Behind the Badge

Star Prairie Sporting Goods Store Burglarized, $10,000 Reward Offered

2026-05-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

STAR PRAIRIE, Wis. – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), in partnership with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for a February 12, 2026, burglary of a federally licensed firearms dealer in Star Prairie, Wisconsin.

The St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office and ATF are investigating the early-morning break-in, during which a suspect entered through a window and stole nearly 50 firearms and a large quantity of ammunition.

Anyone with information is asked to call the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office at 715-386-4701 or email tipline@sccwi.gov

Former Dallas Police Department Sergeant Sentenced to 28 Months in Federal Prison for Selling Stolen Service Weapons

2026-05-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

A former Dallas Police Department sergeant who sold stolen service weapons was sentenced to 28 months in federal prison, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.

Thomas Fry, 53, of Royse City, Texas, was sentenced on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, by United States District Judge Brantley Starr for possession and sale of a stolen firearm.

“This police officer violated his oath and the public’s trust when he chose to commit a crime,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “Our law enforcement partners work day and night to keep us safe and enforce the law, and our trust and faith in them will not waiver. We will work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to root out the few bad apples among their ranks.”

“This case strikes at the core of public trust,” said Brian Garner Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Dallas Field Division. “The very individuals entrusted to safeguard our communities must be held to the highest standard. When that trust is violated through the theft and illegal sale of firearms, it endangers the public and undermines the integrity of law enforcement. This 28-month federal sentence sends a clear message: no one is above the law, and those who abuse their authority will be held accountable. ATF remains committed to working alongside our partners to protect our communities and prevent illegal firearms trafficking.

Court records reveal that Fry, who at the time was a sergeant with the Dallas Police Department, admitted to three separate instances of taking a firearm owned by the Dallas Police Department, knowing that the firearms were stolen, and selling them to an Oklahoma pawn shop in June and July of 2022.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marty Basu prosecuted the case.

Pensacola Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Threatening a Pensacola Police Department Detective

2026-04-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

Pensacola, Florida – Tamal W. Jenkins, 20, of Pensacola, Florida, was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison for interstate threatening communication with intent to extort. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “My office stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the brave men and women of law enforcement who are on the front lines in the fight against crime. They deserve our gratitude and respect for placing themselves in harm’s way every day to keep our communities safe. As this case demonstrates, anyone who harms or threatens to harm a law enforcement officer will be aggressively prosecuted by my office and held accountable.”

Court documents reveal that, in July 2025, the Pensacola Police Department arrested suspects during a homicide investigation. Within days of the arrest, one of the responsible Pensacola Police Detectives received an electronic text message threatening to kill the Detective if she did not release the suspects who are now facing homicide charges. Through legal process and electronic investigative techniques, law enforcement identified Jenkins as the person who made the threat against the Detective for acting in the course of her official duties.

Jenkins imprisonment will be followed by three years of federal supervised release. Jenkins also faces a violation of prior state-ordered probation for firearm and drug offenses.

Pensacola Police Chief Eric Winstrom said: “Threats of violence against those upholding the law cannot be tolerated. The Pensacola Police Department is grateful to our federal partners for recognizing the gravity of this incident and ensuring Mr. Jenkins is held accountable.”

The case involved a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Pensacola Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The Anatomy of Elder Fraud: Ten Scams Every Family Should Recognize

2026-04-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

Financial crimes against older adults are not isolated incidents. They are structured, repeatable, and increasingly sophisticated. What appears to be a single deceptive phone call or email is often part of a broader pattern of exploitation that targets trust, urgency, and vulnerability.

The scope of the problem is significant. Each year, an estimated one in ten adults age 60 and older experience some form of abuse, including financial exploitation, with many cases going unreported (Sill & Haskins, 2025) . Financial fraud alone has resulted in billions of dollars in losses among older Americans, with over $3.4 billion reported lost to scams targeting individuals aged 60 and older in 2023 (Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI], 2024). These figures likely underrepresent the true scale due to underreporting driven by embarrassment, fear, or lack of awareness (Federal Trade Commission [FTC], 2023).

Understanding how these scams operate is essential. What follows is a breakdown of ten of the most common schemes and how they are carried out.

Tech Support Scams

The victim receives a pop-up message, email, or phone call claiming their computer is infected or compromised. The scammer impersonates a legitimate company and instructs the victim to grant remote access. Once inside the system, the offender may install malware, access financial information, or demand payment for fake repairs. These scams rely on fear and technical confusion to gain control (FBI, 2024).

Government Impersonation Scams

Scammers pose as representatives of agencies such as the IRS or Social Security Administration. Victims are told they owe money or face legal consequences. Payment is demanded immediately, often through untraceable methods like gift cards. These scams exploit authority and urgency, two factors shown to increase compliance (FTC, 2023).

Grandparent Scams

The offender impersonates a grandchild or relative in distress, often claiming arrest or injury. The victim is urged to send money quickly and not inform others. This tactic relies on emotional manipulation and family loyalty, which are particularly effective among older adults (FBI, 2024).

Romance Scams

Offenders build relationships through online platforms, gaining trust over time. Eventually, they request money for emergencies or opportunities. In 2023, romance scams accounted for some of the highest financial losses among fraud categories, particularly affecting older victims (FBI, 2024). These scams succeed because they exploit emotional connection rather than immediate deception.

Lottery and Sweepstakes Scams

Victims are told they have won a prize but must pay fees or taxes to receive it. The promise of a reward is paired with urgency, discouraging verification. The FTC reports that such scams continue to target older adults despite longstanding public awareness campaigns (FTC, 2023).

Investment Scams

These schemes promise high returns with little risk, often involving cryptocurrency or real estate. Victims are persuaded to invest large sums. According to the FBI, investment scams resulted in the highest reported financial losses among fraud types in 2023 (FBI, 2024). These scams exploit financial security concerns and the desire for stability in retirement.

Phishing and Email Scams

Fraudulent messages impersonate legitimate institutions, directing victims to fake websites or requesting credentials. Once access is obtained, accounts are compromised. The increasing digital engagement of older adults has expanded exposure to these tactics (Internet Crime Complaint Center [IC3], 2024).

Charity Scams

Following disasters or crises, scammers pose as charitable organizations and solicit donations. Victims are pressured to act quickly. The National Council on Aging notes that older adults are particularly vulnerable due to their higher likelihood of charitable giving (National Council on Aging [NCOA], 2023).

Home Repair and Contractor Fraud

Scammers approach homeowners offering urgent or discounted repairs. Payment is requested upfront, and work is either incomplete or never performed. Older adults are targeted due to higher rates of homeownership and a desire to maintain independence (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau [CFPB], 2022).

Business Email Compromise and Account Takeover

Scammers gain access to email accounts and impersonate trusted contacts. They request transfers or redirect payments. These schemes are highly effective because they leverage existing relationships rather than creating new ones (IC3, 2024).

The Pattern Beneath the Scams

Despite differences in execution, these scams share common elements: exploitation of trust, creation of urgency, and limitation of verification. Older adults are disproportionately targeted due to factors such as social isolation, cognitive decline, and financial stability (Sill & Haskins, 2025) . Research indicates that financial exploitation often occurs within relationships of trust, further complicating detection and reporting (CFPB, 2022).

What Families Can Do

Prevention requires more than awareness. It requires structure and involvement. Families play a critical role in reducing risk.

Maintain consistent communication
Regular contact reduces isolation, a known risk factor for exploitation (NCOA, 2023).
Encourage verification of financial requests
Creating a habit of pausing and confirming requests can disrupt scam attempts (FTC, 2023).
Monitor financial activity when appropriate
Early detection of unusual transactions is key to limiting losses (CFPB, 2022).
Educate about common scam tactics
Awareness of patterns increases resistance to manipulation (FBI, 2024).
Establish trusted advisors or contacts
Having a designated person to consult before financial decisions adds a layer of protection (NCOA, 2023).

Conclusion

Elder fraud is not simply a collection of isolated crimes. It is a system of exploitation built on predictable human factors. As the population ages and technology evolves, these schemes will continue to adapt.

Understanding how these scams work is essential, but it is not sufficient. Protection depends on relationships, communication, and the presence of trusted systems that reduce isolation and increase accountability.

