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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 18 claims 3 hrs ago

Oregon man charged with transporting Utah minor across state lines for sexual activity

The Justice Department charged a 39-year-old Oregon man with transporting a minor across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity. The case stands out because it is being investigated through the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and prosecuted by the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section, reflecting an alleged nexus to nihilistic violent extremist activity on gaming platforms.

Adam Hunter Harmel, 39, of Huntington, Oregon, was charged by federal complaint on Nov. 2 in the District of Utah and made his initial appearance on Nov. 4 in Boise, Idaho.
The minor victim, who disappeared in May 2025, was recovered by law enforcement at the defendant's residence on Nov. 1, 2026.
The complaint alleges the victim was groomed on gaming platforms commonly used by Nihilistic Violent Extremist group members before contact moved to other social media applications.
The case is being investigated through the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and prosecuted by the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 16 claims 10 hrs ago

DOJ indicts Los Angeles woman over $18M PPP and EIDL COVID relief fraud

The Justice Department's new National Fraud Enforcement Division has indicted a Los Angeles woman over an alleged $18 million scheme to defraud the PPP and EIDL programs created under the CARES Act. The case illustrates how the Fraud Division, stood up in April 2026, is pursuing pandemic relief fraud years after the programs closed, and what charges and penalties such defendants now face.

Marisela Nuno, 53, is charged with three counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering over an alleged $18 million CARES Act relief fraud.
The applications collectively sought over $15.7 million in PPP funds and over $2.6 million in EIDL funds, according to court documents.
Applications allegedly misstated employee numbers, average monthly payroll, gross revenues and eligibility, supported by false tax documentation.
Each wire fraud count carries a maximum 20 years in prison and the money laundering count carries up to 10 years.
The FBI Los Angeles Field Office, IRS CI and SBA OIG investigated, with the newly created National Fraud Enforcement Division prosecuting.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 20 claims 03 Nov 2026

US extradites man from Germany over $4m fake-psychic mail fraud scheme

The Justice Department has brought a long-running mass-mailing fraud defendant back to the United States from Germany to stand trial in Miami. The case turns on more than $4 million collected from thousands of mostly elderly and vulnerable US consumers through letters posing as personalised psychic predictions, and on the bank accounts used to move victim funds to Europe.

Mael Chemla, 61, was extradited from Germany and made his initial appearance in Miami federal court to face mailing fraud charges.
The scheme sent letters posing as personalised psychic communications telling victims to pay in advance to receive a promised financial windfall.
Chemla and a co-conspirator collected more than $4 million from thousands of US victims, many elderly and vulnerable, between September 2016 and November 2020.
He is charged with conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud, carrying a maximum of 20 years in prison on all counts.
The US Postal Inspection Service investigated, with the DOJ Office of International Affairs supporting the German extradition proceedings.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 15 claims 03 Nov 2026

ILC Dover to pay $13m over cybersecurity failures on Army, MDA and NASA contracts

The Justice Department has resolved a False Claims Act matter against ILC Dover and ILC Astrospace for alleged cybersecurity shortfalls on defense and aerospace contracts. The case was brought by the firm's former cybersecurity director under qui tam provisions, and it illustrates how the government is pricing non-compliance with NIST SP 800-171 controls. This segment covers who it binds, the specific failings alleged, and the whistleblower dimension.

ILC Dover and ILC Astrospace will pay $13 million to resolve allegations spanning January 2018 to October 2024 on Army, Missile Defense Agency and NASA contracts.
From February 2023 to October 2024, ILC allegedly stored controlled unclassified information with a third party that did not meet the FedRAMP Moderate baseline or DoD cyber incident reporting requirements.
ILC allegedly failed to maintain system security plans, fully implement NIST SP 800-171 and 800-53 controls, and submit current assessments under the NIST SP 800-171 DoD Assessment Methodology.
The whistleblower, former ILC Director of Cybersecurity Philip Root, will receive $2.35 million from the settlement in United States ex rel. Root v. ILC Dover LP, No. 25-cv-70 (D. Del.).
The settlement resolves allegations only, with no determination of liability.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 28 claims 30 Oct 2026

California doctor gets 15 years for $45M Medicare Botox fraud scheme

A DOJ sentencing that ends a long-running Medicare fraud prosecution, notable less for the headline number than for the obstruction count: the defendant falsified records and forged beneficiary signatures once she knew investigators were close. For compliance leads in healthcare and benefit-program sectors, it maps how the new Fraud Division is building and pricing these cases.

Mailyan billed Medicare for thousands of Botox injections that were never provided, were purely cosmetic, or lacked the required chronic-migraine referral.
Over $19 million was billed for injections purportedly provided on days her Glendale clinic was closed, and some while she was on vacation outside California.
When she realised investigators were closing in, she falsified medical records and forged beneficiary signatures, including for a man then in federal prison.
The court ordered $32,904,049.41 in restitution to Medicare and immediate forfeiture of over $16,029,742 in seized property.
The jury found fraud proceeds funded two Tesla vehicles including a Cybertruck, five California properties and luxury goods.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 16 claims 30 Oct 2026

Illinois lab operator pleads guilty to $227 million Medicare fraud scheme

A DOJ plea announcement details a scheme in which an Illinois resident acquired three Chicago laboratories and used purchased beneficiary data to submit $227 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for unrequested COVID-19 test kits. The case illustrates how compromised beneficiary PII, often sourced overseas, feeds directly into billing fraud against federal health programs.

Kablazada and co-schemers acquired three Chicago-area laboratories: Chicago Care, V Care, and Al-Ameer, starting January 2023.
He paid approximately $11 million to a purported Pakistan-based telemarketing company for personally identifiable information on hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries.
The labs submitted $227 million in false claims for COVID-19 test kits never requested or shipped, and Medicare paid approximately $136 million of that amount.
Kablazada agreed to forfeit over $46 million in proceeds seized from ten bank accounts as part of his plea agreement.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of health care fraud and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 12 claims 30 Oct 2026

DOJ awards nearly $300 million to four cities under Model Cities Initiative

The Justice Department has named four jurisdictions to receive a combined federal award package under its Model Cities Initiative, a program aimed at reducing violent crime through local law enforcement funding. This briefing covers who was selected, what the money can be used for, and the timeline for disbursement and departmental engagement.

