Criminal Division

An indictment was unsealed today in the Northern District of Ohio charging three Russian nationals and two related “bulletproof hosting” companies for their roles in cybercrimes against U.S. victims, causing tens of millions of dollars in losses. “From their overseas haven, these defendants ran the criminal infrastructure that powered attacks on critical institutions across our nation,” said @AAGDuva. “Their actions put the American public at risk. We will continue to dismantle these networks and protect our critical infrastructure from cybercriminals at home and abroad.” 🔗: justice.gov/opa/pr/three-r…

Bangladeshi national Saifullah Al-Mamun, 39, made his initial appearance in Laredo, Texas, yesterday after being extradited from Brazil on July 8. A second superseding indictment charges Al-Mamun for his role in a conspiracy that smuggled aliens from Bangladesh into the United States. Read more: justice.gov/opa/pr/banglad…

A North Carolina man was sentenced today to 42 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for the possession of child sexual abuse material. This case was brought as part of #ProjectSafeChildhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Read more: justice.gov/opa/pr/north-c…

This week, the Criminal Division welcomed Honduran Attorney General Pablo Emilio Reyes Theodore to @TheJusticeDept for a productive discussion of our shared efforts to fight transnational crime and strengthen security in the Western Hemisphere.

Florida Ransomware Negotiator Who Extorted and Attacked Multiple U.S. Victims Sentenced to Prison “Angelo Martino’s victims shared heartbreaking accounts of how their businesses were nearly destroyed, while the people they hired to help them instead betrayed them to ransomware gangs,” said @AAGDuva. “Today’s sentence accounts for the harm Martino caused and demonstrates that the Department of Justice can and will identify and prosecute cybercriminals to the fullest extent of the law.” 🔗: justice.gov/opa/pr/florida…

Co-Conspirators Sentenced to 3 Years and Over 11 Years in Prison for Defrauding Thousands of Investors “Neil Chandran and Bryan Lee deceived thousands of investors, exploited their trust, and stole their money,” said @AAGDuva. “Those who deceive investors, lie, and steal will be investigated and prosecuted. These two fraudsters deserve the sentence imposed. Their victims suffered because of their greed.” Read more: justice.gov/opa/pr/co-cons…

HOMELAND SECURITY TASK FORCE CASE: Two New Jersey men were sentenced this week for their roles in a drug trafficking organization that imported fentanyl analogues from China and distributed them in pill form throughout Northern New Jersey. Read more: justice.gov/opa/pr/two-new…

An illegal alien from Guatemala and a Guatemalan national have pleaded guilty to human smuggling charges related to the crash of a tractor-trailer packed with at least 160 illegal aliens which resulted in the deaths of more than 50 people, including unaccompanied children, and injured over 100 more. “This crime shows that human smugglers care only about profiting from their crimes, not about the illegal aliens they transport and the life-and-death risks to which they expose them” said @AAGDuva. “These defendants worked together to exploit vulnerable people by breaking the immigration laws of this country, with deadly consequences that followed. Robust border enforcement avoids deadly results like this.” Read more: justice.gov/opa/pr/illegal…

Man Sentenced in $39M Bank Fraud Scheme That Defrauded Seven Financial Institutions A California man was sentenced today to 78 months in prison and three years of supervised release for perpetrating an elaborate bank fraud scheme that took in approximately $39 million from multiple financial institutions over the course of nearly 10 years. He was also ordered to pay over $19.4 million in restitution and $21.8 million in forfeiture. 🔗: justice.gov/opa/pr/man-sen…

Defendant Who Was Extradited from Guatemala Pleads GUILTY for Involvement in 2022 Mass Casualty Alien Smuggling Event “This case highlights that immigration offenses and alien smuggling have far-reaching impacts. Here, 53 people lost their lives. Targeting those involved in these dangerous crimes and aggressively prosecuting them remains one of the highest priorities of the Department. The Criminal Division and our partners will continue to ensure border security, the orderly administration of our immigration laws, and the protection provided by those laws.” -@AAGDuva The photos depict the size of the trailer and claw marks inside of it. Read more: justice.gov/opa/pr/defenda…