The challenge is not eliminating risk entirely. It is ensuring that when risk appears, it is met with awareness, structure, and support.

References

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (2022). Suspicious activity reports on elder financial exploitation.

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2024). Internet crime report 2023.

Federal Trade Commission. (2023). Protecting older consumers report.

Internet Crime Complaint Center. (2024). Elder fraud report.

National Council on Aging. (2023). Top scams targeting older adults.

Sill, K., & Haskins, P. A. (2025). Studies of mistreatment of older adults offer solutions to an urgent and growing societal problem. National Institute of Justice Journal.

Baltimore Man Sentenced for Armed Robberies, Carjacking, Assaulting Federal Officer

2026-04-17T13:33:21.290-07:00

Baltimore, Maryland – A Baltimore man is headed to federal prison for his role in robbing multiple local commercial businesses and then later assaulting a Deputy U.S. Marshal while at the U.S. Courthouse in Baltimore.

U.S. District Court Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Sharif Northington, 23, of Baltimore, to 10 years in prison for interfering with commerce by robbery, and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Northington also received one year in prison, consecutive to the 10-year sentence, for intentionally assaulting an officer and employee of the United States. In September 2024, following a court proceeding at the U.S. Courthouse in Baltimore, Northington threatened and then assaulted the Deputy U.S. Marshals escorting him to his cell.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Clinton J. Fuchs, U.S. Marshal for the District of Maryland (USMS); Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD); and Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD).

According to court documents, in November 2022, Northington conspired with co-conspirators Devin Grimes, 27, of Baltimore, and John Hyman, 21, of Baltimore, to commit armed commercial robberies and at least one armed carjacking. During each robbery and carjacking, the co-conspirators used a firearm while demanding money, a vehicle, and/or other items.

On November 29, Northington, Grimes, and Hyman — who were wearing masks and hoods — entered a Northeast Baltimore 7-Eleven convenience store. Grimes brandished a handgun and then proceeded to rob the store with Northington and Hyman. The suspects stole money from the cash register and then fled the store. But unknown to the suspects, the stolen cash included a money tracker which helped law enforcement officers track their movements. In response, both BPD and BCPD dispatched officers, detectives, and aviation squads to locate the suspects.

The co-conspirators then went to a carry-out restaurant, less than a mile away. Upon entering, Grimes went to the back of the restaurant and brandished a handgun. He then confronted a delivery driver and robbed the man of the keys in his pocket. Then Grimes returned to the register and demanded the cashier open the register. Grimes then removed money from the register before the three co-conspirators fled the store in the delivery man’s vehicle.

BPD and BCPD aviation units soon located and apprehended the co-conspirators. During the arrests, law enforcement recovered a loaded Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol, money, and a money tracker from Grimes. Law enforcement also discovered additional cash in the vehicle.

In December 2024, Judge Hollander sentenced Grimes to 10 years in federal prison. Then in September 2025, Judge Hollander sentenced Hyman to 10 years in prison for his role in the crimes.

U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes commended the ATF, USMS, BPD, and BCPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney John Sippel who prosecuted this federal case.

Brooklyn Man Pleads Guilty to Setting NYPD Vehicles Ablaze

2026-04-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Jakhi McCray pleaded guilty to committing arson of 10 New York City Police Department (NYPD) vehicles and one trailer in Brooklyn, New York. The proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Seth D. Eichenholtz. When sentenced, McCray faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment, as well as a fine and restitution in an amount to be determined by the Court.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Bryan DiGirolamo, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Division (ATF), and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, NYPD, announced the guilty plea.

“The defendant’s actions were not only dangerous, but they were also a direct attack on public safety and the rule of law,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “By deliberately setting fire to multiple police vehicles in the pre-dawn hours, the defendant put at risk the lives of first responders and residents asleep in their beds nearby, and ultimately, strained resources meant to protect the community. Today’s guilty plea ensures accountability and sends a clear message that acts of violence and destruction against law enforcement will be met with serious consequences.”

“This defendant’s actions—setting fire to multiple NYPD vehicles and causing significant damage—demonstrates a blatant disregard for public safety and the rule of law. Arson is not a form of protest—it is a dangerous crime that puts lives at risk,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge DiGirolamo. “The swift work of the ATF New York Arson and Explosives Task Force, comprised of ATF, NYPD, and FDNY personnel, underscores the strength of our coordinated response to violent crime. We remain committed to working alongside our partners to protect our communities and ensure those who commit violent acts are brought to justice.”

As detailed in court filings and facts presented during the plea proceeding, on June 12, 2025, McCray scaled a fence into a secure, private lot on DeKalb Avenue between Wilson Avenue and Central Avenue in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn that housed NYPD vehicles, and intentionally set on fire 10 NYPD vehicles and one trailer. Shortly thereafter, an NYPD officer assigned to inspect the lot saw the fire and observed McCray escaping through a hole in the fence. McCray ultimately self-surrendered on July 21, 2025. NYPD estimates the arson caused over $800,000 in damages. The arson was committed two days before protests were scheduled to be conducted over the June 14-15, 2025 weekend, compromising NYPD resources to protect and secure the public.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca M. Urquiola is in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant:

JAKHI MCCRAY
Age: 22
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-CR-68 (ENV)

Contact

John Marzulli
Denise Taylor
United States Attorney’s Office
(718) 254-6323

U.S. Attorney’s Office Charges Three Men With Attempting To Rob Undercover Federal Agent in Chicago

2026-04-10T15:47:33.361-07:00

CHICAGO — The U.S. Attorney’s Office today charged three men with attempting to rob a federal agent during an undercover firearm transaction in Chicago.

JEREMY JONES, CHRISTOPHER DENSMORE, and CARMELL MASSEY attempted to rob an agent from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives on Thursday morning, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The agent was working undercover when the agent met with the defendants in a parking lot on the South Side of Chicago for the purpose of buying two firearms from them, the complaint states. During the meeting, the defendants attempted to rob the agent of $600 in government funds that the agent planned to use to purchase the guns, the complaint states. When Jones pointed a firearm at the undercover agent, the agent responded by firing a shot at him, the complaint states. Jones and the two other defendants attempted to flee the area, but law enforcement quickly arrested all three defendants, the complaint states.

The complaint charges Jones, 19, Densmore, 22, and Massey, 20, all of Chicago, with one count of attempted robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The firearm charge is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a maximum of life. The attempted robbery charge is punishable by a maximum of 25 years. The defendants were scheduled to make initial appearances in federal court in Chicago this afternoon.

The complaint was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The Chicago Police Department provided valuable assistance. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Gurley.

“Each and every day in Chicago, ATF agents put their lives on the line to fight violent crime and make our city safer,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “The undercover agent in this case demonstrated the utmost bravery, courage, and skill, all of which are the hallmarks of our nation’s dedicated ATF agents. Any crimes against law enforcement—especially violent crimes—are direct assaults on the rule of law. Through these serious federal charges, the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will seek to hold these violent offenders accountable.”

“During an undercover firearms trafficking operation yesterday, the offenders arrived with the intention of conducting a robbery,” said ATF SAC Amon. “They did not realize they were targeting highly trained agents who immediately took action to take the offenders into custody and protect their own. I am proud of the professionalism and bravery demonstrated by our undercover law enforcement officers, ATF agents, and Task Force Officers on the scene. These professionals risk their lives day in and day out to target violent criminals and their sources of crime guns. Once the radio call went out, the Chicago Police Department immediately responded and provided critical investigative support, and I am grateful for their work. To be very clear, the conduct of these offenders will not be tolerated, and I want to thank U.S. Attorney Boutros and his team for swiftly bringing federal charges in this case.”

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Pensacola Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison For Attempting To Kill an Escambia County Sheriff’s Deputy

2026-04-03T14:44:00.000-07:00

Pensacola, Florida – Darrion K. Finley, 22, of Pensacola, Florida, has been sentenced in federal court on charges related to a shooting incident in late 2024. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the sentencing.

