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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

RICHMOND, Va. – A Farmville man was sentenced yesterday to 15 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, Oxycodone, and marijuana.

According to court documents, on Feb. 7, 2024, law enforcement observed Tyrone Lamont Fowlkes, 42, in an idling pickup truck in a parking lot in Nottoway County. When a deputy approached the vehicle and tapped on the window, Fowlkes fled at high speed and the deputy pursued. Fowlkes eventually crashed into a tree, totaling the vehicle and causing serious injuries to himself.

From the truck, law enforcement recovered three firearms, three digital scales, $948.84, 198 grams of cocaine, four methamphetamine pills, 60 Oxycodone pills, and 455 grams of marijuana. One of the firearms had been stolen.

On Aug. 9, 2024, with several arrest warrants arising from the Feb. 7, 2024, incident still outstanding, law enforcement observed Fowlkes driving an SUV in Nottoway County. During a traffic stop, a police K9 alerted to the presence of narcotics inside the vehicle. Inside the vehicle, law enforcement found three firearms, a large-capacity magazine, two digital scales, $1,260, 117 grams of cocaine, 20 grams of methamphetamine, 24 Oxycodone pills, and 321 grams of marijuana.

Fowlkes was found guilty in 2008 and again in 2011 of distributing cocaine and in 2021 of possessing with intent to distribute marijuana for a 2019 incident during which he possessed a firearm. As a convicted felon, Fowlkes cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.

Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. The Nottoway County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation of this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick J. McGorman prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-25.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Two men from Texas and Florida were sentenced today to four years and two years in prison, respectively, for their roles as leaders of a marketing company that solicited Medicare beneficiaries for medically unnecessary genetic testing. The Florida man received an additional two years in prison, to be served concurrently, for his role in falsifying the ownership information in Medicare enrollment documentation for a clinical laboratory.

According to court documents, Paul Wexler, 56, of Spring, Texas, and Paul Bleignier, 64, of Seminole, Florida, operated a telemarketing company that recruited Medicare beneficiaries for cancer genetic (CGx) testing that was medically unnecessary. CGx testing uses DNA sequencing to detect mutations in genes that could indicate a higher risk of developing certain types of cancers in the future. It is not a method of diagnosing whether an individual presently has cancer, and Medicare covers CGx testing in limited circumstances. Further, Wexler, Bleignier and their co-conspirators solicited and received kickbacks in exchange for referring Medicare beneficiaries for CGx testing that was not eligible for Medicare reimbursement. Through the scheme, Wexler and Bleignier caused Medicare to be billed $17.3 million, and they were paid $5.2 million.

While the criminal case for genetic testing fraud was pending, Bleignier opened a clinical laboratory and enrolled it in Medicare. Medicare requires a certification listing anyone with 5% or more ownership interest, but Bleignier used other people’s identities to disguise his involvement. The claims related to that laboratory were further tainted by kickbacks. Bleignier and his co-conspirators billed Medicare for $3,012,156 in claims that were ineligible for reimbursement, and they were paid $916,106.

In April 2024, Wexler pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. In November 2022, Bleignier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive kickbacks, and in November 2024, he pleaded guilty to making false statements related to health care matters. At sentencing the two were ordered to pay $1.2 million in forfeiture each and $5.2 million in restitution. Bleignier was ordered to pay an additional $916,106 in forfeiture for his role in falsifying the ownership information in Medicare enrollment documentation.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida; and Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Charles D. Strauss of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ST. LOUIS – The former head of payroll for a St. Louis County company on Thursday admitted paying herself an extra $305,000 in salary and bonuses.

Deborah Stinebaker, 49, of O’Fallon, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of fraudulently effecting transactions. She admitted that while the head of the company’s payroll department, she used the company’s financial software to pay herself an extra $305,469 from January 2016 to March of 2024. Her employer discovered her crime when an audit revealed that the company’s financial instability resulted from the embezzlement.

Stinebaker is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 17, 2026. Stinebaker’s charge carries a potential penalty of up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. She will also be ordered to repay the money.

The FBI and the Maryland Heights Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A man who distributed hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine to co-conspirators in the Dubuque, Iowa, area, was sentenced today to more than 15 years in federal prison.

Juan Jose Ruiz, age 29, from Visalia, California, received the prison term after an April 24, 2025 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and 50 grams or more of actual (pure) methamphetamine.  

Evidence at sentencing showed that in 2021, Ruiz was responsible for distributing 200 pounds of methamphetamine and 2,000 grams of cocaine to other members of a drug-trafficking organization based in Dubuque, Iowa.  In December 2021, Ruiz was driving a car from California to Iowa, when law enforcement stopped him in Colorado.  Law enforcement searched his car and, under cutout doors in the metal floor of the car, found 25 pounds of ice methamphetamine.  

Ruiz was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Ruiz was sentenced to 188 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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).

Ruiz is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force, Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, Dubuque Police Department, Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case file number is 23-CR-1006.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A man who possessed ammunition as a prohibited person was sentenced today to more than two years in federal prison.

Nicholas Edward Schubich, age 45, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 8, 2025 guilty plea to one count of possession of ammunition by a prohibited person.

