Category: United States Department of Justice

Source: United States Attorneys General 1

A Michigan woman pleaded guilty today to billing Medicare for psychotherapy services that were never provided to residents of her adult day care center.

According to court documents, Yolanda Matthews, 58, of Farmington Hills, admitted to continually billing and submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for psychotherapy services that were never provided. Matthews admitted to fraudulently billing for providing services at her adult day care center during periods in which the Medicare beneficiary was actually admitted to a hospital, forging claims in the names of social workers who were no longer employed at the adult day care center, and even billing Medicare for providing psychotherapy services to beneficiaries after they had died. All told, Matthews submitted over $539,000 in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare.    

Matthews was charged as part of the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. Matthews pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 18, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Reuben Coleman of the FBI Detroit Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ethridge of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

The FBI Detroit Field Office and HHS-OIG investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Jeffrey A. Crapko of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs. 

The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

Source: United States Attorneys General 4

Source: United States Attorneys General 13

Kin Keung Ho, of Staten Island, New York, pleaded guilty today for his role in trafficking turtles to Asia. Lihua Owen Ma, also of Staten Island, pleaded guilty to a similar charge on July 1. 

According to documents filed in court, Ho and Ma were separately charged with exporting multiple species of U.S. native turtles, including eastern box turtles, western box turtles, three-toed box turtles, spotted turtles, and diamondback terrapins. The defendants each pleaded guilty to a Lacey Act felony and admitted they created false labels for the packages without having any of the required permits or declarations. Ho admitted he shipped numerous packages between June 1, 2024, and Nov. 13, 2025. During the plea hearing, the government proffered that Ho shipped approximately 99 packages containing 578 turtles. Ho falsely labeled the contents as containing crystals or stones. Ma acknowledged illegally exporting between May 25, 2021, and May 5, 2023. 

Stock photo of spotted turtle. Credit: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

These turtles species are prized in the international pet trade, particularly in China. All of the turtles are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which 185 governments, including the United States and China, are parties. CITES regulates trade in wildlife, fish, and plant species that are or may become threatened with extinction. 

Stock photo of western box turtle. Credit: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

The Lacey Act is the nation’s oldest wildlife trafficking law. It prohibits, among other things, creating false labels for wildlife shipped in international or interstate commerce. The maximum penalty is five years in prison and $250,000 fine, or twice the economic gain or loss. The court will schedule sentencing hearings at a later date. 

Stock photo of diamondback terrapin. Credit: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and Assistant Director Doug Ault of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement made the announcement.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement in Valley Stream, New York, investigated these cases with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Senior Trial Attorney Ryan Connors and Trial Attorney Rachel Roberts of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the cases.

Source: United States Attorneys General

A former Guatemalan mayor, Romeo Ramos Cruz, 58, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to import more than five kilograms of cocaine into the United States. Ramos Cruz arrived in the United States on Aug. 4, 2025, following extradition from Guatemala, where he had been detained at the request of the United States. 

According to court documents, from 2022 through 2023, Ramos Cruz served as a member of a Guatemala-based drug trafficking organization responsible for transporting cocaine intended for U.S. markets. During this time, Ramos Cruz served as the mayor of Santa Lucia municipality in Guatemala’s Escuintla Department and exploited his official position to facilitate the organization’s operations. In furtherance of the conspiracy, Ramos Cruz appointed a known drug trafficker to a high-ranking position in the municipal police force and also used his authority and access as mayor to coordinate logistics and transportation of a cocaine shipment destined for the United States, agreeing to help disguise the shipment from Venezuela to Guatemala as a donation of cement to his municipality. He prepared a letter on official municipal letterhead intended to help the shipment evade inspection by Guatemalan authorities.

Ramos Cruz faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. 

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the FBI Washington Field Office (WFO) made the announcement.

The FBI WFO led U.S. investigative efforts with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Division and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations New Orleans Field Office. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs working with Guatemalan law enforcement authorities, INTERPOL, and the FBI provided critical assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Ramos Cruz to the United States.

Trial Attorneys Roger Polack and Kirk Handrich of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) are prosecuting the case.

MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.

MNF’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit investigates and prosecutes the top command and control elements of international drug cartels, drug trafficking organizations and related transnational criminal organizations.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

Source: United States Attorneys General 13

A fugitive on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters List was returned Saturday to the Southern District of Florida to face federal charges for her alleged role in a scheme that fraudulently obtained more than $32 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds. 

Elaine Escoe, 41, was charged by indictment in 2025 with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and multiple substantive counts of wire fraud and money laundering. After a federal arrest warrant was issued in May 2025, Escoe failed to appear for her court appearance and fled to Jamaica. Acting on information developed by the FBI, Jamaican authorities captured Escoe after receiving a tip. She was returned to South Florida Saturday through the coordinated efforts of the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service Regional Security Office at the U.S. Embassy in Kingston, the Jamaican Constabulary Force (JCF), and the JCF Jamaica Fugitive Apprehension Team.   

“This Most Wanted Fraudster allegedly obtained tens of millions in COVID-19 relief, stealing critical resources from legitimate businesses during a national crisis,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “She fled the country believing she could escape justice but ultimately could not. Those who exploit taxpayer-funded programs will be held accountable by this Department of Justice, no matter how long it takes or where they attempt to hide.”

“Elaine Angene Escoe’s arrest and return to the United States demonstrates that no one is beyond the reach of American justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “This Most Wanted Fraudster faces charges stemming from a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud taxpayer-funded COVID-19 relief programs. The Fraud Division will continue to vigorously prosecute those who steal from the American people.”

“The historic success of the ‘Most Wanted Fraudster’ list continues as the FBI and our partners just captured our fourth Most Wanted Fraudster in 5 weeks, and yet another high value target returned to the U.S. by this FBI,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Elaine Angene Escoe, on the run since May of 2025, was captured in Jamaica while living under a fake identity of ‘Harley Newman’ – and returned to the United States today to face justice. She is charged for her alleged involvement in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering – connected with a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $32 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds. Escoe brings the number of high value targets returned by the FBI to over 30 just since June. Led by President Trump, Vice President Vance, and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud – the FBI and our partners continue to see an unprecedented level of success taking down the worst of the worst alleged fraudsters. In just week weeks, we have captured four subjects on three different continents charged with a combined nearly $1.8 billion in fraud, collectively on the run for over 3,500 days, each hiding overseas – now returned and all in custody in 1.5 months. Under this administration, fraud is no longer tolerated – and those who steal from American taxpayers have nowhere to hide.”

“Elaine Escoe allegedly helped orchestrate a sprawling scheme that fraudulently obtained more than $32 million from programs created to keep American businesses and workers afloat during the pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “After being charged, she failed to appear in court and fled to Jamaica. Defendants cannot escape accountability simply by leaving the country. Thanks to the determined work of our federal, state, and international partners, she is back in South Florida and will now face the charges against her. This coordinated effort demonstrates that we will pursue fugitives wherever they go and bring them back to face justice.”

According to court records, Escoe and her co-conspirators submitted or caused the submission of fraudulent applications seeking more than $32 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG), and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds. The applications falsely represented the existence, payroll, revenue, and operations of purported businesses to qualify for and maximize federal relief funding.  

To support the fraudulent applications, the conspirators created fake tax documents, fabricated bank records, and other false financial records that lenders and program administrators relied upon in approving loans and grants. Some applications were submitted on behalf of businesses controlled by the conspirators, while others were submitted for third parties in exchange for substantial kickbacks — sometimes as much as 50% of the loan proceeds. The fraud proceeds were subsequently laundered among the conspirators.

Escoe is the last remaining defendant charged in the scheme. Following a December 2025 trial, Alfred Davis, Cher Davis, and Latoya Clark were convicted by a federal jury. James McGhow and Gino Jourdan previously pleaded guilty. Alfred Davis was sentenced to 235 months in prison, Cher Davis to 87 months, Clark to 70 months, Jourdan to 46 months, and McGhow to 42 months.

