News from May 2023


St. Mary’s Man Charged with Illegal Moose Guiding and Wire Fraud

A federal Grand Jury in Anchorage, Alaska returned an indictment on Friday, April 21, 2023, charging Michael Mikhail Beans of Saint Mary's Alaska with two (2) felony counts for violations of the Lacey Act and nineteen (19) felony counts for wire fraud in connection with the sale of the illegal moose hunts.


Canadian Woman Convicted for Her Role in a Large-Scale International Fentanyl Trafficking Operation, Investigated Under “Operation Denial”

United States Attorney Mac Schneider, District of North Dakota, announced that Marie Um, 42, from Montreal, Québec Canada, was found guilty for the charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute controlled substances and controlled substance analogues resulting in serious bodily injury and death; conspiracy to import controlled substances and controlled substance analogues resulting in serious bodily injury and death; and international money laundering conspiracy.



Prohibited Person Sentenced to Seven Years for Possessing a Gun and Ammunition

Decondi Mayo, 46, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Weddel, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).


Air National Guard Member Arrested, Charged with Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography

A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment on Friday, April 21, charging Air National Guard Technical Sergeant of the 176th Maintenance Group on Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson (JBER) with production, distribution, and possession of child pornography.


Former School Board President of Madison District Public Schools Pleads Guilty to Bribery and Tax Evasion

The former School Board President of the Madison District Public Schools pleaded guilty today to taking bribes from a local school contractor in a pay-to-play scheme and to tax evasion, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced.


Lee County Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing Firearm as a Convicted Felon

News Release: Fort Myers, Florida - U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Clayton Mack Rhodes (45, Fort Myers Beach) to seven years and six months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. The court also ordered Rhodes to forfeit the firearm and ammunition he possessed during the offense. Rhodes had pleaded guilty on August 9, 2022.


Armed Heroin Dealer Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison

A 35-year-old Providence man for whom court records indicate multiple previous state court convictions for similar conduct, was sentenced today to seven years in federal prison for being an armed drug dealer, a felon in possession of firearms, and for trafficking heroin, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.


Former School Board President of Madison District Public Schools Pleads Guilty to Bribery and Tax Evasion

The former School Board President of the Madison District Public Schools pleaded guilty today to taking bribes from a local school contractor in a pay-to-play scheme and to tax evasion, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced.


Anchorage Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Heroin Trafficking

Defendant Previously Convicted of a Serious Violent Felony


North Dakota Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison for Armed Carjacking of a Delivery Truck

News Release: MINNEAPOLIS - A Devils Lake, North Dakota man has been sentenced to 136 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for carjacking a man at gunpoint in Blaine, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.


New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun and Narcotics Charges

News Release: NEW ORLEANS, LA - HERBERT JAMES, age 27, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on April 19, 2023 to a two-count indictment charging him with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, in violation of the Federal Gun Control Act, Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2) and possession ...


Baltimore Felon Sentenced to Almost Five Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

Two Other Defendants Plead Guilty to Illegal Possession of a Firearm in a School Zone


Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Turtles

Stanlee Fazi, 41, of Louisa, Virginia, pleaded guilty in federal court in Alexandria to trafficking turtles in violation of the Lacey Act. Sentencing is scheduled for July 26.


North Korean Foreign Trade Bank Representative Charged in Crypto Laundering Conspiracies

Two federal indictments were unsealed today in the District of Columbia charging a North Korean Foreign Trade Bank (FTB) representative for his role in separate money laundering conspiracies designed to generate revenue for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea through the use of cryptocurrency.


Maryland Man Sentenced on Felony Charge For Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

Defendant Was Involved in Multiple Assaults Including Using a Heavy Plank on One Officer


North Korean Foreign Trade Bank Rep Charged for Role in Two Crypto Laundering Conspiracies

Two federal indictments, unsealed today in the District of Columbia, charge a North Korean Foreign Trade Bank (“FTB”) representative for his role in money laundering conspiracies designed to generate revenue for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, through the use of cryptocurrency.


Salinas Man Indicted and Arrested for Child Exploitation

On April 20, 2023, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Alexander Joel Rivera-Santos, 25, of Salinas, Puerto Rico, with possession and transportation of child sexual abuse material, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.


St. Louis Woman Sentenced to Prison for Loan Fraud

A U.S. District judge sentenced a St. Louis woman to 12 months and one day in prison after she admitted to visiting Metro East credit unions and using fake identification documents to take out loans.


Civil Complaint Alleges Millions of Dollars in Medicaid Fraud

The United States and the State of Rhode Island announced today that they have intervened in a civil lawsuit against Journey to Hope, Health, and Healing, Inc. and its then-CEO, Kenneth L. Richardson, Jr., filing a complaint alleging that these defendants billed the Rhode Island Medicaid program for millions of dollars for substance use disorder treatment services that the Defendants knowingly and routinely failed to provide to their patients who needed these services, and subsequently falsified records in order to make it appear that required services were being provided, according to United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.