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Homeland Security Investigations

Brick Township Man Caught Sending, Receiving Child Porn: Prosecutors Brick Township Man Caught Sending, Receiving Child Porn: Prosecutors
Brick Township Man Caught Sending, Receiving Child Porn: Prosecutors A Brick Township man was accused of downloading and sharing child pornography, authorities said. Dennis Hubert, 42, was charged with possession of child pornography, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release on Thursday, Oct. 24. The investigation started when the state police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Investigators with the county prosecutor's office discovered an IP address associated with a Brick Township home was accessing child porn pictur…
Brick Twp. Man Admits To Recording Children's Sex Acts During Video Chats, Prosecutors Say Brick Twp. Man Admits To Recording Children's Sex Acts During Video Chats, Prosecutors Say
Brick Twp. Man Admits To Recording Children's Sex Acts During Video Chats, Prosecutors Say A Brick Township man admitted to recording children performing sexual acts for him in video chats, authorities said. Christopher Budelman, 37, pleaded guilty on Friday, Oct. 4 to two counts of sexual assault, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Prosecutors said they're seeking seven years in state prison for Budelman, along with registering as a sex offender, a ban from contacting the victims, and lifetime parole supervision. The state police's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force found a person was using the …
Babies Among Victims Depicted In Child Porn Downloaded By South Jersey Repeat Offender: Feds Babies Among Victims Depicted In Child Porn Downloaded By South Jersey Repeat Offender: Feds
Babies Among Victims Depicted In Child Porn Downloaded By South Jersey Repeat Offender: Feds A Burlington man previously convicted of downloading child pornography admitted to committing the same crime, authorities said. Charles Borrelli, 62, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Sept. 25 to receipt of child pornography, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. According to court documents and statements, Borrelli downloaded pictures of child sexual abuse on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022. He also used a peer-to-peer file-sharing network to distribute photos and videos on the same day. Investigators said Borrelli had more than 600 images and videos…
Philly Man Admits To Attempting To Hire Girl, 12, As Prostitute At NJ Hotel: Feds Philly Man Admits To Attempting To Hire Girl, 12, As Prostitute At NJ Hotel: Feds
Philly Man Admits To Attempting To Hire Girl, 12, As Prostitute At NJ Hotel: Feds A Philadelphia man admitted to trying to hire a preteen girl as a prostitute and meet her at a New Jersey hotel, authorities said. Louis Goldenberg, 41, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Sept. 18, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. He was charged in September 2023 with attempted online enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution. According to court documents and statements, Goldenberg started messaging an undercover agent posing as a middle-aged woman with a 12-year-old niece in August 2023. For the next month, Goldenberg continually expre…
Jersey Shore Man Admits To Having Unregistered Machine Guns, Modified Weapons: Feds Jersey Shore Man Admits To Having Unregistered Machine Guns, Modified Weapons: Feds
Jersey Shore Man Admits To Having Unregistered Machine Guns, Modified Weapons: Feds A Somers Point man admitted to having unregistered machine guns and modified firearms, authorities said. Michael James, 30, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Aug. 20 to possessing unregistered machine guns and other firearms, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. James had been given a federal charge on Wednesday, May 15. According to court documents and statements, Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted two packages with suspected drugs addressed to James' home in February. Investigators "conducted a controlled delivery of the packages" on&nb…
South Jersey Man Uploaded Child Porn Videos To Internet, Prosecutors Say South Jersey Man Uploaded Child Porn Videos To Internet, Prosecutors Say