The Justice Department selected four jurisdictions, Jacksonville, East Baton Rouge Parish, Jackson and St. Louis, to receive nearly $300 million in federal funding.
Funding recipients are named as the East Baton Rouge Parish government, the City of Jackson, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, and the St. Louis Police Department.
Eligible uses include hiring sworn and non-sworn law enforcement personnel, new technology, equipment, forensic capability, and mental health or substance use services.
Attorney General Todd Blanche will visit the four jurisdictions next month to present the awards and meet local officials.
The Department cited Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr.'s statement that nonfatal violent crime declined 25 percent from 2024 to 2025.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 14 claims 30 Oct 2026

DOJ reports 13 Minnesota benefits fraud cases, nearly $83m in intended losses

The Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division and the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota announced a one-month cluster of charges, convictions, sentences and a forfeiture action against benefit-program fraud. For compliance and investigations leads, the detail worth reading is the mechanics: falsified meal counts, autism-therapy billing for absent providers, kickbacks to recipients' families, AI-generated patient notes and an attempted juror bribe.

DOJ charged, convicted or sentenced 13 defendants between Sept. 30 and Oct. 30, 2026, with nearly $83 million in intended losses and about $29.1 million in newly charged cases.
Salim Ahmed Said was sentenced to 360 months for facilitating over $44 million in Feeding Our Future child-nutrition fraud, part of a $250 million scheme.
Said Farah received 78 months and a $40,000 fine for helping gather $200,000 in cash to bribe a juror during a prior fraud trial.
Multiple indictments target the Minnesota Medicaid EIDBI autism-therapy program, including a $19.1 million scheme involving kickbacks to recipients' parents and a case using AI to fabricate patient notes.
DOJ says it issued over 1,000 subpoenas and executed over 40 premises warrants in Minnesota this year.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 16 claims 29 Oct 2026

Chinese national gets 12 years for cocaine trafficking and CJNG support

A federal sentencing in the Eastern District of Virginia illustrates how DOJ's Homeland Security Task Force is combining narcotics, money laundering and material support to terrorism charges in a single prosecution. The case matters to compliance teams screening for crypto-enabled laundering, trade-based laundering and exposure to designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations such as CJNG.

Wenshen Xu was sentenced to 12 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $22 million money judgement.
Xu and co-conspirators imported over 450 kilograms of cocaine into the United States from November 2023 until his arrest.
The money laundering network used cryptocurrency transfers, trade-based money laundering, and encrypted communications platforms to move over $22 million.
Xu was arrested in Guatemala on July 17, 2025 at the request of the United States and extradited to the U.S. on January 30.
The prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 22 claims 29 Oct 2026

Six sentenced over $22m laundering in Cuban migrant smuggling and asylum fraud

The DOJ's Criminal Division sentenced five Cuban nationals and one US citizen for running a smuggling organisation that charged migrants up to $40,000, filed fraudulent ESTA and asylum paperwork, and laundered more than $22 million through shell companies. For financial-crime leads, the file is a clean illustration of how smuggling proceeds are layered through corporate vehicles and cross-border payments.

Between 2021 and 2025 the defendants laundered more than $22 million, using multiple shell companies to conceal the source of smuggling proceeds before distributing funds to themselves.
Vega-Perez was sentenced to four years; Vasconcelos, Escalona-Marrero, Pozo-Dutel and Martinez Gonzalez to two years each; and Treto Santos to 30 months.
Escalona-Marrero was ordered to forfeit $2.9 million, Vasconcelos $150,000 and Treto Santos $95,000.
The network filed hundreds of fraudulent ESTA applications with CBP, falsely stating applicants had not been in Cuba since 2011, and assisted over 1,700 fraudulent asylum claims.
Twelve people were charged in a superseding indictment; two co-defendants, Marianny Lucia Lopez-Torres and Frandy Aragon-Diaz, remain at large.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 18 claims 29 Oct 2026

DOJ charges five in 'ghost student' FAFSA fraud, seizes $750,000 crypto in Kenya

The Justice Department's new National Fraud Enforcement Division has unveiled the first charges from Operation Ghostbusters, a nationwide investigation into fraudulent federal student aid claimed through stolen identities and routed to a Kenyan network. For financial-crime leads, the file is a live case study in money-mule typologies, cross-border crypto forfeiture and the compliance exposure of banks and money service businesses moving disbursement refunds.

Five defendants are charged across the District of New Jersey, Eastern District of Virginia and District of Nebraska, with intended losses of $1.5 million, $1.4 million and $20,000 respectively.
Investigators seized more than $750,000 from a cryptocurrency account belonging to a Kenyan national, which the Fraud Division calls the first international seizure of its kind in its history.
The FBI says it has identified more than $32 million in losses in similar ghost-student schemes, with the Department putting the overall scale of the fraud well over $200 million.
In September or October 2026 investigators flagged 830,840 potentially fraudulent FSAIDs relating to nearly $130 million and recommended the Department of Education disable them.
There are now more than 40 open cases across 26 FBI field offices and more than 20 US Attorneys' Offices.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 24 claims 29 Oct 2026

U.S. extradites dual national to El Salvador in first handover of own citizen

The DOJ Criminal Division announced the extradition of a dual U.S.-Salvadoran citizen to El Salvador to face murder charges. The department frames it as the first time the United States has handed over a U.S. national to answer for crimes committed in El Salvador. For anyone tracking extradition practice and international cooperation, the case marks a procedural milestone worth understanding.

Castillo Murga was surrendered to Salvadoran authorities to face charges of aggravated feminicide and imperfect homicide.
The DOJ calls this the first U.S. extradition of a U.S. national to face justice for crimes committed in El Salvador.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym certified his extradition on July 28, 2025, and U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb denied habeas relief on November 5, 2025.
The Secretary of State issued a surrender warrant, and Judge Holcomb denied a stay of extradition on September 24, 2026.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 19 claims 28 Oct 2026

Former US Army official pleads guilty to bribery over Hawaii defense contracts

A former civilian US Army official has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, bribery and major fraud over a scheme that corrupted competition for a Pacific technology innovation lab. The case shows the Procurement Collusion Strike Force continuing to pursue contract fraud, and sits alongside a pending trial of two defense contractors scheduled for May 2027. It matters for anyone managing government contracting integrity.

