Category: Legal Issues

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Jacquese Traveon Underwood, 40, of Rock Hill has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of fentanyl. At the time of the conspiracy, Underwood was incarcerated in the Department of Corrections serving a sentence for drug trafficking.

During an investigation of Darryl Hemphill and others, agents learned that Underwood was responsible for arranging the purchase and distribution of narcotics he obtained from Hemphill, including cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl-based pills. The fentanyl-based pills Underwood obtained from Hemphill resembled that of an Oxycodone pill, also known in the generic form as Roxicodone. Hemphill and other members of his drug trafficking organization produced the pills, which were clandestinely manufactured with fentanyl at various locations around Rock Hill and Charlotte. As the leader of this organization, Hemphill was supplying the drugs to Underwood while he was incarcerated in the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

Underwood used his drug trafficking knowledge to continue his drug trafficking business while inside the SCDC system. Agents identified Underwood from monitored telephone calls with Hemphill and statements from others. Agents learned that Underwood and others taught Hemphill the process to order, ship, and receive narcotics from Southern California. Underwood utilized associates outside the prison facility to obtain the drugs from Hemphill in Rock Hill. Underwood arranged the purchase and exchange of the drugs from Hemphill to other individuals.  

While incarcerated, Underwood received at least 1,000 fentanyl-based pills, over 700 grams of methamphetamine, and approximately 312 grams of cocaine from Hemphill.

United States District Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Underwood to 121 months imprisonment, to be followed by a four-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

This investigation and arrests are 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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, and the South Carolina Department of Corrections.  Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.

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Source: Office of United States Attorneys

FLORENCE, S.C. — Zuri Jaheem Stephens, 23, of Horry County, has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that in October and November 2022, law enforcement conducted a series of controlled buys of fentanyl from Stephens. Following those buys, law enforcement obtained search warrants for addresses in Little River that were associated with Stephens. During the search of one of these addresses, law enforcement found fentanyl and methamphetamine, pills, a pill press, and assorted firearm magazines. During the search of another address, law enforcement found fentanyl, methamphetamine, and two firearms. 

United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III sentenced Stephens to 105 months imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision.  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 Horry County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Flynn and Lauren Hummel are prosecuting the case.

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Source: Office of United States Attorneys

LOS ANGELES – A Long Beach man was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint alleging he sent a dozen payments to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Mark Lorenzo Villanueva, 28, is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, a felony offense that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

Villanueva, who is a lawful permanent resident from the Philippines, is scheduled to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles. 

“Supporting a terrorist group, whether at home or abroad, is a serious risk to our national security,” said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “We will aggressively hunt down and prosecute anyone who provides support or comfort to our enemies.”

“Mr. Villanueva is alleged to have financially supported and pledged his allegiance to a terror group that targets the United States and our interests around the world,” said Patrick Grandy, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Thanks to the proactive efforts by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the FBI and our partners safely arrested Mr. Villanueva today and prevented further support and spreading of ISIS ideology.”

According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Villanueva communicated via social media with two individuals who self-identified as ISIS fighters. During these communications, Villanueva discussed his desire to support ISIS, and offered to send money to the ISIS fighters to support their terrorist activities. 

Villanueva told one of the self-identified ISIS fighters that Villanueva wanted to fight for ISIS himself, stating, “It’s an honor to fight and die for our faith. It’s the best way to go to heaven.” Villanueva also stated, “Someday soon, I’ll be joining.” Villanueva told the other individual that Villanueva possessed a bomb and knives. According to prosecutors, during Villanueva’s arrest this morning, the FBI recovered what appeared to be a bomb from Villanueva’s bedroom.

In a February 2025 message with one of the self-identified ISIS fighters, Villanueva offered to send the individual money, and asked whether the money would “cover your equipment and your weapons.” Villanueva discussed sending the money through an intermediary.

According to Western Union records, Villanueva then sent 12 payments totaling $1,615 during a five-month period to two intermediaries who accessed the money overseas. 

A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney Colin S. Scott of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section is prosecuting this case, with substantial assistance from Trial Attorney Patrick Cashman of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

Jackson, MS – A federal jury convicted a Meridian, Mississippi man today of drug trafficking offenses after four days of trial.

