Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Michael Marx, 45, of Midland, Texas, was charged today in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in connection with a May 4 shooting near the Washington Monument on the National Mall in which a civilian bystander was struck by gunfire, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Jacksonville, Florida – Rene Mauricio Escobar (55) and Juana Nelida Escobar (36), residents of Orlando, have been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger for conspiracy to commit tax fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Rene Escobar was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison. Juana Escobar was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. The court also ordered the defendants to pay $37,174,388 in restitution to the IRS for unpaid payroll taxes. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Two brothers, and a public official they befriended, have been sentenced to prison for their roles to carry out schemes to obtain millions of dollars from victims. A federal jury previously convicted the three men for their roles in a multi-layered, elaborate bribery and fraud conspiracy that spanned multiple states and countries.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A 46-year-old man has pleaded guilty in federal court to sending and receiving child pornography through a social media platform and to firearms charges. During the investigation, agents found that he was buying used children’s clothing through an online marketplace and then began to send the seller provocative images of children.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
DISH Wireless LLC (DISH), located in Englewood, Colorado, has agreed to pay $17,280,240 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA), common law, and the Communications Act of 1934 relating to claims to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Emergency Broadband Benefits Program (EBBP) and its successor program, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).
“The Justice Department will take action where companies and individuals knowingly violate the rules of federal programs and receive federal funds to which they are not entitled,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This settlement demonstrates our continuing commitment to ensure integrity in the FCC’s programs.”
“DISH and its employees fraudulently signed up ineligible applicants to receive federal monies,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine F. Pirro for the District of Columbia. “By doing so DISH received payments which they were not entitled. This is a shameful act on the part of a large corporation that is rightfully required to pay $17 million.”
“DISH continued seeking FCC program funds for months after its executives learned about its agents’ enrollment fraud and after an FCC OIG advisory warning. FCC OIG is committed to holding accountable bad actors who misuse taxpayers funds,” said FCC Inspector General Fara Damelin. “We appreciate the dedication and outstanding work of our investigative team, our FCC colleagues, and our law enforcement partners, who together strengthen the integrity of FCC programs and ensure participating providers serve intended recipients.”
The EBBP, created by Congress during the COVID-19 Pandemic pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, provided $3.2 billion in 2021 to assist low-income consumers with discounted broadband services and devices. The follow-on ACP provided an additional $14 billion for the same services between 2022 and 2024. For both programs, consumers could be eligible for discounted broadband services if they met certain income thresholds or participated in one of a number of specified federal, state, or Tribal assistance programs, including but not limited to Medicaid, SNAP (i.e., Food Stamp Program), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and the National School Lunch Program.
DISH, a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation, provides wireless telecommunication services to consumers in the United States through Boost Mobile, a division of DISH. Between May 2021 and February 2022, DISH enrolled more than 130,000 subscribers into EBBP and ACP based on their participation in the free school breakfast and lunch program in which all students who attend a high-poverty school become eligible for these services, known as Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools. For each of these subscribers, DISH received up to $50 per month during EBBP and $30 per month under ACP.
The settlement resolves allegations that DISH received monthly federal payments from EBBP and ACP that it was not entitled to receive because certain CEP subscribers enrolled by DISH agents were ineligible.
The United States alleges DISH engaged in the following FCA covered conduct: (1) DISH submitted claims to the EBBP and ACP from May 12, 2021 through Feb. 28, 2022 for discounted broadband services and devices for subscribers who did not qualify for the programs; (2) DISH failed to implement effective policies and procedures to ensure the eligibility of those subscribers; (3) DISH failed to adequately screen, train, or supervise third-party sales agents by failing to ensure each third-party agent was properly registered in the Universal Service Administrative Company’s Representative Accountability Database; (4) DISH internal sales employees in Texas, Florida, New York, and West Virginia trained and directed third-party sales agents to submit inaccurate customer applications with incorrect school information; and (5) these third-party sales agents submitted false or incomplete information to the FCC’s National Verifier which was used to determine participant eligibility for the EBBP and ACP. As a result, DISH enrolled more than 16,000 households on the basis of purported school attendance at a CEP school more than 25 miles from the household address without any verified school attendance, enrolled 130 households on the basis of a purported dependent over the age of 21 attending a CEP school, and for some CEP schools, DISH enrolled more households into EBBP than the actual student enrollment at the CEP school. Moreover, after learning of problems with the company’s CEP enrollments, DISH corporate executives failed to take corrective action from September 2021 through April 2022.
The United States further alleges that DISH engaged in the following common law covered conduct: (1) submitting claims for more than 66,000 subscribers who did not identify a school-aged student as part of their applications; and (2) enrolling more than 2,400 subscribers using duplicate beneficiaries as the basis for their eligibility.