South Jersey Man Uploaded Child Porn Videos To Internet, Prosecutors Say A Willingboro man was accused of uploading child pornography videos to the internet, authorities said. Aaron Minor, 24, was charged with second-degree distribution of child sexual abuse material, second-degree possession of child sexual abuse material with the intent to distribute, and third-degree possession of child sexual abuse material. Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw announced Minor's charges in a news release on Monday, Aug. 12. The investigation began when state police received a tip about Minor from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Chi…
Central Jersey Man Sextorted Boy He Met In Online Gaming Chatroom: Prosecutors Central Jersey Man Sextorted Boy He Met In Online Gaming Chatroom: Prosecutors
Central Jersey Man Sextorted Boy He Met In Online Gaming Chatroom: Prosecutors A Somerset man was accused of trying to get a boy to send him nude pictures and videos in a sextortion scheme, authorities said. Sebastian Romero, 27, was arrested on Friday, Aug. 2, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw said in a news release. The investigation started after the boy's family contacted the Cinnaminson Township Police Department in July. Investigators said Romero met the boy online through an online gaming platform's chatroom and knew the boy was underage. He got personal information about the boy before offering to pay him with electronic gif…
Jersey Shore Man Uploaded Child Pornography On Internet, Prosecutors Say Jersey Shore Man Uploaded Child Pornography On Internet, Prosecutors Say
Jersey Shore Man Uploaded Child Pornography On Internet, Prosecutors Say A Brick Township man was accused of uploading child pornography on the internet, authorities said.  Robert Lasher, 71, was charged with possession of child pornography, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. He was arrested after police executed a search warrant on his home on Tuesday, July 2. The investigation started when the state police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) received a tip about someone uploading pictures of child porn online. Investigators traced an IP address associated with a Brick Township home and Lash…
Unregistered Machine Guns Found In Raid, South Jersey Man Facing Federal Charge: Prosecutor Unregistered Machine Guns Found In Raid, South Jersey Man Facing Federal Charge: Prosecutor
Unregistered Machine Guns Found In Raid, South Jersey Man Facing Federal Charge: Prosecutor An Atlantic County man was given a new federal charge after he was accused of having unregistered machine guns and modified firearms, authorities said. Michael James, 30, of Somers Point, was charged on Wednesday, May 15 with possessing unregistered machine guns and other firearms, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced in a news release. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine under the National Firearms Act.  Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted two packages with suspected drugs addressed to James' home in February, acco…
NJ Flight Attendant Smuggled Millions In Drug Cash To The DR Through Special Airport Lane: Feds NJ Flight Attendant Smuggled Millions In Drug Cash To The DR Through Special Airport Lane: Feds
NJ Flight Attendant Smuggled Millions In Drug Cash To The DR Through Special Airport Lane: Feds A flight attendant from New Jersey smuggled $2.5 million of an estimated $8 million in drug money from the United States to the Dominican Republic through a scheme that capitalized on flight crews’ easy access through airports, authorities charged. Charlie Hernandez, 42, of West New York and three other accused mile-high drug mules used code words such as “lotions” – meaning drug cash – and “los tigres” (for their drug-dealing partners), an indictment alleges. Each got a cut for slipping the cash through unscreened TSA security lanes for international commercial airline employees at JFK Air…
Four South Jersey Men Caught During Child Sex Crime Investigation: Prosecutors Four South Jersey Men Caught During Child Sex Crime Investigation: Prosecutors
