MIL Security Engine-1

Source: US FBI

According to court documents, Brian Christopher Williams III, 25, and Kalaijha Tomeco Ranier Lewis, 29, schemed to defraud various federally insured banks and credit unions between November 2021 and June 2023. To carry out the fraud scheme, Williams recruited Lewis, who worked at the post office on Saint Joseph Street in Mobile, to steal hundreds of high-value business checks and sell them to Williams. In turn, Williams and other coconspirators sold the stolen checks via an illicit online marketplace hosted on a Telegram channel called “Work Related.” Fraudsters who purchased the stolen checks later counterfeited and negotiated many of them, causing substantial financial losses to multiple victims. In total, the value of the stolen checks posted to the “Work Related” channel exceeded $17 million.

In June 2023, investigators began surveillance at the Saint Joseph Street post office in Mobile. On several occasions, agents saw Lewis manipulating the windowed envelopes of checks to see the amounts listed inside while she sorted mail. On June 23, 2023, agents confronted Lewis after capturing her on video stuffing a large stack of stolen checks into her pants before the end of her work shift. Lewis confessed that for several months, she stole business checks for Williams, who paid her $2,000 to $3,000 for each stack of stolen checks that she brought him.

That same day, agents arrested Williams at a gas station in Mobile, where he had arrived to purchase the stolen checks from Lewis. Agents seized more than $10,000 in cash from Williams’s pocket, which Williams admitted was proceeds of his fraud scheme. Agents also searched Williams’s car, seizing a loaded .40 caliber Glock pistol equipped with an extended magazine, ammunition, marijuana, and stolen checks valued at more than $417,000. Williams confessed to selling stolen checks to a coconspirator in Birmingham who marketed the checks for sale on Telegram.

Agents executed warrants to search cell phones and social media accounts belonging to Williams and Lewis, each of which contained extensive communications regarding the scheme. For example, on June 1, 2023, Williams messaged Lewis, “I need a load today!!!!!,” to which Lewis responded, “I done seen 7 [checks] since 6am.” Days later, Williams messaged Lewis about meeting up to purchase high-value stolen checks, emphasizing, “I need like 20k, 15k, 30k and up, majority of this whole damn load low asf, 1000-1600 are lows.”

Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Williams and Lewis to serve 100 months and 60 months in federal prison, respectively. Following their release from prison, Williams and Lewis will each serve five-year terms of supervised release, during which time they will receive mental health evaluation and treatment, and will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Chief Judge Beaverstock ordered the defendants to pay $234,246.63 in victim restitution and a total of $300 in special assessments. The court also forfeited $10,773.53 in cash seized from Williams to the United States.

Acting U.S. Attorney Keith A. Jones of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement and thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama for its significant partnership and coordination in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

The United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case with significant assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Birmingham.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Roller and Scott Gray prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

Source: US FBI

Assault

Charlene Brown, 26, of Riverton, Wyoming, was sentenced to three years of probation for assault resulting in serious bodily injury. The court also imposed $34,777.33 in restitution. According to court documents, the defendant and the victim had been drinking heavily into the morning of May 29, 2024.  The defendant took the victim for a drive in the victim’s car and crashed the car.  The defendant’s blood alcohol content was .327. The victim sustained serious injuries, including one that involved a substantial risk of death. The FBI and Fremont County Sheriff’s Office investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kerry J. Jacobson prosecuted the crime. The defendant was indicted on July 18, 2024, and pleaded guilty on Jan. 27. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on April 21 in Cheyenne. Case No. 24-CR-00124

Firearm Offenses

Jason Sikkila, 46, a transient, was sentenced to 15 months with three years of supervised release to follow for being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, on June 3, 2024, the defendant was stopped in Buffalo, Wyoming, for blaring an airhorn in a mobile home park. Officers suspected he had been drinking and asked Sikkila to take a breath test, which he consented to, resulting in a .290 BAC. During a search of his vehicle, officers located a .380 caliber pistol. When questioned, Sikkila admitted he was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms. The Buffalo Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Page Hammer prosecuted the case. Sikkila was indicted on July 19, 2024, and pleaded guilty on Jan. 28. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence in Casper on April 24. Case No. 24-00113

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About the United States Attorney’s Office

The United States Attorney’s Office is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the District of Wyoming, including all criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits brought by or against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. The Office is involved in several programs designed to make our communities safer. They include:

Project Safe Childhood
Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a DOJ initiative that combats the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. The threat of sexual predators soliciting children for sexual contact is well-known and serious.