The Civil Settlement also resolves an administrative order by the Wireline Competition Bureau of the FCC against DISH for similar allegations. See In the Matter of Request for Review of the Decision of the Universal Service Administrator by DISH Wireless LLC, et al., WC Docket Nos. 21-450, 20-445, Order, DA 25-72 (released Jan. 17, 2025).
This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
The civil False Claims Act resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with assistance from the FCC’s Office of the Inspector General and the FCC’s Office of General Counsel.
The civil False Claims Act investigation was handled by Trial Attorney Jennifer Chorpening, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Johnson for the District of Columbia, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hair for the District of Columbia.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of civil liability.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Memphis, TN – Mario Patterson, 45, of Memphis, has been sentenced to 579 months in federal prison for his role in a series of three bank robberies, an additional attempted bank robbery, the use of firearms during the bank robberies, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Patterson is amongst eight Memphis men who have previously pled or been convicted of these crimes. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced Patterson’s sentence today.Evidence at a contested jury trial in January 2026 proved that…
Source: United States Army
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TAN-TAN, Morocco — U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers assigned to the 753rd Quartermaster Company enhanced their technical proficiency with multinational partners by receiving hands-on training in advanced seawater desalination operations from the Royal Moroccan Navy during African Lion 26, April 23, 2026.
The combined training event provided U.S. Army Reserve water purification specialists with a first-hand look at how Royal Moroccan naval forces convert seawater into potable drinking water, enhancing operational readiness between partner nations.
“We learned about the history of what their [Royal Moroccan Navy] mission is regarding water purification and the principal functioning behind the reverse-osmosis process,” said U.S. Army Capt. Kenneth Krueger, commanding officer, 753rd Quartermaster Company.
“The reverse osmosis process, a key element of maritime water purification, forces seawater through semi-permeable membranes at high pressure to remove salt, bacteria, and other impurities, producing potable water. Before filtration, seawater is pre-treated to remove larger particles, and after processing, it is stored, disinfected, and tested to ensure it meets health and safety standards.”
The training offered both familiar concepts and new perspectives. U.S. Army Spc. Jose Marin Flores, a water purification specialist with the 753rd Quartermaster Company, described the experience as both educational and reinforcing.
“Today we learned the process of water filtration from seawater and the reverse osmosis process for desalinating the water, having it filtered down to a consumable level, and making it potable for distributing out to the different units,” Flores said.
Exposure to desalinating seawater, something many U.S. Army Reserve units do not routinely train on, proved valuable.
“We haven’t been able to do any of the sea saltwater filtration before today, so that was amazing to see,” Flores said. “It was a great learning experience.”
Beyond the technical training, the experience reinforced the importance of readiness and adaptability.
“I think it’s very beneficial to help us maintain focus on what our mission is, to keep our minds ready, and it’s just an overall good refresher on everything we’ve learned up to this point and to keep us going for future missions,” Flores said.
Leaders from the 753rd Quartermaster Company also emphasized that the training extended beyond water purification, exposing U.S. Soldiers to the realities of operating in a multinational environment.
“I know the Soldiers probably hadn’t thought about all the intricacies of training in another country,” Krueger said. “Just getting them out of the country in an Army uniform, I think that was probably the first-time 90% percent of my Soldiers had done that.”
Krueger noted that while technical training can be replicated at home station, the cultural and operational exposure gained during African Lion 26 is difficult to replicate.
AL26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 civilian and military personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Rodney Roldan)
VIEW ORIGINALFor the U.S. Soldiers of the 753rd Quartermaster Company, the experience underscored a simple yet critical truth: access to clean water is a mission-essential capability, one that is best strengthened through cooperation with trusted allies.
About African Lion
African Lion 2026 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security.
African Lion content can be found on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).
About SETAF-AF
U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.
Follow SETAF-AF on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn & DVIDS
Source: United States Army
LATHAM, N.Y. – When Army Air Corps 2nd Lt. Joseph Burke came home to Troy, New York, on May 1, 2026- 84 years after he left- New York Army National Guard Soldiers welcomed him at the airport.
Joseph Leroy “Roy” Burke was captured by the Japanese in May 1942 in the Philippines and held prisoner for over two years. He was killed inadvertently by U.S. forces in January 1945, as he was being transported to Japan on an unmarked prison ship.
His remains were never identified, and he was interred with 431 other unknowns at the National Military Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.
But in 2025, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency used DNA donated by the son of Burke’s sister to identify his remains.
The family elected to bring him home to Troy, New York, where he had grown up, gone to college and first learned to fly.