Carlos Duque pleaded guilty on October 28, 2026 to conspiracy, bribery and major fraud in the District of Hawaii.
The scheme ran from January 2021 to October 2022 and involved an agreed bribe of approximately $1.25 million over five years, of which Duque received approximately $55,000.
The US Army paid over $3 million to the company controlled by coconspirators Brian Kent and Leonard Pick.
Duque faces up to 15 years on the bribery count and agreed to forfeit $55,166.70; sentencing follows under the Sentencing Guidelines.
Kent and Pick were indicted in May 2026 and are scheduled for trial on May 17, 2027.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 18 claims 28 Oct 2026

Virginia mental health executive charged in $49M Medicaid crisis-services fraud

The Justice Department's new Fraud Division has indicted the co-owner of a Richmond-area mental health provider over a $49 million scheme to bill Virginia Medicaid for crisis services that were not delivered as claimed. The case illustrates how the department's reorganised health care fraud apparatus is pursuing behavioral health providers, and the evidentiary patterns, falsified signatures and audit obstruction, that prosecutors are building around.

Mikia Antoneice Noble, co-owner and COO of ACE, was indicted October 20 and arrested October 28 over a $49 million Virginia Medicaid fraud scheme.
Prosecutors allege ACE billed for crisis services as if delivered by qualified teams when only a single low-level professional attended.
The indictment alleges over $2 million paid for hotel rentals to induce beneficiaries, plus falsified records and lies to Managed Care Organization audits.
Noble faces conspiracy to commit health care fraud and three counts of health care fraud, each carrying a maximum of 10 years in prison.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 20 claims 28 Oct 2026

DOJ reports 712 defendants charged in elder fraud cases targeting older Americans

The Justice Department's Civil Division has delivered its eighth annual report to Congress on elder fraud and abuse, covering the year to 30 June 2026. For compliance and financial crime leads at banks and payment firms, the figures map where elder financial exploitation is concentrating, how much of it crosses borders, and the scale of the victim population the government is now tracking.

The report covers the period from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 and is the Department's eighth annual report to Congress on elder fraud and abuse.
Cases named 712 defendants charged with stealing or alleged to have stolen $4,841,305,931 from 711,353 victims.
Approximately 96% of the nearly 350 enforcement actions were criminal and 45% involved international schemes.
Victims of Crime Act funded organizations allocated $52 million to elder abuse victim services during the period.
The Department ran nearly 1,200 awareness and training events reaching over 62 million Americans and supported the Never Ever Campaign reaching over 95 million individuals.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 19 claims 27 Oct 2026

Gainesville DME owner convicted in $8.6M Medicare orthotic brace fraud scheme

A federal jury in the Middle District of Florida has convicted the owner of a durable medical equipment company over an $8.6 million Medicare fraud built on forged and purchased prescriptions for orthotic braces. The case shows how telemarketing lead-buying, kickbacks and billing for unwanted devices combine into a chargeable scheme, and where DOJ's reconstituted Fraud Division is now focusing.

A federal jury in the Middle District of Florida convicted Sophie Dufort, 57, in a scheme causing over $8.6 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for orthotic braces.
Dufort was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, two counts of health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay illegal kickbacks, and one count of offering and paying illegal kickbacks.
The prescriptions were bought from marketing firms that used high-pressure telemarketing or stole physician credentials to create forged prescriptions without any patient evaluation.
Dufort faces a maximum of 20 years for the fraud conspiracy, 10 years for each fraud and kickback count, and 5 years for the conspiracy to defraud the United States, with sentencing set for January 2027.
The case was investigated by HHS-OIG and the FBI and prosecuted under the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division and its Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 22 claims 27 Oct 2026

DOJ strikes first 'near miss' NPA under corporate enforcement policy over Russia sales

The National Security Division has resolved its first 'near miss' non-prosecution agreement under the 2026 Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy. Extreme Networks avoided prosecution despite disclosing only under threat of a news report, because it cooperated fully and remediated. The case shows how the Policy treats disclosures that fall short of 'timely' but still earn credit, and what penalty level that produces.

Extreme Networks agreed to pay criminal penalties totaling $975,721.84, comprising $487,860.92 in forfeiture and a $487,860.92 criminal fine.
This is the Department's first 'near miss' non-prosecution agreement under the 2026 Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy.
The disclosure was deemed untimely because it came under imminent threat of disclosure by a news publication, but cooperation and remediation still earned NPA treatment.
Between March 2018 and March 2022, the company's Russia subsidiary filled 11 purchase orders for MMZA, a producer of S-300 and S-400 systems owned by SDN-listed Almaz Antey.
Remediation included terminating the third-party distributor, improving screening, hiring compliance staff and adding M&A diligence procedures; a parallel OFAC action will also be resolved.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 16 claims 27 Oct 2026

Florida CPA sentenced to 18 months for evading more than $2.2m in taxes

A Florida certified public accountant has been sentenced for tax evasion after concealing income and property from the IRS over several years. The case, prosecuted under the Justice Department's newly created Fraud Division, illustrates how federal prosecutors treat asset concealment by a credentialed finance professional and the restitution exposure that follows a guilty plea.

St. Clair was sentenced to 18 months in prison for evading payment of more than $2.2 million in income taxes for tax years 2011 through 2017.
After the IRS signalled in 2020 that it would levy his assets, he sold real property and transferred the proceeds into an account in a third party's name.
He concealed his control of funds by holding money in others' names and placing real estate in businesses not held in his name, layering entities.
He pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion and was ordered to pay $2,343,615.01 in restitution.
IRS Criminal Investigation handled the case, prosecuted by the DOJ National Fraud Enforcement Division and the Middle District of Florida.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 16 claims 27 Oct 2026

DOJ indicts construction firm owner and three staff over $13m tax fraud scheme

The Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division unsealed an indictment against a New York construction subcontracting owner and three employees. The charges run from off-books cash payroll and falsified corporate returns to foreign account reporting failures and a scheme to obtain loans, mortgages and surety bonds with false financials. For compliance teams, it maps how payroll tax evasion feeds into wider financial fraud exposure.

The indictment alleges at least approximately $5 million in wages were paid from April 2017 to May 2024 with no federal employment tax withheld.
Nelson allegedly underreported his business gross receipts by approximately $13 million and failed to file required FBARs.
From July 2019 to March 2025 Nelson, Devocion and Vasquez allegedly used false financial documents to obtain loans, mortgages, lines of credit, credit cards and surety bonding contracts.
Charges carry maximum penalties of 20 years for wire fraud conspiracy and obstruction, and five years for conspiracy to defraud the United States, employment tax, evasion and FBAR counts.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 12 claims 26 Oct 2026

DOJ charges 48 non-citizens in five states with illegal voting

The Justice Department has announced a consolidated set of charges against 48 non-citizens accused of voting in U.S. elections or lying about citizenship status to register or naturalize. The release groups cases from seven federal districts with varying charge severity, from single-count misdemeanors to multi-count felony indictments.