The Indictment charged Finley with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, attempting to kill an Escambia County Sheriff’s Deputy to prevent certain communications, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This case shows the deadly threats our brave men and women in law enforcement face every day as they fight to remove violent criminals from our communities. My office remains firmly committed to aggressively prosecuting those violent offenders, and we will stand shoulder to shoulder with our law enforcement partners in the fight to keep our streets safe. Let me be clear: anyone who threatens, shoots at, or in any way harms a law enforcement officer in the Northern District of Florida will face the full might of the Department of Justice.”

Court documents reveal that on December 17, 2024, the defendant was driving in Pensacola in a stolen vehicle. When the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office attempted to conduct a traffic stop of the defendant, he accelerated and law enforcement began its vehicle pursuit. One of the pursuing deputies executed a PIT maneuver to immobilize Finley’s vehicle, after which Finley fired a 9-millimeter pistol at the Deputy’s vehicle, striking the passenger side door of the patrol vehicle. As the Deputy and his K9 approached the defendant’s vehicle, Finley exited the car armed with the pistol, and began pointing it at the officer. The Deputy released his K9, which lunged at Finley and prevented him from firing the pistol, after which Finley attempted to flee on foot but was immobilized and detained. Upon recovering Finley’s handgun, it was discovered that a live round had lodged in the ejection port, indicating the defendant had tried to fire the weapon a second time at the Deputy but it malfunctioned.

“Darrion Finley’s brazen attempt to murder one of our deputies during a routine traffic stop highlights the extreme dangers our officers face every single day,” said Escambia County Sheriff Simmons. “Thanks to the quick thinking and bravery of our deputy and his K9 partner, a dangerous felon is now off our streets for decades. We will continue working shoulder-to-shoulder with our federal partners to hold violent criminals accountable and keep Escambia County safe.”

“Escambia County residents are better off with this violent man behind bars,” said Tampa Field Division’s Special Agent in Change Kirk Howard. “The suspect shot at law enforcement with complete disregard for the community and this sentencing sends a clear message that acts of violence against law enforcement and our community will not be tolerated.”

The case was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the State Attorney’s Office for the First Judicial Circuit, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Jessica S. Etherton.

Armed Felon Who Pointed Gun at Police Sentenced to Federal Prison

2026-04-03T14:35:00.000-07:00

ATLANTA - Lee Milton Reeves, a multi-convicted felon who threatened employees and police officers at gunpoint in the bathroom of a Riverdale, Georgia restaurant, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison.

“This case shows precisely why convicted felons are prohibited from possessing guns,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Had Reeves pulled the trigger, this case could have ended in tragedy. My office will never stop working towards making Georgia safe by removing armed felons from the community.”

“The sentence imposed today sends a clear message to convicted felons prohibited from possessing firearms: ATF’s top priority remains keeping our communities safe,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd. “ATF will continue working with our law enforcement partners to target individuals who unlawfully possess firearms.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On March 17, 2024, officers from the Riverdale Police Department responded to an emergency call about a man with a gun at a fast-food restaurant. Once there, officers found Reeves holed up in a bathroom, where Reeves pointed at gun at them. Subsequent investigation revealed that, the day before, Reeves had fired that same gun inside a trailer where a mother and daughter lived.

On March 26, 2026, Lee Milton Reeves, 40, of Mechanicsville, Georgia, was sentenced to seven years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Reeves pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person on December 17, 2025.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Riverdale Police Department and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James Hwang prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Bridging the Bars and Barriers: Advancing MOUD in Correctional Health Systems

2026-03-25T10:44:23.246-07:00

Registration Start: March 12, 2026 / Registration Ends: July 8, 2026
Location: Virtual

Apply for this NIC program

This 1-hour course is the first session of a multi-part series for clinical and correctional staff that addresses the use of MOUD in reducing recidivism, overdose, and mortality in correctional environments. Learn More

Teen Hitmen for Sinaloa Cartel Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison

2026-03-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

SAN DIEGO – Two teenage gang members were sentenced in federal court today to 25 years in prison for attempting to murder a target of the Sinaloa Cartel, and for the collateral death of a fellow gang member who was fatally shot during one of the failed murder attempts.

“California Senate Bill 1391 made state prosecutions of 14- and 15-year-olds a practical impossibility regardless of the seriousness of the crime. Then, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Mexican Mafia-affiliated Westside Wilmas recruited accordingly,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon, “No. No to the Sinaloa Cartel recruiting juveniles. No to the Mexican Mafia directing gangland hits in San Diego. No to a lack of consequences for juveniles who would do their bidding.”

“The sentencing of these teenagers sends a clear message: individuals who commit acts of violence, regardless of age, will be held fully accountable under the law,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge TJ Holland of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to identify, dismantle, and eliminate the violent gangs, cartels, and criminal organizations responsible for this violence. FBI San Diego and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate anyone threatening the safety of our communities, including those who mistakenly believe they can exploit juveniles to carry out violent crimes without consequence.”

In issuing the court’s sentence, U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson likewise warned that the Sinaloa Cartel, Mexican Mafia, Westside Wilmas, and similarly situated gangs “need to be put on notice that you don’t get a pass when you have a juvenile commit an offense like this.”

Andrew Nunez and Johncarlo Quintero – who were both 15 at the time of the crimes on March 26 and 27, 2024 – pleaded guilty in December 2025 to murder and attempted murder charges, admitting they were acting as hired hitmen for the Sinaloa Cartel when they made two attempts in five hours to kill the cartel’s target.

Nunez and Quintero were members of the Mexican Mafia-affiliated Westside Wilmas gang from the greater Los Angeles area. They drove from Wilmington, California to a Chili’s restaurant in Chula Vista, where their target was dining with his family.

The target and his family were leaving the Chili’s restaurant when Quintero and Nunez pulled up behind them in the parking lot. Quintero got out of the car and fired a single bullet that struck the victim’s legs. After that single shot, Quintero’s firearm jammed, and he was unable to unjam the weapon in time to shoot again. Quintero got back into the car Nunez was driving, and Nunez attempted unsuccessfully to hit and kill the intended victim with the vehicle. The teen gunmen then fled the scene.

Later that night, in the early hours of March 27, 2024, the teen hitmen showed up at the intended victim’s home to finish the job. They were joined this time by an older accomplice, 28-year-old Ricardo Sanchez. Nunez and Quintero each expected to be paid approximately $50,000. The trio approached the target’s home, carrying at least one firearm apiece.

Two family members and a friend of the intended victim were present in the home. Sanchez banged on the front door, and once the friend responded, Quintero and Nunez shot at the friend and fired indiscriminately at the family home. According to the plea agreements, Nunez and Quintero acted with the intent of ending the life of the friend and anyone within the kill zone they created in targeting the intended victim.

The friend was shot in the hand, arm, and face by Quintero and Nunez, but he survived. In response to Quintero and Nunez’s actions, the friend shot toward Nunez, Quintero and Sanchez to protect himself and the others within the home and, in so doing, he shot and killed Sanchez—a provocative-act murder to which Nunez and Quintero pleaded guilty. After that, the hitmen fled the scene.

The defendants admitted they were tapped to murder the cartel’s target because they were minors and, specifically, only 15 at the time. According to admissions in their plea agreements, the defendants knew—if apprehended for this conduct—that they were ineligible to be transferred to adult status under the laws of the State of California because they were under the age of 16 at the time of the offense. For example, among other discussions Nunez had with his co-defendant after being arrested, Nunez and Quintero talked about not being able to “catch a…707” because of their age at the time, which referred to not being subject to adult transfer under California Welfare & Institutions Code Section 707.

In February 2026, a federal grand jury indicted alleged Sinaloa Cartel associates Poly Antunez, Antonio Quinones, and Jovanny Enriquez for conspiring with the teens to execute the cartel target. The 15-year-olds were thought to be too young for serious legal consequences. That indictment charged the defendants with Conspiracy to Commit Murder in Aid of Racketeering, Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering, Conspiracy to Commit Murder for Hire, and Use of Interstate Facilities in Commission of Murder for Hire. That related case, Case Number 26cr402-TWR, is pending.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Goff, Peter Horn and Joshua Mellor.

