News and reports from the Department of Justice.

News Release: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Merrick B. Garland, the Attorney General of the United States, Lisa O. Monaco, the Deputy Attorney General of the United States, Christopher A. Wray, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI"), Matthew...

News Release: BURLINGTON, Vt. - The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Demetrius Thompson, aka “Tone," 44, of Brooklyn, New York was arrested yesterday in Rutland, Vermont. On Dec. 14, 2022, Thompson had been indicted by the federal grand jury for distributions of fentanyl and cocaine base. Thompson is scheduled to be arraigned later today before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle.

News Release: Defendant Convicted of Obstructing the Certification of the 2020 Election.

News Release: BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Luis Martinez, 51, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, five grams or more of methamphetamine. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years and a fine of $5,000,000.

News Release: FBI Media Alert: FBI Offers Reward for Rose Tattoo Robber Responsible for Credit Union Robbery.

News Release: DETROIT - A Gibraltar man was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of children, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.

News Release: NEWARK, N.J. - An Indiana man and an Arizona man yesterday admitted their roles in a health care fraud conspiracy in which they received payment for doctors’ orders for durable medical equipment (DME), namely orthotic braces, and genetic test referrals, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

News Release: One Defendant Provided the Other With the Chemical Spray Used on Officers.

News Release: MIAMI - Anthony Wayne Santiago, 28, of Novi, Mich.; Jacob Dominic VanDyke, 25, of Muskegon, Mich.; Johnathan Scott Fleak, 32, of Pryor, Okla.; Aaron Ray Iuliano, 27, of Ravenna, Ohio; and Michael Paul Gianfrancesco, 39, of Livingston, Tenn., all have pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute child sexual abuse material and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of children under the age of 13 years.

News Release: Yakima, Washington - On Jan. 24, 2023, United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced Alexis Sanchez-Gomez, 21, of Moxee, Washington, to 12 years in federal prison after his guilty plea to Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug-Trafficking crime. Sanchez-Gomez, a documented member of the Lower Valley Locos (“LVL") street gang, will also begin five years of court supervision after he is released from custody.

News Release: AUSTIN, Texas - A Nigerian national residing in Canada and a Dallas woman operating a marketing leads business were sentenced in Austin on Thursday for their roles in a fraudulent “sweepstakes" scheme that sent more than $250 million in counterfeit checks with fraudulent lottery award letters to elderly U.S. victims.

News Release: Greenbelt, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Deborah J. Boardman sentenced Sherrie Lynne Bryant, age 55, of Bowie, Maryland, yesterday to 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for wire fraud, relating to the submission of fraudulent Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES") Act loan applications, and for violating her probation from a previous federal conviction for obstruction of an audit.

News Release: A Nevada-licensed dentist pleaded guilty yesterday to willfully failing to pay over employment taxes withheld from employees of his Las Vegas practice.

News Release: Montgomery, Alabama - On Jan. 25, 2023, John Hason Bright, 52, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the sexual exploitation of a child and receipt of child pornography. Previously, on December 4, 2022, co-defendant Tiffany Diane Hughes, 34, received a 20-year sentence for the sexual exploitation of a child. Bright and Hughes are both residents of Ozark, Alabama.

News Release: POCATELLO - Adam Lee Vallely, 46, of Blackfoot, was sentenced to life in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession with the intent to distribute heroin, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced.