News Releases

CHICAGO — A drug and firearm investigation centered on the South Side of Chicago has resulted in federal criminal charges against seven individuals.

A superseding indictment returned by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago…

STATEMENT FROM SAIC OF NEW YORK PATRICK J. FREANEY

The guilty plea in this blatant scheme is a testament to the excellent investigation carried out by the members of the New Haven Resident Office, their law enforcement…

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A British man, Scott West, 40, of Manchester, United Kingdom, was sentenced on June 23, 2025, to 42 years in prison following his convictions for three counts of sexual exploitation of a child.

At the sentencing…

United States Files Civil Forfeiture Complaint Against $225 Million in Funds Involved in Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud Money LaunderingWASHINGTON – The U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture complaint in U.S. District Court for the…

MIAMI — Ernesto Ortega Padgett, a Nicaraguan national who was previously residing in Miami, Florida and was deported from the United States in January 2020, made his initial appearance in a federal court in Miami on June 16. Ortega, a fugitive…

The Defendants’ Crimes Involved Brutal Assaults, Extortion, Drug Trafficking, Production and Sale of Fraudulent Identification Documents, and Counterfeit Currency

NEW YORK - Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, an indictment was…

Louisville, KY – A Canadian citizen was sentenced to 5 years and 1 month in federal prison for his role in a sweeping “grandparent scam” that targeted victims in Kentucky and across the United States through Canadian-based call centers.

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MOLINE, IL – Luisito Espanola, 65, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced on May 21, 2025, to 32 months in the Federal Bureau of Prisons following his convictions for wire fraud and money laundering. United States District Judge Sara Darrow…

Tampa – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Pranav Patel (33, New Jersey) to six years and three months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering. The court also entered an order of forfeiture in…

WASHINGTON - Increased local security measures will be in place in the days leading up to, during and immediately following the Army’s 250th Birthday Parade on June 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C.

The Army’s 250th Birthday Parade is…

LOS ANGELES – Five men have pleaded guilty for their roles in laundering more than $36.9 million from victims of an international digital asset investment scam conspiracy that was carried out from scam centers in Cambodia, the Justice…

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced today the seizure of approximately 145 darknet and traditional internet domains, and cryptocurrency funds associated with the BidenCash marketplace. The…

STATEMENT FROM SAIC PATRICK J. FREANEY

The Secret Service works closely with its many law enforcement partners on a wide array of local criminal cases — providing technical expertise that moves investigations forward. In this…

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The U.S. Secret Service, in conjunction with multiple state and local law enforcement partners in three major cities within North Carolina, conducted a payment card skimming and Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) fraud…

WASHINGTON – Thomasz Szabo, 26, of Romania, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to being the leader of a years-long conspiracy that targeted victims across the United States with “swatting” and bomb threats. Szabo and his co-…