Operation Take Back America
Operation Take Back America is 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. It also streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Victim Witness Program
The Victim Witness Coordinator for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming is dedicated to ensuring victims of federal crimes and their family members are treated with compassion, fairness, and respect.

To report a federal crime, go to: https://www.justice.gov/actioncenter/report-crime

Source: US FBI

DENVER – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that defendant Carl Howard Payne, Jr., of Colorado Springs, was charged with Interstate Communication of Threats.

According to the criminal complaint, on or about March 20, 2025, threatening emails were sent from betweensaltandstart@proton.me to various news media outlets across state lines. The emails detailed a “Declaration of War” against the 47th Presidential Cabinet of the United States and further described how Tesla owners would be murdered on April 17, 2025, and thereafter, until the death of Elon Musk.

Also on March 20, 2025, Payne sent the same email to ProPublica and Thomson Reuters, both in New York, from Signal user “c”. And on or about April 2, 2025, Payne deposited or caused to be deposited similar threatening letters for delivery by the Postal Service to several insurance companies. The return address on the letters indicated they were from “The White House,” but the letters were postmarked in Denver.

A review of Internet Protocol (IP) address information from Proton Mail, along with other information, indicates that Payne is the user of the Proton Mail account and the Signal account from which the threatening emails originated.

The investigation is being handled by the Denver Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Jasand Mock.

The charges in the complaint are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Case Number:  25-mj-00081-NRN

Source: US FBI

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A federal grand jury in Huntsville has charged an individual with committing a string of bank robberies in Madison County, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.

A four-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Lawrence Jones, 57, of Huntsville, with committing bank robberies at four Regions Bank locations between May 2022 and January 2023.

FBI investigated the case along with the Huntsville Police Department and Madison Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara M. Judah and Russell Penfield are prosecuting the case.

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

Source: US FBI

SAN FRANCISCO – Darneko Yates, 30, of Richmond, Calif., was sentenced today to 46 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a felony.  U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín handed down the sentence.

Yates was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), following a one-day bench trial on Jan. 17, 2025.  The evidence at trial established that on Aug. 27, 2023, police officers stopped Yates for a vehicle infraction.  Yates’s young nephew and niece were in the backseat of his car.  Police officers discovered that Yates possessed a loaded automatic handgun, which was concealed in the front of his six-year-old nephew’s pants.  At the time, Yates was on parole following three felony convictions for carjacking, solicitation to commit murder, and possessing a loaded firearm.  

In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinez-Olguín ordered Yates to serve three years of supervised release.

Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani made the announcement.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leif Dautch and Richard Ewenstein are prosecuting this case.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, and the San Pablo Police Department.  
 

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Florida man has been sentenced for his role in a Telegram-based check fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis.

U.S. District Court Judge Madeline Haikala sentenced Gabriel Samuel Odiot, 21, of Kissimmee, Florida, to 60 months in prison and ordered him to forfeit $84,000. In December 2024, Odiot pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

According to the plea agreement and other court documents, from August 2022 to March 2023, Odiot served as an administrator of “RICH OFF PLAYS,” a Telegram channel dedicated to the negotiation of fraudulent checks. Odiot used the channel to recruit mail carriers, to advertise the services of bank insiders, and to collaborate with others to commit bank fraud. He frequently posted pictures and videos of himself committing bank fraud on the channel. These included pictures and videos depicting stolen checks, transaction receipts, and large amounts of cash. In many cases, the pictures and videos were branded with Odiot’s nickname “Motion.”

The U.S. Secret Service investigated the case with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Heflin Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Canter prosecuted the case. 

Source: US FBI

OAKLAND – A two-count indictment was unsealed today charging property developers David Sanson and Trent Sanson with conspiracy and bribery in connection with offering to pay an Antioch City Councilmember $10,000, and later giving the Councilmember a company travel mug with $5,000 in cash, in exchange for favorable treatment for one of their development projects.  The Councilmember reported the alleged bribe to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  Both defendants made their initial appearances in federal court this morning.