New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Michael Squires, the executive officer of the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade, served as the casualty assistance officer and worked with the family to coordinate the shipment of Burke’s remains to Albany International Airport.
His role, Squires said, is to help the family negotiate the military casualty process. In this case, he was happy to help bring closure to the Burke family, Squires said.
“His parents weren’t able to have that closure; his brother and sisters weren’t. But now, knowing his brothers and sister and parents, see from up above what we’re doing to honor Roy in this time,” Squires said.
When the casket arrived at the Albany airport at 4:35 p.m. on board a Southwest Airlines flight, ten members of the New York Army National Guard’s Honor Guard were there.
They conducted a dignified transfer, moving the casket containing the remains of 2nd Lt. Burke from the airplane to a waiting hearse as a TV camera filmed and family members, escorted by Squires, stood nearby and watched.
The event, which is not considered a ceremony, took about a minute, but took a week to plan and prepare for, said Staff Sgt. Ryan Gosse, the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of the state Honor Guard.
Gosse, who has served on New York’s Army Guard Honor Guard since 2018, said a lot of coordination is involved.
Normally, Honor Guard members work in teams of two, so getting ten Soldiers together means making sure schedules mesh, he said.
It also means coordinating with the airport to get the team onto the tarmac in a timely manner and working with the baggage.
Three Soldiers in Army combat uniforms wearing white gloves arrived at the aircraft first. Their job was to go into the cargo hold, ensure that no baggage was around the casket, and remove the cardboard shipping carton, Gosse explained.
They also made sure that Burke’s dog tags were hanging from the front of the casket and that the flag on the casket was secured.
They assisted airport baggage handlers in moving the casket onto a luggage truck. At that point, the seven-member honor guard, clad in dress blue uniforms, moved forward in formation. They picked up the casket, turned, and briskly transported Burke’s remains to the waiting hearse.
Watching it was very emotional, according to John Burke, one of Joseph Burke’s nephews and the family’s spokesman.
“To see the coffin come off, the honor guard go out, his dog tags hanging from the front, it’s just, it’s a lot.” he said.
On May 7, the New York National Guard will be there again for the Burke family.
Following a memorial service at Siena University, where he went to college just outside Albany, he will be interred at the Gerald B. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery. The cemetery is located near the historic Revolutionary War battlefield.
The New York National Guard will render funeral honors, with Gosse once more overseeing the team.
Burke will get the full honors due to a Soldier killed in action. These include a firing party, the playing of taps, and a “six-man fold” of the American flag, Gosse said.
“It’s one of the highest honors we can give anybody,” Gosse said. “And since he was, unfortunately KIA, we want to give him as much respect as possible.”
Source: United States Army
LATHAM, New York–When Army Air Corps 2nd Lt. Joseph Burke came home to Troy, New York on May 1, 2026– 84 years after he left– New York Army National Guard Soldiers welcomed him at the airport.
Joseph Leroy “Roy” Burke was captured by the Japanese in May 1942 in the Philippines and held prisoner for over two years. He was killed inadvertently by U.S. forces in January 1945, as he was being transported to Japan on an unmarked prison ship.
His remains were never identified, and he was interred with 431 other unknowns at the National Military Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.
But in 2025, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency used DNA donated by the son of Burke’s sister to identify his remains.
The family elected to bring him home to Troy, New York, where he had grown up, gone to college and first learned to fly.
New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Michael Squires, the executive officer of the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade, served as the casualty assistance officer and worked with the family to coordinate the shipment of Burke’s remains to Albany International Airport.
His role, Squires said, is to help the family negotiate the military casualty process. In this case, he was happy to help bring closure to the Burke family, Squires said.
“His parents weren’t able to have that closure; his brother and sisters weren’t. But now, knowing his brothers and sister and parents, see from up above what we’re doing to honor Roy in this time,” Squires said.
When the casket arrived at the Albany airport at 4:35 p.m. on board a Southwest Airlines flight, ten members of the New York Army National Guard’s Honor Guard were there.
They conducted a dignified transfer, moving the casket containing the remains of 2nd Lt. Burke from the airplane to a waiting hearse as TV camera filmed and family members, escorted by Squires, stood nearby and watched.
The event, which is not considered a ceremony, took about a minute, but took a week to plan and prepare for, said Staff Sgt. Ryan Gosse, the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of the state Honor Guard.
Gosse, who has served on New York’s Army Guard Honor Guard since 2018, said a lot of coordination is involved.
Normally, Honor Guard members work in teams of two, so getting ten Soldiers together means making sure schedules mesh, he said.
It also means coordinating with the airport to get the team onto the tarmac in a timely manner and working with the baggage.
