Today, the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division announced the results of a surge of criminal enforcement actions targeting fraud in the Social Security Administration (SSA)’s benefits programs, including Supplemental Security Income (SSI). 

Two Mexican nationals were arraigned in the Western District of Texas after being extradited from Mexico to face charges for smuggling unaccompanied alien children into the United States.

An illegal alien from Venezuela made his initial appearance in federal court today after being charged with one count of assaulting, resisting, interfering, and impeding a federal officer, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida charged two individuals, Swapnadip Roy, 33, and Vicky Ramancha, 37, both Indian nationals, with conspiracy and smuggling related to an alleged transnational counterfeit prescription drug distribution scheme.

Ahmad Khalil Elshazly, 29, of West Haven, Connecticut, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in the District of Connecticut to 92 months in prison and lifetime supervised release for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Last week, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted the United States’ motion for summary judgment and invalidated New York’s “Climate Change Superfund Act.” The court held the law is unconstitutional and enjoined the state from imposing $75 billion in penalties on global energy producers for the alleged local effects of climate change. Last month, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York also ruled against the state.

Today, the Justice Department announced charges and guilty pleas involving 12 individuals, including three illegal aliens, in connection with illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration, and related election crimes across the country. The cases include voting by aliens in federal elections, false claims of U.S. citizenship to register or vote, false statements on citizenship applications, and the alleged disposal of approximately 300 mail-in ballots by a former postal carrier.

Malachi Morgan Thomas, 24, of Virginia, was sentenced yesterday to 40 years in prison for sexual exploitation of children and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). 

Cameron John Wagenius, 22, a former Army soldier who was most recently stationed in Texas, was sentenced today to 70 months in prison and ordered to pay $294,978 in restitution for conspiring to hack into telecommunications companies’ databases, access sensitive records, and extort the  companies by threatening to release the stolen data unless ransoms were paid.

A federal jury in the Middle District of Florida convicted a Cuban National for his role in an international alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy. 

A federal jury in Fort Worth convicted a Texas licensed professional counselor yesterday for his role in a $26 million health care fraud, kickbacks, and money laundering scheme.

On Thursday, the Attorney General gathered victims and survivor families together at the first Summit on Victims of Violent Crime ahead of National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims on September 25.