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Source: United States Department of Justice

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – CARLOS ROBERTO GUARDADO-RAMIREZ (“GUARDADO-RAMIREZ”), age 46, a native of Honduras, was sentenced on April 22, 2026 by United States District Judge Greg Gerard Guidry, after previously pleading guilty to re-entry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8 United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. GUARDADO-RAMIREZ was sentenced to time served, one-year of supervised release, and payment of a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee. He has been detained in federal prison since December 10, 2025.

Source: United States Department of Justice

The last member of a transnational Colombian robbery crew in Miami was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for his role in a series of robberies of and thefts from jewelry couriers that targeted high-end retailers and resulted in losses exceeding $5 million. Leroy Ortega, also known as “el Enano,” 43, of Miami, was the last of 11 defendants to be sentenced as part of a series of indictments targeting a South American theft group operating in the Southern District of Florida.

The 11 defendants were each convicted as part of Operation Boujee Bandits, an investigation of a Colombian South American theft group targeting jewelry salespersons in South Florida and elsewhere. The investigation resulted in three indictments and an information that charged robberies and money laundering activity from September 2019 to July 2021.

According to court documents, Ortega was part of a group that forcefully took jewelry and other property from victims they believed were in the business of buying and selling jewelry throughout South Florida. To commit the robberies, defendants rented vehicles using false identification documents to follow jewelry salespersons from the International Jewelry Exchanges or the Seybold Jewelry Building. They would then rob victims of the jewelry that they were transporting, sometimes brandishing a knife-like weapon to ensure victims’ compliance.

Ortega admitted that he committed two robberies. On Oct. 16, 2019, Ortega and his co-defendants identified a person they believed was carrying a case of jewelry. In fact, the victim was not a jewelry courier but rather a professional photographer who had been photographing jewelry. Following the victim to a shopping center, co-defendant Allan Lucas, 33, of Miami, pushed the photographer and Ortega grabbed the photographer’s case, which contained photography equipment and a computer. The photographer chased Ortega and Lucas to their get-away car. When the photographer tried to open the car door to get his case back, Ortega reversed the car, causing injury as the photographer was thrown to the ground.

Then, on Nov. 7, 2019, Ortega and his co-conspirators, including defendants Andres Barahona Poveda, 51, a national of Colombia, and Edwin Castillo, 45, of Pembroke Pines, robbed a jewelry salesman of approximately $125,000 of assorted jewelry. Ortega and his co-conspirators followed the salesman to his business in Miami Beach. As the salesman sat in the vehicle, Ortega approached and smashed the salesman’s windows while another co-conspirator took the salesman’s backpack containing the jewelry. When the salesman tried to exit the vehicle, Ortega held the salesman’s door shut trapping him inside the vehicle. To conduct the robbery, defendant Carlos Morales, 47, of Miami rented a vehicle using a fraudulent Venezuelan driver’s license.

Ortega pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy and two counts of Hobbs Act robbery.

Defendants convicted under this operation, in addition to Ortega, include:

• Allan Lucas, 34, of California, who was sentenced to 168 months in prison;
• Diana Grisales Basto, 41, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 97 months in prison;
• Carlos Morales, 48, of Florida, who was sentenced to 60 months in prison;
• Giovanni Cardenas, also known as “El Mono,” 40, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 110 months in prison;
• Andres Barahona Poveda, 51, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 87 months in prison;
• Edwin Castillo, 45, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 108 months in prison;
• Demian Gonzalez Contreras, 30, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 74 months in prison;
• Victor Fabian Valenzuela, 39, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 57 months in prison;
• Hernando Rodriguez Mahecha, also known as “Nando,” 42, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 60 months in prison; and
• Mark Simon, 57, of New York, was sentenced to 57 months in prison.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida made the announcement.

The FBI Tampa Field Office is leading the investigation of the case with valuable assistance from the FBI Miami Field Office, Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, Miami-Dade Police Department, Miami Beach Police Department, Tampa Police Department, Boca Raton Police Department, Palm Beach Sherriff’s Office, Boynton Beach Police Department, Fort Pierce Police Department, and the Jewelry Security Alliance. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia, provided significant assistance.

