On July 16, 2018, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Operation SOS to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas. One year later, the department has reported on the progress of the program so far.

The last of 12 defendants have been sentenced this week for their role in a multi-state dog fighting conspiracy. These sentences mark the end of Operation Grand Champion, a multi-jurisdictional federal dog fighting investigation which began in 2015 and resulted in 12 convictions.

A doctor operating in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania was charged in an indictment unsealed this week in an alleged scheme to received bribes and kickbacks from a pharmaceutical company in exchange for prescribing large volumes of a powerful fentanyl narcotic. Kenneth Sun, M.D., 58, of Easton, Pennsylvania, was charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks and four counts of receiving health care kickbacks.

An undercover investigation led by the US Fish and Wildlife service has resulted in the arrest of Wayne Martin, a New Mexico man who violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by killing multiple birds. Martin pled guilty to the crimes in 2017 and was sentenced this week by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced this week that Internet Crimes Against Children task forces around the country have led to the arrests of nearly 1,700 suspected child sex predators. The 61 task forces, located in all 50 states and comprised of more than 4,500 federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, coordinated the operation called “Broken Heart” throughout April and May 2019.

A member of the Big Hazard street gang was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for orchestrating and executing a firebombing against African American families at the Ramona Gardens Housing Development in 2014. Jose Saucedo, also known as Lil’ Moe, pleaded guilty to four felonies: conspiracy to violate civil rights, violent crime in aid of racketeering, interference with the Fair Housing Act, and attempted arson of federal property.

A naturalized US citizen residing in Alexandria, Virginia has been sentenced to 37 months in prison for having fraudulently obtained US citizenship. Mergia Negussie Habteyes, 58, admitted to a series of lies in the naturalization process, including failure to disclose participation in persecution during the Red Terror Period in Ethiopia.

Benjamin Jaramillo Hernandez, 70, of Eugene, Oregon, was sentenced yesterday to 15 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release for hate crimes committed against St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Eugene, Oregon. Hernandez also possessed illegal ammunition.

Shaun Sullivan of Merrick, New York has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in a multimillion dollar prize promotion scam aimed at stealing money from the elderly and vulnerable groups. Sullivan sent mailings to individuals which indicated that they could claim a large cash prize in exchange for a modest fee. There was no prize, and yet victims submitted over $30 million in fees.

A criminal complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles alleges that three defendants, currently in German custody, were administering a sophisticated online marketplace to sell illicit goods and substances. These arrests follow a nearly two-year international investigation involving U.S. law enforcement authorities, authorities in Germany, and authorities in the Netherlands.

Mark Steven Domingo of Reseda, California faces federal charges of providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists. Undercover FBI agents and cooperatives foiled Domingo’s plans to commit a mass murder with improvised explosive devices (IED) in his area.

For over five years, Candace Marie Claiborne received tens of thousands of dollars from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to provide agents with top secret internal information. Claiborne has plead guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government by lying to law enforcement and background investigators and hiding her extensive contacts with and gifts from the PRC.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has extradited four Peruvian residents to the U.S., where they face charges of operating a large scale extortion scheme from 2012 to 2015. Jesus Gerardo Gutierrez Rojas, 37, Maria de Guadalupe Alexandra Podesta Bengoa, 38, Virgilio Ignacio Polo Davila, 43, and Omar Alfredo Portocarrero Caceres, 39, are facing federal charges in Miami.

Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative partnering local police with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to combat child sexual exploitation, contributed to the conviction of three men this week. After a three-week trial, three individuals have been found guilty of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.

Former Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) Sergeant Ulysses Oliver Jr. pleaded guilty to assaulting two handcuffed inmates in his correctional facility. This news comes as the Department of Justice (DOJ) issues written notice to the state alleging constitutional concerns regarding their treatment of prisoners.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Alaska State Troopers Alaska Bureau of Investigation Special Crimes Investigation Unit and Technical Crimes Unit, among other agencies, have indicted 18 members and associates of the white supremacist gang called the 1488s. Charges are related to their alleged roles in a racketeering enterprise involving narcotics distribution, firearms trafficking, and acts of violence including murder, assault, and kidnapping.

A North Carolina resident was arrested this week after a grand jury indicted the resident for one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and 14 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a fraudulent tax return. This arrest comes days after another North Carolina resident was sentenced to a year in prison for assisting in the filing of false tax returns.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced the arrests of dozens of individuals involved in a “nationwide conspiracy that facilitated cheating on college entrance exams and the admission of students to elite universities.” Athletic coaches, parents, and exam administrators have been charged.

Rocky Mountain National Park Rangers and Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers have been working on several cases relating to illegal elk poaching. While some of these efforts have led to the arrests in recent weeks, Rocky Mountain National Park Rangers continue to request information on poaching in their park.

The Medicare Fraud Strike Force has successfully dismantled Medicare fraud schemes in Florida and Mississippi. Special agents in the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS OIG) and Department of Justice (DOJ) criminal investigations division have teamed up with agencies across the federal law enforcement community to investigate and uncover Medicare fraud schemes.