken Arrow Police Department investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Bailey and Charles Greenough prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland has sentenced Jhakheem Smith (26, Gainesville) to 10 years and 6 months in federal prison for the armed robbery of a convenience store in Clearwater in November 2023. Earlier this year, Smith pleaded guilty to robbing and conspiring to rob the store. He pleaded not guilty to brandishing a firearm during a violent crime. Smith proceeded to trial on the firearm charge. A federal jury found Smith guilty of the firearm offense in March 2025. 

According to testimony and evidence presented at the trial, on November 8, 2023, 

Store surveillance video showed Jones and Smith jumping over the counter to confront the victim. The video also showed Smith searching throughout the store for a safe which allegedly contained additional money. The safe was never found. The store surveillance video also showed Smith attempting to damage the store surveillance cameras. Text messages obtained pursuant to a search warrant for Jones’s phone revealed text messages between Jones and Smith planning the robbery.

Jones pleaded guilty to all three charges in the indictment. On February 6, 2025, Jones was sentenced to 12 years and 11 months in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Clearwater Police Department, the Largo Police Department, and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman.

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

Wilmington, Delaware–U.S. Attorney Benjamin L. Wallace announced today that Nikon SLM Solutions NA, Inc. (“SLM”) agreed to pay more than $1.3 million to resolve allegations that it improperly obtained a Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) for which it was not eligible.

PPP was an emergency loan program established by Congress in March 2020 under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act and administered by the SBA.  It was created to support small businesses and ensure that they could continue to pay employees and meet other business expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether an applicant qualified as a small business was determined, in part, by assessing the number of employees of the business, including any domestic and foreign affiliates.  In early 2021, Congress authorized a second tranche of loans, referred to as second draw loans, that were available under more restrictive eligibility rules to certain small businesses that had already obtained a first draw loan.

SLM is a subsidiary of a global provider of integrated metal additive manufacturing solutions, headquartered in Lübeck, Germany.  The United States contends that SLM obtained a PPP loan that it was not eligible for because it exceeded the size requirements for a second draw PPP loan.  Specifically, SLM was ineligible for the PPP loan because it, together with its foreign affiliates, had over 300 employees.  After the conduct that was the subject of the United States’ investigation, SLM’s parent company was acquired by Nikon Corporation, the publicly listed Japanese company.

“PPP was established to provide necessary support for American small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Wallace.  “When larger, international companies sought and obtained those loans, they frustrated the purpose of the program and deprived qualifying small businesses of much needed funds to keep American workers employed.  Our office will continue to investigate and aggressively seek to recover funds that were obtained from the Paycheck Protection Program by ineligible borrowers.”

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act.  Under those provisions, a private party—known as a relator—can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery.  The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Verity Investigations, LLC v. Nikon SLM Solutions NA, Inc., 25-cv-103-CFC (D. Del.).  The relator will receive a share of the settlement.

This matter was handled by Civil Chief Dylan J. Steinberg.

Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only.  There has been no determination of liability.

A copy of this press release and the settlement agreement are located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

St. Thomas, VI –United States Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced today that the United States Department of Justice filed a complaint against the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) alleging that the territory’s unreasonable delays and conditions on lawful gun owners’ rights create an unconstitutional permitting process in violation of the Second Amendment. Numerous applicants complained that VIPD is unreasonably delaying their gun permit application decisions and adding unreasonable conditions, including bolted-in gun safes, prior to issuing gun licenses. Finally, VIPD continues to enforce a proper cause requirement nearly identical to the law that the U.S. Supreme Court previously struck down in another case years ago.
“This Civil Rights Division will protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the United States Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. “The newly-established Second Amendment Section filed this lawsuit to bring the Virgin Islands Police Department back into legal compliance by ensuring that applicants receive timely decisions without unconstitutional obstruction.”
“The territory’s firearms licensing laws and practices are inconsistent with the Second Amendment,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Sleeper for the District of the U.S. Virgin Islands. “This lawsuit seeks to uphold the rights of law-abiding citizens to bear arms in the U.S. Virgin Islands.”
In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a regulation it labeled “proper cause,” which New York law enforcement used to deny gun permits if the applicant did not show “proper cause” for the gun permit. That case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, is the established law of the land, including in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Today, the Virgin Islands maintains and enforces a law nearly identical to the overturned law. Additionally, complaints have poured in from residents showing unconstitutional delays and requirements, including police conducting unconstitutional and unreasonable home searches—the very type of requirements the U.S. Supreme Court finds abusive in permitting schemes. The lawsuit is filed in the U.S. District Court of the Virgin Islands.
If you are a current or prospective gun owner and believe your gun permit application is subject to unconstitutional delays or practices, please submit a complaint through justice.gov/crt/second-amendment-section.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ABERDEEN, MS – Docterance Atkins, 32, was sentenced last week to 37 months imprisonment for Wire Fraud Conspiracy and Money Laundering. Atkins, at a prior date, had pleaded guilty to one count of Wire Fraud, and a separate count of Money Laundering.

The investigation began after IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) received a tip Atkins had committed COVID-19 Fraud. IRS-CI conducted a thorough investigation unveiling Atkins’ scheme. In essence, Atkins recruited unsophisticated individuals in the community, and convinced them to fraudulently apply for CARES Act Relief funds. Overall, Atkins stole nearly $750,000 from the federal government.  The Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) was a COVID-19 pandemic relief program administered by the Small Business Administration that provided forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other related business expenses.  Atkins helped numerous individuals file for and receive fraudulent PPP loans in return for a kickback.  The PPP loan applications included false information regarding the number of employees and the extent of the claimed business operations.

U.S. District Court Judge Sharion Aycock sentenced Atkins to 37 months imprisonment. After serving the sentence in federal prison, Atkins will be subject to 5 years of supervised release. The Court ordered restitution to be paid to victims.

“This defendant exploited a national emergency and stole money that was meant to help businesses suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic,” stated U.S. Attorney Scott Leary. “He has been held accountable and we will recover this money for American taxpayers.”

“Those who defrauded the COVID-19 economic program for small businesses took funds designated to help retain employees and used it for their personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “Docterance Atkins sentence sends a strong message that IRS Criminal Investigation special agents and our law enforcement partners will continue searching and investigating the criminals who took advantage of economic programs created to help small businesses and taxpayers.”

The IRS Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stringfellow prosecuted the case.

Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud affecting COVID-19 government relief programs can be reported by visiting the webpage of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, which can be found here. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can also report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Since the inception of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 150 defendants in more than 95 criminal cases and has seized over $75 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at Justice.gov/OPA/pr/justice-department-takes-action-against-covid-19-fraud.