According to court documents, Jabreon Deshon Mosley, 34, was found guilty of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, and Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine. Evidence presented at trial, showed that in January of 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Mosley’s residence where they recovered from him over 87 pounds of methamphetamine, 45 pounds of fentanyl, and 35 pounds of cocaine, 2 different pill press machines, 13 firearms, and 1 suppressor. From at least October of 2023 until January of 2024, Mosley was utilizing an illegal automatic pill press machine to manufacture thousands of counterfeit pharmaceutical pills containing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. These counterfeit pills were then distributed to the streets of Meridian, Mississippi and parts of Alabama.

“I am proud of the work and collaboration between my office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics to take this massive amount of drugs off our streets”, stated Acting United States Attorney Patrick A. Lemon.

“The seizure of this massive amount of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, along with illegal firearms and pill presses, is a significant blow to the criminal organizations that endanger our streets,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw. “This successful outcome is a direct result of the collaboration and dedication of the Mississippi Homeland Security Task Force as part of Operation Take Back America, which is marshaling the full resources of the Department of Justice to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.” 

“This case is a clear example of the dangerous impact drug trafficking has on our communities,” said Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell. “I commend the DEA, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and our federal partners for their tireless work in getting these deadly drugs and illegal weapons off the streets. We will continue to work together to dismantle the criminal networks pushing poison into our neighborhoods.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration Jackson and Birmingham District Offices, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and the East Mississippi Drug Task Force are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam T. Stuart and Kabah S. Ealy are prosecuting the case.

This case was investigated by the Mississippi Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal 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

JACKSON, MS – A federal jury convicted Fredrick Dywane Campbell, 51, and Ramonz Payne, 45,  both of Meridian, MS, for conspiring with each other and several others to possess cocaine and marijuana with the intent to distribute those drugs.  According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from at least November 2019 through at least July 2020, Campbell arranged with separate sources of supply in Texas and in Alabama to illegally obtain approximately 50 kilograms of cocaine imported from Mexico and then sell the cocaine to other drug dealers in the Meridian area for their further sale or distribution to more people.  The conspiracy also included the illegal distribution of marijuana. Ramonz Payne likewise was convicted of participating in the conspiracy with Campbell and others to possess the cocaine from Mexico, as well as marijuana, with the intent to distribute the drugs to others.

Other charged coconspirators have previously pleaded guilty in the case, one of whom have been sentenced, and some of whom await sentencing:

• Americo Aldrete, 57, Houston, TX: pleaded guilty on June 23, 2025, and awaits sentencing scheduled for October 22, 2025, at 2:00 p.m.
• Billy Wilson, 53, Cuba, AL: pleaded guilty on June 23, 2025, and awaits sentencing scheduled for October 22, 2025, at 3:00 p.m.
• James Green, 53, Meridian, MS: pleaded guilty on July 11, 2024, and was sentenced to serve the statutory mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison to be followed by 4 years of supervised release, ordered to pay a $1,500 fine and the $100 statutory special assessment in criminal cases.
• Jeffery Jennings, 42, Meridian, MS: pleaded guilty on July 8, 2025, and awaits sentencing scheduled for November 5, 2025, at 9:00 a.m.

Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi; Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge Matthew Reidell, Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Director Phillip Pope, and Lauderdale County Sheriff Ward Calhoun, III, made the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and the East Mississippi Drug Task Force of the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carla J. Clark and Samuel P. Goff 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).

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 91 border-related cases this week, including charges of assault on a federal officer, bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).

In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.

A sample of border-related arrests this week:

• On July 28, Martin ALFARO Arambula, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, ALFARO was attempting to enter the U.S. at the San Ysidro Port of Entry when he was intercepted by Customs and Border Patrol agents with 221.18 kgs (487.62 lbs.) of cocaine.
• On July 29, Luis Antonio CARCAMO and Isabel VERA-Cortes were arrested and charged with bringing in and harboring certain aliens. According to a complaint, U.S. Border Patrol Agents were conducting a pro-active patrol of Interstate 5, when they observed a suspicious vehicle. Following a traffic stop on the suspicious vehicle, U.S. Border Patrol Agents conducted an immigration inspection on the driver and passengers of the vehicle later identified as CARCAMO and VERA, who identified themselves as United States Citizens. After U.S. Border Patrol Agents learned that the third occupant of the vehicle was a citizen of Mexico without immigration documents, Border Patrol Agents placed CARCAMO and VERA under arrest for alien smuggling.