DEFENDANTS Case Number 25cr4822-TWR

Andrew Nunez

aka “Shooter,” aka “Felon” Age: 16 Wilmington, CA

Johncarlo Quintero Age: 17 Wilmington, CA

aka “Dumper”

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering (Title 18, U.S.C., Secs. 1959(a)(5) and 2)

Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison, $250,000 fine

Murder in Aid of Racketeering (Title 18, U.S.C., Secs. 1959(a)(1) and 2).

Maximum penalty: Life in prison; $250,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Chula Vista Police Department

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

United States Marshals Service

California Highway Patrol

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF San Diego comprises agents and officers from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Department of Defense, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Interpol, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.

Former Gastonia Police Officer Sentenced To Prison For Straw Purchasing A Firearm

2026-03-13T12:04:00.000-07:00

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A former Gastonia police officer was sentenced to prison today for straw purchasing a firearm, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Xana Dayanae Dove, 28, was sentenced to 15 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release.

Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, and Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.

“No one is above the law,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “We stand behind our law enforcement officers and support them as they work hard to reduce violent crime in our community. But when they become criminals that instead contribute to that crime, they get no special treatment.”

“Law enforcement officers are entrusted with significant authority and very few choose to violate that trust, but those instances will not be tolerated. The FBI, and our law enforcement partners, remain committed to accountability and protecting the integrity of the criminal justice system. We thank the officers who proudly protect and serve their communities every day,” said Special Agent in Charge Davis.

According to filed documents and the court hearing, on May 25, 2023, Dove purchased a Springfield Hellcat Pro, 9mm pistol from Shooters Express, a licensed firearms dealer located in Belmont, North Carolina. As Dove previously admitted in court, in completing the purchase, she made a false and fictitious written statement when she falsely stated on ATF’s Firearms Transaction Record Form 4473 that she was the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm when the defendant knew this statement was false and fictitious.

At today’s sentencing hearing, the Court also ordered the forfeiture of a Springfield Hellcat Pro 9mm pistol. Dove will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the FBI and ATF for their work on the investigation, and thanked Homeland Security Investigations, the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction’s Community Supervision, and the Gastonia Police Department for their assistance with Dove’s apprehension.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Washington with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.

$5,000 Reward Offered for Information Leading to the Arrest of Mass Shooting Suspects

2026-03-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

CINCINNATI — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is announcing a reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible for the mass shooting incident that occurred on Sunday, March 1, 2026.

The Cincinnati Police Department responded to Riverfront live at 4343 Kellogg Avenue at approximately 12:57 a.m. after numerous reports of multiple shooting victims. Nine victims were wounded in the offense.

ATF is assisting the Cincinnati Police Department with this investigation and is providing all available resources to bring these offenders to justice. ATF is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information related to the identification of those responsible for this senseless act of violence.

Anyone who has information about this incident should contact ATF at 1-888-ATF-TIPS (888283-8477). Individuals may also email ATFTips@atf.gov or contact ATF through its website at www.atf.gov/contact/atf-tips. Tips may also be submitted to ATF using the ReportIt® app, available on both Google Play and the Apple App Store, or by visiting www.reportit.com.

Tips can also be submitted to the Cincinnati Police Department at 513-352-3542 or Crimestoppers at 513-352-3040.

Armed Church Intruder Sentenced to Federal Prison

2026-02-20T12:44:21.004-08:00

OKLAHOMA CITY – FERNANDO JESUS VILLEGAS, 41, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 77 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

According to public records, on May 21, 2025, the Oklahoma City Police Department (OCPD) responded to a metro church near the intersection of S. Shartel Avenue and SW 25thStreet, on reports of an armed intruder. Church members told OCPD that the intruder, later identified as Villegas, forced his way into the basement of the church where there were multiple people, including children, and demanded they help hide him. Witnesses reported that Villegas brandished a handgun, pointing it at a member, and waving it in the air. When officers arrived, Villegas fled from the basement and exited the church but was located and arrested nearby a short time later. During the arrest, officers seized a handgun from his front pocket.

On August 5, 2025, a federal Grand Jury charged Villegas with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Villegas pleaded guilty on October 22, 2025, and admitted he possessed a firearm despite his previous felony convictions.

Public records reflect that Villegas has multiple felony convictions in Oklahoma County District Court, including:

possession of drug proceeds and possession of marijuana in case number CF-2003-3981;
possession of methamphetamine in case number CF-2015-1908; and
possession of methamphetamine and aggravated eluding a police officer in case number CF-2016-364.

At the sentencing hearing on February 18, 2026, U.S. District Judge David L. Russell sentenced Villegas to serve 77 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, the Court noted its concern for protecting the public considering Villegas’ criminal history.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and OCPD. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Nichols, Jr., prosecuted the case.

City Man Who Committed Armed Robbery and Shot at Philadelphia Police Officers Sentenced to Over 15 Years in Prison for Illegal Gun Possession

2026-02-13T12:06:00.000-08:00

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Carlian Gonzalez, 36, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 188 months in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Kai N. Scott for possession of a firearm by a felon.

The defendant was charged by indictment in June 2024 and pleaded guilty last November.

As detailed in court filings and statements, on September 14, 2023, Gonzalez robbed a victim of his cell phone on a sidewalk in North Philadelphia, pointing a gun to his head and demanding he turn over his phone. Shortly after the robbery, the victim stopped police officers patrolling the area and informed them that Gonzalez had robbed him and was armed with a gun.

The officers followed behind Gonzalez and activated their lights and sirens, in an attempt to stop him. Video footage shows Gonzalez dismount the bicycle he was riding, raise his arm, and fire several shots at the police vehicle. One officer returned fire and hit Gonzalez in the ankle, causing Gonzalez to fall and drop his gun, which the defendant knew that he was not permitted to possess, due to his status as a convicted felon.

This case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Osborne.

Ryan Wesley Routh Sentenced to Life Plus Seven Years in Prison for Attempted Assassination of President Donald J. Trump and Assault of a Federal Law Enforcement Officer

2026-02-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

MIAMI – Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, was sentenced today to life plus 84 months in federal prison for the attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and related violent and firearms offenses.

U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon imposed the sentence following Routh’s conviction by a federal jury on all five counts charged in the indictment.

“Ryan Routh’s heinous attempted assassination of President Trump was not only an attack on our President — it was a direct assault against our entire democratic system," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Thanks to our prosecutors in the National Security Division and the Southern District of Florida, Routh will never walk free again.”

“Routh attempted to assassinate President Trump and thereby cast our Nation into what would have been one of its darkest periods,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Today’s sentence is a resounding rejection of political violence and a clear reminder that we resolve our differences through civil discourse, democratic elections, and lawful protest, not by force.”

“This life sentence reflects a fundamental truth: political violence is un-American and will never be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “An attempted assassination of a presidential candidate is an attack on our democratic process and the rule of law itself. This assassination attempt was stopped by the courage and professionalism of U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Robert Fercano, whose decisive actions protected lives and prevented a national tragedy. Today’s life sentence ensures the defendant will never again threaten public safety and sends a clear message that those who choose violence to advance their beliefs will face swift, certain, and decisive justice.”

“Routh’s plan to kill a major presidential candidate, President Donald Trump, was a despicable attack on our democratic system,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Thanks to the work of the FBI and our Justice Department partners, he will pay a high price for his actions. Today’s sentencing demonstrates the justice system will not tolerate such heinous attacks.”

“Political violence is unacceptable in the United States, and this sentence is commensurate with the gravity of Routh’s actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office. “The investigation was immense and left no stone unturned. The FBI worked shoulder to shoulder with the Secret Service, ATF, the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, and the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. The FBI covered leads across the country and around the globe using all the tools and techniques at our disposal to include FBI Laboratory analysis, the Computer Analysis Response Team and the Cellular Analysis Survey Team. I commend our law enforcement partners and investigative team for their tireless work which led to today’s result.”

In September 2025, after a two-week trial in Fort Pierce, a jury found Routh guilty of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assault of a federal law enforcement officer, and multiple firearms offenses.

According to evidence presented at trial, then-U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Robert Fercano was patrolling one hole ahead of President Trump at the Trump International Golf Club when he observed Routh pointing what appeared to be an AK 47-style rifle at him from a sniper’s hide concealed in a fence line bordering the golf course. Fearing for his life and the life of President Trump, Special Agent Fercano fired at Routh, who fled the scene.