The Justice Department charged 48 aliens across nine federal judicial districts in Pennsylvania, California, Florida, New York and Nevada.
Thirteen defendants in the Central District of California face felony charges including false statements in naturalization applications.
Six defendants in the Eastern District of California face misdemeanor voting-by-alien charges carrying a statutory maximum of one year in federal prison.
Several defendants in the Eastern District of New York admitted in voluntary interviews with federal agents that they knew they were not U.S. citizens when they voted.
The release states that a complaint, indictment or information merely contains accusations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 14 claims 26 Oct 2026

US violent crime victimization fell 25% in 2025, BJS preliminary survey finds

The Bureau of Justice Statistics released preliminary 2025 estimates from the National Crime Victimization Survey, reporting sharp declines across violent and property crime. The figures are the first drawn from the fully transitioned redesigned survey instrument. For compliance and risk teams, the numbers feed threat and fraud-loss baselines, but the methodological change sits underneath every comparison.

Serious violent victimization fell 25%, from 9.9 to 7.4 per 1,000 persons age 12 or older, between 2024 and 2025.
Aggravated assault declined 31%, from 4.5 to 3.1 per 1,000, and property victimization fell 19%, from 138.0 to 111.2 per 1,000 households.
Motor vehicle theft dropped 30%, burglary or trespassing 25% and other household theft 19% over the same period.
The estimates are the first from the fully transitioned redesigned survey instrument (NCVS-R), adopted in January 2025.
A separate BJS report issued the previous week recorded homicide down 17% in 2025 over 2024.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 12 claims 26 Oct 2026

DOJ indicts CJNG regional commander on cocaine, meth trafficking and firearm charges

A grand jury in the District of Columbia has indicted a man described as a regional commander of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, a group the State Department designated a foreign terrorist organization in February 2025. The case, brought under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, illustrates how US prosecutors are now charging cartel leadership structures rather than only couriers or distributors.

A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia indicted Ivan Cazarin Molina, 42, on Oct. 22, 2026.
DOJ alleges he was a regional commander for CJNG in Veracruz, Mexico, known as "Tanque."
The charged conspiracy covers cocaine and methamphetamine distribution for importation into the US from 2005 through 2025.
If convicted, he faces a minimum of 40 years and a maximum of two consecutive life prison terms.
He was arrested by Mexican law enforcement on Oct. 5, 2026, in Jalisco, Mexico.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 13 claims 26 Oct 2026

Former Eminem studio employee pleads guilty to criminal copyright infringement

A Justice Department release details the guilty plea of a former employee of musician Marshall Mathers who copied and sold unreleased studio recordings. The case illustrates how insider access to proprietary digital assets, not just financial data, falls within federal computer crime and intellectual property enforcement.

Joseph Strange, 48, of Holly, Michigan, pleaded guilty to criminal infringement of copyright in the Eastern District of Michigan.
Court documents say Strange sold and transmitted 10 or more unauthorized music files between July and August 2024 for approximately $50,000.
Streaming provider data showed the infringing files had been accessed more than eight million times as of November 2025.
The government estimates the infringement amount of the stolen files at at least $750,000.
Strange is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2027, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 16 claims 26 Oct 2026

Virginia senator indicted over alleged marijuana enterprise and bribery scheme

The Justice Department has indicted a sitting Virginia state senator and six co-defendants, alleging she led a family-run marijuana distribution and money laundering operation while using her legislative position to shield it from scrutiny. This item sets out what the indictment alleges, who is charged, and the scale and duration of the conduct described.

An eight-count indictment charges seven defendants, including Senator Lillie Louise Lucas, 82, of Portsmouth, Virginia.
FBI Director Kash Patel described the alleged scheme as spanning five years and worth an estimated $4.5 million.
The indictment alleges acquisition and distribution of 100 kilograms or more of marijuana and supervision of laundering proceeds.
Lucas allegedly paid $750,000 in August 2022 for a 100% stake in a shell holding company tied to a co-conspirator's expected recreational marijuana license.
On May 6, FBI agents executed search warrants at The Cannabis Outlet and The CBD Shoppe, recovering marijuana and firearms at both locations.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 16 claims 26 Oct 2026

Former US official pleads guilty to $194 million fraud using fake spy program

A federal employee with top-level security clearance has admitted to one of the larger insider fraud cases against the US government in recent memory, using a fictitious classified program to extract funds later converted into gold and luxury assets. This briefing covers the plea, the forfeiture terms and what remains unresolved as sentencing approaches.

Rush fraudulently obtained approximately $193,590,400 in US government funds by creating fictitious government authorities, including a fabricated Special Access Program.
An FBI search of Rush's residence on May 19, 2026 recovered 298 gold bars, approximately $2,106,550 in cash and €104,795.
The gold bars had cost the government approximately $46 million to acquire, and Rush directed approximately $145 million in wire transfers toward luxury purchases.
Under the plea agreement, Rush will forfeit the gold bars, cash, fraudulently obtained properties, 30 watches and two 2026 BMW Alpina vehicles, one valued at approximately $172,000.
Rush is scheduled for sentencing on January 28, 2027 and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, forfeiture, restitution and a fine.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 25 claims 26 Oct 2026

DOJ denaturalizes two citizens for concealing passport fraud and money laundering

The Justice Department announced two denaturalization judgments entered in October 2026, stripping citizenship from a Nigerian-born woman who used a stolen identity for passport fraud and a Cuban-born woman who concealed a money laundering conspiracy. The releases detail the underlying fraud, prior criminal convictions, and the civil litigation timeline that led to consent judgments revoking naturalization in both cases.

