U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan
Recent News About U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan
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A Kalamazoo man has been sentenced by a federal judge after pleading guilty to sexually exploiting a minor girl whose disappearance prompted an investigation last year. Authorities say digital evidence linked him directly with recorded offenses against minors.
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A Mexican citizen was sentenced after pleading guilty to using false identification documents and assaulting federal agents during an arrest attempt in Michigan. Authorities emphasize risks faced by law enforcement during such encounters.
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Seven individuals illegally present in the U.S., led by John Sebastian Quintero-Herrera, have been sentenced for operating an extensive burglary ring across multiple states. Authorities say their crimes targeted homeowners nationwide using sophisticated surveillance methods. The investigation involved numerous local police departments as well as federal agencies.
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A Guatemalan citizen has been sentenced to eight months in prison for participating in a counterfeit identity document ring based around Grand Rapids. Authorities say Rigoberto Vasquez-Vasquez helped manufacture fake Social Security cards and other IDs used by people living illegally in Michigan.
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A Virginia man has been sentenced to 28 years for sexually exploiting a minor he met online in Michigan. Authorities say Erich Zeeb posed as an Olympian-in-training before abusing multiple victims over several years.
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A Rapid City man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for distributing fentanyl and heroin linked to a fatal overdose in Gaylord. Authorities say Robert Graham Ward continued selling drugs even after learning he was under federal investigation.
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Malik Jones-Smith has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon following his involvement in a shooting incident in Muskegon Heights. Authorities say he violated supervised release conditions just weeks after leaving custody.
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Four Illinois visitors have been fined $500 each and banned from Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore for one year after carving letters into cliffs and collecting rocks from the site. Officials say such acts threaten Michigan's natural landmarks.
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Thomas Shannon, a 44-year-old former orthodontist from Byron Center, has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for the sexual exploitation of children.
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Maurice Ray Jr., 32, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney imposed the maximum statutory sentence, citing Ray as "a very...
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Andrial Ortiz, a 30-year-old from Lansing, Michigan, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
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Leticia Gallarzo, a 51-year-old former resident of Wayland, Michigan, has been sentenced to 75 months in prison for posing as a registered nurse and committing aggravated identity theft.
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James Phillip Scholten, a 51-year-old resident of Byron Center, Michigan, has pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion.
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Brandon Lemar Baines, 36, of Kalamazoo, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute more than 12 pounds of methamphetamine.
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A nationwide law enforcement operation led by the Department of Justice has resulted in the identification of 205 child victims and the arrest of 293 individuals accused of child sexual abuse offenses.
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A Battle Creek man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possessing and intending to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl.
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Christian Anthony Vanderveen, a 25-year-old resident of Baldwin, Michigan, has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for the sexual exploitation of a minor.
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A federal jury has found Kyle Lee Dean, 45, of L’Anse, Michigan, guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
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A Kingsford man has been sentenced to 360 months in federal prison for sexually exploiting a minor, according to an announcement by Timothy VerHey, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan.
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Samuel Alexander Kuhl, a 33-year-old resident of Kalamazoo, has been sentenced to 420 months in prison for the sexual exploitation, coercion, and enticement of a minor.