All USAO Press Releases

BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Javier Aguilar was sentenced to 48 months in prison for his role in two interrelated schemes to bribe Ecuadorian and Mexican government officials.  In February 2024, Aguilar was convicted at trial of conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FPCA), violating the FCPA, and money laundering in connection with a scheme to bribe Ecuadorian officials.  Aguilar subsequently pleaded guilty to charges arising out of a related scheme to bribe officials at PEMEX Procurement International (PPI), a wholly owned affiliate of the

U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Michael J. Hale, 65, of Lockport, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to making a materially false statement, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – SHYHIEM PINES, age 31, a resident of Tangipahoa Parish, pled guilty on September 17, 2026, before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier to a three-count superseding bill of information charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C), possession with intent to distribute fifty (50) grams or more of methamphetamine and forty (40) grams or more of a mixture and substance

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – KEVIN DEAN, age 34, a resident of Mississippi, pled guilty on September 10, 2026, to two counts of distribution of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

Three aliens from Mexico, Venezuela, and Antigua and Barbuda face federal charges for allegedly voting illegally in recent federal elections. 

Another 254 people have been charged with immigration and border security-related crimes from Sept. 11-17

A Long Beach man was sentenced today to 30 years in federal prison for his primary role in the March 2021 murder of a victim who was shot to death in Inglewood during a marijuana deal.

Today, the Justice Department announced charges against 16 individuals in connection with illegal voting, illegal voter registration, and related election-fraud schemes across the country. The charges include unlawful voting by non-citizens in federal elections, false claims of citizenship to register or vote, and related offenses including wire fraud, naturalization fraud, passport fraud, and unlawful firearm purchases uncovered during the course of these investigations.

 A federal jury convicted a Missouri man of forcing and coercing minors to commit sexual acts with adults in exchange for money.