A California federal court revoked Vivian Chike Obichere's citizenship on Oct. 13 after finding she illegally procured it.
Obichere used the identity of a U.S. citizen, 'C.C.O.', to fraudulently obtain a passport in 1992 and renewed it in 2002 and again attempted renewal in 2012.
She was convicted in 2015 of False Statement in Application and Use of Passport in the Northern District of California.
A Florida federal court revoked Milagros Marileisis Acosta Torres's citizenship on Oct. 14 over a concealed money laundering conspiracy.
Acosta Torres was convicted in 2020, sentenced to six months in prison, and ordered to pay nearly $150,000 in restitution.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 21 claims 25 Oct 2026

Chinese national extradited to US over $36.9m Cambodia-based crypto scam

The Justice Department has brought a Chinese national from the Netherlands to a Los Angeles courtroom over a cryptocurrency investment fraud run from scam centers in Cambodia. The case maps a specific laundering route: US bank accounts to Deltec Bank in the Bahamas, conversion into Tether, and onward transfer to wallets in Cambodia. It shows how the DOJ is pursuing the financial plumbing behind pig-butchering schemes.

Zheng Zhao, 44, was arraigned in the Central District of California after extradition from the Netherlands and faces a maximum of 20 years if convicted.
More than $36.9 million in victim funds moved from US accounts to a single Deltec Bank account in the Bahamas, was converted to Tether, and transferred to a wallet controlled in Cambodia.
The government identified 174 US victims of the fraudulent digital asset investment scheme.
Eight co-conspirators have pleaded guilty, including ShengSheng He and Jingliang Su, sentenced to 51 and 46 months respectively for conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Zhao was charged in August 2025 with conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of the Criminal Division's Cyber-Enabled Scam Initiative.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 16 claims 23 Oct 2026

Telemedicine owner gets 20 years for $46.2M Medicare fraud scheme

A DOJ sentencing release detailing a six-year Medicare fraud conspiracy run through a telemedicine company and affiliated durable medical equipment suppliers. Relevant for compliance teams at telehealth, DME and laboratory businesses monitoring enforcement patterns in the health care fraud space and the penalties now being imposed.

Harwood was sentenced to 20 years in prison for organizing a $46.2 million Medicare fraud conspiracy spanning more than six years.
He was ordered to pay $17,942,402 in restitution to Medicare and $10,431,463 in forfeiture.
Doctors paid by Harwood signed orders for orthotic braces and genetic tests without Medicare-compliant telemedicine visits or real patient relationships.
Harwood sold the signed doctors' orders to DME supply companies, laboratories and marketers, and used his own DME companies to bill Medicare directly.
Harwood pleaded guilty in March 2026 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 15 claims 23 Oct 2026

DOJ charges 14 in DPRK IT worker scheme that hit over 70 US firms

DOJ and FBI announced coordinated action against a North Korean remote IT worker fraud network, including a 14-defendant indictment in Ohio and a multi-week device seizure operation in Texas. The release details how the scheme used stolen identities and US-based facilitators to place DPRK workers inside American companies, and lists email indicators firms can use to screen hires.

The indictment charges 14 defendants, including US nationals Michael James Bostelle and Juan Cecilio Pena Carrillo, with wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft.
The scheme ran from 2019 to around July 2025 and generated approximately $3 million in revenue believed sent to sanctioned DPRK-controlled accounts.
More than 70 US companies were affected across Ohio, sixteen additional states and the District of Columbia, in sectors including health care, communications and manufacturing.
Between September 21 and 25, the FBI conducted Operation Lonestar Roundup, searching over 40 Texas residences and seizing approximately 187 laptops and KVM devices.
DOJ listed eleven specific email addresses used in the scheme and encouraged employers to add them to their detection indicators.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 15 claims 23 Oct 2026

Sinaloa Cartel transporter pleads guilty to meth and marijuana trafficking

A DOJ press release details the guilty plea of a Mexican national who worked as a distributor and transporter for Sinaloa Cartel-affiliated traffickers. The case, brought under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, illustrates federal prosecutors' continued focus on mid-level cartel logistics networks and the financial channels that support them.

Hernandez Ochoa pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana for importation into the United States.
Court documents say he worked from 2015 to 2017 as a distributor and transporter using private planes, human couriers, tunnels, semi-trailer trucks and hidden vehicle compartments.
He also coordinated transportation of cash for drug purchases and its repatriation from the U.S. after sale.
Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 2, 2027, and he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs assisted in his extradition, with cooperation from the Government of Mexico.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 19 claims 23 Oct 2026

New Jersey brothers plead guilty to stealing $2.6 million in fake tax refunds

A DOJ guilty plea announcement details how two brothers used false Form 1041 trust filings to extract over $2.6 million combined in fraudulent IRS refund checks, then obstructed collection efforts with false nonresident filings. The case is part of DOJ's first National Tax Enforcement Surge, giving compliance and financial crime teams a window into current enforcement priorities.

Ronald Chrichlow and Gordon Chrichlow pleaded guilty to theft of government funds after claiming false refunds of $978,126 and $1,643,172 on 2022 Form 1041 filings.
The IRS issued Treasury checks for both amounts in March 2023, and Gordon Chrichlow used proceeds to buy a Porsche Taycan for approximately $117,364 and a house for approximately $686,258.
After an IRS revenue officer was assigned in August 2023, the brothers filed false Form 1040-NR returns falsely claiming nonresident status and treaty-based tax exemption.
Ronald Chrichlow earned $960,000 between 2021 and 2024 but did not file returns from 2022 to 2024, and separately claimed a false $93,228 refund for 2021.
Gordon Chrichlow failed to file returns from 2021 through 2024 despite earning more than $1.4 million in gross income in those years.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 14 claims 23 Oct 2026

Four Texans indicted over trust tax shelter tied to $200 million IRS loss

The indictment covers one case within DOJ's first National Tax Enforcement Surge, a nationwide push spanning early September to October 14. It details a promoted trust scheme, alleged obstruction of IRS audits, personal tax evasion and a separate fraudulent securities solicitation tied to one defendant, with charges carrying penalties up to 20 years per count on the most serious counts.

The indictment alleges the trust scheme sheltered more than $1.5 billion in client income, causing an estimated $200 million tax loss to the IRS.
Clients allegedly paid fees often exceeding $100,000 and were encouraged to backdate trusts and file amended returns claiming refunds.
Weickgenant is charged with corrupt interference with the IRS, including instructing clients not to speak with investigators and not to comply with a court order enforcing an IRS summons.
MacDonald is separately charged with wire fraud and transactions with criminally derived property over an alleged $2 million investor solicitation while under an SEC injunction barring unregistered securities sales.
The case is one of 76 defendants charged nationwide under DOJ's first National Tax Enforcement Surge, covering an estimated $490 million in intended and estimated federal revenue loss.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 16 claims 22 Oct 2026

DOJ and HHS open six-month False Claims Act self-disclosure pilot for healthcare firms

The Justice Department's Civil Division and HHS have launched a six-month pilot giving healthcare companies a defined route to resolve potential False Claims Act violations by disclosing them voluntarily. The programme fixes the repayment multiplier at 1.25 to 1.6 and offers a coordinated civil release from FCA and certain HHS administrative liability. This briefing sets out who qualifies, what a disclosure must contain, and the deadline.

