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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

JACKSON, MS – Giovanni Iortoman, 21, was sentenced on December 8, 2025 to 12 months in federal prison for illegal possession, production, or trafficking in device-making equipment, also known as skimmers. His codefendant, Antonio Rafaila, 19, pleaded guilty to the same charge on August 6, 2025, and will be sentenced on December 18, 2025. Both defendants entered the United States illegally. 

According to court documents and statements made in court, on the morning of March 31, 2025, employees of a grocery store in Laurel, Mississippi discovered a skimmer attached to a point-of-sale terminal in one of the store’s check-out lanes. A skimmer is capable of reading and recording account information including customer names, account numbers, and personal identification numbers from credit and debit cards. Store employees checked CCTV footage from the store and reported the matter to law enforcement immediately. CCTV footage revealed that two men, later identified as Antonio Rafaila and Giovanni Iortoman, had placed a skimmer device on the point-of-sale machine.

Rafaila and Iortoman used the same tactics at multiple grocery stores in Jones, Rankin, and Madison counties with the intent to steal the personal information of customers for profit. One of the men would purchase items at the grocery store and distract the checkout clerk while the other surreptitiously installed the skimmer. The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office Cyber Fraud Task Force alerted local stores about the two men and their descriptions. The sedan the subjects were seen driving in Laurel was later stopped by Madison County law enforcement almost immediately after the subjects emplaced another skimmer in Madison.

Iortoman presented a Romanian identification card to officers and Rafaila falsely identified himself as Aaron Lipani with a fraudulent Italian passport when questioned. A check of government databases determined that Iortoman and Rafaila were foreign nationals in the country without legal authority.

A criminal complaint was filed against Rafaila and Iortoman on April 2, 2025. A federal grand jury returned an indictment against them on April 8, 2025.

Rafaila is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, 2025, and faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. As the defendants entered the United States illegally, they may be subject to deportation upon their release from prison.

U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis, and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch made the announcement.

The United States Secret Service and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office investigated the case through their partnership in the Cyber Fraud Task Force with assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly T. Purdie and C. Brett Grantham are prosecuting the case.

The Cyber Fraud Task Force offered the following tips to keep your bank card data safe:

1. Use terminals that offer tap to pay or chip read capabilities. Avoid swiping cards, if possible.
2. Look at the terminal prior to inserting or using your card in relation to other terminals in the store. Do they look the same? Overlay skimmers will add to the overall dimensions of a terminal.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Jackson, MS – A Jackson man pleaded guilty on Wednesday, December 3rd in federal court to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement identified Roman Walker, 35, as a distributor of narcotics from Hinds County, Mississippi. Court filings reflect that Walker was distributing a “menu” of narcotics, business hours, and prices for different drugs he was selling. On or about January 24, 2023, while executing a search warrant of Walker’s residence, law enforcement discovered large quantities of narcotics including more than 11,000 fentanyl pills and fentanyl powder packaged for distribution into the metro Jackson area.

Roman Walker is scheduled to be sentenced on March 3, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  

United States Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi and DEA Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw made the announcement. 

The United States Drug Enforcement Agency is investigating the case with assistance from the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics.

Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Brett Grantham is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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. 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

CINCINNATI – Ronald Scott Daley, 53, of Miamisburg, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 54 months in prison for wire fraud and tax evasion related to a scheme to defraud clients, including elderly victims. 

According to court documents, Daley was employed by a life insurance brokerage firm in the Southern District of Ohio from 1995 through 2021 and advised several elderly clients with respect to life insurance and annuity products.

From at least 2012 until 2020, Daley fraudulently convinced client victims to withdraw certain assets from the insurance brokerage firm and to deposit the funds into their own personal accounts. Daley then influenced the victims to make payments to a bank account for an entity that Daley controlled.

For example, Daley defrauded three victims of more than $707,000 in total.

Furthermore, the defendant failed to file and pay taxes on the fraudulent income.

As part of his conviction, Daley will repay restitution in the amount of approximately $707,000 for fraud against the victims and nearly $212,000 to the IRS.

Daley was indicted in December 2024 and pleaded guilty in May 2025.

Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigations; announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that on November 18, 2025, JAMES WILLIAMS, (WILLIAMS), age 64, of Schriever, Louisiana, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Brandon Long to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, over 500 grams of cocaine, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), §§ 841(b)(1)(B), and 846. Judge Long scheduled sentencing for February 24, 2025, where WILLIAMS faces a minimum of 5 years and up to 40 years imprisonment, up to a $5,000,000 fine, at least 4 years of supervised release following imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

According to the indictment, beginning at a time unknown but continuing until at least May 4, 2024, WILLIAMS conspired with others to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, cocaine throughout the Lafourche Parish region of the Eastern District of Louisiana. The conspiracy involved obtaining narcotics from Houston, Texas and transporting the narcotics to Thibodaux, Louisiana. The conspiracy was carried out through wire and electronic communications.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at http://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Simpson praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Louisiana State Police, the Thibodaux Police Department, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

GAINESVILLE, Ga. – Former Athens-Clarke County Police Officer Amber Nicole Ferguson has been indicted on charges of production and attempted production of child sexual abuse material, possession of child sexual abuse material involving a minor under the age of 12, and production of obscene material. 

“Sexual predators who prey upon children or sexually abuse animals for the purpose of disseminating images of the abuse face significant prison time if convicted in federal court,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg.  “To protect the community and its most vulnerable members, my office will aggressively prosecute anyone who commits such crimes.” 

“The actions alleged in this indictment represent a profound betrayal of the trust and responsibility placed in law enforcement officers. Those who are sworn to protect our communities—especially our children—must be held to the highest standards, said Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama Steven N. Schrank. “Homeland Security Investigations is committed to ensuring that individuals who exploit their positions to harm the most vulnerable will be brought to justice.”

“Few crimes are as vile as those committed against children. When the offender is someone who swore an oath to protect the public and uphold the law, it is an even deeper violation. We remain unwavering in our commitment to working alongside our partners to safeguard our most vulnerable and bring offenders, regardless of their title our authority, to justice,” said Chris Hosey, Director, Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: After a family member of the two minors reported suspicions to the Commerce Police Department, an investigation led to the discovery of child sexual abuse material on Ferguson’s phone.  As the investigation continued, images involving horse and dog bestiality allegedly possessed by Ferguson were discovered as well. The indictment alleges that Ferguson produced the bestiality images and child sex abuse material.

Amber Nicole Ferguson, 34, of Commerce, Ga., was arraigned on December 4, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Anna W. Howard.  She was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 2, 2025.  Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges.  The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

If convicted of production or attempted production of child sex abuse material, Ferguson would face at least 15 years in prison.  In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Commerce Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Keen is prosecuting the case.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MISSOULA – A Washington man who possessed fentanyl was sentenced today to 135 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Skyler Christian Crowder, 31, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement officers responded to a call of a fentanyl pill found in a motel room in Missoula on October 7, 2024. The occupant, Skyler Crowder, had requested to move to a new room and the pill was located when the room was cleaned. They also reported Crowder had taken out his own trash when he switched rooms, which they thought was odd. Law enforcement located two vacuum-seal bags (one with a remnant of a blue pill) and drug paraphernalia in the outside garbage. Law enforcement reviewed surveillance and saw approximately 12 different people visited Crowder over 24 hours. Several appeared to be under the influence. The activity was consistent with individuals purchasing illegal drugs.

Law enforcement contacted Crowder in his new room. After obtaining a search warrant, deputies located methamphetamine, fentanyl pills and firearms.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force and the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

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 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a man who illegally bought guns that were later recovered during criminal investigations in Missouri and Illinois to 12 months in prison.

Dayquan Long, 23, of Cape Girardeau, will be on supervised release for two years after his release from prison. Long pleaded guilty in September in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of making a false statement during a firearm purchase. He admitted buying 19 firearms from two federally licensed firearms dealers between Nov. 3, 2022, and Nov. 27, 2024. During each purchase, Long filled out a form certifying that he was the “actual transferee/buyer” of the firearm and that he was not “acquiring the firearm(s) on behalf of another person.” Long signed the form acknowledging that he was aware “that the repetitive purchase of firearms for the purpose of resale for livelihood and profit without a federal firearms license is a violation of federal law.”

Firearms sold by Long were later recovered during criminal investigations in Kansas City, Sweet Springs, Springfield and Cape Girardeau, Missouri and in Overland Park, Kansas, Long’s plea agreement says. On Feb. 5, 2025, Long told a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) special agent that he sold the guns for a profit of between $100 and $200.

The ATF investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter is prosecuting the case.

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 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.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

RALEIGH, N.C. – An illegal alien was arrested and charged with forcibly assaulting and impeding agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by allegedly ramming his vehicle into agents’ vehicles and narrowly missing an ICE agent.

“Assaulting a federal officer is an attack on the rule of law itself,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “When someone allegedly drives a vehicle to threaten or endanger ICE agents, we treat it with the utmost seriousness. We have zero tolerance for conduct that puts our officers or the public at risk, and this office will take every lawful step to protect our families, officers, and communities.”

“When a federal agent is attempting to make a lawful arrest, there is no excuse to respond with violence. The FBI will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to support illegal immigrant enforcement operations,” said James C. Barnacle Jr., the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.

According to allegations in the criminal complaint, Milton Ermilo Arreaga Roblero, 23, was taken into custody in Morrisville, after ICE agents attempted to stop his vehicle during an enforcement operation.  Initially, Roblero allegedly came to a complete stop before he suddenly backed into one agent’s vehicle and then drove into four different ICE vehicles. The complaint further alleges that he forced one of the agents on scene to jump out of the way narrowly avoiding Roblero crashing into him. Roblero was taken into custody after he allegedly drove over the curb, through a garden bed and then collided with a civilian’s vehicle.

Roblero is charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers and faces maximum penalty of twenty years in prison if convicted. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Foxx is prosecuting the case, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case. A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, 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.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-MJ-02535-JG.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that John Paul Barsch III, 31, was sentenced to 30 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of production of child pornography. Barsch was a soldier in the United States Army and was stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs at the time of his arrest.

According to the plea agreement, on multiple occasions between November 2018 and March 2020, Barsch performed sex acts on an infant or toddler in his custody, care, or control; created videos depicting those sex acts; and distributed at least one of the videos to another person who was in the United Kingdom. Barsch’s conduct was discovered when law enforcement arrested the person who received the videos, and a search of his devices revealed conversations with Barsch.

“Crimes against children are some of the most despicable in our society and this sentence demonstrates the magnitude of the crimes committed,” said United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly.

“Homeland Security Investigations will not tolerate the vile and reprehensible exploitation of children, especially by those entrusted with their care. The sentencing of this individual sends a clear and unyielding message: no position of authority or service will shield predators from the full force of justice,” said HSI Denver Special Agent in Charge Steve Cagen. “Let this serve as a stark warning—there is no place in our society for such heinous acts, and we will stop at nothing to protect our children and uphold the rule of law.”

United States District Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney presided over the sentencing.

The investigation was handled by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Melissa Hindman handled the prosecution.

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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Case Number: 24-cr-00028-CNS

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SAVANNAH, GA: On December 3, 2025, a Savannah man was sentenced to Statutory Maximum for Possession of Ammunition following a shooting.

Charlie Sapp, 58, of Savannah, was sentenced to 120 months in prison by U.S.  District Court Judge Randal Hall after being convicted at trial on the charge of Possession of Ammunition by a Prohibited Person said Margaret E. Heap, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

Sapp received the maximum sentenced allowed by law. Judge Randal Hall also ordered Sapp to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term, in addition to a $1,500 fine. There is no parole in the federal system.

“This prosecution should send a clear message to those that violate the law in the Southern District of Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney Margaret Heap. “This office will work tirelessly to ensure the community is protected from violent felons.”

According to trial documents, on October 8, 2021, Sapp retrieved a loaded firearm from a vehicle, confronted an individual in an apartment complex parking lot, pointed the firearm at that individual, and then fired three shots. The individual Sapp shot died on the scene. While the weapon used in the shooting was never recovered, officers with the Savannah Police Department recovered two shell casings on the scene. Those shell casings were enough to convict Sapp in the U.S. District Court. Sapp was prohibited from possessing ammunition because of previous felony convictions in the Superior Court of Chatham County.

At sentencing, Judge Hall agreed to the Government’s request to enhance Sapp’s sentence on the ammunition charge because his conduct constituted second-degree murder. Due to Sapp illegally possessing ammunition, a Savannah man lost their life.

Sapp was previously tried for this conduct in November 2022 by the Chatham County District Attorney’s Office. That trial did not result in a conviction.

“Every bullet represents a potential threat to public safety; we will continue to work diligently to prevent firearms from falling into the wrong hands,” said ATF Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robert Davis.

The case was being investigated by the ATF, Savannah Police Department and prosecuted for the United States by Special Assistant United States Attorney Makeia R. Jonese and Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Bondura.