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Florida Man Sentenced for Assault on Law Enforcement During January 6 Capitol Breach

Source: US FBI

Defendant Sentenced for Spraying Officers with Bear Spray And Throwing Metal Rod at Them

            WASHINGTON — A Florida man has been sentenced for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

            Christian Matthew Manley, 27, of Fort Walton Beach, was sentenced to 50 months incarceration, 36 months supervised release, $2000 restitution and $100 special assessment fee.  The sentence is the result of a guilty plea from November 19, 2021, where Manley plead guilty to assaulting, resisting, and impeding law enforcement while using a dangerous weapon.

            According to the statements of facts, Manley was captured on video in the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol, wearing a flak jacket, armed with bear spray, a collapsible police baton, and handcuffs as he approached the archway entrance. At approximately 2:53 p.m., he can be seen spraying bear spray at officers from the U.S. Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department, who were defending the entrance. He threw the empty bear spray container at officers a few seconds later, then used a second cannister to again spray the officers. He then threw this cannister, too, at the officers. Then, at 2:55 p.m., he accepted a metal rod from another rioter and threw it at the officers.  Manley also wedged his body against a wall in the tunnel and used force to push the security door against officers defending the Capitol.

            This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.

            The case was investigated by the FBI’s Birmingham, Alabama Field Office, as well as the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Manley as #81A in its seeking information photos, and the Metropolitan Police Department. Significant assistance was provided by the FBI’s Anchorage Field Office and the U.S. Capitol Police.

            In the 27 months since Jan. 6, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 320 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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Gangster Disciples Member Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Money Laundering, and Drug Charges in Connection with Prison-Based Phone Scam

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala – A former inmate at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility (Donaldson) in Bessemer, Alabama pleaded guilty yesterday for his role leading a prison-based phone scam that targeted retailers throughout the country, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis.

Ricardo Poole, Sr., aka “Raoul,” 48, of Bessemer, Alabama, entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Karon O. Bowdre to one count of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of money laundering conspiracy, one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Poole Sr. is the seventh member of the conspiracy to plead guilty.

According to the plea agreement, between September 2020 and May 2022, Poole Sr. and others tricked retailers into activating gift cards under fraudulent pretenses and then used those fraudulently obtained gift cards to purchase merchandise and make other expenditures.

The plea agreement describes Poole Sr. as a high-ranking member of the Gangster Disciples at Donaldson, and the Gangster Disciples as a violent national criminal gang, founded in Chicago, and active across the U.S., including Alabama. According to court documents, Poole Sr.’s co-defendant, Terry Ray Bradshaw, was a “skit runner” who was housed at Donaldson for most of the period charged in the indictment. While at Donaldson, Bradshaw called retailers and used spoofing technology and social engineering techniques to pose as store executives so that he could trick employees into activating gift cards. During the relevant period, Bradshaw worked as a “skit runner” for Poole Sr. and other members of the Gangster Disciples at Donaldson. In exchange for his work as a “skit runner,” Poole Sr. provided Bradshaw with luxury items like Cartier glasses, protection from the Gangster Disciples, and controlled substances like methamphetamine.

The maximum punishment for the wire fraud conspiracy charge is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for the money laundering conspiracy charge is 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount laundered. The maximum penalty for the conspiracy to distribute a controlled substances charge is 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. The penalty for aggravated identity theft is an additional two years in prison.

The U.S. Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward J. Canter and John M. Hundscheid are prosecuting the case. The Alabama Department of Corrections Law Enforcement Services Division, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have assisted in the investigation. 

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Mississippi Resident Sentenced to Twelve Years in Prison for Armed Carjacking

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge today sentenced a Mississippi resident for a carjacking that occurred in Moody, Alabama, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson.

U.S. District Court Judge Corey L. Maze sentenced Eric Lamar White, 25, of Jackson, Mississippi, to 144 months in prison.  White was convicted by a federal jury in December 2022 of carjacking and carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime.