Law enforcement officers later recovered a Norinco SKS rifle equipped with a scope, a loaded magazine containing 19 rounds of ammunition and one round in the chamber, steel armor plates, and a camera affixed to the fence and pointing at the sixth green of the golf course where President Trump was about to play golf.

A civilian witness reported seeing Routh run across a roadway and enter a black Nissan Xterra. Based on that information, Routh was apprehended while traveling northbound on I-95 by officers from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

A search of Routh’s vehicle revealed multiple mobile phones and a list of international flights along with directions to Miami International Airport. Cell phone records showed that between Aug. 18 and Sept. 15, 2024, Routh’s phone accessed cell towers located near Trump International Golf Club and the President’s residence at Mar-a-Lago on multiple occasions.

Testimony at trial also established that Routh had dropped off a box at a witness’s residence in April 2024 after making another trip to the area near the golf course. Inside the box was a handwritten letter addressed “Dear World,” in which Routh stated, among other things, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you.”

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Skiles announced the sentence.

FBI Miami investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office and Martin County Sheriff’s Office also assisted with this case.

Senior Counsel John C. Shipley, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Browne, National Security Division Chief Maria K. Medetis Long, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Luce for the Southern District of Florida, and Trial Attorneys James Donnelly and John Cella of the Justice Department’s National Security Division Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-80116.

ATF Offers $5k Reward for Suspect of 2024 Pennsylvania State Police Barracks Arson

2026-02-06T17:38:00.000-08:00

ATF, USMS, and PSP Seek the Public’s Help

PHILADELPHIA, Penn. — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering a reward in conjunction with the U.S. Marshal Service (USMS) and Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) for information leading to the arrest of Lamont Sparrow for the April 29, 2024, arson at the PSP Philadelphia barracks impound lot.

Investigators determined that Sparrow of Philadelphia and co-conspirators set the fire, and on August 15, 2025, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued an arrest warrant for Sparrow following an indictment by a Grand Jury for malicious damage by means of fire to a vehicle (18 U.S.C. § 844(i)). The other suspects have been apprehended and await trial.

“Arson is a serious and dangerous crime,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. “Working with our state and federal partners, we ask anyone with information on the whereabouts of Lamont Sparrow to contact us.”

Sparrow, who is 5’9”, has short black hair, a small mustache and facial hair on his chin, may currently be in Georgia’s Loganville Atlanta area.

ATF is offering a reward for the amount of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of Sparrow. Anyone with information on Sparrow should contact ATF, USMS, or PSP.

ATF: Call (888) ATF-TIPS (1-888-283-8477), e-mail ATFTips@atf.gov
, or visit the ATF’s website www.atf.gov/contact/atftips. Tips can also be submitted anonymously using the Reportit® app via www.reportit.com
, or by texting “ATFPHI” to 63975 and following the link provided.
USMS: Call (877) WANTED2 (1-877-926-8332), or visit the USMS’s website https://www.p3tips.com/USMS.aspx.
PSP: Call (888) 292-1919, or e-mail tips@pa.gov

Atlanta child molester sentenced for illegally possessing firearm while impersonating a police officer

2026-01-30T14:47:00.000-08:00

ATLANTA – Fredrick Crawford, a convicted child molester, robber, and stalker, has been sentenced to prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm at an Atlanta gas station where he was impersonating a police officer and threatening customers.

"If a real officer had not caught this armed felon pretending to be a cop, someone could have been seriously injured,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Thanks to my office’s close partnership with the Atlanta Police Department, which referred this case for federal prosecution, the community is safer because Crawford is back in prison, where he belongs.”

“Impersonating a law enforcement officer is a serious crime that undermines public trust and safety. Fredrick Crawford’s actions not only endangered the lives of innocent citizens but also posed a significant risk to legitimate law enforcement efforts. The ATF is committed to working alongside our partners to ensure that individuals who engage in such reckless behavior are held accountable,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd.

“This case underscores the vigilance and professionalism of our officers, even when off duty,” said Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum. “An armed felon impersonating a police officer poses a grave threat to public safety and to the integrity of law enforcement. Thanks to the quick actions of our sergeant and the coordinated response that followed, a dangerous individual was taken off the streets.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges and other information presented in court: On April 12, 2024, an off-duty Atlanta Police Department (APD) sergeant who was buying fuel at a gas station saw Fredrick Crawford, who was armed and wearing a uniform labeled “Fugitive Task Force.” Crawford was arguing with customers, claimed he was a police officer, and repeatedly threatened to issue tickets to people at the gas station.

Concerned by Crawford’s behavior, the sergeant approached him. As their conversation unfolded, the sergeant began to suspect that Crawford was not a real police officer. The sergeant flagged down two marked APD vehicles. When Crawford saw the other officers approaching, he fled and tossed his firearm.

When Crawford was apprehended, officers discovered he was a previously convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm. Along with a prior conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, Crawford also had previous criminal convictions for child molestation, family violence battery, aggravated stalking, and robbery by force. Initially, Crawford was prosecuted in Fulton County, where the district attorney’s office recommended a sentence of just nine months of imprisonment. To achieve more appropriate punishment for this violent recidivist, the Atlanta Police Department requested successive prosecution of Crawford in federal court.

Fredrick Crawford, 34, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen to four years in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Atlanta Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas L. Evert and Chloe Cobb Smith prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

From Kent State to Santa Ana: The Impossible Mission of Policing Protest in a Free Society

2026-01-17T20:49:00.000-08:00

On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guard soldiers fired into a crowd of student demonstrators at Kent State University, killing four and wounding nine. The nation recoiled in horror. The lesson seemed unmistakable: when government meets dissent with bullets, legitimacy collapses.

Yet the deeper lesson was more complicated. Kent State was not simply a story of brutality. It was also a story of fear, confusion, command breakdown, and crowd volatility. Guardsmen faced a hostile environment, property damage, and swelling tension. None of this justified the gunfire — but it revealed something enduring: mass protest is one of the most unstable environments any government can face.

The tragedy forced a national reckoning. Law enforcement did not ignore it. Agencies across the country sought better ways — ways to control disorder without killing. The goal was not repression, but restraint.

What followed was not stagnation, but evolution.

The 1970s–1990s: The search for restraint

After the upheavals of the late 1960s and early 1970s, police departments began formalizing crowd-control doctrine. Riot formations replaced ad hoc responses. Tear gas replaced batons and rifles. The idea was to create distance between officers and crowds and to disperse disorder without deadly force.

But just months after Kent State, the limits of this approach became tragically clear.

During the 1970 Chicano Moratorium in East Los Angeles, journalist Rubén Salazar was killed when a sheriff’s deputy fired a tear-gas projectile into a crowded café. This was not battlefield gunfire. It was the new restrained model of crowd control — and it still proved lethal.

Here lies the first great warning: changing tools does not change physics. High-velocity projectiles, even when labeled “crowd control,” remain dangerous when deployed in dense, chaotic environments.

Police were not ignoring public concern — they were trying to adapt. But adaptation did not eliminate risk; it narrowed the margin for error.

The 1990s–2000s: Less-lethal becomes standard

By the 1990s and early 2000s, American policing increasingly adopted rubber bullets, foam baton rounds, beanbags, and pepperball systems. These tools were designed precisely because firearms were unacceptable for crowd management in a democratic society.

Their intent was humane.

Yet incidents such as the 2007 MacArthur Park protests in Los Angeles revealed a recurring dilemma. Protesters who refused dispersal orders, surged police lines, or threw objects created conditions in which officers had seconds to act. Area weapons were used because individualized targeting was impossible.

Injury followed — not because restraint was abandoned, but because crowd control itself is structurally imprecise.

This period illustrates an important truth often ignored in modern debate: police reform has been continuous for fifty years. The profession has not been static or indifferent. It has been struggling with an inherently unsolvable equation.

2020: A nationwide stress test

The George Floyd protests in 2020 became the largest test of modern crowd-control doctrine in American history. Millions protested peacefully. Some protests, however, turned violent, with arson, assaults, and mass disorder.

Police faced simultaneous, contradictory expectations:

Protect lives and property
Preserve First Amendment freedoms
Avoid deadly force
Restore order quickly

No doctrine can perfectly satisfy all four.

Officers used shields, chemical agents, and impact munitions — tools developed precisely to avoid Kent State–style outcomes. Yet serious injuries still occurred.

The lesson was sobering: even reformed policing methods fail under the pressure of mass unrest.

2026: Santa Ana and the modern dilemma

In January 2026, federal agents responding to an anti-ICE protest in Santa Ana used less-lethal munitions that blinded demonstrators struck in the face.

These injuries are morally serious. But they occurred in a familiar operational reality:

rapidly shifting crowds
compressed reaction time
objects thrown from within the mass
blurred lines between peaceful protesters and agitators

Police officers cannot freeze a crowd and conduct courtroom-level analysis. They must decide in seconds.

Protest tactics shape this environment. When demonstrators ignore dispersal orders, block emergency routes, mask identities, and surge lines, they make individualized enforcement nearly impossible. Officers then resort to area-control tools — and area tools inevitably harm indiscriminately.

This is not because police abandon professionalism. It is because the mission itself becomes physically unmanageable.

The central tragedy of democratic policing

Authoritarian states solve this easily. They ban protest. They crush crowds early. Their police face fewer dilemmas because liberty has already been surrendered.

Free societies choose the harder path.

We protect:

mass assembly
disruptive speech
emotional dissent

And we simultaneously demand public safety.

This creates an impossible assignment:

Maintain order without suppressing liberty;
Use force without destroying legitimacy; and,
Act decisively without acting indiscriminately.

No tactic perfectly satisfies all three.

This is why each generation experiences a different version of the same tragedy:

Era	Tool	Outcome
1970	Rifles	Death
1970	Tear-gas projectile	Death
2007	Foam rounds	Serious injury
2020	Impact munitions	Widespread trauma
2026	Less-lethal rounds	Permanent blindness

The tools evolve. The tension remains.

Why this is not a story of bad faith

It is tempting to reduce these events to villainy. But history tells a more difficult truth.

American policing has spent half a century trying to become more restrained, more professional, more constitutional. Each reform narrows the margin of harm — but cannot eliminate it.

This is not evidence of moral failure. It is evidence of democratic physics.

Crowds are volatile.
Protests are unpredictable.
Force is never precise.

Police stand at the fault line between liberty and order — asked to hold both simultaneously.

The uncomfortable reality

Kent State teaches that force can be too heavy.
Salazar teaches that restraint can still misfire.
Santa Ana teaches that even modern reform leaves irreversible harm.

This does not mean law enforcement is unjust.

It means that policing protest in a free society is one of the hardest missions any government can assign.

Liberty generates disorder.
Order requires coercion.
And between them stands the officer — expected to solve an unsolvable problem in seconds.

That is not a moral failure of policing.

It is the tragic cost of freedom itself.

$5,000 Reward Offered for Information Regarding Blue Ash Carjacking

2026-01-16T14:16:00.000-08:00

CINCINNATI — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is offering a reward for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual or individuals responsible for a carjacking in Blue Ash.

According to the Blue Ash Police Department, officers responded to the 3800 block of Bellview Avenue on December 12, 2025, following a report of a carjacking. The victim told police the suspect brandished a firearm and stole the vehicle, constituting an aggravated robbery.

Blue Ash carjacking suspect looking in the open trunk of the carjacked vehicle.

The stolen vehicle was later recovered on Yearling Court in Cincinnati.

ATF has partnered with the Blue Ash Police Department and has joined the investigation in search of those responsible. As part of that effort, ATF is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information related to the case.

Anyone who has information about this incident should contact ATF at 1-888-ATF-TIPS (888-283-8477). Individuals may also email ATFTips@atf.gov

r contact ATF through its website at www.atf.gov/contact/atf-tips. Tips may also be submitted to ATF using the ReportIt® app, available on both Google Play and the Apple App Store, or by visiting www.reportit.com.

Tips can also be submitted to the Blue Ash Police Department at 513-745-8555 or Cincinnati Crimestoppers at 513-352-3040.

Character Under No Banner: What Off-Duty Heroism Really Reveals

2025-12-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

The video is brief and unremarkable at first glance. An off-duty New York City police officer notices a one-year-old child who is choking and unresponsive. There is no patrol car, no radio traffic, no uniform to signal authority. What follows is not dramatic in the cinematic sense. The officer kneels, applies back slaps and chest compressions, and restores the child’s breathing before paramedics arrive. The child survives. Only later does the moment find its way to surveillance footage and social media, where it spreads as a rare and welcome reminder of quiet competence.

What makes this moment meaningful is not that a police officer acted heroically. It is that he did so without a banner.

The phrase “off duty” is central to understanding the moral weight of the act. There was no policy compelling intervention, no supervisor watching, no expectation of recognition. In that moment, the officer acted as a private citizen who happened to possess the training and the willingness to use it. This distinction matters because character is most visible when obligation disappears. When the uniform comes off, what remains is not role but habit.

Much of public discussion around policing centers on authority, power, and accountability. Those conversations are necessary, but they often obscure a quieter truth: most of what police officers are trained to do is preventive, technical, and rarely noticed. CPR, choking response, and emergency medical intervention are skills practiced repeatedly, often with little fanfare. Yet training alone does not guarantee action. Many people possess life-saving knowledge. Fewer are willing to step forward in the chaos of a real emergency. The difference between knowing and doing is not procedural; it is moral.

Ethicists have long argued that virtue is not revealed in grand gestures but in practiced response. Aristotle described character as something formed through repetition, where right action becomes habitual rather than deliberative. In emergencies, there is often no time for ethical debate. Action emerges from what has been internalized over years. The officer who intervened did not perform heroism; he defaulted to it.

What is striking about this incident is the absence of narrative at the moment it mattered. There was no camera intended to capture virtue, no audience to persuade, no public relations calculus. The act occurred before interpretation, before commentary, before ideology. A child was dying. Someone acted. Everything else followed later.

This matters in a cultural moment saturated with argument. Stories involving police are often immediately sorted into opposing camps, framed as symbols rather than events. This one resists that impulse. It is difficult to politicize a breathing child. It is difficult to argue with an outcome that leaves a family intact. For a brief moment, the noise recedes, and what remains is a simple truth: competence applied at the right time saves lives.

There is also an uncomfortable implication embedded in this story. Society depends heavily on individuals who will act without recognition. We assume, often unconsciously, that someone will step forward when things go wrong. Yet that assumption rests on character developed long before crisis. Whether in policing, medicine, parenting, or leadership, the moments that matter most rarely announce themselves. They arrive without warning and without witnesses.

The idea of heroism is frequently distorted by spectacle. We imagine bravery as loud, visible, and exceptional. In reality, it is often quiet, practiced, and indistinguishable from routine professionalism. The officer’s actions were not extraordinary within the scope of his training. They were extraordinary only because the stakes were absolute.

When the moment passed, the officer did not stand taller or speak grandly. He returned to anonymity. The banner came later, applied by others searching for meaning. But the meaning was already there, embedded in the act itself.

Character under no banner is not about policing. It is about who people are when no role compels them to act, when no reward is promised, and when the only measure of success is whether someone else gets to keep living. In that sense, the story is not inspirational. It is instructional. It reminds us that the most consequential decisions are often made quietly, by people who have trained themselves to respond before they ever needed to be seen.

In the end, the uniform was irrelevant. The badge did not save the child. A person did.

References

Associated Press. (2025). Off-duty NYPD officer saves choking toddler caught on surveillance video.

Aristotle. (2009). Nicomachean ethics (W. D. Ross, Trans.). Oxford University Press. (Original work published ca. 350 BCE)

American Heart Association. (2024). Choking first aid and life-saving response guidelines.

New York City Police Department. (2023). Emergency medical response training standards for sworn personnel.