At the guilty plea, Schubich admitted he possessed the ammunition knowing that he had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year as well as a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.  On April 20, 2025, following a traffic stop on a car that Schubich was a passenger in, officers located methamphetamine, marijuana, and a box of ammunition in Schubich’s backpack.

Schubich was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Schubich was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  

Schubich is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

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.

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. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by the Iowa State Patrol, the Waterloo Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case file number is 25-CR-2032.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Provided False Value for a 1961 Rolls Royce in Application for Nursing Home Benefits

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – A Wheeling attorney was convicted today of fraud and money laundering for fraudulently handling client funds and using client funds to conduct unlawful monetary transactions, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.

A federal jury found Paul J. Harris, 62, of Wheeling, guilty of 29 counts today. The jury heard testimony that Harris used client funds for personal expenses, such as the purchase of his home and paying for his law office, without the clients’ permission. Harris received and moved funds from his client trust account to his law firm operating account, at times using one client’s money to pay funds he had misappropriated from other clients.

“Attorneys are meant to relieve clients of their stressors. Mr. Harris preyed on vulnerable clients who trusted him with their money and legal matters, betraying that trust through unethical acts. I commend the jury for their verdict and for delivering justice to the victims,” said U.S. Attorney Harvey.

The government is seeking a monetary judgement, restitution for the victims, as well as the forfeiture of the property of Harris Law Offices in Wheeling.

Harris faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each of the mail and wire fraud counts and up to 10 years in prison for each of the unlawful monetary transaction counts.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jarod J. Douglas and Jennifer T. Conklin prosecuted the case on behalf of the government, and the matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.

U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BUFFALO, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Ana Castro Castro, 38, a citizen and national of Ecuador, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to re-entry of a removed alien. She was then sentenced to time served and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Smith, who handled the case, stated that in July 2021, Castro was physically removed from the United States. On August 1, 2025, she was found in in Erie County, NY, by Border Patrol Agents and did not have any documents allowing her to be legally present in the United States.

The 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.

The plea and sentencing are the result of an investigation by U.S. Border Patrol, under the direction of Patrol Agent-in-Charge David Banks.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 45-year-old Robstown resident has been sentenced to federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Guadalupe Calderon III pleaded guilty July 31.

U.S. District Judge Davis S. Morales has now ordered Calderon to serve 180 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the sentencing hearing, the court saw footage of Calderon pointing and attempting to fire a handgun at a local sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop. In handing down the sentence, the court noted he would have sentenced Calderon to a higher sentence, but the statutory maximum penalty was 180 months.

On July 26, 2024, law enforcement had conducted a traffic stop on Calderon’s truck. When asked for his license and insurance, he pointed a Ruger pistol at the officer’s face and pulled the trigger. When the gun did not fire, Calderon fled the scene in his truck.

Authorities located him approximately six hours later riding in another vehicle. A search resulted in the discovery of the firearm in the back seat where he had been sitting along with over 30 rounds of ammunition and a high-capacity drum magazine.

Calderon admitted the gun was his and that he had pointed it at the officer earlier that day.

He has multiple prior felony convictions. As such, he is prohibited from possessing firearms per federal law.

Calderon has been and will remain in custody.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Nueces County Sheriff’s Department and Corpus Christi Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Martin prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A Shaktoolik man was sentenced last week to 30 years in prison followed by 30 years on supervised release for sexually exploiting three children to produce child pornography, and for cyberstalking the children and one adult victim.

According to court documents, between December 2021 and July 2023, Matthew Jackson, 23, engaged in a pattern of sexual abuse and exploitation with multiple female victims, three of whom were minors.

Jackson used a cell phone to send messages to the three minor victims asking them to create pictures and videos depicting sexually explicit conduct. Jackson used the threat of disclosing those images to coerce sexual contact with the minors. Jackson filmed the sexual encounters without consent and provided marijuana and alcohol in exchange for sex.

During the same period, Jackson employed the same or similar conduct with an adult victim. Jackson requested sexually explicit images, then engaged in a course of harassing conduct with the adult victim by threatening to disclose the images. Jackson stated he could make money from the images and threatened to sell them if the adult victim refused Jackson’s demand for sexual intercourse. Jackson successfully coerced the adult victim to engage in sexual intercourse without consent and laughed while his victim expressed suicidal ideation.

Arguments in court explained that Jackson used similar conduct to affect at least three additional adults.

“Jackson has a history of violent assaults and engaged in despicable conduct against multiple vulnerable victims,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman.  “His life of terrorizing Alaskans stops now. Thanks to the incredible strength of the victims and efforts by law enforcement, Jackson will spend the next three decades in prison followed by decades under Court supervision.”

“Through manipulation and coercion, Jackson callously terrorized and sexually exploited both minors and adults in Alaska,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Brandon Waddle of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Let this serve as a message to anyone who commits crimes against children in Alaska: the FBI and our partners will relentlessly pursue and hold predators accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman of the District of Alaska and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brandon Waddle of the FBI Anchorage Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Anchorage Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Alaska State Troopers.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Vosacek prosecuted 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 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, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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