Also recently, a number of defendants with criminal records were convicted by a jury or sentenced for border-related crimes such as illegally re-entering the U.S. after previous deportation. Here are a few of those cases:

• On July 29, Abner Leon-Mote, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of felony Assault with a Deadly Weapon in April 2018, was sentenced in federal court to 30 months in custody for again entering the U.S. illegally.
• On July 29, Juan Carlos Luna Valenzuela, a Mexican national who was convicted of illegal entry and deported in 2024, was sentenced in federal court to 67 days’ in custody for again entering the U.S illegally.  He was also sentenced to an additional, consecutive 30 days’ custody for violating probation in his prior illegal entry case.
• On July 31, Gustavo Sanchez Meneses, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of felony sexual abuse of a child for which he served 12 years in state custody and was deported in 2022, was sentenced in federal court to 15 months in custody for entering the U.S illegally.
• On August 1, Antonio Reyes-Camacho, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of a felony in 2023 and twice removed from the U.S., was sentenced in federal court to time served for being found unlawfully in the U.S.
• On August 1, Noe Dario Lopez Saavedra, a Mexican national who worked as a ministerial officer at the Attorney General’s Office in Mexico, was sentenced in federal court to 21 months in custody for participating in an international conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
• On August 1, Sabino Valderas-Largo, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of five DUI offenses, including a felony DUI, was sentenced in federal court to 30 months in custody, followed by 3 years of supervised release for again entering the U.S illegally.
• On August 1, Ricardo Barajas-Beltran, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of Trafficking in Cocaine, Trafficking in Methamphetamine, Trafficking in Illegal Drugs, Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute, Possession of Marijuana more than One Ounce, and Possession of Sawed-Off Shotgun, Sawed-Off Rifle, Machine Gun, Dangerous Weapon, or Silencer in 2019, was sentenced in federal court to 30 months in custody, followed by 2 years of supervised release for again entering the U.S illegally.

Pursuant to the Department’s Operation Take Back America priorities, federal law enforcement has focused immigration prosecutions on undocumented aliens who are engaged in criminal activity in the U.S., including those who commit drug and firearms crimes, who have serious criminal records, or who have active warrants for their arrest. Federal authorities have also been prioritizing investigations and prosecutions against drug, firearm, and human smugglers and those who endanger and threaten the safety of our communities and the law enforcement officers who protect the community.

The immigration 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), Customs and Border Protection, 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 the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.

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: Office of United States Attorneys

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of a two-count indictment charging Trevor Hedge (56, Ocala) with attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and committing a felony offense involving a minor as a registered sex offender. If convicted on all counts, Hedge faces a minimum penalty of 20 years, up to life, in federal prison. Hedge is currently detained pending the resolution of his case. 

According to the indictment and court records, in May 2025, a deputy from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office posed online as a 13-year-old child (UC). Hedge messaged the UC and, after learning the UC’s age, engaged in a sexually explicit conversation. Hedge and the UC agreed to meet at a predetermined location in Marion County to engage in sexual activity. Hedge was arrested by law enforcement when he arrived at that location.

Hedge is a registered sex offender. He was convicted of first-degree sexual assault in 1993. 

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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 locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that John Don Bannister, Jr. (31, Clermont) has pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Bannister faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison on each count. Bannister is currently detained pending sentencing. A sentencing date has not yet been set. 

According to the plea agreement, on April 26 and May 4, 2023, in Lake County, Bannister produced CSAM with a 14-year-old child. An investigation by law enforcement showed that Bannister had been supplying vape pens and drugs to minors. In return for these items, Bannister asked the minors to provide him nude images and videos of themselves.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Mascotte Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

WASHINGTON – Today, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division ended a court-imposed decree initiated by the Carter administration, which limited the hiring practices of the federal government based on flawed and outdated theories of diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

In Luevano v. Ezell, the Court dismissed a consent decree based on a lawsuit initially brought by interest groups representing federal employees in 1979. The decree entered in 1981 imposed draconian test review and implementation procedures on the Office of Personnel Management—and consequently all other federal agencies—requiring them to receive permission prior to using any tests for potential federal employees, in an attempt to require equal testing outcomes among all races of test-takers.

“It’s simple, competence and merit are the standards by which we should all be judged; nothing more and nothing less,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “It’s about time people are judged, not by their identity, but instead “by the content of their character.””

“For over four decades, this decree has hampered the federal government from hiring the top talent of our nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division. “Today, the Justice Department removed that barrier and reopened federal employment opportunities based on merit—not race.”