Four South Jersey Men Caught During Child Sex Crime Investigation: Prosecutors Four men were arrested in a police operation trying to stop child sex crimes in Cape May County, authorities said. The arrests were in a two-day operation in Ocean City called "Blank Space", Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland announced in a news release on Wednesday, May 8. Homeland Security Investigations and state police were among more than a dozen law enforcement agencies in the investigation. The men arrested were 66-year-old William Peraria of Somers Point, 37-year-old Jeffrey Dragon of Pitman, 34-year-old Marc Carroll of Voorhees, and 38-year-old Kristofer L…
Feds: Nine Sex, Money, Murder Members Nabbed With Fentanyl, Coke, More At Open-Air Drug Market Feds: Nine Sex, Money, Murder Members Nabbed With Fentanyl, Coke, More At Open-Air Drug Market
Feds: Nine Sex, Money, Murder Members Nabbed With Fentanyl, Coke, More At Open-Air Drug Market Nine reputed members and associates of the Sex, Money, Murder street gang were charged by Homeland Security agents in New Jersey with peddling fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine at an open-air drug market. Working with local law enforcers, agents with HSI Investigations Newark homed in on a neighborhood on West 3rd Street in Plainfield where the subset of the Bloods controlled the drug trade, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. For months, they witnessed and recorded sales, conducted undercover buys -- some by confidential informants -- and analyzed phone records, the U.S. attorney said. …
Jersey Shore Reservist Admits Scamming Grieving Army Families Out Of $3.7M In Death Benefits Jersey Shore Reservist Admits Scamming Grieving Army Families Out Of $3.7M In Death Benefits
Jersey Shore Reservist Admits Scamming Grieving Army Families Out Of $3.7M In Death Benefits UPDATE: A ruthless now-former military reservist from Monmouth County admitted scamming the survivors of soldiers killed in war out of $3.7 million. Caz Craffy, 41, of Colts Neck, used his role as a counselor with the United States Army to pocket $1.4 million by exploiting the grief of Gold Star families, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Craffy – who’s also known as “Carz Craffey” – “used lies and deception” to defraud two dozen families of what he told them were investments, the U.S. attorney said. For many, it was the only money they had. Whenever a member of the a…
NJ Feds: PA Sex Offender Recorded Tryst With Minor In UK NJ Feds: PA Sex Offender Recorded Tryst With Minor In UK
NJ Feds: PA Sex Offender Recorded Tryst With Minor In UK A registered sex offender from Pennsylvania who authorities said recorded himself and a minor having sex in the United Kingdom is now in federal custody in New Jersey. Gregory J. Barger, 38, of Morrisville, PA, was originally one of 21 accused predators arrested by undercover investigators with the New Jersey attorney general's and Mercer County (NJ) prosecutor's offices in what became known as "Operation Risky Business" in the spring of 2022. It came to light during that probe, however, that Barger had flown to the United Kingdom, where he recorded video and still images on his phone of hi…
Philly Trio Admits $1.6M Worth Of Thefts From 55 UPS Locations Across NJ, NY, PA, Beyond Philly Trio Admits $1.6M Worth Of Thefts From 55 UPS Locations Across NJ, NY, PA, Beyond
Philly Trio Admits $1.6M Worth Of Thefts From 55 UPS Locations Across NJ, NY, PA, Beyond UPDATE: Three young Philadelphia men admitted burglarizing 55 UPS warehouses across New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and beyond, netting more than $1.6 million worth of electronics. Sekou Fofanah, 20, Shamaire Brown, 19, and Quamaire Brown, 19, each pleaded guilty in federal court in Camden to conspiracy to commit cargo theft, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. All three and a fourth man, Aboudramane Karamoko, had been arrested and released at one time or other since the burglaries began nearly four years ago, records show. The most recent was last past April, when po…
NJ Woman Convicted By Federal Jurors Of Having Cocaine, Meth Fed-Exed To Her Home NJ Woman Convicted By Federal Jurors Of Having Cocaine, Meth Fed-Exed To Her Home
NJ Woman Convicted By Federal Jurors Of Having Cocaine, Meth Fed-Exed To Her Home 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: An Essex County woman who took her chances with a federal jury rather than accept a plea deal from the government was convicted of having cocaine FedExed to her apartment. Authorities intercepted two parcels addressed to "John Brown" in Newark in March 2021, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Mahogany Hawkins, 32, answered the door when an undercover officer posing as a FedEx driver delivered both of them, he said.Detectives knocked on the door again, identifying themselves as police this time, the U.S. attorney said.Hawkins said she was “getting dressed” and didn’t respon…
