News from March 2023


Pittsburgh Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison after Admitting He Destroyed a Police Vehicle and Smashed Bank Windows during Protests in Downtown

News Release: PITTSBURGH, PA - A Pittsburgh resident pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to charges of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and bank burglary in connection with the downtown Pittsburgh protest on May 30, 2020, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.


Man Sentenced To 292 Months In Prison

News Release: FORT WAYNE-Hector Castaneda, age 60, of Michoacan, Mexico, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Holly A. Brady on his plea of guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 5 or more kilograms of cocaine, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.


Raleigh County Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison for Fentanyl Crime

News Release: BECKLEY, W.Va. - Sean Hafesh, 34, of Daniels, Raleigh County, was sentenced today to 12 years and seven months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl.


Biloxi Man Sentenced for Explosive Hoax

News Release: Gulfport, Miss. - A Biloxi man was sentenced to 6 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release and a $1,000.00 fine for submitting a false tip to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.


New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring with Someone Posing as DEA Agent to Defraud Victim of Gold

News Release: BOSTON - A New Jersey man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Springfield to his role in a conspiracy which resulted in a Massachusetts victim converting her bank account funds into gold, because she was tricked into believing that her accounts had been compromised by purported drug traffickers.



Sikeston Man Sentenced To Serve 125 Months in Federal Prison on Gun and Drug Charges

News Release: CAPE GIRARDEAU - The United States Attorney's Office announced that Cameron Melton Malone, age 30, of Sikeston, Missouri, was sentenced to serve a total aggregate sentence of 125 months in federal prison for the offenses of Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Possession With Intent to Distribute Marijuana. Malone appeared for his sentencing hearing today before United States District Judge John A. Ross, at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.


Vallejo Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Traffic Heroin and Methamphetamine

News Release: SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Michael Renay Williams, 62, of Vallejo, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and at least 500 grams of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.


Texas Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Conspiring to Break Into Businesses in Maryland and Illinois to Steal From ATMs

News Release: Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Robert Reeves III, age 37 of Dallas, Texas, to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen goods where the defendant and his co-conspirators...


Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 Kilograms of Cocaine

News Release: Gulfport, Miss. - A Florida man pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration.


Contractor and His Wife Charged with Bankruptcy Fraud, Money Laundering, and Wire Fraud

News Release: PROVIDENCE - A North Kingstown self-employed contractor who “flipped houses," and his wife, have both been charged in federal court with executing schemes to conceal substantial assets from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Providence, as well as money laundering and wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.


Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison

News Release: FORT WAYNE -Marcel Toussaint, 37 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to distributing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.


Home health care owner sent to prison

News Release: HOUSTON - A 63-year-old Sugar Land resident has been ordered to prison for conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.


Fentanyl-Related Overdose Death Leads to 20-Year Sentence for Drug Dealer

News Release: CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - A South Hill, Virginia man, who continued dealing heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl from a regional jail, was sentenced this week to 20 years in federal prison.


Sioux Falls Man Charged with Production of Child Pornography and Kidnapping

News Release: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man for two counts of Production of Child Pornography and two counts of kidnapping.


Federal Grand Jury Indicts Tennessee Man for Possession of a Machinegun

News Release: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - KEATON MANGHANE, age 24, a resident of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was charged on March 10, 2023 in a sealed one-count indictment for possession of a machinegun. The indictment was unsealed on March 28, 2023.


United States Orders Matador Production Company to Reduce Unlawful Air Pollution from its Oil and Gas Wells in New Mexico, Eliminating 16,000 Tons of Harmful Air Pollutants

News Release: Matador Production Company has agreed to pay a penalty and ensure compliance with both state and federal clean air regulations at all 239 of its New Mexico oil and gas well pads to resolve unlawful operations alleged in a civil complaint filed today under the Clean Air Act and state regulations.


Meridian Man Sentenced to Over Six Years in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon

News Release: Jackson, Miss. - A Meridian, Mississippi man was sentenced to 77 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Kurt H. Thielhorn of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).


Foreign National Sentenced for Victimizing U.S. Persons Through Cyber-Enabled Fraud Schemes

News Release: A Nigerian national was sentenced today to four years and one month in prison for his role in a cybercriminal group operating out of Nigeria and Malaysia, among other places, that executed complex financial fraud scams using the internet.


Mexican National Sentenced to 27 Years for Large-Scale Drug-Trafficking Conspiracy

News Release: KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Mexican national residing in Raymore, Mo., was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine.