Category: Legal Issues

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

            WASHINGTON – Kevin Hopkins, 39, a resident of the District of Columbia, pleaded guilty on July 25, 2025, in U.S. District Court, on a firearms charge. The plea, which comes as part of the “Make D.C. Safe Again” initiative, was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            This case is being prosecuted under the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful initiative. Make D.C. Safe Again is a law enforcement initiative in support of President Trump’s Executive Order to make D.C. Safe and Beautiful. Make D.C. Safe Again aims to crack down on gun violence, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenses, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.

            Hopkins pleaded guilty to the indictment before U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb on count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Judge Cobb set a sentencing hearing for November 7, 2025.

            As part of his plea, Hopkins admitted to possessing a 9mm handgun, which MPD officers had recovered from the sofa cushions in an apartment during the execution of a residential search warrant. Hopkins also admitted to possessing 14 rounds of ammunition, which had been loaded  in the magazine of the 9mm handgun.

            Hopkins is a previously convicted felon and was on supervised release after being convicted of assault, burglary, and stalking.

            Joining in the announcement was Special Agent in Charge Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Division, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            This case is being investigated by the DEA Washington Division, the ATF Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Levy and Kate Naseef are prosecuting this case. 

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ANTRUM COSTON, 42, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 36 months of imprisonment for unlawfully possessing a firearm while released on bond in another criminal case.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 18, 2023, Judge Underhill sentenced Coston to 37 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for pandemic relief fraud, money laundering, and drug offenses.  Judge Underhill ordered Coston, who was released on bond, to surrender for service of his sentence on November 29, 2023.  On October 25, 2023, New Haven Police arrested Coston after they found him in possession of a loaded Taurus G3 9mm handgun with an extended magazine.

The 36-month sentence will run consecutively to Coston’s 37-month sentence from 2023.

Coston has been detained since his arrest.  On October 28, 2024, he was convicted after trial of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and possessing it while on federal release.

Coston’s criminal history includes multiple felony convictions, including two federal convictions for firearm offenses.

This investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the New Haven Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel J. Gentile and Sean P. Mahard through the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican National pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to his role in a racketeering conspiracy to transport aliens, harbor aliens, encourage and induce aliens to reside in the United States, and falsify Form I-9 documentation.

Lorenzo Castro-Manzanarez, 43, a Mexican National living in Springfield, Mo., admitted that he was part of a RICO (racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations) conspiracy from Jan. 1, 2018, to Aug. 10, 2021, that, amongst other things, transported and harbored aliens not authorized to live or work in the United States. Castro-Manzanarez admitted that as part of the conspiracy he also encouraged and induced aliens to reside in the United States in violation of the law by providing them with employment and allowing them to work under fraudulent identification documentation. Castro-Manzanarez took these actions in furtherance of keeping multiple Mexican restaurants across the Midwest staffed and profitable, thereby gaining an illegal competitive business advantage. Castro-Manzanarez also admitted that as part of the conspiracy he falsely claimed and attested to be a United States citizen on a Form I-9 and utilized a counterfeit Social Security card as part of the Form I-9 process.

Castro-Manzanarez also admitted that after being indicted in this case—and while on bond—he continued to break federal law by employing aliens, providing aliens with housing at residences in his name, and allowing aliens to work at his restaurants utilizing fraudulent identification documentation, including counterfeit Social Security cards. Castro-Manzanarez further admitted that he took these illegal actions to ensure his restaurants in Springfield, Mo., Columbia, Mo., and Jefferson City, Mo., remained staffed and profitable.

Castro-Manzanarez was taken into custody at the conclusion of his plea hearing and will remain in custody pending sentencing.

Under federal statutes, Castro-Manzanarez is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of Castro-Manzanarez will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rudolph R. Rhodes IV, Nicholas P. Heberle, David Wagner, and Leigh Farmakidis. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service; Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations; Kansas Bureau of Investigation; Kansas Department of Labor; Missouri State Highway Patrol; Kansas Highway Patrol; and Butler Police Department. 

Operation Take Back America

This case is 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).

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Jackie Jermaine Watson, 30, of Columbia, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for possessing a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, a sentence that will run consecutively to the sentence he is currently serving in state prison for violating his probation.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that on April 22, 2024, Columbia Police Department officers responded to a motel on North Main Street to investigate a stolen moped.  Officers found the moped, and when Watson saw officers inspecting it, he confronted them.  Watson eventually admitted to buying the moped on the street from a drug user.  Officers obtained a search warrant for the motel room where Watson had been staying and they found a .40 caliber pistol, 62 grams of crack cocaine, 473 grams of marijuana, along with Watson’s driver’s license and court paperwork.  Officers also found the key to the moped, which Watson previously denied having in his possession.

Watson has prior convictions for assault and battery first degree, possession of a stolen pistol, and burglary. Watson was on state probation for his prior stolen pistol conviction at the time of this incident.  Watson was also a prior participant in the City of Columbia’s Project Ceasefire program that calls in certain probationers and provides access to a variety of social service organizations designed to assist the person in staying on the right track and preventing recidivism.  Participants are also warned that any future crimes will result in an expedited prosection.

United States District Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Frazier to 60 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision.  That 60-month sentence will begin after Watson completes the state sentence he is currently serving. There is no parole in the federal system.

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.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Columbia Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Sanford is prosecuting the case.

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Source: Office of United States Attorneys

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that KYLIN SEXTON (“SEXTON”), age 25, a resident of Hammond, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown on July 24, 2025, to a sentence of time served, for possessing marijuana and cocaine hydrochloride, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C). Additionally, SEXTON was ordered to serve three (3) years of supervised release following his release from prison.

According to court records, on May 18, 2022, the Ponchatoula Police Department was dispatched to a retail establishment after receiving a complaint that SEXTON’s cousin, Tyshon Coleman, was in possession of a firearm. Upon arriving in the parking lot, the officers located the vehicle and observed Coleman and SEXTON seated inside of the vehicle. Given the nature of the complaint, the officers approached the vehicle and ordered Coleman to show his hands. Coleman refused to comply and refused to place his hands behind his back when the officers attempted to remove him from the vehicle. After finally removing Coleman from the vehicle, officers observed a Glock Model 17, nine-millimeter handgun and extended magazine, loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition, between the passenger seat and center console. The firearm had a machine gun conversion device, a Glock switch, attached to it.

Coleman pled guilty to possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a machine gun on September 19, 2024, and was sentenced to 106 months imprisonment on December 19, 2024.

The officers also observed a green backpack on the floorboard of the driver’s side where SEXTON was seated. Upon opening the greed backpack, the officers located marijuana and cocaine hydrochloride packaged for distribution.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the Violent Crime/Strike Force Unit.

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

ST. LOUIS – A man who was fleeing from St. Louis police with a gun and drugs in his car when he struck and injured a city employee pleaded guilty Tuesday.

Jorden M. Owens, 23, of Florissant, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and one count of possession with the intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl. Owens admitted being spotted by St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers on Dec. 12, 2024, near the intersection of Page Boulevard and Vandeventer Avenue in a stolen Lexus RC350 coupe. Officers began following Owens on Grand Boulevard, then used spike strips to try and safely stop him. Owens fled at a high rate of speed. His reckless driving caused about 60 employees of a local business who were crossing the street near Tucker Boulevard and Chouteau Avenue to run out of the way. At the intersection of 7th Street and Cerre Street, Owens struck and injured an employee of the City of St. Louis Traffic Division and then crashed into her work truck. He was arrested after fleeing the crash on foot, despite his violent attempts to resist that arrest. Owens had a Glock .40-caliber pistol equipped with an auto sear, or “switch,” that rendered it into a fully automatic weapon in the bag he carried. The car contained three cell phones and a total of 824.7 grams (1.8 pounds) of methamphetamine and 342 grams of fentanyl.

Owens is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3. Each count is punishable by from five to 40 years in prison.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Delworth is prosecuting the case.

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont parolee has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

James Richard Rollins, 39, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on July 29, 2025.

According to information presented in court, on October 27, 2023, law enforcement authorities were dispatched in reference to a parole supervisor who was in possession of a parolee’s cellular phone, which contained videos and images of child pornography.  Officers spoke with the unit supervisor for the Beaumont halfway house who reported that Rollins, a parolee and resident of the halfway house, was observed by another resident watching child pornography on his cell phone.

Further investigation revealed Rollins’ phone contained numerous photos and videos depicting minors in sexually explicit situations, including having sex acts performed on them by adults.  Many of those images depicted prepubescent children.  Rollins admitted to downloading and viewing images of child pornography on his phone.  Based on the investigation, Rollins is responsible for possessing 3,680 images containing child pornography.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.        

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Beaumont Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney and Rachel Grove.

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