The Silent Weight of the Badge: How Cumulative Trauma Changes Officers Over Time

2025-12-19T20:13:00.000-08:00

Policing is often described in snapshots: the foot chase, the domestic call, the violent crash, the split-second decision that becomes a headline. But the deeper story of law enforcement stress is rarely a single moment. It is the slow accumulation of exposure—repeated contact with danger, human suffering, and responsibility—layered over years. Cumulative trauma is not simply “having a bad day at work.” It is what happens when the nervous system, the conscience, and the body absorb thousands of smaller shocks, many of them never spoken aloud, until the officer begins to change in ways that are difficult to notice from the outside and even harder to name from the inside. Research consistently shows that police stress is associated with both psychological outcomes (such as PTSD symptoms, depression, and burnout) and physical consequences (such as disrupted sleep and cardiovascular risk), shaping not only how officers feel, but how they think, decide, relate, and endure. (PMC)

Cumulative trauma rarely arrives with a label. Early in a career, the body often interprets stress as energy: heightened alertness, sharper scanning, a readiness to act. Over time, that same arousal can become chronic—less like readiness and more like a stuck accelerator. One major reason is repetition. Officers do not just witness traumatic scenes; they return to work the next day, and the next, often without adequate decompression. The brain learns patterns: certain tones of voice, certain smells, certain environments become triggers for vigilance. Researchers studying police and other first responders emphasize that PTSD risk is shaped not only by what happens, but by how the officer’s body reacts in the moment (for example, panic-like reactions during the event) and how the officer processes and copes afterward. In other words, cumulative trauma is not weakness—it is a predictable outcome when intense exposures pile up faster than recovery. (PubMed)

Two real-life situations illustrate how cumulative trauma can reshape an officer’s life.

First, consider the story reported by the Associated Press of Joseph William Holsopple, an Ohio officer whose life began to unravel after a 2015 use-of-force incident in which a mentally ill man died. Although the force was deemed justified, his records and those around him reflected concerns about possible PTSD-related changes and escalating alcohol misuse; he was later fired for reporting to work intoxicated, and he died in 2020 from alcoholism. The details are painful precisely because they show cumulative trauma doing what it often does: it does not always explode immediately—it erodes, quietly, while the officer keeps showing up. (AP News)

Second, look at the public reporting on San Antonio SWAT officer Rhett Shoquist, who returned to duty after a severe shooting injury that cost him an eye. The story describes not only the physical recovery, but ongoing emotional challenges, including PTSD symptoms, alongside the role of family, teammates, and a wellness unit in supporting his return. This is a different arc than Holsopple’s, but it highlights the same core truth: trauma does not end when the scene ends. It continues as adaptation—sometimes supported and integrated, sometimes avoided and carried alone. (San Antonio Express-News)

Cumulative trauma changes officers in at least five overlapping ways.

First, it changes attention. Vigilance is adaptive in dangerous environments, but chronic hypervigilance is exhausting. Officers may scan constantly even off duty, struggle to relax in crowds, or interpret ordinary ambiguity as threat. That constant readiness can narrow perception—useful in a fight, but costly in relationships and restorative sleep. Over time, the nervous system can become less flexible, shifting from situational alertness to persistent tension. (PMC)

Second, it changes emotion. Policing culture often rewards emotional control, but long-term exposure can create emotional constriction: officers feel “flat,” detached, or numb. This is not a lack of compassion; it is frequently a protective strategy. The trouble is that numbing rarely stays contained. It can spill into home life, making connection feel effortful and joy feel distant. At the other extreme, cumulative trauma can lead to irritability and anger—often less about temperament than about a nervous system that is depleted and easily flooded. (PMC)

Third, it changes meaning. Many officers enter policing with a strong service identity. Over time, repeated exposure to cruelty, exploitation, or preventable harm can create moral distress: the painful gap between what an officer believes should happen and what they are able to make happen. Even when officers act lawfully and professionally, the emotional residue of events—especially those involving children, suicide, or helpless victims—can accumulate as a quiet form of grief. The IACP’s “Breaking the Silence” work underscores that mental health challenges, including suicidal ideation and behavior, exist in the profession and are worsened by stigma and a culture that discourages seeking help.

Fourth, it changes the body. Trauma is not only a mental event; it is physiological. Stressful law enforcement duties have been associated with markedly higher risk of sudden cardiac death compared with routine or non-emergency duties, underscoring how acute stress loads the cardiovascular system. Over years, disrupted sleep, shift work, and chronic stress can compound health risk and reduce resilience—making psychological recovery harder because the body is already running a deficit. (PMC)

Fifth, it changes risk. Suicide in law enforcement is difficult to measure precisely, but occupational mortality analyses have found elevated suicide risk patterns in law enforcement categories compared with the general working population in the datasets examined. This matters because cumulative trauma often expresses itself indirectly—through substance misuse, relationship breakdown, disciplinary problems, or reckless behavior—long before a crisis is visible. When an agency only responds at the breaking point, it has missed the long middle where intervention is most effective.

So what actually helps?

The evidence and the field experience point toward three practical principles: earlier, easier, and culturally normal.

Earlier means proactive mental wellness, not only post-incident counseling. The IACP strategy emphasizes culture change, early warning and prevention protocols, training, and event-response protocols—because waiting until an officer is in visible crisis is waiting too long. (LEO Near Miss)

Easier means reducing friction to care: confidential access, peer support, clinicians who understand police work, and leadership that treats mental health as part of officer safety rather than a personal flaw. If officers believe help equals punishment, they will hide until they cannot. (LEO Near Miss)

Culturally normal means supervisors and respected peers naming the reality of cumulative trauma out loud. Not with slogans, but with routines: normalized check-ins after high-impact calls, structured decompression, sleep protection, and policies that treat repeated exposure as an operational hazard—like hearing loss or toxic exposure—not as a character test. (PMC)

The silent weight of the badge is not inevitable in its worst form. Trauma exposure is part of the job; carrying it alone should not be. The goal is not to turn officers into patients. The goal is to keep them fully human: capable of courage without corrosion, service without self-destruction, and professionalism that lasts longer than the body’s ability to absorb what it was never designed to hold indefinitely.

References (APA)

International Association of Chiefs of Police. (2017). Breaking the silence on law enforcement suicides: IACP National Symposium on Law Enforcement Officer Suicide and Mental Health. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

Marmar, C. R., McCaslin, S. E., Metzler, T. J., Best, S., Weiss, D. S., Fagan, J., … Neylan, T. (2006). Predictors of posttraumatic stress in police and other first responders. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1071, 1–18.

Robinson, C. F., Shen, R., & Violanti, J. M. (2013). Law enforcement suicide: A national analysis. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience, 15(4), 289–297.

Varvarigou, V., Farioli, A., Korre, M., Sato, S., Dahabreh, I. J., & Kales, S. N. (2014). Law enforcement duties and sudden cardiac death among police officers in United States: Case distribution study. BMJ, 349, g6534.

Violanti, J. M. (2017). Police stressors and health: A state-of-the-art review. Policing: An International Journal, 40(4), 642–656.

Violanti, J. M., Owens, S. L., Fekedulegn, D., Ma, C. C., Andrew, M. E., & Charles, L. E. (2018). Police stressors and PTSD: Moderating effects of coping. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 33, 271–282.

Associated Press. (2024, October 8). The cumulative stress of policing has public safety consequences for law enforcement officers, too.

Why Routine Encounters Produce More Officer Fatalities Than Tactical Operations

2025-12-15T20:39:00.000-08:00

The most dangerous moments in policing are rarely the ones that look dangerous. Public imagination, media portrayals, and even internal training cultures tend to associate officer fatalities with high-risk tactical operations—warrant services, SWAT callouts, barricaded suspects, or active shooter responses. Yet national fatality data repeatedly tells a different story. Law enforcement officers are far more likely to be killed during routine encounters: traffic stops, suspicious person investigations, attempting arrests, and everyday patrol duties. This pattern is not accidental, nor is it simply the result of bad luck. It reflects structural realities of policing that combine exposure, uncertainty, human cognition, environment, and institutional priorities in ways that quietly but consistently increase lethality.

Recent data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) illustrates this clearly. In 2024, firearms-related officer deaths most frequently occurred during traffic enforcement, attempting arrest, serving warrants or civil papers, and investigating suspicious persons, while tactical operations accounted for a comparatively small portion of fatalities. Traffic-related deaths, particularly officers struck outside their vehicles, surged dramatically as well. Mid-year data for 2025 shows the same pattern persisting despite an overall reduction in total line-of-duty deaths. These figures demand a deeper question: why does routine work, rather than overtly dangerous operations, produce the greatest fatal risk?