The six-month FCA SDPP accepts self-disclosure submissions through April 22, 2027, and late or incomplete filings will not be reviewed.
Self-disclosing companies must repay the government with a 1.25 to 1.6 multiplier, varying by timeliness, scope, senior-leadership involvement, financial benefit and successor liability.
Participants must describe all relevant conduct, produce sufficient documents and set out remedial actions taken, submitting electronically to FCA-SDPP@usdoj.gov.
Qualifying companies receive a coordinated civil release from liability under the federal False Claims Act and certain HHS administrative authorities.
The pilot covers potential civil violations only; potential criminal conduct must be disclosed to DOJ's National Fraud Enforcement Division.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 26 claims 22 Oct 2026

DOJ charges 15 in Los Angeles health care fraud takedown over $1.8bn in claims

The Justice Department's new National Fraud Enforcement Division unveiled a coordinated Los Angeles takedown spanning sober home, hospice, atherectomy, genetic testing and pharmacy fraud. For compliance leads at insurers and providers, the sweep shows how data analytics now drives case selection and how kickback-driven patient recruitment remains the common thread across schemes totalling over $1.8 billion in fraudulent claims.

Nathan Young, David Young, Honey Phipps and Cody Phipps are charged over a scheme that billed private insurers more than $1.6 billion for sham substance abuse treatment, with co-defendant Nicholas Moore pleading guilty to assisting $199 million in fraudulent claims.
Dr. Harold Tabaie and Hany Malek face a $135 million Medicare scheme for unnecessary atherectomies, a case DOJ says was identified through data analytics showing Tabaie as an extreme national billing outlier from 2016 through 2023.
Three separate hospice schemes, charged against Geoffrey Jimenez, Dr. Richard Keech and Armani Raffi, allegedly billed Medicare over $138 million for patients who were not terminally ill, with non-death discharge rates far above the national average.
Christina Mareik was indicted over a nearly $270 million Medi-Cal pharmacy scheme exploiting the suspension of prior-authorization requirements, with approximately $269,130,000 billed and at least approximately $178,746,000 paid.
Doctors Hassan Badday and Robby Ayoub are charged with accepting per-patient kickbacks from a marketer for ApolloMDx laboratory in exchange for authorizing medically unnecessary genetic testing orders.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 17 claims 22 Oct 2026

Smuggler sentenced to five years for northern border human smuggling ring

A DOJ press release details the sentencing of Edgar Sanchez-Solis, a leader of an alien smuggling organization that moved migrants across the US-Canada border. The case, part of Operation Take Back America and Joint Task Force Alpha, outlines the scheme's structure, a 2023 vehicle chase, and co-defendants awaiting sentencing.

Edgar Sanchez-Solis, 27, was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and five counts of alien smuggling for commercial advantage and private financial gain.
The smuggling organization operated between December 2022 and April 2025 and smuggled hundreds of aliens from Mexico and Central and South America across the Canadian border into the United States.
In May 2023, a van carrying smuggled aliens led US Border Patrol on a vehicle chase that ended when officers used a tire deflation device.
Three co-defendants, Ignacio Diaz-Perez, Samuel Diaz-Perez, and Salvador Diaz-Diaz, pleaded guilty to related conspiracy and smuggling counts and are expected to be sentenced on November 23.
Joint Task Force Alpha's work to date has resulted in more than 486 domestic and international arrests and more than 486 US convictions, according to the release.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 17 claims 22 Oct 2026

San Diego man pleads guilty to evading over $6.7 million in taxes

The Justice Department announced a guilty plea in a tax evasion case involving an unreported income scheme tied to the sale of purported federal tax credits. The item covers the scale of unreported income, how proceeds were concealed and spent, and the sentencing timeline, relevant to compliance teams tracking enforcement trends in tax-related fraud.

Peter L. Roper's businesses received nearly $19 million in income between 2010 and 2021 that was never reported to the IRS.
Roper owed more than $6.7 million in federal income taxes on that unreported income.
He spent $187,432.34 on a 2015 McLaren 650S Spider and $277,698.50 on a 2021 Aston Martin DBX using business funds.
Roper concealed assets by titling them in the names of others and pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion.
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 8, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 14 claims 22 Oct 2026

ISIS-inspired inmate gets 50 years for stabbing attack on prison guards

A Justice Department press release details the sentencing of Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy for a 2020 assault on two corrections officers at USP Allenwood while he was already incarcerated for plotting ISIS attacks in New York City. The release covers the sentence, the underlying conduct, and prior proceedings.

Bahnasawy, 28, was sentenced to 50 years for the Dec. 7, 2020 attack on two corrections officers at USP Allenwood.
The 50-year term runs consecutive to the 40-year sentence he is already serving for plotting a 2016 ISIS attack in New York City.
Bahnasawy pleaded guilty in November 2025 to assault, assault with intent to commit murder, possession of contraband, and providing material support to ISIS.
One of the two attacked corrections officers lost his right eye as a result of the assault.
A note reading 'This is a terrorist attack for the Islamic State' was found in Bahnasawy's sock after he was restrained.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 15 claims 21 Oct 2026

Las Vegas tax preparer sentenced to 38 months over $5m refund fraud scheme

A DOJ sentencing release details a multi-year tax refund fraud scheme run through a family-owned Las Vegas tax preparation business. The case shows how false credits and borrowed preparer identifiers were used to inflate client refunds, with proceeds diverted to the preparers themselves, offering a compliance reference point on preparer-level fraud controls.

Ivan Odiaga was sentenced to 38 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States.
From 2017 through 2021, Odiaga and his mother, Iris Hondermann, prepared tax returns seeking more than $5 million in refunds clients were not entitled to receive.
The pair diverted more than $1.1 million in fraudulent refunds to bank accounts one or both of them controlled.
In 2020 and 2021, Odiaga prepared some returns using another tax preparer's PTIN without permission.
Hondermann pleaded guilty on Aug. 5 to one count of conspiring to defraud the United States.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 10 claims 21 Oct 2026

Courier for Chinese money laundering network gets nine years, $23m forfeiture

A DOJ press release details the sentencing of Shu Jun Zhen for her role as a bulk cash courier in a Chinese money laundering organization tied to drug trafficking proceeds. The case, brought under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, illustrates how such networks move cartel money through shell accounts and dual identities.

