Man Indicted and Arrested for Drug Trafficking

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On May 21, 2026, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging Barbaro José Del Valle-De Paula, 64 years old, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and firearms offenses, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.

Defendant Sentenced for Role in Alien Smuggling and Kidnapping Scheme

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Texas man, who conspired with others to kidnap, transport, and hold multiple victims at gunpoint for ransom that culminated in a deadly 2023 shootout in a quiet, Charlottesville neighborhood, was sentenced yesterday in federal court as part of Operation Take Back America.Jordan Perez, 21, of Lockhart, Texas, was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in federal prison. Perez pled guilty in June 2025 to one count of conspiracy to kidnap and one count of transporting an alien resulting in death. 

Romanian National Sentenced for Selling Access to Networks of Oregon State Government Office and Other U.S. Victims

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A Romanian national was sentenced yesterday to 56 months in prison in connection with an online intrusion into an Oregon state government office in 2021 and other cyber-attacks on U.S. victims.

According to court documents, Catalin Dragomir, 46, formerly of Constanta, Romania, sold access to a computer on the network of an Oregon state government office after obtaining unauthorized access to it in June of 2021. During the sale, Dragomir provided the prospective buyer with samples of personal identifying information from the computer. He also sold access to the computer networks of numerous other victims in the United States, causing losses of at least $250,000. 

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford for the District of Oregon made the announcement.

In November 2024, Dragomir was arrested in Romania. He was extradited to the United States in January 2025.

On Feb. 19, Dragomir pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining information from a protected computer and one count of aggravated identity theft. 

The FBI Portland Field Office investigated the case. 

Trial Attorneys Benjamin A. Bleiberg and Alison M. Zitron of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine A. Rykken for the District of Oregon prosecuted the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Romanian Ministry of Justice, Directorate for International Law and Judicial Cooperation, and the Romanian Judiciary to secure the arrest and extradition of Dragomir. The Department of Justice also thanks Darkweb IQ for its assistance with the investigation.

CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime and intellectual property (IP) crime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cyber and IP criminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.

Father’s Murder Yields Guilty Verdict for D.C. Man

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

D’Andre Montgomery, 20, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty yesterday in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, on charges of shooting and killing 28-yearold Kenneth Barksdale in Southeast D.C., in December 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Hartford Drug Trafficker Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Federal Prison

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

TYSHAWN COLEMAN, also known as “Ty” and “Mazi,” 36, formerly of New Britain and Hartford, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 81 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for trafficking narcotics and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.

Denver Man Sentenced to 45 Years in Federal Prison for Drug and Gun Charges

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Denver, Colorado, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.  The sentencing took place on May 22, 2026.