Category: Legal Issues

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Six Pennsylvania residents, two California residents, and two Michigan residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on narcotics charges, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

The four-count Indictment named the following 10 individuals as defendants:

According to the Indictment, the defendants allegedly conspired to possess with intent to distribute and distributed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, 100 grams or more of para-fluorofentanyl, 100 grams or more of heroin, 10 grams or more of carfentanil, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and a quantity of cocaine from November 2023 to March 2025. The Indictment also alleges individual drug trafficking offenses against Toledo and Mullens.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $20 million, or both for all of the defendants except Mullens, who faces a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense(s) and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan D. Lusty is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The multi-agency investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and included the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Pennsylvania State Police, Clearfield Regional Police Department, Altoona Police Department, and Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing firearms.

Jerrell D. Coppage, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to nine years and seven months in federal prison without parole.

On March 6, 2025, Coppage pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms.  Coppage admitted he was in possession of a Glock, Model 22, .40 caliber pistol, an Anderson Manufacturing, Model AM-15, .223 caliber pistol, and a Ruger, Model LCP, .380 caliber pistol, on Jan. 3, 2024.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition.  Coppage, who was on parole in a state case at the time of this federal offense, has four prior felony convictions for burglary, three prior felony convictions for theft, two prior felony convictions for stealing a motor vehicle, and prior felony convictions for sale of a controlled substance, tampering, and forgery.

This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

HAMMOND- Lanear Finch, 25 years old, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge James T. Moody after pleading guilty to the felony offense of conspiracy to making a false statement in connection with the purchase of a firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.

Finch was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release.   

According to documents in the case, between November 2019 and January 2021, Finch operated a straw purchasing ring with a co-defendant, through which he recruited individuals to purchase firearms on his behalf from federally licensed dealers in Northwest Indiana.  In total, Finch facilitated the straw purchase of approximately 17 firearms. 

This case is the result of the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristian R. Mukoski.          

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced today that Treneal De’Ron Beasley, 25, of Pike Road, Alabama, was sentenced on July 31, 2025, to 72 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a machinegun. In addition to his prison term, Beasley was ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his release from custody. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court records, on August 17, 2024, officers with the Montgomery Police Department responded to a domestic disturbance call. The caller reported that her child’s father was attempting to force his way into her home. Upon arrival, officers heard an argument inside the residence and, upon entering the home, observed Beasley holding a handgun. He was immediately taken into custody and the firearm was seized.

Further examination revealed that the handgun was equipped with a machinegun conversion device, commonly known as a “switch.” This device converts a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic weapon, capable of firing up to 20 rounds per second with a single pull of the trigger. On March 26, 2025, Beasley pleaded guilty to possession of a machinegun.

The Montgomery Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case, which Assistant United States Attorney J. Patrick Lamb prosecuted.

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that six individuals have been sentenced to federal prison terms for their roles in a firearms trafficking conspiracy.

See chart below:

According to court documents, in May 2023, investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) began investigating a firearms trafficking organization operating in the Middle District of Florida. The organization was comprised of at least six individuals and led by Angel Velazquez Delgado. The conspirators purchased high-caliber firearms in the United States for resale to Mexican drug cartels. These cartels were and are criminal organizations engaged in the trafficking of controlled substances into the United States.

The trafficked firearms included high-caliber, armor-piercing, and anti-material weapons. For example, approximately 11 of the firearms trafficked by this organization included Barrett .50 caliber rifles, which can expel a very accurate, heavy, and fast-moving projectile that defeats all individually worn body armor, can penetrate and disable vehicles, aircraft, boats, and can even defeat some types of protection provided by armored vehicles. These rifles are highly sought after by the cartels in their efforts to control large territories. The organization also trafficked approximately 16 FN M249S rifles, which are sold in the United States as a semi-automatic weapon but are easily converted into a machinegun. The firearms were purchased at the request of the cartels and transported to the cartels soon after purchase.

Using the eTrace Firearm Recovery Notification Program, Mexican authorities were able to confirm the presence of at least one of the trafficked firearms in Mexico. On March 22, 2023, Mexican State Police and Mexican Military personnel were involved in a shootout with suspected members of the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación in Zitacuaro, Michoacan, Mexico. Two individuals were killed during the exchange of gunfire. After the shooting, a Barrett, model 82A1, .50 caliber rifle purchased by Jesus Hernandez on November 8, 2022, was recovered. At some point, members of the firearms trafficking conspiracy began removing the serial numbers from the firearms prior to shipment.

“Dismantling this Central Florida-based firearms trafficking ring is a huge win for public safety in Mexico and America,” said Tampa Field Division’s Special Agent in Charge Kirk Howard. “The CJNG is a notoriously brutal transnational criminal organization designated as a foreign terrorist organization that now has less fuel for its violent criminal activities, thanks to this joint team.”

“The investigation and prosecution of violent crime is one of the top priorities of my District,” said U.S. Attorney Kehoe. “These individuals have trafficked high-caliber, military-grade weapons into the hands of dangerous Mexican cartel members and thus have caused a serious risk to the health and safety of others. My office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to work to hold those who jeopardize public safety accountable for their crimes.”

This case was investigated by the ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Volusia Bureau of Investigations, and the DeLand Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Lyons and Noah Dorman.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

BILLINGS – A Billings man who possessed methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine was sentenced today to 240 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Dustin James Massey, 40, pleaded guilty in April 2025 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that on September 20, 2023, agents with the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation learned from a source that Dustin Massey was selling drugs in Billings and was known to have guns. Agents learned Massey was on federal supervision due to a prior federal conviction for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.

