News from March 2023


Southern California Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Fentanyl and Heroin in Bakersfield and Fresno

News Release: FRESNO, Calif. - Luis Noe Hernandez Rojo, 34, of Orange, California, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.


Prince George’s County Man Sentenced to 32 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child Pornography

News Release: Greenbelt, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Carl Gage Linden, age 57, of Mount Rainier, Maryland, yesterday to 32 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for production of child pornography. Judge Xinis also ordered Linden to pay a special assessment of $200...


St. Louis County Woman Sentenced to a Year in Prison for Check Scheme that Used Bank Information from Stolen Mail

News Release: ST. LOUIS - A woman from Hillsdale, in St. Louis County, Missouri was sentenced Monday to a year in federal prison for engaging in a scheme to deposit tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of counterfeit checks created with information from stolen U.S. mail.


Career Offender Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison

News Release: PROVIDENCE - A 37-year-old Woonsocket man previously arrested more than two dozen times and convicted on nearly four-dozen charges, including assault, domestic assault, and drug trafficking, has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for his leadership role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.


Spouse and cousin of drug trafficking ringleader sentenced to significant prison terms for their roles in drug distribution conspiracy

News Release: Seattle - Two members of a drug trafficking ring that buried drugs and cash on a rural property near Arlington, Washington, were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Jose Arrondondo-Valdez, 27, was sentenced to nine years in prison and Yvette Olguin...


Rocky Mount Blood Gang Member Sentenced to 22 Years for Armed Drug Trafficking

News Release: RALEIGH, N.C. - A Rocky Mount man was sentenced yesterday to 264 months in prison for possession of marijuana and cocaine and for possession of multiple firearms in furtherance of a drug distribution offense. On Oct. 20, 2022, Charven Keivon Gorham pled guilty to the charges.


New Orleans Man Sentenced on Federal Firearm and Drug Trafficking Charges Stemming From New Orleans Hotel Shootout

News Release: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - CLARENCE SANTIAGO, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Greg G. Guidry to 30 years in jail for his participation in a Dec. 28, 2020, shootout at the Jung Hotel on Canal Street, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.


Florida Resorts Agree to Pay $325,000 to Settle False Claims Act Allegations Relating to False Certifications on a Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Application

News Release: Orlando, FL - Florida companies Kingwood Orlando Reunion Resort LLC (Orlando Reunion) and Kingwood Crystal River Resort Corp. (Crystal River) have agreed to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act (FCA) and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA) by knowingly providing false information in support of a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness application submitted by Crystal River.


West Plains Man Sentenced to 28 Years for Leading Meth Conspiracy

News Release: SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A West Plains, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for leading a conspiracy that distributed 360 kilograms of methamphetamine in southern Missouri over a three-year period.


Money Launderer Sentenced for $8 Million Romance Scam Fraud Scheme

News Release: BOSTON - A Massachusetts man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his role in a fraud scheme that stole more than $8 million from hundreds of romance scam victims.


Two Fresno Women Indicted for Fentanyl Distribution Conspiracy

News Release: FRESNO, Calif. - On March 17, 2023, a three-count indictment was unsealed charging Genevra Winton, 51, and Shannon Bargas, 51, both of Fresno, with charges related to a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.


Serial Bank Robber Pleads Guilty

News Release: TUCSON, Ariz. - James Valentine Siehien, 53, of Tucson, Arizona, pleaded guilty last week to one count of Bank Robbery and two counts of Armed Bank Robbery. Sentencing is scheduled for May 30, 2023, before United States District Judge Raner C. Collins.


Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Firearms into Mexico

News Release: DEL RIO, Texas - A Mexican national pleaded guilty in federal court in Del Rio on Monday to smuggling firearms and ammunition into Mexico from the United States.


Oklahoma City Bank Robbery Suspects Arrested in Nebraska and Texas

News Release: OKLAHOMA CITY - DAVID JOHN-MATTHEW DAVIS, 38, PARIS KATHRYN MACE, 29, both of Omaha, Nebraska, and CHRISTIAN DELEON LANE, 36, of Dallas, Texas, have been arrested and charged with armed bank robbery, conspiracy to commit bank robbery, and aiding and abetting the robbery of a MidFirst Bank in Oklahoma City, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.


Home invaders turned kidnappers sent to federal prison

News Release: HOUSTON - The last of three convicted for their roles in a series of home invasions which resulted in federal kidnapping charges over the course of several months has been ordered to prison, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.


Oklahoma Helicopter Charter Company Pays $155,000 To Settle Civil Penalty Claims Stemming from Alleged Unauthorized Charter Operations Involving Fixed-Wing Aircraft

News Release: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Interstate Helicopters, Inc. ("Interstate"), an Oklahoma corporation based in Bethany, Oklahoma, paid $155,000 to the United States to settle civil penalty claims arising from allegations that Interstate conducted unauthorized charter operations involving fixed-wing aircraft, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.


Two Colorado Men Arrested and Facing Federal Drug Trafficking and Firearm Charges in Southern Utah

News Release: Salt Lake City, Utah - A federal grand jury in Utah returned an indictment charging two Colorado men for possession of illicit drugs with the intent to distribute and carrying a firearm in relation to the crime.


Omaha Woman Sentenced for Marijuana Distribution Conspiracy and Straw Purchase of Firearms

News Release: United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Rachel L. Stewart, 33, of Omaha, was sentenced on March 16, 2023, by the Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. to a total of 30 months’ imprisonment for Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana and to False Statement During Purchase...


White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable Issues Report to the President

News Release: Today, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and White House Counsel Stuart Delery jointly issued the 2022 White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable (Roundtable) Report. The report, entitled “," highlights agency accomplishments and commitments in furtherance of the Roundtable’s mission to “increase the availability of meaningful access to justice for individuals and families, regardless of wealth or status."


Essex County Man Convicted for Gunpoint Robbery of East Orange Cell Phone Store

News Release: NEWARK, N.J. - An Essex County, New Jersey, man was convicted today for his role in a January 2021 gunpoint robbery of a cell phone store in East Orange, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.