(Missouri Independent) – A nearly 50-year-old federal law backed by Republicans allows the use of federal dollars for abortions in cases of rape, incest or to save a patient’s life. That so-called Hyde Amendment, which is folded into spending bills, is less stringent than new or planned abortion bans in some GOP-led states, where governors […]
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the Empowering States to Deport Illegal Immigrants Act, new legislation that will give authority to states to enforce federal immigration laws and prosecute anyone who illegally enters the country that is residing in their state. With a rise in illegal drug trafficking and a surge in illegal border crossings […]
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration today announced the results of an enforcement operation that spanned from May to September and resulted in significant fentanyl seizures across the United States. As part of the One Pill Can Kill initiative, the DEA and its law enforcement partners seized more than 10.2 million fentanyl pills and approximately 980 pounds of […]
Bladimir Moreno, 55, pleaded guilty in federal court in Tampa, Florida, to charges of conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and conspiracy to commit forced labor. A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida had previously returned a six-count indictment against multiple defendants for their roles in a federal […]
Anthony Souza of Ocean Beach was sentenced in federal court to 12.5 years for conspiracy to distribute 400 grams and more of fentanyl. Souza’s distribution of fentanyl resulted in the fatal overdose of 28-year-old Chad Stevens, also of Ocean Beach. According to his plea agreement, Souza admitted that he provided four fake pills laced with […]
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that Justin Roberson,34, Clearwater, pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Roberson faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to the facts presented at the change of […]
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned an indictment yesterday charging Oscar Flores, 34, of Mount Rainier, Maryland, and Severo Alelar, 25, of Hyattsville, Maryland, with […]
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Koudris Pounder, 38, formerly of Norwalk, was sentenced on Friday by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing controlled substances. According to court documents and statements made […]
A Massachusetts man and a Florida man pleaded guilty for their roles in perpetrating a foreign exchange trading scheme to steal $30 million from their investor victims. According to court documents, Patrick Gallagher, 44, of Middleborough, Massachusetts, and Michael Dion, 49, of Orlando, Florida, devised a scheme in which they would solicit victims to invest […]
The Justice Department announced that Axel C. Cox, 23, has been charged with hate crime and arson violations for burning a cross in his front yard to threaten, interfere with and intimidate a Black family in Gulfport, Mississippi. According to court documents, Cox is charged with one count of criminal interference with the right to […]
(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. House passed on Wednesday a bill updating a 19th-century law in an attempt to prevent the subversion of future presidential elections. The Presidential Election Reform Act, which passed 229-203, is meant to deter a repeat of the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, in which the U.S. Capitol was attacked by a mob […]
Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Indianapolis, and U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana announced that Max W. Woodard II, 51, of Lebanon, Indiana, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. According to court documents, on April 19, 2022, a law […]
A man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for impersonating a minor female on social media and enticing dozens of minors in the Topeka area to record and send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves. According to court documents, Jeffrey D. Pierce, 42, of Topeka, Kansas, was a former teacher and basketball […]
A federal jury convicted a Pennsylvania man and woman for a scheme to pay and receive kickbacks in exchange for the referral of prescription medications. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Steven J. Valentino, 65, of Haverford, and Michele Miller, 53, of Swarthmore, a doctor, and his office manager, respectively, participated in […]
The Department of Justice announced federal criminal charges against 47 defendants for their alleged roles in a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic. “These indictments, alleging the largest pandemic relief fraud scheme charged to date, underscore the Department of Justice’s sustained commitment to combating pandemic fraud […]
A 43-year-old Houston rapper has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of conspiracy to distribute and distributing meth, cocaine, and opioids, announced Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux, Houston Division, and U.S. Attorney B. Lowery. Jermaine West aka The Breadman pleaded guilty on April 6 to 10 counts of […]
A federal jury convicted six Tennessee men Friday for racketeering conspiracy and other charges involving murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and other crimes, all stemming from their involvement with the Clarksville chapter of the Mongols Motorcycle Club (Clarksville Mongols). The seventh man from Kentucky, who was not a member of the Mongols, was also convicted by […]
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) joined Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and 12 Republican Senate colleagues in introducing the Felony Murder For Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Act to combat the rise of fentanyl being trafficked across our southern border and into our communities. The Illicit use of fentanyl is now the leading cause of death among Americans aged […]
Twenty-one individuals have been indicted in federal court in Boston in connection with their alleged roles in drug trafficking organizations that distributed cocaine and fentanyl throughout the North Shore and Central Massachusetts. The following defendants have been charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute various weights of fentanyl and […]
Twenty-five alleged drug traffickers have been charged in “Operation Papercheck Fresh,” announced DEA Dallas Special Agent in Charge Eduardo A. Chávez. During a large-scale operation last Thursday – which involved eight law enforcement agencies targeting nine locations, including a recording studio in Dallas’ Bryan Place neighborhood – officers and agents also seized cocaine, methamphetamine, THC, […]