According to evidence presented at trial, on January 7, 2021, White and his codefendant, Kendarian Toran, were traveling from Jackson, Mississippi, to Atlanta, Georgia, in a stolen vehicle with a switched tag. The stolen vehicle began to overheat so White and Toran decided to carjack the victim in this case while carrying a firearm. At the time of the carjacking, the victim was in her 2008 Acura TL, pumping gas with her two small children in the vehicle. White and Toran waited for the perfect opportunity to take her car. White repositioned the overheating stolen car so that Toran could easily jump out and get into the driver’s seat of the Acura with ease. Once Toran got into the driver’s seat of the victim’s vehicle, the victim attempted to stop him from taking her car by jumping into the driver’s seat on top of Toran. She did not want him to take her children and fought for them. Toran put the firearm to the victim’s pregnant belly, told her to get her kids out of the car, and quickly drove off with her 2008 Acura TL, just as the last child got out.  White and Toran met at a nearby business parking lot where White abandoned the original stolen vehicle and got into the 2008 Acura TL with Toran. Hours later, White was driving the Acura back to Jackson, Mississippi, with Toran, when Mississippi law enforcement spotted them. A vehicle pursuit ensued for 29 miles on I-20 at speeds over 120 mph with multiple law enforcement officers. Officers had to spike and force the vehicle into the median on I-20. When White was arrested, he had his Glock .45 caliber pistol and an Alabama driver’s license belonging to a person matching the description of the victim. The evidence showed that the Glock .45 caliber pistol was purchased by White in October 2020.

On August 25, 2022, U.S. District Court Judge Corey L. Maze sentenced Kendarian Lamonte Toran, 18, of Ridgeland, Mississippi, to 90 months in prison for carjacking and carrying and brandishing a firearm during and relation to a violent crime.  Toran pleaded guilty to the charges in March. 

The ATF investigated the case along with assistance from the FBI Birmingham Division, Moody Police Department, and multiple Mississippi law enforcement agencies, to include Rankin County Sherriff’s Office, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, and Madison Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittney Plyler and Kristy Peoples are prosecuting the case.

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Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 80 Years in Prison on Child Exploitation Charges

Source: US FBI

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A federal judge this week sentenced a Madison County man on child sexual exploitation charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger.

U.S. District Judge Liles C. Burke sentenced Kevin Alexander Guerrero-Beltran, 32, to 960 months in prison followed by lifetime of supervised release.  Guerrero-Beltran was also ordered to pay $11,000 in restitution to the victims.  In January 2023, Guerrero-Beltran pleaded guilty to transportation and distribution of child pornography. 

“This defendant has proven that he will continue to abuse and sexually exploit children,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona.  “It took a collaborative effort to remove the danger presented by Guerrero-Beltran to the children in our communities.  We thank our local, state, and federal partners in protecting our most vulnerable victims.  The sentence imposed ensures that Guerrero-Beltran will spend the rest of his life in prison.” 

“Mr. Guerrero-Beltran is a serial offender who has repeatedly targeted the most vulnerable of our population and, with today’s sentence, I am grateful that he will never be in a position to harm another child again,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Peeples.  “While no amount of prison time or restitution will ever give his victims back the innocence he stole from them, I hope they know that the FBI and our partners will never tire in our efforts to find those who seek to harm our children.”

“While we know the young victims and families of this egregious child predator will have a lifetime of recovery, we hope this significant sentence brings them the relief of knowing he will never harm another child,” said HSI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Berger. “This case sends a resounding message to those who would target our youth – we will find you and hold you accountable for your heinous crimes.”  

According to court documents, Guerrero-Beltran has a history of committing sex crimes against children and was previously convicted of traveling to meet a child for a sex act in Marshall County.  He was on state probation at the time he committed these federal offenses. Guerrero-Beltran was released from state prison on May 28, 2020, and a mere three months after his release from prison, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) issued a cyber tip involving the defendant sending an image of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on Snapchat. Separate from that, between October 17, 2020, and October 23, 2020, the defendant was involved in and became the administrator of a specific online group where individuals exchanged CSAM. There was also a second cyber tip issued from NCMEC involving the defendant uploading CSAM on a social media application between November 6, 2020, and November 17, 2020. Furthermore, between May 28, 2021, and June 4, 2021, the defendant was in communication with another individual inquiring about having sex with an eight-year-old girl.

FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force (CEHTTF), FBI Phoenix Division, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), Huntsville Police Department, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, and Georgia Bureau of Investigation participated in this investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White is prosecuting the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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Madison County Couple Indicted on COVID-19 Program Fraud Charges

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Madison County couple were indicted today for defrauding the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.

A five-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges John D. Scoggins, 43, and Jennifer C. Scoggins, 37, husband and wife, both of Huntsville, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. 

According to the indictment, between February and June 2021, the Scoggins conspired to defraud the SBA and the United States Government by applying for and/or receiving approximately $1.7 million in fraudulent PPP loans on behalf of four purportedly operational businesses.  The Scoggins submitted loan application containing material misrepresentations and supported by falsified and fraudulent documentation.  The Scoggins used the PPP loan funds for a series of unauthorized purposes, including purchasing a home, taking a family vacation, and plastic surgery. 

 FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan “Jack” Harrington is prosecuting the case. 

Throughout the country, federal, state, and local law enforcement are on high alert to investigate reports of individuals and businesses engaging in a wide range of fraudulent and criminal behavior.  For more information about these scams visit

https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can 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.

An indictment contains only charges.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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Nine Charged in Staged Automobile Collision Scheme, Including Two Men Charged with the Murder of a Federal Witness

Source: US FBI

NEW ORLEANS –The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice announce that a thirteen-count second superseding indictment has been returned, April 25, 2025, by the grand jury in relation to the scheme to stage automobile collisions in the New Orleans area.  The indictment includes new allegations against two defendants for their participation in the homicide of a federal witness.

According to the second superseding indictment, SEAN D. ALFORTISH (“ALFORTISH”), age 57, of New Orleans, and LEON M. PARKER, a/k/a “Chunky,” (“PARKER”), age 51, of New Orleans, conspired to murder federal witness, Cornelius Garrison. Garrison had been a “slammer” in the scheme to stage automobile collisions, including by sideswiping 18-wheeler tractor-trailers and other commercial vehicles.  Garrison was cooperating with the FBI when he was murdered on September 22, 2020, at his mother’s home in New Orleans.  Ryan J. Harris, a former codefendant in this case, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to causing death through the use of firearm, for his role in Garrison’s homicide, along with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

In addition, the second superseding indictment charges ALFORTISH; PARKER; VANESSA MOTTA (“MOTTA”), age 43, of New Orleans; MOTTA LAW, LLC (“MOTTA LAW”), a law firm in New Orleans; JASON F. GILES (“GILES”), age 46, of New Orleans; THE KING FIRM, LLC (“THE KING FIRM”), a law firm in New Orleans; DIAMINIKE F. STALBERT (“STALBERT”), age 34, of Metairie; CARL MORGAN (“MORGAN”), age 66, of New Orleans; and TIMARA N. LAWRENCE (“LAWRENCE”), age 34, of New Orleans, with participating in the scheme to defraud insurance companies and commercial trucking companies through fraudulently staged automobile collisions.

The superseding indictment alleges that ALFORTISH, MOTTA, MOTTA LAW, GILES, THE KING FIRM, MORGAN, PARKER, STALBERT, LAWRENCE, Cornelius Garrison (“Garrison”), then attorney Danny Patrick Keating (“Keating”), Damian Labeaud (“Labeaud”), Roderick Hickman (“Hickman”), and others participated in a scheme in which they intentionally  staged automobile collisions with other vehicles in the New Orleans metropolitan area.  The scheme included individuals who rode in automobiles as passengers knowing they would be part of staged collisions.  Those individuals later lied as part of fraudulent insurance claims and fraudulent lawsuits based on the staged collisions.  Additionally, the scheme included individuals who drove automobiles and intentionally collided with 18-wheeler tractor-trailers and other commercial vehicles, to stage collisions (“slammers”).  After the staged collisions, the slammers would flee the scene, and a passenger would falsely claim to have been driving at the time of the collision.  Harris, Garrison, Labeaud, and Hickman were slammers, and they recruited and conspired with others to participate in staged collisions.  The scheme included individuals (“spotters”) who drove getaway cars that allowed the slammers to flee the scene after causing a collision and evade detection by law enforcement.  The spotters would sometimes also pretend to be eyewitnesses and would flag down the commercial vehicles after the staged collisions, alleging that the commercial vehicles were at fault. The scheme included individuals, including ALFORTISH, MOTTA, GILES, Keating, other attorneys, and others associated with the attorneys, who pursued fraudulent claims and fraudulent lawsuits knowing they were based on staged collisions.