Trial Attorneys Lakeita F. Rox-Love and Deputy Chief Kelly Pearson of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Dobbins for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

In the last week, Tyreese Giles, 25, and Ernest Ketter, 30, both of Minneapolis, were sentenced after each was found guilty by a jury at trial. On April 23, Giles was sentenced to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Conspiracy, which included a gang-related murder. On April 29, Ketter was sentenced to 95 months in prison and three years of supervised release after a separate jury convicted him of a drug trafficking conspiracy.

“These defendants terrorized their communities,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Members of this gang armed themselves and hunted down suspected rivals on the streets of Minneapolis and openly sold fentanyl, an extremely deadly drug. These sentences exemplify the Criminal Division’s unwavering commitment to holding gang members and their associates accountable and to restoring safety to communities plagued by violence.”

“These sentences reflect the sustained, coordinated effort required to dismantle a violent gang that brought fear and deadly drugs into the Minneapolis community,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Joseph Persails of ATF’s St. Paul Field Division. “ATF and our partners leveraged crime gun intelligence and complex investigative tools over several years to hold these individuals accountable. This outcome sends a clear message that those who drive violence and traffic fentanyl will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice. We are grateful for the continued partnership and dedication of all agencies involved in this investigation.”

“The Highs and their associates caused untold damage to our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office. “These defendants were part of a racketeering organization engaged in murder, gun crimes, assaults, robberies, and fentanyl trafficking. The sentences handed down in this case cannot repair the death and destruction these defendants created, but they should send a message to others seeking to glorify crime and violence at the expense of our neighborhoods. The FBI and our partners will use every available resource to stop those who seek to prey on our communities.”

“Yesterday’s sentencing is an example of the resolve of U.S. Postal Inspectors and their law enforcement partners to uncover and bring to justice drug traffickers who, through their network of criminal enterprise, prey on our communities” said Inspector in Charge Bryan Musgrove of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Denver Division. “We will not tolerate these criminals distributing lethal substances such as fentanyl while participating in other criminal activities and destroying the lives of many who fall victim to addiction and despair. Let this be a warning that no matter where you are, you will be held accountable for your illegal activity, restoring safety to the communities we serve.”  

Giles was convicted in May 2025 for his involvement in the Highs — a violent Minneapolis street gang that controlled territory north of West Broadway Avenue, including a gang-related 2021 murder. Highs members and associates committed murders, narcotics trafficking, weapons violations, burglaries, assaults, and robberies on behalf of the enterprise. Ketter was an associate of the Highs convicted of conspiring to distribute fentanyl in June 2025.

On Sept. 9, 2021, a prominent Highs member was shot and killed at a barbershop in Minneapolis. About two hours later, suspecting that members of a rival gang ─ the Lows ─ were responsible for the killing, Giles and others traveled to Low’s territory looking for rivals to retaliate against. Surveillance footage showed Giles outside the open Pennwood Market in Minneapolis, where he found the victim and opened fire. As the victim tried to flee, Giles killed him outside of the store, shooting him in the back as he tried to hide.

At Ketter’s trial, evidence showed that he was a high-level supplier of fentanyl pills to the Highs. In October 2022, a search of Ketter’s residence turned up illegal firearms, including a machine gun, drug distribution materials, and approximately 30 grams of fentanyl pills and powder. Text messages showed that Highs members owed Ketter money for 20 kilograms of drugs he had previously supplied.

The case is the result of an investigation conducted by the ATF, FBI, IRS Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Department of Corrections, and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

Trial Attorneys Brian W. Lynch and Alyssa Levey-Weinstein of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Albania Concepcion and Rebecca Kline for the District of Minnesota prosecuted this case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ROANOKE, Va. – The former executive director of a Virginia-based private university, who stole more than $145,000 through a variety of schemes involving the doctoring false invoices and charging expenses to subordinates’ credit accounts, was sentenced today to 12 months and 1 day in federal prison.Billy Wayne Wooten, 68, of Macon, Georgia, pled guilty in November 2025 to one count of wire fraud.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – An East Boston man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for possession of a machinegun. Three privately made firearms (ghost guns), four machine gun conversion devices, a 3D printer, five magazines and 31 privately made firearm receivers were allegedly found during a search on March 31, 2026.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A federal grand jury in San Juan, Puerto Rico, returned an indictment today charging Ramon Plaza-Gregory, Ileana Cortes-Gonzalez, and Mo-Na-Co Biomedical & Environmental Corp. (Monaco) with five violations of the Clean Air Act as well as conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act. The charges relate to emissions from Monaco’s commercial incinerator in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, which is owned by Plaza-Gregory and operated by both Plaza-Gregory and Cortes-Gonzalez.

