U.S. Attorneys News News Update

Offices of the United States Attorneys

You are subscribed to U.S. Attorneys News news updates. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. New Federal Charges in Killing of National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom and Shooting of Guardsman Andrew Wolfe 12/24/2025 07:00 AM EST Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who resided in Bellingham, Washington, was charged today in a complaint in U.S. District Court with federal counts in connection with the ambush-style shooting on November 26 that killed National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom and seriously injured National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Las Cruces Man Charged After School Shooting Threat Posted on Social Media 12/24/2025 07:00 AM EST Dion Lee Torres is facing federal charges after authorities investigated a social media post threatening to shoot up a school and recovered a loaded firearm and ammunition. Ayer Company Agrees to Pay Over $1.3 Million to Resolve Allegations of PPP Loan Fraud 12/24/2025 07:00 AM EST BOSTON – Ajinomoto Cambrooke, Inc. (Cambrooke), a company headquartered in Ayer, Mass., has agreed to pay $1,360,819.04 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was not eligible. Chinese National Sentenced to Prison for Trafficking Reptiles 12/24/2025 07:00 AM EST Russ Ferguson To Lead U.S. Attorney's Office As Presidentially Appointed United States Attorney Following U.S. Senate Confirmation 12/24/2025 07:00 AM EST Twenty-Eight Defendants Charged with Narcotics and Firearms Offense for their Roles in Enterprise Associated with the Bloods Street Gang 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST Twenty-six people have been charged for their roles in a drug trafficking organization affiliated with a neighborhood street gang that operated and distributed large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and crack cocaine in Riverside Villa Public Housing Complex and other areas of Newark. New Federal Charges in Killing of National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom and Shooting of Guardsman Andrew Wolfe 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national, was charged today in a complaint in U.S. District Court with federal counts in connection with the ambush-style shooting on November 26 that killed National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom and seriously injured National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe. Chinese national sentenced to prison for trafficking reptiles 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo for the Western District of New York announced today that Wei Qiang Lin, of Brooklyn, NY, was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo for falsely labeling live turtles, snakes, and lizards as fake toys prior to exporting them in delivery boxes destined to Hong Kong. Lin was also fined $2,339, which is how much U.S. currency he had on him when he was arrested.  Two Honduran men plead guilty to, sentenced for illegal re-entry 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Arlen Saul Castillo, 29, and Jonathan Esteban Osario Lopez, 32, both natives and citizens of Honduras, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to illegal re-entry. They were then sentenced to time served and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  Two Mexican men arrested, charged with illegal re-entry 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Jorge Luis Gonzalez-Roman, 39, And Jose Clemente Trujillo-Mejia, 42, both natives and citizens of Mexico, were arrested and charged by criminal complaint with illegal re-entry, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a fine of $250,000.  Four defendants arrested, charged with illegal re-entry 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that four defendants were charged in separate criminal complaints with illegal re-entry, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a fine of $250,000.  Former Bank Executive, Edward Gene Smith, Charged With Committing Multiple Sex Crimes, Child Pornography Offenses, And Obstruction Of Justice 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), Christopher G. Raia, announced today the filing of a Superseding Indictment charging EDWARD GENE SMITH with drugging a female victim ("Victim-1") with the intent to rape her, sex trafficking another female victim ("Victim-2"), enticing Victim-2 to travel to engage in unlawful sexual activity, receipt and possession of child pornography, and obstruction of justice.   Five Defendants Indicted on Federal Firearm Charges for Allegedly Trafficking Firearms in Chicago 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST "We will work hand-and-glove with our law enforcement partners to arrest and prosecute anyone who violates our firearm laws," said U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros.   Washington Man Pleads Guilty to Hate Crime Charge After Stabbing a Metro Bus Passenger 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST A Washington man pleaded guilty today to a federal hate crime charge for violently assaulting and stabbing a black female bus passenger because of her race. Pair Accused of Sexually Abusing 13-Year-Old Boy 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST The cases against Brent Stephens and Yashpreet are among the 293 arrests nationwide during Operation Relentless Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators.  TIGO Guatemala Paid Over $118M To Resolve Foreign Bribery Investigation 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST In November 2025, Comunicaciones Celulares S.A., doing business as TIGO Guatemala, a mobile and fixed telecommunications service provider in Guatemala, paid over $118 million to resolve an investigation by the Justice Department into a long-running scheme to bribe government officials in Guatemala. TIGO Guatemala is a wholly owned subsidiary of Millicom International Cellular, S.A. ("Millicom"), an international telecommunications company incorporated and headquartered in Luxembourg that has its principal place of business in the United States. Utah Ringleader of COVID-19 Scheme Sentenced to Prison 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST SALT LAKE CITY, Utah –Halee Ann Mehlbauer, 40, of Tooele, Utah, was sentenced today to 15 months' imprisonment after she fraudulently obtained approximately $177,030 in COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loans, along with her codefendant, Timothy Lopez, which they did not qualify for. She was also sentenced to two years' supervised release and ordered by the court to pay $177,030 in restitution, of which $48,507 is to be paid jointly with Lopez.  Auburn, Washington, man pleads guilty to hate crime for assault on Metro bus passenger 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST Seattle – A 24-year-old Auburn, Washington man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to committing a hate crime involving bodily injury and a dangerous weapon for his attack on a Black bus rider, announced U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd.   Grand Jury Charges Four Members of Anti-Government Group with Terrorism Felonies Stemming from New Year's Eve Bombing Plot 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST A federal grand jury today returned a six-count indictment against four members of a far-left, anti-capitalist, and anti-government group that allegedly plotted to set off bombs in Southern California on New Year's Eve, charging them with additional, terrorism-related felonies. District of Arizona Charges Over 1,100 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct during the Government Shutdown 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the weeks of enforcement operations from September 27, 2025, through November 7, 2025, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 1,196 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 697 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 411 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 78 cases against 85 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance, and federal prosecutors also charged 3 defendants for assaulting a Border Patrol agent during this period. Justice Department Announces Results of Operation Relentless Justice 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST The Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Relentless Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators. In conjunction with the operation, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced that federal grand juries returned indictments charging several individuals with offenses against minors. HOMESTEAD MAN SENT TO FEDERAL PRISON FOR POSSESSION OF MACHINEGUN BY A CONVICTED FELON 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Vinson Tavaris Brown, 33, of Homestead, Florida, was sentenced to three years in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and illegal possession of a machinegun.  Investment Manager Extradited Back To The United States To Face Securities Fraud Charges 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), Christopher G. Raia, announced that MATTHEW MELTON was extradited from the United Kingdom to face securities fraud and wire fraud charges.  The charges in the Indictment arise from an alleged scheme by MELTON to raise millions of dollars in investor money by falsely representing that his investment fund, "Price Physics," was investing in futures contracts using a proprietary trading algorithm.   Transient Man Sentenced to Life for Kidnapping, Beating, and Sexually Assaulting an Elderly Woman 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST A transient Tulsa man who was retried and found guilty a second time was sentenced to life in prison, U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson announced. Men indicted for posing as FBI agents to commit fraud 12/23/2025 07:00 AM EST A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging two Indian nationals with allegedly defrauding a victim while posing as federal law enforcement officials.

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