Three Soldiers in Army combat uniforms wearing white gloves arrived at the aircraft first. Their job was to go into the cargo hold and ensure that no baggage was around the casket and remove the cardboard shipping carton, Gosse explained.
They also made sure that dog tags for Burke were hanging from the front of the casket and that the flag on the casket was secured.
They assisted airport baggage handlers in moving the casket onto a luggage truck. At that point the seven-member honor guard, clad in dress blue uniforms, moved forward in formation. They picked up the casket, turned, and briskly transported Burkes remains to the waiting hearse.
Watching it was very emotional, according to John Burke, one of Joseph Burke’s nephews and the spokesman for the family.
“To see the coffin come off, the honor guard go out, his dog tags hanging from the front, it’s just, it’s a lot.” he said.
On May 7, the New York National Guard will be there again for the Burke family.
Following a memorial service at Siena University where he went to college just outside Albany, he will be interred at the Gerald B. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery. The cemetery is located near the historic Revolutionary War battlefield.
The New York National Guard will be there to render funeral honors, with Gosse once more overseeing the team.
Burke will get the full honors due to a Soldier killed in action. These include a firing party, the playing of taps, and a “six-man fold” of the American flag, Gosse said.
“It’s one of the highest honors we can give anybody,” Gosse said. “And since he was, unfortunately KIA, we want to give him as much respect as possible.”
Source: United States Army
LATHAM, New York –Niskayuna resident Jason Lefton, the Commander of the New York Army National Guard’s 53rd Troop Command, was promoted to brigadier general during a Friday, May 1 ceremony at New York National Guard headquarters in Latham.
Lefton, a veteran of two deployments to Iraq—in 2004 and 2008—has led the 5,050 Soldiers of the 53rd Troop Command since January.
Lefton is an Army aviator with over 2,200 flying hours with the UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters, and C-12 transport airplane.
He previously served as the commander of the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade and the 3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 142nd Aviation Regiment.
Prior to taking over the 53rd Troop Command, Lefton had been a full-time National Guard officer, serving as the State Army Aviation Officer. He now serves as a traditional part-time National Guard officer.
Major General Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, praised Lefton as a highly competent officer.
Very few officers rise to the rank of General, Shields said. In the 12,000-Soldier New York Army National Guard there are 1,135 officers, but only three brigadier general officers, he pointed out.
“The pyramid gets very small, very rapidly,” Shields said.
He charged Lefton to always take care of the Soldiers in his command.
“We can talk until we are blue in the face, but without the support and commitment of our people, we are powerless,” Shields said. “Always remember that our job is to think strategically and to ensure our most valuable asset—our people—are always our highest priority”.
In his remarks Lefton said he is proud to serve as the commander of the 53rd Troop Command.
The command includes combat support and combat service support units located across New York.
Lefton thanked those who he has worked for and with throughout his career for their support and the things he learned from them. This kind of teamwork, he emphasized, is vital.
“I loved flying all those airframes, but I was also blessed with excellent maintainers who always ensured operations and that everything was safe,” Lefton said.
He emphasized that the new rank belongs to his support system as much as himself.
“This promotion isn’t just for me. It’s all of us,” Lefton said. “Our whole family, the stars are ours”.
He also thanked his wife Heather and his sons Mack and Seth for their support of his career, who were in attendance along with his mother, Lisa, sister, Shannon, and other family.
Lefton’s father, Barry Lefton, a retired Navy Petty officer, his brother Army National Guard Lt. Col. Aaron Lefton, his brother Scott Lefton, a retired Army Major, and his brother Travis Lefton, a Navy veteran, were also present.
During the ceremony, Command Sergeant Major Anthony Giamberdino and Sergeant Major Gregory Martin unfurled Lefton’s personal one-star general officer flag.
The red flag with a single white star signifies the general’s authority and will be displayed at official military functions he attends.
Lefton’s 30-year military career began in 1996, when he earned his commission from the Marion Military Institute. He initially served as a field artillery officer with the 1st Battalion, 156th Field Artillery before transitioning to Army aviation in 2000.
Lefton is a veteran of four overseas deployments, serving in Bosnia in 2002, Iraq in 2004 and 2008, and Kuwait in 2013. While in command of the 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation he led disaster response efforts following Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico.
In his civilian life, Lefton serves as the director of Real Property and Facilities Management for the New York State Office of General Services, better known as OGS.
OGS Commissioner Jeanette Moy was also present at the promotion ceremony.
Lefton is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, and a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric and Communication from SUNY, Albany.
His awards include the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Star Medals, four Meritorious Service Medals, the Iraq Campaign Medal with three service stars, the Combat Action Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.