Count One charges ALFORTISH, MOTTA, MOTTA LAW, GILES, THE KING FIRM, MORGAN, PARKER, STALBERT, and LAWRENCE with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1341, 1343, and 1349.  The maximum penalty for this count is up to twenty years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain to any defendant or twice the gross loss to any victim.

Count Two charges GILES and THE KING FIRM with mail fraud, and Count Three charges ALFORTISH, MOTTA, MOTTA LAW, and PARKER with mail fraud, both in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341.  The maximum penalty for each of these counts is twenty years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain to any defendant or twice the gross loss to any victim.

Count Four charges ALFORTISH, MOTTA, and MOTTA LAW with obstruction of justice, and Count Six charges GILES and THE KING FIRM with obstruction of justice, both in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1503(a).  The maximum penalty for each of these counts is ten years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain to any defendant or twice the gross loss to any victim.

Count Five charges ALFORTISH, MOTTA, and MOTTA LAW with witness tampering, and Count Seven charges GILES and THE KING FIRM with witness tampering, both in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1512(b)(1)(B).  The maximum penalty for each of these counts is twenty years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain to any defendant or twice the gross loss to any victim.

Count Eight charges STALBERT with making false statements to a federal agent.  If convicted, she would face up to five years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.

Counts Nine through Thirteen concern the homicide of federal witness Cornelius Garrison. Count Nine charges ALFORTISH and PARKER with conspiracy to commit witness tampering through murder of Garrison, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1512(a)(1)(C), 1512(a)(3)(A), and 1512(k).  Count Ten charges ALFORTISH and PARKER with witness tampering through murder, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 11512(a)(1)(C), 1512(a)(3)(A), and 2.  Count Eleven charges ALFORTISH and PARKER with conspiracy to retaliate against a witness through murder, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1513(a)(1)(B), 1513(a)(2)(A), and 1513(f).  Count Twelve charges ALFORTISH and PARKER with retaliation against a witness through murder, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1513(a)(1)(B), 1513(a)(2)(A), and 2.  As to each of these counts, ALFORTISH and PARKER face a maximum of life imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release.

Count Thirteen charges ALFORTISH and PARKER with causing Garrison’s death through the use of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 924(j)(1) and 2.  The maximum penalty is any term of years including life imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release.

Including this superseding indictment, sixty-three (63) defendants have been charged in the federal probe into the staging of automobile collisions with other vehicles in the New Orleans metropolitan area.

Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that the superseding indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, would like to acknowledge the tremendous work of the FBI, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Louisiana State Police with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Payne; Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit; Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman; and Trial Attorney J. Ryan McLaren of the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section. 

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St. Francis Man Sentenced to 7½ Years in Federal Prison for Larceny in the Rosebud Indian Reservation

Source: US FBI

PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a St. Francis, South Dakota, man convicted of two counts of Larceny. The sentencing took place on April 22, 2025.

Larry White Lance, age 29 was sentenced to seven years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

White Lance was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2023. He pleaded guilty on January 29, 2025.

The conviction stems from White Lance breaking into a home in St. Francis in June 2022 and steeling a tool chest, tools, and other property.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

White Lance was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

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Nebraska Woman Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine in the Pine Ridge Reservation and Rapid City

Source: US FBI

RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Chadron, Nebraska, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.

Casey Lopez, age 51, was sentenced on April 21, 2025, to 20 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Lopez was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024 and pleaded guilty on January 17, 2025.

Lopez and others distributed significant amounts of methamphetamine in Pine Ridge and Rapid City.  Lopez was a leader in the conspiracy, setting prices, organizing the distribution, and enabling a Mexican cartel to gain inroads into the Pine Ridge Reservation. In sentencing Lopez, Judge Schreier denounced how Lopez’ actions severely damaged the community. Judge Schreier also noted the drugs Lopez was distributing came from Mexican cartels and constituted 100% pure methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.