FBI Miami’s West Palm Beach Resident Agency is investigating the case, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami and the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office.  

On June 4, the FBI announced the creation of the Most Wanted Fraudsters List. The list included Herb Kimble, a fugitive in a $1.2 billion telemedicine and durable medical equipment scheme, who, on June 8 — just four days later — was apprehended in the Philippines and was soon after charged as part of the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. On June 8, Escoe was added to the Most Wanted Fraudsters List, and she was apprehended less than two months later.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs. 

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-80076.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Thomas C. Goldstein, a prominent appellate attorney who argued more than 40 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and co-founded the widely read legal website SCOTUSblog, was sentenced to 72 months in prison today for tax crimes and mortgage fraud. The Court additionally revoked Goldstein’s bond and remanded him into custody.

“This sentence holds Thomas Goldstein accountable for cheating the tax system and lying to mortgage lenders,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Mr. Goldstein concealed millions of dollars in income, disguised income with foreign bank accounts, and manipulated his law firm’s books– all to fund his gambling and lifestyle. He then repeatedly chose not to pay taxes owed. There is no tax case too big, no scheme too complex, and no hiding place too remote for the Fraud Division.”

“Thomas Goldstein built a distinguished legal career arguing that the rule of law matters. Yet, as the evidence at trial showed, he repeatedly chose to violate that very principle for his own financial benefit,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “Every taxpayer is expected to play by the same rules, and this sentence shows that those who deliberately cheat the system and lie for financial gain will be held accountable. We thank our law enforcement partners for their work on this case, and their unwavering commitment to protecting the integrity of our tax and financial systems.”

“Public prominence doesn’t entitle anyone to break financial rules or secure an unfair advantage over those who follow them,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Tyler of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division. “The mortgage industry exists to serve hardworking, honest Americans, and the FBI will bring anyone who tries to exploit the system for personal gain to justice regardless of their social status.”

“Today’s sentencing is a significant step towards holding the defendant accountable for his role in abusing our tax system,” said Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (CI), Washington, D.C. Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agents and our law enforcement partners will vigorously pursue those who attempt to defraud our tax system and financial institutions.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Goldstein, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, was the sole owner of Goldstein & Russell, P.C., a boutique law firm specializing in appellate litigation, including litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court. Goldstein was also a high-stakes poker player, frequently playing in games involving tens of millions of dollars.

Between 2016 and 2024, Goldstein repeatedly chose not to pay taxes on time, as required by law. He also assisted in the preparation of false tax returns for himself and his law firm, and he engaged in a scheme to evade taxes for 2016. Goldstein carried out the scheme by hiding millions of dollars in poker winning from the government and his accountants, diverting legal fees to his personal bank account to satisfy poker-related debts, directing people to pay his creditors instead of sending payments directly to him, channeling gambling winnings through foreign bank accounts and causing personal payments for poker debts to be falsely classified as “legal-fee” expenses on the firm’s books and records. As a result, Goldstein underreported his income and did not pay much of the taxes that he owed, while spending millions on personal expenses such as poker, travel, and luxury goods.

In 2021, Goldstein submitted false mortgage applications to two separate mortgage lending companies, seeking financing to purchase a $2.6 million dollar home in Washington, D.C. On those mortgage applications – which required Goldstein to list all his liabilities and debts – Goldstein omitted millions of dollars of liabilities, including more than $14 million he owed for poker-related debts, as well as taxes he owed the IRS. Goldstein’s false statements to one of the mortgage lenders enabled him to obtain a $1.98 million loan.

On Feb. 25, a federal jury convicted Goldstein of tax evasion, assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, willful failure to timely pay taxes and making false statements to mortgage lenders.

In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby for the District of Maryland ordered Goldstein to serve five years of supervised release, pay $3,103, 427 in restitution, and ordered forfeiture but at an indeterminate amount.

IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI investigated the case.

Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Trial Attorneys Emerson Gordon-Marvin and Hayter L. Whitman of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adeyemi Adenrele for the District of Maryland, prosecuted the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs. 

Source: United States Attorneys General

A California man was sentenced today to 222 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and for distributing and receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM). He was also ordered to pay a fine of $75,000. Restitution will be determined at a later date.

Rodger Githens, 48, of West Sacramento, was convicted by a federal judge on May 1 after a stipulated bench trial. In March 2023, Githens initiated contact with a Grindr account controlled by an undercover agent. Githens quickly encouraged the undercover agent to establish a Telegram account, which he considered more secure. Githens told the agent he had taboo thoughts every day and was into “babies.” Githens stated that he “would love to have a dad or uncle invite me” and then described in graphic detail what he would like to do with the undercover agent and the agent’s fictional 7-year-old niece. Several times Githens discussed traveling to meet the agent and the fictional niece. On April 19, 2023, law enforcement served a search warrant at Githens’s residence and seized multiple electronic devices. Agents discovered numerous Telegram chats on Githens’s phone including several in which he was exchanging videos of the sexual abuse of young children.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Eric Grant for the Eastern District of California; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian Tosh of the FBI’s Sacramento Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI’s Fresno resident agency investigated the case. Valuable assistance was provided by the West Sacramento Police Department.

Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (“CEOS”) and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa of the Eastern District of California prosecuted the case.

This case was brought 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.justice.gov/psc.

Source: United States Attorneys General

A Texas businessman, a Kentucky doctor, and a Kentucky woman were sentenced to prison for their roles in fraudulently billing Medicare and Kentucky Medicaid over $4.8 million through a series of addiction treatment facilities.

Today, Michael Bregenzer, 53, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced to 48 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

In February 2026, José Alzadon, M.D., 62, of Paintsville, Kentucky, was sentenced to 60 months in prison.

In January 2026, Barbie Vanhoose, 63, of West Van Lear, Kentucky, was sentenced to 24 months in prison.

All three defendants were ordered to pay restitution of $812,881.09.

According to evidence presented at trial, Bregenzer, Alzadon, and Vanhoose orchestrated their health care fraud scheme through Kentucky Addiction Centers or KAC, which operated in Winchester, Paducah, Paintsville, and London, Kentucky. As part of his role as KAC’s medical director, Alzadon prescribed Suboxone, a controlled substance that is used to treat opioid addiction. Bregenzer served as KAC’s CEO and Vanhoose as KAC’s billing manager.

Together, Bregenzer, Alzadon, and Vanhoose ran a scheme that falsely billed taxpayer-funded health programs like Medicare and Medicaid for medical services that were not provided or were billed as more complex and expensive services than the services patients actually received. They also conspired to falsely bill for services in the name of Alzadon’s elderly father when the services either were not provided at all or were provided by Alzadon — who was unable to bill certain health plans as he was not credentialed as a provider with those plans. Bregenzer, Alzadon, and Vanhoose also conspired to use Alzadon’s father’s prescribing credentials, including his DEA registration number and electronic prescribing token, to prescribe Suboxone, even though Alzadon’s father had not seen the patients for whom he was supposedly issuing prescriptions.

In March 2025, Bregenzer, Alzadon, and Vanhoose were each convicted at trial of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, eight counts of health care fraud, and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances using the registration number of another person. Alzadon and Vanhoose were also convicted of two counts of aggravated identity theft.

Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Scott of the DEA Louisville Division; Special Agent in Charge Olivia Olson of the FBI Louisville Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Kelly Blackmon of the Department of Health and Human Service Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Regional Director Joe Rivers of the Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (DOL-EBSA); and Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman made the announcement.

The DEA, FBI, HHS-OIG, DOL-EBSA, and the Kentucky Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated this case.

The Winchester Police Department provided substantial assistance during the investigation and trial.

Trial Attorneys Dermot Lynch, Sarah Edwards, and Samad Pardesi of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.