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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Gulfport, MS – A Venezuelan national pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to steal funds from multiple Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) in Jackson County, Mississippi.

According to records and information presented to the Court, Favian David Aparicio-Linares, 19, was arrested in Jackson County, Mississippi on November 9, 2025, after concerned citizens alerted the Pascagoula Police to two suspicious individuals near a Bank on Market Street in Pascagoula. When officers arrived on scene, Aparicio-Linares and the other individual fled. But Aparico-Linares was apprehended.  In addition to apprehending Aparicio-Linares, officers also recovered multiple electronic devices from the vehicle in which Aparicio-Linares and the other suspect fled.

Examinations of these devices demonstrated that Aparicio-Linares and the other suspect traveled from out of state to Mississippi to steal funds from ATMs.  Law enforcement agents were also able to determine that Aparicio-Linares and the other suspect were going to use malware to force the ATMs to dispense he funds contained within each machine.     

The Defendant will be sentenced on April 28, 2026.   He faces a maximum of 5 years imprisonment.

U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger for the Southern District of Mississippi, and Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff of the FBI Jackson Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI, with the assistance of the Pascagoula Police Department, are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Buckner is prosecuting the case.

This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Mississippi Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline). HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal 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).

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Two Cordele, Georgia, men were sentenced today for their participation in a scheme to defraud the Georgia Department of Labor (GaDOL) out of millions of dollars in benefits meant to assist unemployed individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Malcolm Jeffrey, 34, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $16,958,372 in restitution. Gerard Towns, 34, was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay $365,066 in restitution.

“The defendants orchestrated an egregious scheme to steal $17 million of unemployment insurance payouts using stolen identities,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These defendants exploited a government program designed to alleviate economic hardship to line their own pockets. The sentencings today demonstrate that the Criminal Division will hold accountable fraudsters who steal from the public fisc.”

“Malcolm Jeffrey, Gerard Towns, and their co-conspirators participated in an unemployment insurance fraud scheme that targeted the Georgia Department of Labor,” said Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG) Southeast Region. “The conspirators submitted fraudulent UI claims using the stolen identities of identity theft victims to obtain debit cards loaded with UI benefits. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who attempt to exploit these vital U.S. Department of Labor programs.”

“Exploiting pandemic relief programs meant to help Americans at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic for personal enrichment is unconscionable,” said Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari Ph.D., of The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG). “DHS-OIG will continue to prioritize pandemic-related fraud investigations and work with our law enforcement partners to bring perpetrators to justice.”

“Today’s sentencings emphasize our dedication and commitment to holding individuals accountable who exploit federal relief programs for personal gain, “said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). “As proven in this case, our criminal investigators along with our law enforcement partners will work together and diligently pursue anyone who attempts to exploit programs created to help legitimate people and businesses affected by the global pandemic.”  

“IRS Criminal Investigation special agents are continuing finding and holding accountable criminals who defrauded COVID-19 programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Atlanta Field Office. “With the passage and signing of bills in 2022 establishing 10-year statute of limitations for those who defrauded the COVID-19 programs, I want to put those who stole from the taxpayers on notice that it is only a matter of time before IRS-CI special agents and our law enforcement partners uncover their crimes and bring them to justice.”

Jeffrey and Towns are the last of 12 defendants sentenced in connection with Operation Cordele Partial, one of the largest domestic unemployment insurance (UI) fraud investigations in the history of the DOL. Operation Cordele Partial uncovered multiple massive schemes based in central Georgia that defrauded the GaDOL of over $45 million and involved over 20 states unemployment insurance programs.

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, from March 2020 through November 2022, Jeffrey, Towns, and their co-conspirators caused more than 2,500 fraudulent UI claims to be filed with the GaDOL, resulting in at least $17 million in stolen benefits.

To execute these schemes, the defendants and their co-conspirators created fictitious employers and fabricated lists of purported employees using personally identifiable information (PII) from thousands of identity theft victims and filed fraudulent UI claims on the GaDOL website. The co-conspirators obtained PII for use in the scheme from a variety of sources, including by paying an employee of an Atlanta-area health care and hospital network to unlawfully obtain patients’ PII from the hospital’s databases, and by purchasing PII from other sources over the internet. Using victims’ PII, the co-conspirators caused the stolen UI funds to be disbursed via prepaid debit cards mailed to various locations in Georgia.

In June 2025, Towns pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. In August 2025, Jeffrey was convicted at trial of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

DOL-OIG, DHS-OIG, IRS-CI, USPS-OIG, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Lyndie Freeman, Siji Moore, and Kyle Crawford of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

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 via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

TULSA, Okla. – A Skiatook man’s indictment is unsealed after being charged with ten counts related to threatening federal law enforcement officers.