According to the indictment, Monaco was permitted to incinerate pathological waste, subject to limitations on the type of materials that could be burned and the amount of emissions that could be released. Starting in August of 2021, Plaza-Gregory and Cortes-Gonzalez burned unpermitted materials, used malfunctioning equipment, and exceeded emissions limitations. After an inspector from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told the defendants of the violations, Plaza-Gregory began operating Monaco’s incinerator on weekends and holidays. The defendants continued to operate the incinerator illegally and emissions excesses were documented again in July 2024. In September 2024, Monaco’s emissions permit expired and was not renewed, yet the Defendants continued to operate the incinerator on weekends and cause emissions up until at least April of 2026.

“The Clean Air Act is a foundational piece of American environmental law, and when its clear guidelines are disregarded, we are committed to enforcing it,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) “Commonsense enforcement actions will help keep our communities healthy.”

“Ensuring that all residents of Puerto Rico enjoy a healthy environment free of hazardous waste and other pollutants is a top priority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Department of Justice, and our federal and local partners,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico. “We remain committed to protecting our communities from environmental and health hazards.”

“Environmental crimes are not abstract or victimless crimes — they impact the health, safety, and quality of life of our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Carlos R. Goris for the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “The FBI is committed to working with our partners to investigate these violations and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.”

“Monaco knowingly violated its Clean Air Act permit first by burning biomedical waste, and, once its permit lapsed completely, also continuing to burn pathological waste like animal carcasses. There is no telling what harmful pollution was emitted from improper and incomplete incineration,” said EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Jeffrey A. Hall. “The company president deliberately concealed these violations by failing to record basic information about what was being burned, by not even maintaining a functioning temperature gauge, and by operating on weekends and holidays. Environmental protection depends on companies attempting to comply with the law in good faith, and these knowing and repeated violations and intentional evasion of Clean Air Act requirements justify criminal penalties.”

The Clean Air Act is the country’s primary tool to fight air pollution in an effort “to protect and enhance the quality of the Nation’s air resources so as to promote the public health.” In order to do so, polluting facilities are required to operate pursuant to permits that set limits on what, and how much, pollution can be emitted.

Both Plaza-Gregory and Cortes-Gonzalez are scheduled to appear before [Judge] of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico for their respective initial appearances. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and $250,000 in fines for each charge. Monaco faces a maximum penalty of $500,000 in fines per charge.

The case was investigated by the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and the FBI’s Aguadilla Resident Agency which participate in the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Environmental Crimes Task Force.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Patrick M. Duggan of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth A. Erbe for the District of Puerto Rico.

Report possible violations of environmental laws and regulations at epa.gov/tips. You can provide tips anonymously if you do not want to identify yourself.

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

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Baltimore, Maryland – A Maryland man is facing federal indictment stemming from an unauthorized computer access scheme involving a Maryland medical system. Matthew Bathula, 41, of Clarksville, Maryland, is charged with two counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer, and one count of aggravated identity theft while working as a pharmacy clinical specialist for Company A, a medical system located in the District of Maryland.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The following may be attributed to First Assistant United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda:“Yesterday, a report appeared in both local and national media pertaining to U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose of the District of Rhode Island and her decision to release Bryan Rafael Gomez in connection with a habeas petition seeking his release. Those media accounts erroneously state that Judge DuBose made the decision to release him with knowledge that authorities in the Dominican Republic had issued an arrest warrant in connection with a homicide in that country. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Curtis Nathaniel Suber, 35, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 30 months in prison in connection with unlawfully possessing a loaded firearm while driving drunk and carrying drugs he intended to sell, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging José M. Ayala-Rivera, his brother Erick Osorio-Rivera, and Erick’s wife Bianca Vidal Vázquez-Millán with the unlicensed business of dealing in firearms, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) are in charge of the investigation.