Assistant U.S. Attorney

Pastor pleads guilty to stealing $130K from church to pay gambling debts – Christian Post
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Pastor pleads guilty to stealing $130K from church to pay gambling debts – Christian Post

An executive pastor in New Hampshire pleaded guilty in federal court to using Journey Baptist Church’s debit and credit cards without authorization to pay off his gambling debts, according to U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young. Gregory Neal, 45, of Rochester, admitted to a “one-count information alleging wire fraud” during his appearance in court, Young said…

FBI and Billings area law enforcement battle human trafficking – KTVQ
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FBI and Billings area law enforcement battle human trafficking – KTVQ

BILLINGS – Federal officials warned the public Monday of a continuing crisis, human trafficking, in Montana. They met to raise awareness about the prevalence of the issue and to have more people tackling the problem. Human trafficking happens every day in Billings, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI. So they made a…

Micronesian Couple Sentenced for Withholding Passports to Coerce Labor of Two Men in Meat Processing Plant
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Micronesian Couple Sentenced for Withholding Passports to Coerce Labor of Two Men in Meat Processing Plant

U.S. District Chief Judge Stephanie M. Rose sentenced defendants Nesly Mwarecheong, 46, and Bertino Weires, 51, U.S. residents and Federated States of Micronesia citizens, to 48 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and nearly $70,000 in restitution to the victims for withholding passports to coerce labor of two men in a…

Superseding Indictment Charges Wisconsin Man with Sex and Labor Trafficking, Production of Child Pornography, more
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Superseding Indictment Charges Wisconsin Man with Sex and Labor Trafficking, Production of Child Pornography, more

A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin returned a superseding indictment charging a Wisconsin man with labor and sex trafficking, production of child pornography and money laundering. The superseding nine-count indictment charges Austin Koeckeritz, 29, with forced labor, sex trafficking by force, sex trafficking of a minor, interstate travel with the intent…

Owner of Boston Pizzeria Chain Arrested on Forced Labor Charges – Department of Justice
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Owner of Boston Pizzeria Chain Arrested on Forced Labor Charges – Department of Justice

BOSTON – The owner of Stash’s Pizza was arrested this morning on forced labor charges for allegedly employing a victim who lacked immigration status and forcing him to work for years while threatening him with deportation and subjecting him to repeated verbal and physical abuse.   Stavros Papantoniadis, a/k/a “Steve Papantoniadis,” 47, of Westwood, was…

DHS and DOJ Announce Historic Guatemalan Human Smuggling Extraditions
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DHS and DOJ Announce Historic Guatemalan Human Smuggling Extraditions

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security joined the U.S. Department of Justice yesterday to announce the first ever extraditions from Guatemala to the United States on charges of human smuggling resulting in death, and the first Guatemalan human smuggling extraditions to the United States of any kind in nearly five years. This announcement…

Leader of Waycross-area drug trafficking conspiracy sentenced to decades in federal prison
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Leader of Waycross-area drug trafficking conspiracy sentenced to decades in federal prison

WAYCROSS, GA:  The leader of a south Georgia fentanyl- and heroin-trafficking operation linked to drug overdose deaths has been sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison. Eric Lashawn Hayes, a/k/a “Pee Wee,” 39, of Blackshear, Ga., was sentenced to 262 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm in…

Prince George's County Pair Sentenced on Federal Charges Related to Sex Trafficking of Minors
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Prince George's County Pair Sentenced on Federal Charges Related to Sex Trafficking of Minors

Willis Lewis, 49, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, and Brittany Jones, 33, of Suitland, Maryland, were sentenced  for their roles in a sex trafficking operation involving teenage victims. Lewis was sentenced to life in prison; Jones was sentenced to 14 years in prison. The result was announced by United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney…

Texas man convicted of sex trafficking, possessing child pornography – ICE
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Texas man convicted of sex trafficking, possessing child pornography – ICE

HOUSTON — A Houston man pleaded guilty to several sex trafficking crimes and possession of child pornography Feb. 27 following a Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and the Houston Police Department. A judge in the Southern District of Texas convicted Edgar Botello, 30,…