Shu Jun Zhen, 31, was sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to forfeit nearly $23 million.
The CMLO she worked for laundered over $92 million in illicit funds in less than two years, according to prosecutors.
Zhen personally picked up and deposited approximately $23 million in illicit bulk cash using real and fake identities.
She pleaded guilty in July 2025 to three counts, including money laundering conspiracy and a monetary transaction count involving property over $10,000.
Approximately $670,000 in U.S. currency and 12 firearms were seized from a drug trafficking organization that used the CMLO's services.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 25 claims 21 Oct 2026

DOJ fraud surge charges 40-plus defendants over nearly $42m in SNAP benefit fraud

The Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division announced its first coordinated surge against SNAP and USDA program fraud, bringing actions against more than 40 defendants between September 1 and October 21, 2026. The cases centre on compromised EBT cards, stolen identities and authorised retailers trafficking benefits. For anyone tracking payments fraud and identity-theft typologies, the charging documents map how these schemes are run and monetised.

The surge ran from September 1 to October 21, 2026, producing actions against more than 40 defendants whose schemes caused nearly $45 million in intended losses, nearly $42 million of it against SNAP.
The largest case, United States v. Yaseen and Kanaan in the Southern District of Ohio, alleges $29.7 million in intended loss from thousands of fraudulent EBT transactions run through approved Chicago retail food stores using stolen state account data.
In the Oregon conspiracy, Ana Patricia Escalante was sentenced to 27 months and ordered to pay $2.4 million in restitution; 12 of 17 defendants have been sentenced to a combined 157 months.
Mark Frisbie pleaded guilty in the Middle District of Florida to false crop-insurance claims and agreed to pay $1,506,992.26 in restitution to the Farm Service Agency.
Schemes relied on skimming devices, stolen identities covering more than 650 victims in one Michigan case, and retailers exchanging cash and non-eligible goods for benefits at discounted rates.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 20 claims 21 Oct 2026

Fraudster pleads guilty to scheme stealing benefits from thousands of US veterans

A US citizen who operated from the Philippines has pleaded guilty to exploiting stolen personal data of servicemembers and veterans to drain bank accounts and benefits. The case, part of the Criminal Division's Cyber-Enabled Scam Initiative, illustrates how an insider data theft inside a US Army records office fed a cross-border fraud and money-mule network.

Boling pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, each carrying a maximum of 20 years.
The stolen data originated with Fredrick Brown, a civilian Army medical records administrator in South Korea who photographed PII of thousands of military-affiliated individuals.
Boling was deported from the Philippines to the US in May 2026 and is scheduled for sentencing on January 14, 2027.
Co-conspirators Brown and Trorice Crawford were sentenced to 151 and 46 months; Jongmin Seok and Allan Albert Kerr remain fugitives.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 18 claims 20 Oct 2026

Maryland lab owner convicted of $18.7M Medicare respiratory-testing fraud at nursing homes

A federal jury in Maryland has convicted Annapolis laboratory owner Patrick Britton-Harr of billing Medicare for respiratory pathogen panel tests that nursing home residents did not need, physicians did not order, and in many cases were never performed. The case shows how pandemic-era COVID-19 testing access was leveraged into a separate, high-value billing stream, and how the conduct was proven at trial.

The jury convicted Britton-Harr on five counts of health care fraud and one count of transactional money laundering, each carrying a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Through Provista Health he billed Medicare $18.7 million for RPP testing in roughly six months, of which Medicare paid more than $7.2 million.
Physicians never ordered the RPP tests, and several testified they had never ordered one for any patient in their entire careers.
He billed for tests after closing his Arizona laboratory and for tests on nursing home residents who were already deceased.
Britton-Harr was previously convicted in a separate investment fraud scheme, according to the FBI.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 20 claims 20 Oct 2026

DOJ launches WHIP program paying whistleblowers up to $30,000 for fraud tips

The Justice Department and its National Fraud Enforcement Division have created the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program (WHIP), paying tipsters $10,000 to $30,000 at the charging stage for information on health care and government benefit fraud. This segment covers who it binds, which agencies' programs it targets, how it stacks with existing reward schemes, and the structural novelty of paying before a case is resolved.

WHIP pays whistleblowers $10,000 to $30,000 for information leading to criminal fraud charges, with awards made at DOJ's sole discretion after charges are filed.
The program pays at the charging stage rather than after final resolution, forfeiture and appeals, which DOJ says gives tipsters greater certainty and speed.
It covers federal health care offenses and fraud on programs run by USDA, Labor, HHS, HUD, Education, Veterans Affairs, the Department of War and the SBA, prioritizing hospice, home health, day care and special services fraud.
The Department of the Treasury is committing $25 million to the program, and reports can be filed at america.gov/fraud.
Participants remain eligible for additional awards through other schemes, including the Criminal Division's Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 22 claims 20 Oct 2026

Illinois lab COO charged over $66.2M COVID testing fraud on HRSA uninsured program

A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Illinois has indicted the co-owner of a Hillside clinical laboratory over a scheme to bill the HRSA Uninsured Program for COVID-19 PCR tests that were never run. The case turns on a staffing-vendor arrangement that supplied patient identities and specimens, many of them fictitious, and shows how pandemic-era federal reimbursement programs are now feeding criminal prosecutions.

Rajesh Patel, 52, of Schaumburg, Illinois, faces five counts of wire fraud, each carrying a maximum of 20 years in prison.
The laboratory submitted approximately $66.2 million in fraudulent claims to the HRSA Uninsured Program and was paid approximately $44.1 million.
Patel allegedly created fake negative results for at least 380,000 PCR tests between May 2021 and April 2022 that the laboratory never performed.
A March 2021 agreement saw the laboratory pay Meridian Medical Staffing Inc. tens of millions for specimens and patient information, many for patients who never existed.
DOJ says Patel personally obtained approximately $28 million in proceeds from the scheme.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 16 claims 20 Oct 2026

DOJ charges 16 non-citizens with illegal voting across North Carolina, New York, Idaho

The Justice Department announced criminal charges against 16 non-citizens in three federal districts for illegal voting, false claims of U.S. citizenship and related election crimes. For compliance and government affairs teams, the item signals the pace and breadth of a coordinated federal enforcement push on non-citizen voting now visible across multiple states in the same week.