According to the indictment filed April 3, 2025, David Sanson, 60, of Philipsburg, Mont., is the owner and Chief Executive Officer of a home building and development company based in Concord, Calif., and his son, Trent Sanson, 33, of Walnut Creek, Calif., is the Vice President.  The development company has a number of projects in Antioch and neighboring areas, including the Aviano project, a multi-phase 533-unit residential development project.  

As alleged, the Antioch Engineering and Development Services Division indicated that the development company had not completed all of its required public infrastructure improvements and that Phase 3 of the Aviano project should not be deemed complete or approved by the City Council until those improvements were completed.  As a result, the City of Antioch had not approved the release of bonds secured for the project.  To get the Antioch Engineering and Development Services Division to affirm completion and release the bonds associated with the project, Trent Sanson allegedly contacted an Antioch City Councilmember via iMessage on May 29, 2024, stating that he wanted to discuss with the Councilmember issues that the development company was facing with the Antioch “Engineering department” on a number of projects, including Phase 3 of the Aviano project.

The indictment describes a video-recorded meeting between the Councilmember and Trent Sanson on June 12, 2024, during which Trent Sanson allegedly stated that he wanted the Councilmember to place on the City Council agenda, and vote in favor of, “acceptance for Phase 3 at Aviano to release the completion and guarantee bonds . . . .”  Trent Sanson allegedly stated that David Sanson was willing to pay the Councilmember $10,000 in exchange for the requested actions.  A second video-recorded meeting took place on June 20, 2024, at which David Sanson allegedly paid the Councilmember $5,000 in cash concealed in a travel coffee mug branded with the logo of the Sansons’ development company.

“This indictment alleges that the defendants tried to bribe an Antioch City Councilmember to take favorable action on their real estate project and to evade having to make the public infrastructure improvements that the City required,” said Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins.  “This case is another example of my Office’s commitment to working closely with our partners at the FBI to root out bribery and attempts to corrupt public office.”

“Attempting to bribe a public official is a blatant attack on the integrity of our government and the trust of the communities we serve,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani.  “The allegations in this case reflect a clear attempt to manipulate the system for personal gain. The FBI will continue to aggressively investigate and hold accountable anyone who seeks to corrupt public institutions through bribery or abuse of power.”

The defendants are next scheduled to appear in district court on June 12, 2025, for a status conference before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.

The indictment charges each defendant with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 and one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(2).  The bribery count also includes an allegation that defendants aided and abetted one another in bribing the Antioch City Councilmember.  

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  If convicted, defendants each face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for the count under 18 U.S.C. § 371 and 10 years in prison for the count under 18 U.S.C. §§ 666(a)(2).  Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas R. Green and Benjamin K. Kleinman are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Amala James and Laurie Worthen.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.

Sanson, David and Trent Indictment
 

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A former Killen, Alabama, Police Department officer pleaded guilty today for sexually assaulting a woman while on duty and for receiving sexually explicit photos of a minor.

As part of the plea agreement, Jarrod Gailen Webster admitted that, on November 12, 2023, he violated the civil rights of a woman after initiating a traffic stop on the woman’s vehicle. Webster asked the woman to step out of her vehicle, and he asked her what she wanted to do to “get out of this.” When the woman told Webster that she was not going to do anything for him, Webster handcuffed the woman and sexually assaulted her.

Further, Webster admitted that, between June 2016 and October 2018, he communicated with a minor by phone. Webster asked the minor to produce and send him sexually explicit images of herself. The minor victim sent multiple photos to Webster at his request, at least one of which constituted child sexual abuse material.

“Jarrod Webster took an oath to protect and serve citizens of his community. He violated that oath when he sexually assaulted a woman and exploited a minor to produce and send sexually explicit images,” said Prim Escalona U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama.  “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who violate positions of public trust are held accountable for their actions.”

“Police officers are given immense trust and responsibility to serve and protect, and are therefore held to a higher standard,” said Carlton Peeples, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Birmingham Division, “so there are serious consequences when one tarnishes the badge by breaking the law.  Jarrod Gailen Webster disgraced the uniform when he abused his authority, and his conviction affirms that the FBI has zero tolerance for officials who prey on the citizens they have sworn to protect.”