Lopez was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following sentencing. 

 

 

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Former Trinidad ISD Business Manager Sentenced to Federal Prison for Theft From School District

Source: US FBI

TYLER, Texas – An Orange, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison for theft from the Trinidad Independent School District, announced Eastern District of Texas Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.

Brandon Delane Looney, 39, pleaded guilty to theft from a program receiving federal funds and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle on April 24, 2025.

According to information presented in court, Looney stole nearly $340,000 from Trinidad ISD between 2017 and 2023 while he served as Trinidad ISD’s business manager. Federal law makes it a crime for someone to steal from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal funds annually.  Looney used the stolen funds to purchase personal trips to Walt Disney World and on spending sprees at the Disney Store.  Trinidad ISD is one of the poorest school districts in Texas and suffered adverse financial consequences as a result of Looney’s theft.

Looney worked with the Financial Litigation Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to liquidate his available assets, including his home, to pay $200,000 of the restitution before sentencing.  The remaining balance of the restitution judgment will be collectible for 20 years after the termination of Looney’s incarceration.

This case was investigated by FBI’s Tyler Field Office, with assistance from the Tyler Police Department and the Trinidad ISD.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Austin Wells.

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344 Immigration Cases Filed in the Western District of Texas This Week

Source: US FBI

SAN ANTONIO – Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today that federal prosecutors in the district filed 344 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from April 18 through April 24.

Among the new cases, Henry Cruz-Lemas, an illegal alien and a Honduran national previously convicted of aggravated kidnapping in September 2011 and sentenced to five years in prison. Cruz-Lemas was arrested on April 18 during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ERO) investigation in San Antonio.  He is charged with one count of illegal reentry of an alien.

Jose Angel Escarcega-Briones, an illegal alien from Mexico, was found approximately 4 miles west of the Tornillo Port of Entry. Border Patrol Agents determined that he did not have immigration documents allowing him to be in the United States legally and that he has previously been removed from the United States 5 times.  He has 3 prior convictions for illegal reentry as well as a federal drug trafficking conviction.

Jose Alfonso Deras-Valle, a citizen of El Salvador, was found near mile marker 87 of Interstate 10 in Fort Hancock, Texas.  U.S. Border Patrol determined that Deras-Valle had recently been deported to El Salvador on February 21, 2025.  His criminal record includes a murder conviction in Florida for which he received fifteen years in prison.

U.S. Border Patrol Agents performing line watch operations in an area near Sierra Blanca, Texas encountered three people attempting to conceal themselves in a culvert.  After questioning and investigation, the agents determined the group was in the United States illegally.  Sergio Aguirre-Isidro was determined to be a foot guide for the group and that he was to collect 10,000 Mexican Pesos if the group arrived in the U.S. successfully.

Junior Enrique Garcia-Escobar, a Honduran national with a prior conviction out of the State of New York for Burglary using/threatening use of a dangerous instrument, was arrested on illegal reentry charges near Eagle Pass, Texas.  He had been sentenced to five years in prison on the burglary charge and was deported in 2019.

Raul Rodriguez-Morales was arrested by Border Patrol Agents in Del Rio, Texas on April 18, 2025, for illegal reentry after having been deported in January 2025.  Rodriguez-Morales has previous drug convictions in California as well as a conviction for felon in possession of a firearm and two previous convictions for illegal reentry of an alien in 2011 and 2019.

In Carrizo Springs, Texas, Devarick Dewayne Benson was arrested for conspiring to transport two illegal aliens further into the United States.  Benson was driving a vehicle with fictitious plates and was pulled over for driving 10 miles over the speed limit.  He had two illegal aliens in the trunk of his car.

A Honduran citizen, Angel Almendarez-Ulloa, was arrested on April 19, 2025, by Border Patrol Agents near Eagle Pass, Texas. Almendarez has been deported from the United States 10 times, with his last deportation to Honduras being on April 21, 2023.

These cases were referred or supported by our federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

These 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 (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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.