On September 21, 2023, United States Probation officers, along with agents from the Montana DCI, attempted to conduct a probation search at Massey’s residence. Law enforcement went to Massey’s residence and knocked on the door, announcing their presence. Massey did not respond, and law enforcement breached the door of the residence. In response, Massey shot at officers forcing them to return fire, eventually shooting Massey. Officers disarmed Massey and noted the firearm he had been using was a Sig Sauer with an extended magazine.

Agents searched the residence pursuant to a search warrant. They seized approximately four pounds of methamphetamine, more than 12,000 fentanyl pills, and 49.4 grams of cocaine. They also seized three firearms: a Sig Sauer, model P320, 9×19 mm pistol, a Taurus, model G3, 9x19mm pistol, and a North American Arms, Model NAA-22LR, .22 caliber revolver.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Patten prosecuted the case. ATF and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.

XXX

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas Justin R. Simmons announced today that federal prosecutors in the district filed 176 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from July 24 through July 31, 2025. 

In one such case, Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers requested assistance from El Paso Border Patrol Agents after receiving information from a concerned citizen about an apartment possibly being used to house illegal aliens.  After agents arrived at the residence to perform an investigatory inquiry, an individual later identified as Jose Alfredo MACIAS-Mendoza answered the door and the agents encountered a total of 12 individuals in the apartment.  All 12 individuals stated they were in the United States illegally.  It was determined that MACIAS was being paid by an organization to oversee and harbor the illegal aliens and he was charged with alien smuggling.  Records reveal that MACIAS himself had previously been deported from El Paso to Mexico on April 19, 2024.

Jose REYNA-Aguilera was encountered at the El Paso County Detention Facility by a Deportation Officer assigned to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Criminal Apprehension Program.  Record checks revealed that REYNA is a citizen and national of Mexico without immigration documents allowing him to remain in the United States. REYNA’s immigration records established that he had been removed from the United States to Mexico on three prior occasions and was previously convicted of illegal reentry in October 2009 and April of 2011.

Deportation Officers encountered Daniel NAVA-Morales at the El Paso County Detention Facility.  Immigration records reveal that he was illegally in the country having first been removed from the U.S. to Mexico on August 4, 1998.  That removal order has been re-instated 6 times with NAVA last being removed to Mexico on January 18, 2024.  His criminal history includes convictions for illegal entry in 1999 and 2021, where he was sentenced to 3 years probation each time, and impersonating a United States Citizen, where he was sentenced to 11 months imprisonment in 2007.  He is being charged once again with illegal reentry.

In Del Rio, Texas, Azaraias Prudencio ALVARADO-Almendarez, a Honduran national who had previously been convicted of a sex offense against a child in Florida, was charged with illegal reentry.  ALVARADO has a criminal history beginning in 2007 with convictions for burglary and two “hit and runs,” one of which was a felony resulting in injury.  ALVARADO has been deported 3 times, the last time being to Honduras on June 21, 2024.

El Salvadoran National Celso RIVAS-Gonzalez was arrested by Border Patrol Agents on July 26, 2025, for illegal reentry.  RIVAS has two prior removals from the United States and a criminal history that includes aggravated sexual assault of a child in 2020, harassment in 2021, and felony indecency with a child – sexual contact in 2024.  RIVAS has been deported twice, the last time being on February 19, 2025.

Katia Yolanda SOLANO-Alvarenga, a native and citizen of Honduras, was found 3.29 miles west of Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso, Texas without documents allowing entry or residence in the United States.  SOLANO was previously deported on October 7, 2024. Additionally, SOLANO was convicted and confined for 300 days for assault causing bodily injury in Dallas Texas, on March 28, 2003. 

Honduran citizen Marcos Josue BANEGAS-Castro was found at the 7300 block of Alameda Avenue in El Paso Texas.  It was determined that he was in the United States illegally without immigration documents.  It was further determined that BANEGAS had previously been deported to Honduras on March 14, 2025.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

###

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

Ordered to Serve 595 Months in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Jury Tampering Charges

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Angela Michelle Tanner, 55, of Tavares, Florida, was sentenced to 76 months’ imprisonment in federal court for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl, 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine, and 500 grams or more of a Mixture Containing Methamphetamine, and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “The promise by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from the drug traffickers who are flooding our streets with deadly, addictive drugs is being fulfilled thanks to the excellent collaborative efforts of our local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, like we saw in this case. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute drug traffickers to keep our communities safe and healthy.”

Court documents reflect that Tanner orchestrated the shipment of fentanyl and multiple pounds of methamphetamine from Arizona to individuals in Florida to whom she was introduced via an inmate in the Florida Department of Corrections. Tanner used money exchange applications to receive and promote drug trafficking.  In 2023, Tanner was arrested on outstanding warrants from Citrus County, Florida.

In dismantling this conspiracy, Chason Johnson, 32, of Tallahassee, Florida, was separately charged and sentenced to 156 months in federal prison for receiving packages of methamphetamine from Tanner and possession of a firearm following his release from the Florida Department of Corrections.

“This case is a great example of law enforcement working together—seven agencies in total—to bring a transnational drug trafficker to justice,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter. “Methamphetamine can tear apart families and communities, and we won’t stop until these criminals are brought to justice.”

“The successful outcome of this investigation is a reflection of the hard work and dedicated service demonstrated by the entire law enforcement community,” said Bladismir Rojo, Acting Inspector In Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to make every effort to remove illicit drugs and dangerous contraband from our communities.”   

The case involved an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Tallahassee Police Department, the Florida Department of Corrections, the United States Marshal Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Mesa Police Department in Mesa, Arizona. Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.