Thief Who Stole $1.5M Worth Of Luxury Cars In NJ, Rockland, Long Island, CT Gets 3½ Years Thief Who Stole $1.5M Worth Of Luxury Cars In NJ, Rockland, Long Island, CT Gets 3½ Years
Thief Who Stole $1.5M Worth Of Luxury Cars In NJ, Rockland, Long Island, CT Gets 3½ Years 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: The last of four men who admitted stealing more than $1.5 million worth of luxury cars in New Jersey, Rockland County, Long Island and Connecticut was sentenced to nearly 3½ years in federal prison. Malik Baker, 30, of Vauxhall, and his three co-conspirators stashed at least 10 of the vehicles at a central location in Irvington, NJ, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger said. The Essex County-based quartet often used one stolen vehicle to swipe another, he added. In one instance, Sellinger said, the crew swiped a Maserati GranTurismo at the Jersey Shore in Manalapan an…
NJ's Richard Reinhold Jr., 46, Deputy Special Agent For Homeland Security Dies NJ's Richard Reinhold Jr., 46, Deputy Special Agent For Homeland Security Dies
NJ's Richard Reinhold Jr., 46, Deputy Special Agent For Homeland Security Dies Richard Reinhold Jr., a well-respected deputy special agent in charge with Homeland Security Investigations from New Jersey, died on Monday, Feb. 26 with his family by his side, his obituary said. He was 46 years old. Rich, of Delran — affectionately referred to by colleagues as "Big Daddy" — previously worked as an agent in Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Newark, NJ.  Richard grew up in Philadelphia and attended Father Judge High School and Holy Family University where he received a bachelor’s degree in accounting, his obituary said. After graduating, he joined the…
NJ Attorney, Son Charged With Ripping Off Hundreds Of Immigrants In Bronx NJ Attorney, Son Charged With Ripping Off Hundreds Of Immigrants In Bronx
NJ Attorney, Son Charged With Ripping Off Hundreds Of Immigrants In Bronx Homeland Security agents smashed an operation run by a New Jersey father and son who for years fooled hundreds of immigrants living in the Bronx into paying thousands of dollars for services that only got many of them deported, authorities said. Instead of legitimately fast-tracking their clients’ bids for legal U.S. residency, attorney Kofi Amankwaa and his son, Kofi Jr., filed false petitions to the federal government claiming that the immigrants’ children had abused them, authorities said. All this did, they said, was put the applicants on immigration officials’ radar, leading to green c…
10-Year Minimum Awaits Repeat Child Porn Collector Caught With 1,300 Files At Newark Airport 10-Year Minimum Awaits Repeat Child Porn Collector Caught With 1,300 Files At Newark Airport
10-Year Minimum Awaits Repeat Child Porn Collector Caught With 1,300 Files At Newark Airport A convicted child porn collector from North Jersey who'd moved to Ecuador after serving his time here is headed to federal prison for at least 10 more years. Christopher Carvajal, 30, most recently of North Bergen, had 900 videos and more than 400 images of child sex -- some of it involving infants or toddlers -- on his iPhone when Homeland Security Investigations seized him at Newark Airport last year. It also contained messages in which Carvajal "discussed his desire for sexual encounters with young children," U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Rather than risk a much more lengthy…
Federal Agent Interrupts Carjacking, Hit By Fleeing Thugs' Vehicle At 'The Vince' Federal Agent Interrupts Carjacking, Hit By Fleeing Thugs' Vehicle At 'The Vince'
Federal Agent Interrupts Carjacking, Hit By Fleeing Thugs' Vehicle At 'The Vince' EXCLUSIVE: A U.S. Homeland Security officer was struck by a fleeing vehicle after interrupting an attempted carjacking Thursday at the Vince Lombardi Service Area off the New Jersey Turnpike, law enforcement sources told Daily Voice. Four black men in a black Porsche Macan were trying to take an elderly Jewish man's vehicle in the parking lot of the rest stop in Ridgefield around 11:30 a.m. Jan. 11, they said. Members of a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) task force who were working a separate investigation in the area intervened. The officer who was struck wasn't seriously injured, …
