News and reports from the Department of Justice.

A former investment banker, who was formerly a registered broker with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, was sentenced today to three years and five months in prison for a fraud scheme that resulted in approximately $1.5 million in investor losses and for a separate access device fraud scheme.

Gregory Edward McLean, 40, of Jacksonville, Florida, was sentenced today to 160 months for distributing child sexual abuse material and 120 months for unlawfully retaining classified national defense information. The sentences will be served concurrently.

Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter delivered remarks at the Promoting Competition in Artificial Intelligence Workshop on May 30, 2024. The event was co-hosted by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

A Colombian national was sentenced today to 48 years and nine months in prison for his role in kidnapping and assaulting two U.S. Army soldiers who were on temporary duty in Bogota, Colombia.

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) conducted a live web-based pre-application information session for its Fiscal Year 2024 Training and Services to End Abuse in Later Life Program solicitation on May 30, 2024. During the presentation, OVW staff reviewed the program’s requirements, discussed the solicitation, and allowed for a brief question-and-answer period.

Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that a top Sinaloa Cartel member, recently extradited to the U.S., is suspected of murder, torture, and kidnapping, as well as being part of the cartel’s fentanyl enterprise. Garland made his statement in a media release from the Department of Justice (DOJ) on May 25.

In a coordinated international operation, authorities have dismantled the 911 S5 botnet and arrested its administrator. The botnet had infected over 19 million IP addresses, facilitating billions of dollars in pandemic and unemployment fraud, as well as providing access to child exploitation materials.

A disbarred California attorney pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring to operate a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that defrauded victims of more than $9.5 million.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas unsealed a grand jury indictment today, charging a Texas man with federal dogfighting violations.

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) conducted a live web-based pre-application information session for its Fiscal Year 2024 Strengthening Culturally Specific Campus’ Approaches to Address Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Initiative solicitation. During the presentation, OVW staff reviewed the initiative’s requirements, discussed the solicitation, and allowed for a brief question-and-answer period.

Spinal device manufacturer Innovasis Inc. and senior executives Brent Felix and Garth Felix have agreed to pay $12 million to resolve allegations of violating the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to spine surgeons. Brent Felix is the founder, President, and Chairman of the Board of Innovasis, headquartered in Utah. Garth Felix has held various leadership roles, including Chief Financial Officer.

The Justice Department’s Violent Crime Reduction Steering Committee convened on May 28, 2024, to discuss recent progress in combating violent crime and future strategies. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has previously increased resources and established initiatives nationwide to reduce violent crime. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced the Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime, which led to the creation of a Steering Committee chaired by Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General (PADAG) Marshall Miller. This committee includes...

The Justice Department’s Tax Division has filed a civil injunction suit to permanently bar Niclas Pierre and Elius Bessard, along with their tax return preparation businesses—Niclas Tax and Express Inc. and Bessard Immigrations and Tax Services LLC—from preparing federal tax returns for others. The United States also seeks an order requiring the defendants to disgorge their ill-gotten preparation fees.

May is Jewish American Heritage Month, a celebration of the contributions of Jewish Americans to American history. The intertwined experiences of Jews and Black Americans are highlighted by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1958 address to the American Jewish Congress: “My people were brought to America in chains. Your people were driven here to escape the chains fashioned for them in Europe. Our unity is born of our common struggle for centuries, not only to rid ourselves of bondage but to make oppression of any people by others an impossibility.”

Alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader and lead assassin, Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, also known as El Nini, 32, was extradited from Mexico to the United States on May 25 to face charges contained in two indictments.