Two High Ranking Members of the United Cartels Charged with Drug Trafficking, Providing Material Support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and Firearms Offenses As Part of Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) Initiative “Juan Jose Farias Mendoza and Israel Vega Farias are charged with trafficking immense amounts of methamphetamine into the United States and supporting a foreign terrorist organization,” said @AAGDuva. “The two defendants indicted yesterday are close relatives of the United Cartels’ top leader Juan Jose Farias Alvarez, who was charged by the Criminal Division in 2024. This indictment demonstrates the systematic and focused effort of the Criminal Division to dismantle Mexican cartels by targeting their command-and-control elements, including those within cartel leaders’ closest circles.” 🔗: justice.gov/opa/pr/two-hig…

Florida Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Travelling Internationally to Sexually Exploit Minors “The defendant’s vile acts not only caused serious harm through his sexual abuse of multiple minors, but he also inflicted added layers to that harm by memorializing the abuse and distributing it to other offenders,” said @AAGDuva. “No child predator will find safe haven in the United States. The Department is committed to holding U.S. citizens accountable for harming children whether committed in the United States or internationally.” 🔗: justice.gov/opa/pr/florida…

Alleged Member of Criminal Cyber Hacking Group “Scattered Spider” Arrested in Finland and Extradited to the United States justice.gov/opa/pr/alleged…

Mexican National SENTENCED TO PRISON Yesterday for Drugging and Smuggling Unaccompanied Alien Children into the United States “Needing to sedate children with THC under the guise of giving them candy, shows just how heinous crimes like this are,” said @AAGDuva. “Smuggling unaccompanied children into the country, pretending to be their parents, and then lying to U.S. immigration officials shows the lengths to which criminals like this will go to smuggle children across our borders. The Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners will put an end to this conduct. Protecting children and keeping our borders safe go hand-in-hand.” Read more: justice.gov/opa/pr/mexican…

An alleged member of the criminal cyber hacking group Scattered Spider has been arrested in Finland and extradited to the United States to face federal criminal conspiracy charges in the Northern District of Illinois. “The criminal complaint charges Peter Stokes with membership in Scattered Spider, a hacking group that has been involved in over 100 network intrusions, resulting in more than $100 million in ransom payments and millions more in damages to the victims,” said @AAGDuva. “The charges unsealed today are the result of years of work by the Criminal Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, and the FBI. We will continue to partner to ensure that cybercriminals cannot evade the reach of the United States.” Read more: justice.gov/opa/pr/alleged…

EagleBank Agrees to Pay MORE THAN $9.7 MILLION to Resolve Bank Secrecy Act Investigation "For more than a decade, EagleBank knowingly allowed favored clients to operate a check kiting scheme, even as compliance personnel repeatedly tried to stop it,” said @AAGDuva. “Financial institutions are the first line of defense against financial crimes and must be gatekeepers, not gateways, for criminal activity." 🔗: justice.gov/opa/pr/eagleba…

Chinese National Pleads GUILTY (in Homeland Security Task Force Investigation) to: • Narcotics Trafficking • Money Laundering • Material Support to Terrorism Read more: justice.gov/opa/pr/chinese…

“The depravity and complete devaluing of human life of these defendants, who were responsible for killing nine victims and shooting others, is beyond comprehension,” said @AAGDuva. “Gangs like MS-13 terrorize communities with violence and killing. The Criminal Division will pursue these violent transnational criminal organizations in this exact way – charge these depraved gang members in bunches and try them for their brazen crimes in a way that highlights exactly what they do, which is systemically kill. These defendants will now face a sentencing hearing where, rightly, their liberty for the rest of their lives is at stake.”

A Mexican man extradited from Mexico pleaded GUILTY today for conspiring to smuggle thousands of aliens from multiple countries into the U.S. for financial gain. #JointTaskForceAlpha Read more: justice.gov/opa/pr/member-…

United States Seizes Hundreds of Internet Domains Used to Illegally Stream World Cup Matches “We have seized hundreds of domains, used to illegally stream World Cup matches for profit, to disrupt the international networks that profit from the global popularity of the World Cup,” said @AAGDuva. “This operation illustrates the Department’s respect for intellectual property rights and the responsibility of the United States as a host nation to protect the FIFA World Cup from criminals. The Criminal Division will continue to disrupt and, where appropriate, seek to prosecute these sites and the subjects responsible for this criminal activity.” 🔗: justice.gov/opa/pr/united-…