Logan Christopher Murfin, 26, is charged with five counts of Threatening to Assault and Murder Federal Law Enforcement Officers with Intent to Impede, Intimidate, Interfere, and Retaliate; and five counts of Interstate Communication with a Threat to Injure.

According to court documents, Murfin knowingly posted several threatening and intimidating statements on social media advocating for the assault and murder of federal agents. He stated that federal agents need to be gunned down, shot, and executed. Further, Murfin encouraged people to stay armed and to kill agents when seen because the agents don’t deserve to live.

Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that a jury returned a guilty verdict against ANTHONY WALLACE for kidnapping a minor, coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sex, transportation of a minor across state lines to engage in illegal sex, and possession and production of child pornography.  WALLACE was convicted following a week-long jury trial before U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil.

“Anthony Wallace used lies, threats, and violence to sexually abuse a 15-year-old minor victim over the course of a month, ultimately bringing the victim to the Bronx where he forced her to stay with him in a barricaded apartment,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “The victim eventually was able to escape and alert law enforcement, and I commend her for her bravery.  Our Office remains unwavering in our commitment to protecting children and ensuring that those who harm them face the full weight of the justice system.”

According to the allegations in the Indictment and the evidence at trial:

In March 2024, WALLACE met a 15-year-old girl (the “Minor Victim”) in Binghamton, New York.  Over the next four weeks, WALLACE subjected the Minor Victim to escalating physical, sexual, and psychological abuse.  At first, WALLACE kept the Minor Victim against her will in an apartment in Binghamton.  There, WALLACE assaulted the Minor Victim and forced her to disguise her appearance by dyeing her hair and wearing a mask.  WALLACE also gave the Minor Victim a steady stream of drugs, including methamphetamine and marijuana.  While in Binghamton, WALLACE created child pornography of the Minor Victim, which he kept on his cellphone.

On April 1, 2024, WALLACE transported the Minor Victim from Binghamton, New York, across state lines, ultimately bringing her to the Bronx, New York, where he kept her in a barricaded apartment.  While in the Bronx, WALLACE continued to physically assault the Minor Victim and forcibly raped her.

On April 4, 2024, the Minor Victim escaped through the window of the Bronx apartment while WALLACE was sleeping.  The Minor Victim immediately called 911 and was eventually returned home to her parents.

*                *                *

WALLACE, 32, of the Bronx, New York, was convicted of kidnapping a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sex, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; transportation of a minor across state lines to engage in illegal sex, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; and production of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.  WALLACE is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23, 2026.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and the New York City Police Department.  He also thanked the Broome County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this investigation.

The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ariana L. Bloom, Remy Grosbard, Joseph H. Rosenberg, and Alexandra N. Rothman are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Samantha Roberts and Benjamin Coolman.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ALBUQUERQUE – An Anthony man was sentenced to 235 months in prison for distributing methamphetamine and possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court records, in July and August 2024, David Amaya, 43, sold methamphetamine to a controlled buyer from a tow-behind trailer on his parents’ property in Anthony, New Mexico. The controlled buys prompted law enforcement to obtain and execute a search warrant on August 22, 2024.

Agents searched the trailer and an attached makeshift bathroom structure, recovering over 1.18 kilograms of methamphetamine. Additional methamphetamine was found in a clothing hamper and under the bed, along with two firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

Amaya pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Upon his release from prison, Amaya will be subject to five years of supervised release.

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 assistant from the  Las Cruces Metro Narcotics Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Williams prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ALBUQUERQUE – A California woman was sentenced to 30 months in prison and will be ordered to pay more than one million dollars in restitution for orchestrating a decades long advance fee fraud scheme that promised victims access to a nonexistent multi-million-dollar fortune.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court records, beginning in 2001 and continuing through September 2023, Lanette Bashore orchestrated an advance fee fraud scheme in which she falsely claimed to own or control a multi-million-dollar fortune that was tied up by taxes, legal holds, and other financial barriers. Using a mutual acquaintance to gain victims’ trust, Bashore convinced individuals in New Mexico and elsewhere to send her thousands of dollars up front to “unlock” the purported fortune, promising to repay them with massive returns. In reality, no such fortune existed. Bashore deposited the victim payments into bank accounts she controlled and used the money to fund her personal lifestyle and gambling.

As victims grew suspicious and reported the scheme, the FBI opened an investigation that confirmed Bashore’s fraud through victim interviews and banking records. After being interviewed by agents in 2023, Bashore contacted victims and attempted to persuade at least one of them to falsely characterize her representations about the multi-million-dollar fortune to the FBI, conduct that resulted in an obstruction enhancement at sentencing.

Bashore pled guilty to mail fraud. Upon her release from prison, Bashore will be subject to three years of supervised release.

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 Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ALBUQUERQUE – A Mescalero man pleaded guilty to child abuse after firing a weapon near two young children and placing them in a situation that endangered their lives.

According to court documents, on August 26, 2025, Emilio Morales, 24, a non-Indian, while intoxicated, fired a handgun multiple times near two minor children and threatened to kill himself while holding the firearm in front of them. When police arrived with weapons drawn, Morales held one child and demanded that officers shoot him. Both children are enrolled members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe.

Morales pleaded guilty to abuse of a child. At sentencing, he faces 6 to 12 months imprisonment followed by a three-year term of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison made the announcement today.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jackson K. Dering V is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ALBUQUERQUE – Antonio Chaco, a convicted murderer already serving a federal prison sentence for the 2020 murder of Thomas Brown, received additional prison time for attacking a CoreCivic detention officer while in federal custody awaiting that murder trial.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, on November 5, 2024, Chaco, 42, assaulted a CoreCivic detention officer at the Cibola County Correctional Center. After the officer opened Chaco’s cell door, Chaco launched a surprise attack, punching her repeatedly in the face, attempting to throw her over a second-floor railing, and then taking her to the ground, where he straddled and strangled her.

Following the assault, medical staff evaluated the officer and documented bruising and swelling on the left side of her face, and she later sought additional treatment at a local hospital for neck, arm, and facial pain.

At the time of the assault, Chaco was in federal custody awaiting trial in connection with the 2020 killing of Thomas Brown, whom he beat and abandoned in the To’Hajiilee wilderness without food, water, or shelter. Chaco later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in that case and was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

In this case, the Court imposed a second 46-month term of imprisonment for the assault. 24 months of that sentence will run consecutively, resulting in an additional two-year period of incarceration beyond the 17-year sentence Chaco is already serving.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and United States Marshal David Barnett made the announcement today.

The U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones and Brittany DuChaussee prosecuted both cases. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – A Filipino national living in Baltimore, Md., pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to sexually exploiting and conspiring to sex traffic minor children.

Christopher Allan Tisoy, 27, a Filipino national residing in Baltimore, Md., pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children (and attempt and conspiracy) and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for May 6, 2026.

Tisoy was arrested and charged in May 2025 along with Joshua DeWitte, a former local music teacher. The two were subsequently charged by an Information and indictment, respectively, in October 2025. Both defendants remain in federal custody.

According to the charging documents, at the time of the alleged conduct, DeWitte was a music teacher at a local school in Massachusetts. Tisoy, a citizen of the Philippines who lawfully entered the United States in September 2024 on a H-1B Visa, was employed as a medical technologist at the Sinai Hospital of Baltimore.

In December 2024, DeWitte was allegedly identified as the owner of a Snapchat account that uploaded child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting the abuse of a boy who appears to be between approximately eight and 10 years old. Snapchat records showed that, in September 2024, DeWitte allegedly requested nude pictures from multiple purported minors; sent pictures of his genitals to the purported minors; and discussed previous and potential in-person meetups for sexual relations with minors. Additionally, it is further alleged that DeWitte paid, and offered to pay, another Snapchat user to obtain and produce child pornography and to recruit minor boys for himself.

Based on that information, DeWitte was arrested and charged in Cambridge District Court with six counts of disseminating obscene material to a child, one count of distribution of material depicting a child in a sexual act and one count of possession of child pornography. He was later released on conditions.

According to the charging documents, a Telegram conversation between DeWitte and Tisoy was located on DeWitte’s phone, in which they arranged for the production of videos depicting the sexual exploitation of minor boys in the Philippines. Specifically, it is alleged that in the conversations, DeWitte and Tisoy negotiated the terms of creating sexually explicit videos involving minors, including which minors should be involved; which sex acts the minors should perform; who should film, including whether a third party or one of the minors themselves should film; what angles should be filmed; and how much DeWitte should pay Tisoy for each video. The negotiation allegedly incorporated the sexual preferences of both DeWitte and Tisoy, with both agreeing on what they would each find sexually gratifying. Tisoy then relayed instructions to the minor victims to create a video.

DeWitte allegedly paid Tisoy for each video Tisoy produced and sent. Between July 3, 2023 and Dec. 27, 2024, DeWitte allegedly sent 87 PayPal payments to Tisoy, in amounts ranging from $27 to $958, to film the sexual exploitation of minors in the Philippines – totaling approximately $23,752. 

Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274 or contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

The charge of sexual exploitation of minors (and attempt and conspiracy) provides for a sentence of at least 15 years and up to 30 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 conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of distribution of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $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 $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 Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Cambridge Police Department; HSI-Baltimore; the Maryland Department of State Police; and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra Gonzalez Sanchez and Anne Paruti of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

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

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