Author: Houston Stringer

NASHVILLE, TN – A Ukrainian national has made his initial court appearance in the Middle District of Tennessee following his extradition from Ireland on federal charges related to the global Conti ransomware operation, which targeted over 1,000 victims and caused at least $150 million in ransom payments. According to the Department of Justice, 43-year-old Oleksii Oleksiyovych Lytvynenko, of Cork, Ireland, conspired to deploy Conti ransomware between 2020 and June 2022 to hack into networks, encrypt data, and demand cryptocurrency ransoms. Prosecutors allege that Lytvynenko and his co-conspirators extorted more than $500,000 from two victims in Tennessee and published stolen data from a third. The FBI reports that Conti was responsible for more attacks on critical infrastructure i...

TUCSON, AZ – A federal grand jury in the District of Arizona has returned a 29-count superseding indictment against 21-year-old Baron Cain Martin, also known online as “Convict,” for allegedly leading an international criminal network linked to terrorism, child exploitation, and extreme online violence. According to the Department of Justice, Martin, of Tucson, is charged with participating in a child exploitation enterprise, conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, conspiring to kill, kidnap, or maim persons in a foreign country, producing and distributing child pornography, coercing minors into sexual activity, cyberstalking, animal crushing, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Martin has been in federal custody since December 11, 2024. Federal prosecutors allege ...

MONTGOMERY, AL – A federal jury in the Middle District of Alabama has convicted 32-year-old Kimani “Statik” Jones and his father, 50-year-old Tremayne “Bayrock” Lambert, both of Montgomery, for operating a violent sex trafficking enterprise that exploited multiple victims, including minors, across several states. According to the Department of Justice, the jury found that Jones trafficked seven victims, including two minors, between August 2016 and November 2020, while Lambert trafficked three victims between 2017 and 2020. Evidence presented at trial showed the defendants used physical and sexual violence, addictive drugs, and threats against victims’ children to coerce and control them for profit. Prosecutors said Jones organized and led the commercial sex operation, renting ho...

PLATTSBURGH, NY – A dual Canadian American citizen has appeared in federal court in Plattsburgh after being extradited from Canada to face charges related to a human smuggling conspiracy that resulted in the deaths of a family of four, including two small children, in the St. Lawrence River. According to the Department of Justice, 52-year-old Stephanie Square, of the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation in Canada, was indicted in June 2024 on multiple counts, including conspiracy to engage in alien smuggling, four counts of alien smuggling for profit, and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. Square was arrested in Canada in August 2024 following a U.S. request for extradition. Investigators allege she was the U.S.-based leader of an alien smuggling organization that ...

WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice announced the removal of Baltimore County, Maryland, from its list of designated sanctuary jurisdictions after the County signed a Memorandum of Understanding with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to collaborate on immigration enforcement. The Department had originally listed Baltimore County as a sanctuary jurisdiction on August 5, 2025, under President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order 14287. This marks the second jurisdiction removed from the list since its publication. “Despite restrictions from state leadership, Baltimore County has shown a willingness to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “This is a small step toward restoring public safety and we appreciate the co...

NEW YORK, NY – Two men hired by the Iranian government to assassinate Iranian-American journalist and human rights activist Masih Alinejad have each been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. According to the Department of Justice, Rafat Amirov, 46, of Iran, and Polad Omarov, 41, of Georgia, were convicted in March 2025 of murder-for-hire, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and related charges. Prosecutors said both men were high-ranking members of an Azerbaijani faction of the Russian Mob who were paid $500,000 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to organize the murder. The plot, which was orchestrated by Iranian intelligence officials, followed earlier failed kidnapping attempts against Alinejad, who has been a vocal critic of Iran’s repression of women and...

CINCINNATI, OH – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has affirmed the 20-year prison sentence of Benjamin Alan Carpenter, also known as “Abu Hamza,” for providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) by translating the group’s propaganda into English. According to court records, Carpenter founded Ahlud-Tawhid Publications, an organization that translated and published ISIS materials online. Working through Telegram, Carpenter collaborated with someone he believed was affiliated with ISIS to translate videos promoting the terrorist organization’s activities. Federal investigators uncovered Carpenter’s communications and obtained evidence showing that he knowingly provided translation services intended to further ISIS’s propaganda. He was con...

KANSAS CITY, KS – Canyon Anthony Amarys, 28, of Alamogordo, New Mexico, has been arrested in connection with an indictment for attempting to violate the Export Control Reform Act. Amarys, a National Guardsman, made his initial appearance in federal court this week. According to the indictment, in February 2025, Amarys met with an individual he believed to be a Russian intelligence agent. During the meeting, he signed an agreement confirming his covert relationship with a Russian intelligence service and agreed to photograph a military installation at Fort Riley, Kansas, and obtain a helicopter radio for the Russian military. In March 2025, Amarys purchased the helicopter radio, traveled to Kansas to retrieve it, and attempted to export it to a recipient in Romania, understanding ...

ATLANTA, GA – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has upheld the 78-month federal prison sentence of Brian Bocage, who described himself as “Michael, the archangel,” after he admitted to a series of arsons targeting monuments, memorials, and a police vehicle outside a synagogue. File Photo (October 2025) According to court documents, Bocage carried out four arsons in Florida and Tennessee and posted videos of the crimes on social media. His targets included the North Lauderdale Veteran’s Memorial, two Tennessee monuments, and a police car outside the Synagogue of Inverrary-Chabad. Bocage pleaded guilty to arson in the Southern District of Florida after previously receiving a 20-month sentence in a separate Tennessee federal case. He argued that his 78-month sentence...

CAMDEN, AR – Special Agents with the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division have arrested 17-year-old Makya McClain of Camden in connection with the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Kimaria Wilson. According to the Arkansas State Police, Camden Police officers responded around 5:45 p.m. on October 19 to a reported shooting at an apartment in Fort Lookout Manor. Upon arrival, officers found Wilson suffering from a gunshot wound. Despite life-saving efforts, she was pronounced deceased at approximately 8:30 p.m. by the Ouachita County Coroner. Following a request from Camden Police, state investigators began a homicide investigation. McClain was arrested two days later, on October 21, and charged with first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence. She was tra...