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Source: United States Department of Justice

Note: See the indictment here.

A man was arrested this weekend in Canada at the request of the United States following his earlier indictment in Hawaii for sexual exploitation of a child.

According to court documents, Donald Steven Lang, 62, produced images of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Lang allegedly produced the images between September 2024 and December 2024 aboard his 52-foot sailboat, the Ishi. Lang is an amateur sailor who is known to sail around the world and frequently harbored in Hawaii.

“Protecting children from sexual predators is a priority of the highest order,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We will continue to pursue this alleged offender and work with our law enforcement partners to return him to the United States to face trial for the crimes he is charged with committing.”

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is unwavering in our commitment to protecting Hawaii’s children and bringing to justice anyone preying upon them,” said U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson for the District of Hawaii. “I commend the continued dedication and great work of FBI and our Canadian law enforcement partners for apprehending Mr. Lang quickly and safely so that he can face justice in U.S. District Court in Hawaii for his alleged crimes.”

“The FBI remains committed to identifying, investigating, and bringing offenders to justice who prey on some of the most vulnerable members of our communities,” said FBI Criminal Assistant Director Heith Janke. “Donald Lang has been accused by multiple victims of committing sexual abuse of a minor. Lang’s apprehension was the direct result of the collaboration of the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Pacific Region.”

Lang was previously indicted on separate charges of child sexual abuse in Idaho related to his involvement in the sexual assault of a minor between 2003 and 2007. 

If convicted, Lang faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. He also faces a penalty of between five years of supervised release and lifetime supervised release, along with a fine of up to $250,000. A federal district court judge will determine a sentence upon conviction after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

FBI Honolulu is investigating the case. Lang’s apprehension was the direct result of the cooperation of the FBI and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)’s Tofino General Duty, Island District GIS, Nanaimo Detachment, and Island District ERT. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance in securing the apprehension.

Trial Attorney Eduardo Palomo of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Eucker for the District of Hawaii are prosecuting the case.

Anyone with information regarding this case may contact the FBI’s Honolulu Field Office at (808) 426-2534, the FBI’s Toll-Free tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Anyone with information about this case may also contact their local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or they can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

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

Today, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Franklin County Municipal Court in Columbus, Ohio, along with the Administrative and Presiding Judge and Director of Security, challenging a new rule that blocks federal officials from arresting aliens at or near the courthouse. Specifically, the complaint challenges the new Rule 2.10 that purports to shield aliens from being lawfully detained at or around the courthouse and to impose criminal and civil liability for violations.

Not only is the rule an illegal attempt to regulate the federal government, but, as alleged in the complaint, the rule threatens the safety and effectiveness of federal operations. As is true in all types of law enforcement, conducting an arrest at or near a courthouse often reduces the risk of flight and potential safety risks to the public, law enforcement officers, and subjects themselves due to the enhanced security screenings in place at courthouses. Franklin County Municipal Court’s rule runs counter to common sense and endangers the broader community by attempting to eliminate safe places for law enforcement officers to act.

“Today the Department sued yet another local entity that seeks to thwart the will of Congress by regulating when and where Federal law enforcement does its job, all in the name of protecting criminal aliens who violate our Nation’s laws,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward, Jr. “No more. This Department of Justice will not sit idly by while state and local government seek to undermine federal immigration enforcement.”

“This type of rule obstructs federal law enforcement and facilitates evasion of federal law by dangerous criminal aliens, despite Congress’s direction that federal agents detain and remove them,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Throughout the country, and including in this courthouse specifically, federal agents have routinely and safely conducted arrests. The Department of Justice is committed to protecting that important federal prerogative.”

Attorney General Blanche has instructed the Department’s Civil Division to identify state and local laws, policies, and practices that facilitate violations of federal laws or impede lawful federal operations. Today’s lawsuit is the latest in a series of lawsuits brought by the Civil Division targeting illegal policies designed to thwart federal law enforcement across the country, including in New York, Virginia, Connecticut, New Jersey, California, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ROANOKE, Va. – A Blacksburg, Virginia man, who used peer-to-peer filesharing software to download more than 30,000 images and videos of child exploitation material, was sentenced yesterday to 50 months in federal prison. Rafael Bedia, 39, pled guilty in January 2026 to one count of possessing material involving the sexual exploitation of minors.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ROANOKE, Va. – A Martinsville woman, who stole almost $30,000 in Social Security benefits intended for her deceased boyfriend, was ordered to repay the money she stole and sentenced to two years of supervised release. Jackie Cayton, 55, previously pled guilty to one felony count charging her with theft of government money. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Greenbelt, Maryland – A Maryland man received a federal-prison term, today, for the armed robbery of a Prince George’s County convenience store. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang sentenced Zebedee Alexander Johnson, 36, to 10 years in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, in connection with the crime.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Memphis, TN – A federal judge sentenced Juan Sanchez-Palacios, 32, an illegal alien from Mexico, to 60 months and one day in prison for possessing marijuana with intent to distribute and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today. On November 12, 2025, Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers in Memphis performed a traffic stop for suspected DUI and encountered Sanchez-Palacios, the driver of the vehicle.  After observing a strong odor of marijuana while… 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Jacksonville, Florida – Juan Jesus Mendoza (60, Mexico) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard to two years in federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States. Mendoza pleaded guilty on May 19, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

Source: United States Department of Justice

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, announced today that the United States has filed a Complaint against MICHAEL SHABSELS, SIMAD HOLDINGS LLC, DAMIS HOLDINGS LLC, and 26 related entities (the “Shabsels Companies” and, collectively, the “Defendants”), alleging that the Defendants concealed their interrelationship from the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) in order to improperly obtain PPP funds.  

Source: United States Department of Justice

An employee of a service provider working at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and a fellow South Bay resident have been arrested and charged in a federal criminal complaint with possessing a bag containing approximately 11 kilograms (24.3 pounds) of fentanyl in an airport bathroom, where it was to be taken and transported on a Minnesota-bound flight, the Justice Department announced today.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today, the Civil Rights Division is monitoring polling sites in South Carolina for the state’s primary runoff election to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law.

“South Carolina is the next stop in our ongoing effort to ensure election transparency,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We appreciate the cooperation of the State of South Carolina, the County of Charleston, and the South Carolina United States Attorney’s Office in helping make this monitoring effort an exemplary one for promoting trust.”

The DOJ, through the Civil Rights Division, enforces federal voting laws which protect the voting rights of all eligible citizens. The DOJ regularly deploys staff to monitor compliance with federal civil rights laws in communities across the country. This special GOP runoff is occurring due to the late Senator Lindsey Graham’s unexpected death on July 11, 2026.

The DOJ is monitoring polls in Charleston County, South Carolina, with four Civil Rights Division attorneys, one South Carolina Assistant U.S. Attorney, and one staff employee with the South Carolina U.S. Attorney’s Office. Thus far the DOJ has deployed over 80 monitors across seven states and over 200 polling locations this primary season. By comparison, during the 2022 midterms the DOJ sent monitors to nine states during the primary season.

This monitoring initiative is aimed at promoting transparency and an open flow of communication between poll observers and election monitors. The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces various federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Civil Rights Acts.

From now through the general election on Nov. 3, Civil Rights Division personnel will be available to receive questions and complaints from the public related to federal voting rights laws. If you have a question or complaint or would like to request election monitoring in a particular jurisdiction, please contact the Voting Section at VEM@usdoj.gov.