CEO In Bergen Sold $35M Worth Of Banned Chinese Surveillance Cams To Police, Others In NJ: Feds CEO In Bergen Sold $35M Worth Of Banned Chinese Surveillance Cams To Police, Others In NJ: Feds
CEO In Bergen Sold $35M Worth Of Banned Chinese Surveillance Cams To Police, Others In NJ: Feds A Jersey Shore businessman conned state and local law enforcement agencies and others into buying nearly $35 million worth of surveillance cameras that were made in China and then illegally rebranded for sale by his Bergen County company, federal authorities charged. Tamer Zakhary, 49, of Toms River, modified license-plate readers and other cameras, then removed the original company’s logo, an FBI complaint says. He then told the police departments, prosecutor's offices and other buyers throughout the state that they were compliant with the National Defense Authorization Act, U.S. Atto…
NJ Man Who Sent Child Sex Links To Investigator For $20 Admits To Files With 22,000 Images NJ Man Who Sent Child Sex Links To Investigator For $20 Admits To Files With 22,000 Images
NJ Man Who Sent Child Sex Links To Investigator For $20 Admits To Files With 22,000 Images A South Jersey man who authorities said sent links for child sex abuse sites to what turned out to be undercover federal agents admitted possessing files that they said contained more than 22,000 horrific images. Al-Fahim Medina, 24, of Willingboro, had images of "sadistic and masochistic conduct" and other depictions of violence, sexual abuse and exploitation of children under 12 on a tablet and mobile phones, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Some were even infants and toddlers, the U.S. attorney said. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents arranged a sting af…
NO CHOICE: Ex-Con Who Shot Two Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Takes Guilty Plea NO CHOICE: Ex-Con Who Shot Two Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Takes Guilty Plea
NO Choice: Ex-Con Who Shot Two Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Takes Guilty Plea UPDATE: There’s no trying to present a defense in court when the prosecutors have a video of you shooting someone, as well as the loaded gun you were carrying when they arrested you. So ex-con Antoine Hawkins, 31, of Newark, took a deal from the government, admitting in federal court in Newark this week that he shot two victims five days apart in the Brick City in August 2020. Hawkins also pleaded guilty to possessing a 9mm Springfield Armory XDM pistol loaded with 19 rounds and 626 heroin folds for sale when they arrested him a month later, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger …
Feds: Digital Fingerprints Lead NJ Agents To Convicted Sex Offender's Child Porn Collection Feds: Digital Fingerprints Lead NJ Agents To Convicted Sex Offender's Child Porn Collection
Feds: Digital Fingerprints Lead NJ Agents To Convicted Sex Offender's Child Porn Collection Federal agents working a child porn investigation traced digital fingerprints to a convicted sex offender living in Union County who was downloading more horrifying illegal images when they came busting in, authorities said. Matthew T. Williams, 43, was seized during a raid of his Westfield apartment on Wednesday, Nov. 1. Homeland Security Investigations agents from Newark reported more than 40 child sexual abuse videos found on a drive attached to Williams's computer that was pulling more from the Internet when they arrived. Williams was living in New York State when he was previously con…
Former South Jersey Nurse Admits Collecting Porn Of Children As Young As 12 Former South Jersey Nurse Admits Collecting Porn Of Children As Young As 12
Former South Jersey Nurse Admits Collecting Porn Of Children As Young As 12 An Atlantic County man admitted collecting child porn videos and still images, some involving sadistic or masochistic violence against victims as young as 12, federal authorities said. Special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark caught Anthony Barbarino, 37, with 108 videos and 93 still photographs of child sexual abuse across three electronic devices, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. At least one image was of a prepubescent minor, while another "portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence," Sellinger said. Barbarino, who live…
