Twelve individuals are facing federal fraud charges after an investigation revealed that more than $10 million intended to help low-income families pay for childcare was instead funneled to bogus daycare providers.
National Fraud Enforcement Division · USAO - California, Southern
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Jairo Saenz, also known as “Funny,” a high-ranking member of the Brentwood/Central Islip chapter of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, was sentenced by United States District Judge Gary R. Brown to 60 years’ in prison for racketeering, including predicate racketeering acts relating to his participation in seven murders, namely, the January 28, 2016 murder of…
Paducah, KY – An indictment was returned by the grand jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on September 10, 2026, charging an Erie, Illinois, man with child exploitation offenses, including transportation of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and online enticement of a minor. U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Olivia Olson of the FBI Louisville Field Office, and Sheriff Ryan Norman of the McCracken County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.…
Juliet Mora, 42, residing in Nicaragua formerly of Hayward, California, pleaded guilty Sept. 14 to conspiracy to commit money laundering involving a $36 million fraud scheme.
Spokane, Washington – First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that on September 14, 2026, United States District Court Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced Cecil Lloyd Ramey, age 48, of Kennewick, to 15 years of imprisonment, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for the Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography. According to information disclosed in court documents and during court proceedings, in March of 2022, Ramey came to the attention of the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes…
Jennifer O’Neal, a former program specialist for a nonprofit corporation serving abused and neglected children, pled guilty today to stealing nearly $100,000 from the organization.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) · USAO - Georgia, Northern
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould announced that seven non‑citizens have been charged for unlawfully voting in federal elections or falsely claiming United States citizenship.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) · USAO - Texas, Northern
WILMINGTON, N.C.– A federal judge sentenced Lara Joy Ezell, 42, to over 14 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of meth and distribution of 50 grams or more of meth. Ezell pleaded guilty to the charges on June 10, 2026. “After numerous state court convictions this repeat offender should have learned her lesson, but instead she returned to her criminal drug pushing ways,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “Let me be clear, if you peddle poison for…
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) · USAO - North Carolina, Eastern
Scott Keith Baldwin Jr., 58, a dual resident of San Jose, California, and Reston, Virginia, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Criminal Division · Criminal - Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section
SOUTH BEND – Gregory Hilliard, 66 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred. Hilliard was sentenced to 33 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release. “Gregory Hilliard is a convicted sex offender who chose to possess a handgun in violation of federal law and bring that handgun to a medical facility in violation of the…
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) · USAO - Indiana, Northern
BURLINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Brayden Hemingway, 18, of Vergennes, Vermont, has been charged by criminal complaint with interfering with commerce by robbery, specifically the robbery of the Stewart’s Shop in South Burlington, Vermont on September 13, 2026. On September 15, 2026, Hemingway appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Hemingway was ordered detained, pending a detention hearing, which is currently scheduled for September 22…
Jeffrey Turner Taylor, 66, a former youth minister at The Falls Church, was arrested on charges of enticement of minors for illegal sexual activity and traveling with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity with minors.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) · USAO - Ohio, Southern
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio today announced a conviction as part of a nationwide enforcement action led by the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, the Small Business Administration, and the SBA Office of Inspector General targeting fraud in the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Gregory Porter, 57, of Mountain View, Mo., was indicted by a federal grand jury with illegally possessing 34 firearms and more than 150 grams of methamphetamine.
Alex Nain Saab Moran, 54, of Caracas, Venezuela, and formerly of Baranquilla, Colombia, a former Minister of Industry in the regime of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Muduro, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to launder proceeds of a massive bribery and fraud scheme in Venezuela and the U.S. The plea was heard by U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams.
Seattle – A 22-year-old Mexican national illegally present in the U.S. was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to six years in prison for drug and gun crimes, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd.
Joint national takedown: 40 U.S. Attorney’s Offices, along with 20 federal and state investigative agencies, participate in two-month enforcement surge
Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on September 10, 2026, Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Myles S. Schumaker (age 26), to 60 months’ imprisonment following his conviction for Attempted Transportation of Child Pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252A(a)(1) and 2252A(b)(1). According to court documents and arguments presented in court, in November 2025, Schumaker, who was at…