Webster pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of sexual exploitation of children. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 20, 2025.

Webster faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 for the charge of deprivation of rights under color of law. For the child sexual exploitation charge, he faces a prison term of 15-30 years, a supervised release term of 5 years to life, and a fine of up to $250,000. 

The FBI Birmingham Field Office investigated the case.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Royster and Senior Sex Crimes Counsel Maura White and Trial Attorney Sarah Howard of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section. 

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A convicted felon has been sentenced for illegal possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples.

U.S. District Court Judge Ann Marie Axon sentenced David Lee Hooker, 53, to 30 months in prison.  In November 2024, Hooker pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm stemming from a road rage incident in Jefferson County.

This sentence sends a clear message that violent and reckless behavior on our roads will not be tolerated,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who threaten the safety of our communities and endanger innocent lives.”

“The safety of our communities is a priority,” said Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples, Birmingham Division. “The strong collaboration between FBI Birmingham and our state and local law enforcement partners works as a force multiplier to remove violent offenders from the communities we protect and serve.”

According to the plea agreement, on April 4, 2023, Hooker was involved in a road rage incident at the intersection of Bessemer Road and BY Williams Sr. Drive. Hooker’s vehicle remained stationary during two cycles of the traffic light, and the individual in the vehicle behind Hooker continued to blow their horn.  When Hooker made a left turn, he pulled to the right side of the roadway. As the driver of the second vehicle drove by, Hooker drove up beside the vehicle and pointed a firearm at the driver.  The driver of the second vehicle then pulled into a nearby parking lot. Hooker followed the driver into the parking lot where he got out of his vehicle and proceeded to walk toward the second vehicle.  A Jefferson County Sherriff’s Office Task Force Officer witnessed this and activated his emergency lights to intervene. Hooker placed the firearm into his front pocket and raised his hands above his head.  The officer recovered a Smith &Wesson 9mm pistol from Hooker.     

The FBI investigated the case along with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Keown, Sr., prosecuted the case.

Source: US FBI

OAKLAND – Sheila Quintana pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud in connection with her role in a scheme to defraud congregations of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AME Zion Church) across California as well as private lenders.

Quintana, 71, of Vallejo, was indicted along with co-defendant Staccato Powell, 65, of Wake Forest, N.C., by a federal grand jury in January 2022 on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349 and two counts of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343. Powell was additionally charged with one count of mail fraud.

On April 18, 2025, an information was filed charging Quintana with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, and re-alleging the three counts against her in the indictment. Quintana waived indictment on the charges in the information. She pleaded guilty this afternoon to the count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 and agreed to cooperate with the government.

According to court documents, Powell and Quintana were officers of the Western Episcopal District, Inc. (WED, Inc.), an entity that Powell formed in 2016 after Powell’s selection as bishop to AME Zion Church’s Western Episcopal District, a geographic division of the church covering several states in the western United States, including California. AME Zion Church is an historically African-American denomination of approximately 1.4 million adherents worldwide.

Powell was the chief executive officer (CEO) of WED, Inc., and Quintana became the chief financial officer (CFO) in March 2017. In pleading guilty, Quintana admitted to using false statements and material omissions to obtain from local pastors grant deeds to church properties, and then using fake resolutions to memorialize the agreement of the local congregations to new mortgages on the local church properties when no such authorization had been given.

Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani made the announcement.

Quintana admitted to fraudulently obtaining mortgages on the following church properties:

• Kyles Temple in Vallejo: Quintana was part of a group that assisted with the purchase of a $1.5 million episcopal residence in Granite Bay, with approximately $1 million covered by a bank loan. To obtain the additional $500,000 in funding, Quintana learned that the anticipated loans required the use of two church properties as collateral. The group identified two church properties that would be used as collateral to secure financing to purchase the episcopal residence, including Kyles Temple in Vallejo. At the time, Quintana was the chair of the Board of Trustees of Kyles Temple as well as the CFO of WED, Inc. Quintana drafted a fake resolution reflecting authorization by Kyles Temple for the loan and giving herself authority to execute loan documents in her role as Chair of the Board of Trustees. She admitted that there was no meeting at Kyles Temple to approve (or even discuss) this resolution.
• First AME Zion Church in San Jose: In October 2017, Quintana assisted with documents and transactions to use the First AME Zion Church in San Jose as collateral for a new loan to buy a parsonage, a residence for the congregation’s new pastor. Quintana prepared a fake resolution on the San Jose congregation’s letterhead stating that the new pastor was authorized to sign all documents pertaining to the real estate transactions, following a “unanimous vote by the membership.” During the processing of the loan paperwork, Quintana learned that a title search for the San Jose church revealed a title interest in the property held by the AME Zion Church of Los Angeles. She then prepared another fake resolution stating that the AME Zion Church in Los Angeles held a membership meeting on or about Oct. 12, 2017, and voted to deed the church in San Jose to WED, Inc. Using the resolutions, WED, Inc. obtained a loan, the proceeds of which were used to purchase the parsonage. Quintana learned in late November 2017 that the San Jose congregation disputed the transaction, including the assertion that the church’s membership voted unanimously to approve the resolution. In or about August 2019, Quintana assisted with an additional transaction to refinance the 2017 loan using the First AME Zion Church of San Jose as collateral.
• Greater Cooper AME Zion Church in Oakland: As CFO of WED, Inc., Quintana executed loan documents in May 2019 to borrow $525,000 using the Greater Cooper AME Zion Church in Oakland as collateral. Quintana signed the grant deeds transferring the property of Greater Cooper AME Zion Church in Oakland to WED, Inc. and other closing documents on May 16, 2019, and signed the deed of trust for the transaction as CFO of WED, Inc. on May 24, 2019. Following that, Quintana emailed Powell to inform him that the “expected cash amount from the Cooper loan is $506,000 . . . .” Quintana later learned that the property of Greater Cooper had been encumbered with approximately $1.5 million in debt and that the congregation objected to the encumbrance as unauthorized.
• University AME Zion Church of Palo Alto: Quintana understood in 2017 that Powell had informed the Reverend of University AME Zion Church of Palo Alto that Powell planned to use the University church as collateral for a loan. Quintana prepared the paperwork needed for the transfer of the University AME Zion Church to WED, Inc. In March 2018, Quintana received paperwork for a $2 million loan using University AME Zion Church as collateral, and emailed the loan papers to Powell for him to sign. WED, Inc. encumbered the University AME Church with loans totaling $3.6 million, which Quintana admitted was debt that the congregation’s membership neither knew about nor authorized.
• First AME Zion Church in Los Angeles: Beginning in December 2017, Quintana assisted with documents and transactions to use the First AME Zion Church in Los Angeles as collateral for a new loan. Quintana understood from Powell that the pastor of the Los Angeles church had told Powell that the membership had approved the transfer of title from the Los Angeles church to WED, Inc. Quintana prepared a resolution that purported to document a meeting at which the membership approved the transfer and authorized the Reverend of the Los Angeles church to sign documents pertaining to the transfer, as well as an updated resolution that purported to document a meeting at which the membership approved the transfer of title to WED, Inc., and authorized Powell to sign all documents pertaining to the transaction. She sent both fake resolutions to the lender. Quintana signed a resolution of the Board of WED, Inc. on Dec. 15, 2017, approving the obtaining of a loan using the Los Angeles church property as collateral, and executed loan documents on Dec. 20, 2017. Quintana admitted that she knew that the resolution included false information that was material to obtaining the loan using the church as collateral, and intended that the use of the false and material information would result in the loan’s approval and funding.

Quintana further admitted that between September 2018 and June 2019, in recognition of the amount of time she had spent assisting Powell with the business of the Western Episcopal District, she prepared and signed three checks drawn on WED, Inc.’s bank account and made payable to her spouse totaling $67,500. The checks were payable to Quintana for her benefit. Quintana wrote and signed these checks making payment to her spouse because she did not want anyone other than Powell to know of the payments.

According to the information filed on April 18, 2025, WED, Inc. filed a bankruptcy petition in July 2020 in which it claimed its assets included 11 churches, a parsonage, and Powell’s official residence. The petition stated that WED, Inc.’s real property was worth $26,338,031 and had debts totaling $12,475,453.

Quintana is next scheduled to appear in court on July 15, 2025, for a status hearing. She faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. Any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan U. Lee is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kathy Tat and Helen Yee. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.