Ten non-citizens were charged in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2024 elections, most facing counts of both falsely claiming citizenship to vote and voting by an alien.
Five non-citizens were arrested in the Northern District of New York for voter fraud, each charged with voting by an alien in a federal election.
Canadian national Taralynn Bosco, 48, was charged in the District of Idaho with illegal voting by an alien in the 2022 general election.
Several North Carolina defendants are alleged to have voted across multiple cycles, with one record of general-election voting cited back to 1998.
The release carries number 26-1214 and states all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 27 claims 20 Oct 2026

US arrests Pulido Vargas over two indictments tied to $2bn Venezuela laundering

The DOJ Criminal Division has announced the arrest of Alvaro Pulido Vargas, who faces a Southern District of Florida initial appearance on October 13 to answer two federal indictments from 2019 and 2021. Both allege laundering of bribery and fraud proceeds tied to Venezuelan government programs through the US financial system. For compliance leads, the case is a study in how US jurisdiction attaches to foreign corruption.

Pulido Vargas makes his initial appearance on October 13 in the Southern District of Florida to face two indictments returned in 2019 and 2021.
The 2021 indictment alleges roughly $1.6 billion in CLAP food and medicine contracts secured through bribes, with approximately $180 million transferred through or to the United States; it carries conspiracy and four money laundering counts, each with a 20-year maximum.
The 2019 indictment alleges laundering of approximately $350 million tied to Venezuela's government-controlled currency exchange, charging conspiracy and seven money laundering counts.
Co-defendant Alex Nain Saab Moran, named in the 2019 case, pleaded guilty to a money laundering scheme on September 15, 2026, per related DOJ content.
DEA Miami, FBI Miami and HSI Miami are investigating, with the prosecution forming part of the Homeland Security Task Force established by Executive Order 14159.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 20 claims 20 Oct 2026

DOJ Fraud Division orders prosecutors to use early, pre-indictment asset seizures

Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald has issued Directive 26-13, setting out how the National Fraud Enforcement Division will investigate and prosecute fraud. The memo pushes prosecutors toward early, pre-indictment asset seizures, digital-infrastructure takedowns and the combined use of multiple enforcement authorities. For firms exposed to US fraud enforcement, it signals a more aggressive, disruption-focused posture worth a few minutes.

Directive 26-13 requires Division prosecutors to deploy early, pre-indictment asset seizures and digital-infrastructure takedowns to freeze assets in real time.
Prosecutors are directed to combine the Division's tax, securities fraud, consumer fraud and cybercrime authorities against fraud schemes.
The directive urges developing cooperators, prosecuting corporate bad actors, seeking arrest and detention in appropriate cases, and fulsome advocacy at sentencing.
The Division cites a GAO estimate that the federal government loses between $233 billion and $521 billion annually to fraud.
The public may report corporate fraud to the Corporate Enforcement Section at corporate.enforcement@usdoj.gov.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 20 claims 20 Oct 2026

DOJ Charges 28 Green Card Holders With Voter Fraud Across California

The Justice Department unsealed criminal complaints against 28 lawful permanent residents across California's four federal districts, alleging they falsely claimed U.S. citizenship to register and vote, then lied about it on naturalization applications. The action follows a federal lawsuit against California over its refusal to set aside ballots from a list of flagged registrants.

DOJ charged 28 lawful permanent residents across California's Central, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts with election-related federal crimes, arresting 11 on October 19, 2026.
False statements on a naturalization application and fraudulent voter registration are both felonies carrying a maximum five-year federal prison sentence; some defendants instead face a misdemeanor voting-by-an-alien charge with a one-year maximum.
On October 13, the federal government gave California a list of more than 20,000 likely noncitizen registrants and asked it to set aside their vote-by-mail ballots; California declined.
DOJ says all 28 defendants charged appear on that list of more than 20,000 names, and has filed a separate lawsuit against California seeking a court order to prevent counting of ballots from unverified registrants.
Court documents allege the defendants claimed U.S. citizenship to register and vote, then later denied under oath on naturalization paperwork that they had ever claimed citizenship, registered, or voted.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 13 claims 20 Oct 2026

US seeks over $280M from kitchen-products importer and CEO over China duty evasion

The Justice Department has filed a civil fraud suit tied to a criminal case already charged in December 2025, seeking to recover unpaid customs duties and fraud penalties from an importer and its chief executive personally. For compliance and GC teams tracking trade-fraud enforcement, the filing shows how civil recovery under the Tariff Act now runs in parallel with criminal prosecution of the same alleged conduct.

The government seeks $67.9 million in unpaid customs duties and $222.5 million in fraud penalties from Uni-Tile & Marble Inc. and CEO Xin Mian Pan, jointly and severally.
The alleged scheme ran from September 2018 to August 2023 using multiple shell companies to transship, undervalue and misdescribe goods imported from China.
The conduct spanned 503 declared shipments of wooden cabinets, vanities, quartz surface products, ceramic tiles and other merchandise.
The civil complaint enforces a CBP demand under 19 U.S.C. § 1592(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930, based on conduct also charged criminally on December 18, 2025 in the Northern District of California.
The Justice Department's Trade Fraud Task Force, created to combat avoidance of import duties, partners with CBP on the matter.

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United States DOJ Criminal Division Financial Crime ✓ 21 claims 20 Oct 2026

Falmouth man pleads guilty to laundering proceeds of $6M Medicare DME fraud scheme

A money laundering conspiracy plea that turns on a straw ownership arrangement and bank secrecy. Anzivino fronted a durable medical equipment company whose true owners billed Medicare for braces nobody ordered. The case is short but detailed on how the laundering actually worked, including the moment a bank balked and the funds moved anyway. Useful for anyone building out nominee-ownership and beneficial-ownership controls.

Anzivino acted as the nominee owner of Advanced Medical Supply Corp. while co-conspirators were the actual beneficial owners and managers.
Advanced submitted more than $6 million in Medicare claims for unneeded, unprescribed knee and back braces, and Medicare paid more than $3 million.
After a New Hampshire bank declined to confirm the recipient companies were legitimate, Anzivino opened an account at another bank and wired $1,494,938.09 across three transactions, each over $10,000.
The government seized approximately $353,768.29 in assets tied to the scheme from Advanced's bank account in 2024.
Anzivino is scheduled to be sentenced on January 21, 2027 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

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