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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

RENO – A Winnemucca man was sentenced today by United States District Judge Miranda M. Du to 10 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for transporting a 15-year-old girl from Colorado to Nevada, and having sexual contact with her, after meeting each other on a social media application.

According to court documents, from December 31, 2024, to January 2, 2025, Tyler Monson communicated via Snapchat with a 15-year-old victim who lived in Littleton, Colorado. During the conversation, Monson told the victim that he was 16 years old and lived in Colorado. Monson and the victim exchanged nude photos, and he sent the victim $2,000 via Venmo. They agreed to meet in person. Monson traveled from Nevada to Colorado for the purpose of sexual activity with the victim. While traveling back to Nevada with the victim, Monson sexually assaulted the victim multiple times.

Monson pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

Acting United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto for the FBI Las Vegas Division made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the FBI, the Elko County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance provided by the Winnemucca Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Megan Rachow prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that ALFREDO RAMIREZ-VAZQUEZ (“RAMIREZ-VAZQUEZ”), age 55, a citizen of Mexico, pled guilty on September 16, 2025, to illegal reentry of a removed alien, in violation of 8 U.S.C. ‘ 1326(a). Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter scheduled the sentencing for November 13, 2025.

Acting U.S. Michael M. Simpson praised the work of the United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Irene González of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ROCKFORD — A Rockford man was sentenced yesterday to nine years in federal prison for possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number and selling firearms without a license

ANGEL BARRERA-ESTEVES, 27, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of possessing a firearm with the serial number removed and one count of selling firearms without a federal firearms dealer’s license.  On Monday, U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston sentenced Barrera-Esteves to 108 months in prison.

Barrera-Esteves admitted that in 2022, he illegally possessed a semi-automatic handgun that he defaced and later sold.  Barrera-Esteves further admitted that between 2021 and 2022, he sold seven firearms, manufactured or obtained by him, without a federal firearms dealer’s license. Several of those firearms were obtained illegally through his mother, JESSICA BARRERA, who purchased the firearms and transferred them to Barrera-Esteves. Once received, Barrera-Esteves removed the serial numbers and sold the firearms to people he knew could not possess firearms or would use the firearms for illegal purposes. Barrera-Esteves also sold ammunition that he illegally obtained through his mother,  as well as a Glock auto-sear. 

Jessica Barrera, 56, of Rockford, was sentenced last month to nearly three years in federal prison for her involvement.

Barrera-Esteves’s sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of ATF’s Chicago Field Division.  The Rockford Police Department assisted in the investigation. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vincenza L. Tomlinson.

Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to tackle a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on September 30, 2025, Christopher Boisvert of Swanzey, New Hampshire was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 74 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release.

On June 10, 2025, Boisvert pleaded guilty to one count of Bank Robbery and stipulated to the commission of a second bank robbery and an attempted robbery of a marijuana dispensary, all committed on August 26, 2024. Boisvert’s conspirator, Meghan Cox, 40, of Laconia, New Hampshire, pled guilty on June 12, 2025 to her role in conspiring to rob the marijuana dispensary. Cox is scheduled to be sentenced on October 20, 2025.

According to court records, starting at around 2:00 p.m. on August 26, 2024, Boisvert and Cox attempted to rob a marijuana dispensary then Boisvert went on to successfully rob TD Bank in Bellows Falls and Brattleboro Savings & Loan in Brattleboro. Throughout the spree, Boisvert was masked, appeared to be armed, and obtained $7,500 by threatening bank tellers and their families with violence. After the Brattleboro robbery, Boisvert led law enforcement on a high-speed chase through back roads of Vermont before abandoning his truck in a business parking lot. Upon returning to their home in New Hampshire, Boisvert and Cox called law enforcement and falsely reported the truck stolen and claimed to be hiking all afternoon. Prior to this offense, Boisvert had multiple arrests and convictions for armed robberies from 2012 through 2023.

Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Vermont State Police, the Brattleboro Police Department, the Bellows Falls Police Department, the Keene  (New Hampshire) Police Department, the Swanzey (New Hampshire) Police Department, the Cheshire County (New Hampshire) Sheriff’s Department, the New Hampshire State Police, the Athol (Massachusetts) Police Department, and the Winchendon (Massachusetts) Police Department.

The prosecutors are Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan Ophardt and Dana Hill. Assistant Federal Public Defender Emily Kenyon represents Christopher Boisvert and Meghan Cox is represented by Richard C. Bothfeld, Esq.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Hattiesburg, MS – A Canton woman pleaded guilty last week to stealing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits intended for low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford nutritious food.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Nya Irving, also known as Nya Carter, 25, unlawfully acquired and used SNAP and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits in October and November 2023. Irving was a Customer Service Representative for Conduent from September 26, 2022, to November 20, 2023.Irving used her position to access and obtain SNAP and TANF benefits belonging to recipients throughout the United States, including Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, and Tennessee without authorization.

Irving also provided EBT card data to her friend, Velton Taylor Williams, Jr., who was sentenced last week to five years’ probation for his role in the scheme. Irving and Williams used the stolen SNAP and TANF benefits for their personal gain. Irving obtained $41,587.87 in SNAP and $975.19 in TANF benefits without authorization. TANF benefits are intended for low-income families with children under the age of 18.

Irving pleaded guilty to Food Stamp Fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on December 9, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Deuchler of the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General made the announcement.

