News

Baltimore, Maryland – A former Maryland Department of Labor (MD-DOL) insider pled guilty in federal court to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. Katrina McCant, 41, of Baltimore, pled guilty to charges in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance (UI) claim benefits during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This prosecution is part of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

Baltimore, Maryland – Three men are facing a superseding indictment in connection with a drug conspiracy that spanned from California to Maryland. Samir Footman, 38, of Halethorpe, Maryland; Kenny Guyton, 44, of Glen Burnie, Maryland; and Marcus McDaniel, 45, of Stockton, California, are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. 

Baltimore, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced, today, that it secured, in July, multiple immigration-related prosecutions against illegal aliens who re-entered the United States after prior removals in connection with the Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America.

Baltimore, Maryland – A Baltimore man received a sentence of more than eight years in federal prison, today, for drug trafficking and firearm charges in connection with a local drug trafficking investigation. U.S. District Judge Matthew Maddox sentenced Davon Taylor, 35, to 97 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Baltimore, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced, today, that Everlight Electronics, a publicly traded Taiwanese company that manufactures light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and Everlight Americas, its Texas-based subsidiary, agreed to pay the United States $5.15 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act, common law, and the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, by knowingly failing to pay duties owed on LEDs imported from the People’s Republic of China.

Baltimore, Maryland – A Houston man pled guilty in federal court, today, to child sex abuse crimes. Dazhon Darien, 34, formerly of Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty to sexually exploiting a child.  Darien also admitted that he sexually exploited eight minor victims. 

Greenbelt, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced, today, that it filed a two-count indictment against two drug traffickers, a Maryland man and an illegal alien, stemming from a federal drug investigation. Jamar Rashard Whitaker, 42, of Waldorf, and Pedro Antonio Guardado Rivera, 33, of El Salvador, made their initial appearances to face the charges.

Baltimore, Maryland – A Maryland man received a federal prison term in connection with firearm charges. U.S. District Court Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Keith Cook, 32, to seven years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Additionally, Cook is a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

Baltimore, Maryland – A Maryland woman received a federal-prison term, today, for her role in an unemployment insurance (UI) fraud conspiracy. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced Elizabeth Maria Ceballos, 50, of Silver Spring, to 40 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges in connection with the scheme.  

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal judge sentenced a national from Honduras, residing in Halethorpe, Maryland, today, in connection with an illegal immigration crime. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Carlos Amador Lopez, 30, to 10 months in federal prison for illegal re-entry of an alien after a prior conviction and removal. 

Baltimore, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced, today, that 14 Baltimore men face indictment stemming from a federal investigation into a group running an open-air drug market in West Baltimore.

Baltimore, Maryland – A North Carolina man, who posed as an investment advisor, is headed to prison for running an investment fund theft scam in which he stole from at least 64 investors in the District of Maryland. Today, U.S. District Judge Matthew Maddox sentenced Hunter Haithcock, 25, aka Hunter Elliott, of Matthews, to 42 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for committing wire and investment adviser fraud.