News

Theodore S. Hertzberg will remain as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia after the judges of the United States District Court voted on Monday for him to serve in that role indefinitely.

Darrlin Vernard Warner was sentenced to fifteen years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine while in possession of multiple firearms and more than $175,000 in drug proceeds.

Roberto Lopez, a/k/a Shrek, a/k/a NWA, was arraigned and detained in federal court on Friday following his transfer from Mexico to face federal charges of cocaine importation and distribution and money laundering. Lopez, who was hiding in Mexico for more than a decade before his capture, allegedly smuggled hundreds of machineguns and assault weapons and helped manage a vast cocaine smuggling network in support of high-level cartel leaders.

Federal charges were unsealed today against Ronald Watson, a/k/a Sarah Watson, a/k/a Miranda Kyle, a/k/a Emily Smith, 28, of Kennesaw, Ga., for arson and destruction of government property. The charges stem from an attack on the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) building located in downtown Atlanta during the summer of 2020.

Alexis Carreon Bocanegra, an illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested and detained in federal court on charges related to his alleged distribution of fentanyl and possession of firearms.

Royce Cobb, a/k/a “Rapp,” 47, of Atlanta, Georgia, a multi-time convicted felon who was distributing kilogram quantities of dangerous drugs from an Atlanta stash house, will serve a 23-year prison sentence following his convictions for cocaine trafficking and illegal possession of a loaded semiautomatic firearm. Cobb previously served prison sentences in Georgia and North Carolina for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, trafficking and attempted trafficking in cocaine, trafficking in marijuana, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Cobb’s aggravated assault conviction followed

Omari A. Nicks, a convicted cocaine trafficker, was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison for trafficking methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl out of his Atlanta apartment while illegally possessing a loaded AR-style rifle.

Corey Boyer, a/k/a Baby Joker, 26, of Atlanta, Ga., and Antonio Smith, a/k/a Ace, 27, of Atlanta, Ga., were sentenced for distributing methamphetamine and other drugs throughout the metro-Atlanta area as members of the Atlanta-based GoodFellas street gang.

Michael Ferrell Price, a/k/a “Cheese,” a Cherokee County drug user, has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine from a backwoods shed in which he stored explosive devices, unregistered silencers, machineguns, and other firearms. In an adjacent structure, Price operated an illegal moonshine still.

On August 15, 2025, three defendants, including a convicted sex offender on post-release supervision, pled guilty to federal child enticement and evidence tampering charges. U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg handled the court proceedings himself.

Ten individuals face federal charges stemming from a fraud and money laundering operation that targeted government loan programs offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration, including the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and Paycheck Protection Program. In addition, two of the defendants were charged with laundering the proceeds of a fraudulent unemployment insurance scheme.

Rena Barrett, a former Small Business Administration (“SBA”) loan officer, pled guilty on August 11, 2025 to making false statements to the SBA in connection with applications for more than $550,000 in fraudulent COVID-19 pandemic loans.