The United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Greenbelt, Maryland – District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced OJ Rashad Green, 36, aka “Ice,” of Accokeek, Maryland, to nine years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of fentanyl in the Accokeek, Maryland area.   

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – Washington Division; Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD); and Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS).

After a six-day trial in February 2025, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict against Green, finding him guilty of knowingly and intentionally distributing fentanyl, a controlled substance, on four separate occasions.  According to the evidence presented at trial, from or about January 21, 2022, through September 28, 2022, Green repeatedly distributed fentanyl from a home in the Accokeek area.

Law enforcement arrested Green following a series of controlled purchases arranged by officers. These controlled buys provided evidence that Green was utilizing his home as a fentanyl distribution hub.

At sentencing, federal prosecutors presented additional evidence of the large quantity of fentanyl Green distributed over a period of several years. The prosecution also unveiled Green’s extensive distribution network within and outside of the Accokeek area and how Green exploited fentanyl-addicted individuals to work on his behalf as drug testers and drug runners.   

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DEA and Charles County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darren S. Gardner and Brooke Oki who are prosecuting the federal case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md  and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on September 25, 2025 and September 26, 2025, Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss, sentenced three men, Berk Eratay, 38, of Las Vegas, Nevada, Jerry Banks, 37, of Gardener, Montana, and Aron Ethridge, 45, of Henderson, Nevada for their roles in the January 6, 2018 murder of Gregory Davis in Barnet, Vermont.

Serhat Gumrukcu, 42, of Los Angeles, California, the fourth member of the Murder-for-Hire conspiracy, was convicted by a jury on April 18, 2025. Gumrukcu faces a mandatory life sentence.  The Court has continued Gumrukcu’s sentencing, over the Government’s objection, until November 24, 2025.

At sentencing, Chief Judge Reiss imposed the following sentences:

•    Berk Eratay: 110 months of imprisonment to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.
•    Jerry Banks: 200 months of imprisonment to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
•    Aron Ethridge: 140 months of imprisonment to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Gumrukcu solicited the murder of Gregory Davis due to Davis’s threats of legal action related to Gumrukcu’s role in a failed oil commodities transaction. Gumrukcu’s conviction for wire fraud stemmed from his fraudulent activities in relation to this failed oil deal. Gumrukcu was particularly motivated to silence Davis due to his negotiations of a multi-million-dollar biotech merger involving Gumrukcu’s alleged discovery of a cure for HIV. Gumrukcu relied on his close friend, Berk Eratay, to arrange through a second intermediary, Aron Ethridge, the hiring of a hitman to kill Davis. Ethridge recruited Jerry Banks for the hitman role, who on January 6, 2018, posed as a Deputy U.S. Marshal, and abducted Davis from his Danville, Vermont home. On January 7, 2018, Davis’s deceased body was located in a snowbank a short distance from his home in Barnet, Vermont. Investigators quickly discovered emails and messaging indicating the tension between Gumrukcu and Davis over the failed oil deal, resulting in Gumrukcu being interviewed twice by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Gumrukcu made false statements during each interview. Cellphone location information, purchase records, banking documentation, emails, and messaging discovered during the investigation led to the identification of Gumrukcu, Ethridge, Eratay, and Banks who caused the kidnapping and death of Davis.

Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Vermont State Police for their collaborative investigation of Gumrukcu, Eratay, Banks, and Ethridge, and the crimes associated with Davis’s murder. Drescher also thanked the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, as well as the numerous law enforcement entities across the country who worked to identify Banks as the hired hitman, Ethridge and Eratay as middlemen, and Gumrukcu as the financier and benefactor of the murder scheme.

At trial, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul J. Van de Graaf and Zachary Stendig represented the government, with support from Karen Arena-Leene and Erin Thompson-Moran. Berk Eratay was represented by Allan Sullivan, Esq. and Mark Oettinger, Esq. Jerry Banks was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth. Aron Ethridge was represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq.    
 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – A Gloucester man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for sexual exploiting a minor and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Robert Burnham, 44, was indicted on one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography. Burnham was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in September 2025 and remains detained pending trial. He will be arraigned in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging documents, from on or about June 11, 2024 to Oct. 4, 2024, Burnham allegedly persuaded and coerced a 13-year-old minor female to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing pictures and videos and transmitting them to him via social media. Additionally, on April 28, 2025, Burnham knowingly possessed files that depict CSAM.

The charge of sexual exploitation of a minor provides for a sentence of at least 15 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime 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 and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Harper County Sheriff’s Office, FBI Kansas City, Lincoln Police Department and Gloucester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Lawsuit Seeks to Stop Business and its Owners and Preparers from Preparing Tax Returns and Owning or Operating a Tax Preparation Business

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ALBUQUERQUE – A Mescalero man is facing federal charges after allegedly engaging in sexual acts with a minor.

According to court documents, following a report made to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in February 2021, an investigation was initiated into Deverne Torres, Jr., 45, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe. The complaint arose after a witness claimed to have seen Torres kissing and touching a minor and reportedly threatened the witness to keep quiet.

During a subsequent interview, the victim disclosed that Torres had engaged in sexual acts with them beginning when they were under the age of 12 and continuing for years.

Torres is charged with Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Sexual Abuse of a Minor and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Torres faces up t0 life in prison.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jackson Dering is prosecuting the case.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is seeking other potential victims of Torres. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Bureau of Indian Affairs at (575) 464-4479.

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