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. Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Fraud Conspiracy for Alleged $4.8 Million in Unfinished Custom Home Projects 12/31/2025 07:00 AM EST A Fort Worth business owner who received nearly $5 million from local customers for unfinished custom home building and remodeling projects pled guilty to a wire fraud conspiracy charge yesterday. Seven Unlawful Entrants Apprehended on Northern Border, Including Smuggler of Minor Child 12/31/2025 07:00 AM EST Ecuadorian National Charged with Child Exploitation Offenses 12/31/2025 07:00 AM EST JOSE ISRAEL TENESACA MEJIA, 21, a citizen of Ecuador residing in West Haven, has been charged with federal child exploitation offenses. Brunswick County Man Sentenced to Over 10 Years in Federal Prison for Child Sexual Abuse Material Crimes 12/31/2025 07:00 AM EST WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Shallotte man was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release for receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Massachusetts Men Sentenced to 60 Months for Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking 12/31/2025 07:00 AM EST Lowcountry Firefighter Arraigned Following Child Sexual Exploitation Indictment 12/31/2025 07:00 AM EST CHARLESTON, S.C. — A Lowcountry firefighter accused of the sexual exploitation of a child has been arraigned in federal court. A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment against John Lewis Cottrell III, 46, of Johns Island, for sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child sexual abuse material. APOPKA WOMAN INDICTED FOR CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT WIRE FRAUD BY DEFRAUDING ELDERLY VICTIM BY PHONE AND EMAIL 12/31/2025 07:00 AM EST GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Xin Liu, 40, of Apopka, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury charging her with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. GAINESVILLE MAN CHARGED FOR POSSESSION OF A FIREARM WITH A REMOVED SERIAL NUMBER 12/31/2025 07:00 AM EST GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Devon Oliver, 18, of Gainesville, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury charging him with possession of a firearm with a removed serial number.  Oklahoma Woman Charged with Sexual Abuse Crimes Against a Northeast Wisconsin Minor 12/31/2025 07:00 AM EST 2025 Year in Review 12/31/2025 07:00 AM EST The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida (USAO-SDFL) closes 2025 having delivered decisive results across the full spectrum of federal enforcement — disrupting transnational drug trafficking organizations, recovering hundreds of millions of dollars through fraud prosecutions and civil resolutions, dismantling corruption schemes, and protecting the public from violent crime, exploitation, and national security threats. Investiture Ceremony Held for U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida 12/31/2025 07:00 AM EST Federal, state, and local leaders gathered on December 12, 2025, at the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami to mark the formal investiture of Jason A. Reding Quiñones as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. The ceremony marked his ceremonial assumption of office as the chief federal law enforcement officer for one of the nation's busiest, most complex, and most diverse judicial districts. Repeat Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Over 5 Years 12/30/2025 07:00 AM EST Ecuadorian National Sentenced for Illegally Reentering the US After Prior Removals 12/30/2025 07:00 AM EST William Leonardo Dutan Gagui, 33, had been removed twice before. Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering the US After Prior Removals 12/30/2025 07:00 AM EST Alfredo Gonzalez-Pelaez, 42, acknowledged to an immigration officer that he had illegally entered the United States years earlier.  Two Hilo-Area Men Arrested for Years-Long Operation to Transport and Distribute Illegal Fireworks on Big Island 12/30/2025 07:00 AM EST HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Darrel Goo, 52, of Keaau, Hawaii, and Cy Tamura, 45, of Hilo, Hawaii, were arrested and charged by criminal complaint yesterday with multiple fireworks-related criminal offenses, including transporting fireworks into Hawaii. District of Arizona Charges 143 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this Week 12/30/2025 07:00 AM EST PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Dec. 20 through Dec. 26, 2025, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 143 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 105 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 32 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 6 cases against 6 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Menasha Man Charged with Production of Child Pornography and Obscenity Crimes 12/30/2025 07:00 AM EST Fentanyl Hidden in Ironing Board Leads to 15-Year Federal Sentence for Raleigh Man 12/30/2025 07:00 AM EST Wenatchee Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Trafficking Methamphetamine and Fentanyl and Illegally Possessing Firearms 12/30/2025 07:00 AM EST Columbia Man Arraigned Following Hate Crime Indictment 12/30/2025 07:00 AM EST A Columbia man accused of a hate crime was arraigned in federal court this morning. The Government moved for the defendant to be detained pending trial. The defendant waived his right to a detention hearing and will remain in custody. David C. Waterman's Remarks Upon his Formal Swearing-In as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa 12/30/2025 07:00 AM EST DES MOINES, Iowa – On December 12, 2025, United States Attorney David C. Waterman delivered remarks at his formal swearing-in ceremony at the United States Courthouse in Des Moines. The December ceremony marked the ceremonial commencement of Waterman's tenure as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, following Chief Judge Stephanie M. Rose's administration of the oath of office on October 15, 2025.

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