Fugitive Seized At Newark Airport Gets Year In Prison For Each Of 5 Kilos Of Smuggled Coke Fugitive Seized At Newark Airport Gets Year In Prison For Each Of 5 Kilos Of Smuggled Coke
Fugitive Seized At Newark Airport Gets Year In Prison For Each Of 5 Kilos Of Smuggled Coke An international fugitive who spent more than a decade on the run before he was seized at Newark Airport was sentenced to five years in federal prison for having couriers smuggle more than five kilos of cocaine into the U.S. on a cruise ship. Dennis Edwards, a 38-year-old Guyanese citizen known as “Death,” had avoided capture after being indicted by a federal grand jury on conspiracy charges in 2012, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Authorities said he conspired to import cocaine from St. Maarten on a cruise ship. Edwards was seized by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents …
PREDATOR STING: PA Man Expected Sex With Girl, 12, At NJ Hotel, Homeland Security Says PREDATOR STING: PA Man Expected Sex With Girl, 12, At NJ Hotel, Homeland Security Says
Predator Sting: PA Man Expected Sex With Girl, 12, At NJ Hotel, Homeland Security Says A Pennsylvania man who arranged what he thought was sex with a pre-teen in a New Jersey hotel was instead seized by federal agents when he showed up, authorities said Wednesday. Louis Goldenberg, 41 of Philadelphia, "began interacting on a messaging application with an undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent, who was posing as a middle-aged woman with a 12-year-old niece" last month, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said on Sept. 20. Goldenberg messaged the purported aunt, "continuously expressing interest in having sexual contact," the U.S. att…
Jersey Shore Man Had Online Sex With Minors, Then Shared It, US Homeland Security Agents Charge Jersey Shore Man Had Online Sex With Minors, Then Shared It, US Homeland Security Agents Charge
Jersey Shore Man Had Online Sex With Minors, Then Shared It, US Homeland Security Agents Charge UPDATE: Federal authorities have taken custody of an accused child porn trafficker from the Jersey Shore who they said had online sex with at least two minors he met on a social media app. Ocean County prosecutor’s detectives initially investigated Christopher Budelman, 36, of Brick, leading to an arrest in late September 2022. Following up on a referral from the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the prosecutor's investigators learned that Budelman used the Kik Messenger App to upload and share images of child sexual abuse, authorities said at the time. F…
Diamond District Operators From NJ, Long Island Busted In $673M Money Laundering Scheme: Feds Diamond District Operators From NJ, Long Island Busted In $673M Money Laundering Scheme: Feds
Diamond District Operators From NJ, Long Island Busted In $673M Money Laundering Scheme: Feds Four businessmen from New Jersey and one from Long Island laundered millions of dollars a day in cash through fronts they set up in New York City’s Diamond District, federal authorities charged. Federal agents tied the quintet to $673 million in dirty money laundered through the illicit operations over the past four years, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. In exchange, Raj Vaidya, 26; Rakesh Vaidya, 51; Shrey Vaidya, 23; and Neel Patel, 26, all of Edison; and Youssef Janfar, aka “Joe Rodeo,” 57, of Great Neck, NY collected sizable fees, he said. The three Vaidyas and P…
Biz Owners Take Pleas After NJ Feds Seize Record $14M Worth Of Cisco Networking Knockoffs Biz Owners Take Pleas After NJ Feds Seize Record $14M Worth Of Cisco Networking Knockoffs
Biz Owners Take Pleas After NJ Feds Seize Record $14M Worth Of Cisco Networking Knockoffs Three North Jersey business owners admitted importing and selling cheap knockoffs of Cisco Systems networking equipment after federal agents seized an unprecedented $14 million worth of the devices from their warehouse in Passaic County. Musa Karaman, 35, of North Arlington, was the last of the trio to take a deal from the government, pleading guilty to trafficking counterfeit goods in U.S. District Court in Newark on Thursday, Aug. 24. Accomplices Sadri Ozturan, 37, of Hawthorne, and Israfil "David" Demir, 38, of Secaucus both pleaded guilty to the same charges on Aug. 8, U.S. Attorney for…