The first and most fundamental explanation is exposure volume. Tactical operations are rare. Even in large agencies, fully planned tactical deployments represent a small fraction of total police activity. Routine encounters, by contrast, occur millions of times each year across the United States. Traffic stops alone number in the tens of millions annually, and investigative street contacts are a daily feature of patrol work. Even if the risk per encounter is low, the sheer frequency of these interactions creates an enormous cumulative exposure to danger. Risk in policing follows the mathematics of probability: high-frequency events with moderate danger will produce more fatalities over time than low-frequency events with extreme danger. Tactical operations may be more dramatic, but routine encounters dominate the operational surface area of policing.

Exposure alone, however, does not fully explain the disparity. The second factor is information asymmetry. Routine encounters often begin with limited or ambiguous information. Officers conducting a traffic stop or approaching a suspicious person may know little more than a license plate, a vague description, or a behavioral cue that “something seems off.” The officer must simultaneously assess intent, risk, legality, and safety in real time, often within seconds. Tactical operations, in contrast, are built around intelligence gathering, planning, briefings, role assignments, and contingency preparation. Suspect identities, criminal histories, and environmental layouts are often known in advance. The difference is not courage or professionalism, but information. Officers are most vulnerable during the process of interpreting uncertainty, before a clear threat picture has formed.

Closely related to this is a third factor: readiness mismatch. Human beings, regardless of training or experience, naturally adjust their mental arousal based on perceived task risk. Tactical callouts trigger heightened alertness, deliberate movement, and strict adherence to safety protocols. Routine tasks do the opposite. Repetition breeds familiarity, and familiarity can quietly erode vigilance. Traffic stops, disturbance calls, and investigative contacts are performed so frequently that they risk becoming cognitively categorized as administrative rather than dangerous. Fatality data suggests that this downshift in mental readiness can be deadly. Officers are often killed not because they lacked skill, but because the encounter did not feel dangerous until it was too late. The danger lies not in negligence, but in the subtle psychological effects of routine.

The fourth factor is environmental hostility, particularly in traffic-related encounters. Roadways are among the most unforgiving operational environments in policing. Speed, mass, limited visibility, impaired driving, and distracted motorists combine to create lethal conditions that do not require malicious intent. NLEOMF data shows that traffic-related fatalities remain one of the leading causes of officer deaths, with struck-by incidents representing a significant and growing share. Unlike tactical environments, roadways cannot be secured, contained, or controlled. Even a well-managed traffic stop or crash scene exposes officers to physics that cannot be negotiated or de-escalated. In these cases, the environment itself becomes the weapon.

A fifth contributor is isolation and delayed backup. Routine encounters are where officers are most likely to be working alone or with minimal support. A solo patrol officer conducting a traffic stop or responding to a suspicious person call may be minutes away from assistance. Tactical operations, by design, emphasize team deployment, redundancy, and immediate medical and command presence. Isolation magnifies risk by reducing reaction time, limiting tactical options, and increasing the consequences of sudden violence or medical emergencies. Many fatal encounters escalate faster than backup can arrive, leaving officers to manage rapidly evolving threats without immediate support.

Ambush dynamics represent a sixth factor that disproportionately affects routine policing. Ambushes rarely occur during tactical deployments precisely because those operations are unpredictable and heavily guarded. Routine activities, by contrast, are inherently predictable. Officers stop vehicles, approach residences, stand roadside, and conduct repetitive tasks at known locations and times. This predictability creates opportunity for targeted or opportunistic attacks. Research on officer ambushes consistently shows that attackers exploit moments when officers are stationary, distracted, or transitioning between tasks—conditions most common during routine work. Fatality data reinforces this reality, with ambush-related deaths often embedded within categories such as traffic enforcement or investigative activity rather than labeled as tactical failures.

The seventh and final factor is institutional blind spots in training and policy emphasis. Law enforcement agencies, often driven by public scrutiny and rare but catastrophic events, devote substantial training time to active shooter response, high-risk entries, and specialized tactical scenarios. While necessary, this emphasis can inadvertently overshadow the mundane tasks that kill officers most often. Approach tactics, roadside safety, decision-making under fatigue, and managing uncertainty during routine contacts receive comparatively less attention, despite their statistical significance. When agencies train for what looks dangerous rather than what proves deadly, they reinforce a cultural misalignment between perceived risk and actual risk.

Taken together, these factors reveal a sobering truth: routine encounters are not low-risk encounters. They are uncontrolled risk environments characterized by high frequency, limited information, cognitive downshifting, hostile surroundings, isolation, predictability, and institutional underestimation. Tactical operations benefit from structure, preparation, and collective focus precisely because they are recognized as dangerous. Routine work suffers because it is mislabeled as safe.

Redefining “high-risk” in policing is therefore not a semantic exercise, but a moral imperative. Every officer fatality represents not only a personal tragedy but a failure to align training, policy, and culture with reality. The data does not suggest that policing is becoming recklessly dangerous in extraordinary moments. It suggests that officers are dying in ordinary ones. The most dangerous moment in policing is often the one we call routine—because that is when vigilance quietly fades, and when danger arrives without warning.

References

Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2022). Police-public contact survey. U.S. Department of Justice.

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2023). Law enforcement officers killed and assaulted. U.S. Department of Justice.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2023). Traffic safety facts. U.S. Department of Transportation.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (2022). Preventing law enforcement roadway deaths. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

National Institute of Justice. (2021). Officer safety and wellness. U.S. Department of Justice.

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. (2025). 2024 end-of-year law enforcement officers fatalities report. Washington, DC.

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. (2025). 2025 mid-year law enforcement officers fatalities report. Washington, DC.

Police Executive Research Forum. (2020). Guiding principles on use of force and officer safety. Washington, DC.

Violanti, J. M., Owens, S. L., Fekedulegn, D., Ma, C. C., Andrew, M. E., & Charles, L. E. (2017). An exploration of shift work, fatigue, and cardiovascular disease in law enforcement. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 59(6), 612–617.

Woman Who Pointed Gun and Threatened to Kill Social Security Protective Security Officer Sentenced to Federal Prison

2025-12-12T11:59:00.000-08:00

A woman who pointed a gun at a Social Security Office and repeatedly threatened a security guard with the gun was sentenced October 30, 2025, to 4 years in federal prison.

Stella Ross, age 28, from Louisiana, received the prison term after a May 15, 2025, guilty plea to one count of assault, threatened assault, attempted assault of a federal officer, and one count of influencing a federal official by threat.

Evidence in the case revealed on September 3, 2024, Ross pulled a gun on a Protective Security Officer (PSO) at the Sioux City, Iowa, Social Security office, and threatened to kill him. When the PSO pulled his weapon in response, Ross withdrew, but remained at the scene until she saw Sioux City Police arrive, then she drove away. Ross began a Facebook live post detailing her interaction at the Social Security Office and making additional death threats, racial slurs, and other complaints against law enforcement. Responding officers located Ross at a residence, and after communicating with her via phone at the scene, she was peacefully taken into state custody without further incident. The firearm, magazine and ammunition were located along with items belonging to Ross in the residence. After being released from state custody she repeated her threats against the PSO and law enforcement.

Ross was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 48 months’ imprisonment. She must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Ross is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was investigated by Sioux City, Iowa Police Department, Sergeant Bluff, Iowa Police Department, Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security, Federal protective Service and the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF). This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.

Ho-Ho-Hold Up: Christmas convenience store robbers head to federal prison

2025-12-12T11:49:00.000-08:00

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Two Corpus Christi residents have been sentenced for a string of aggravated robberies, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Jonathan Stein, 20, and Alvaro Martinez, 21, pleaded guilty Aug. 4.

U.S. District Judge Davis S. Morales has now imposed a 96-month term of imprisonment for Stein, while Martinez received 68 months. Both must also serve three years of supervised release following their sentences. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence detailing the robberies committed on Christmas Day and in the days that followed. In handing down the sentences, Judge Morales noted the seriousness of the offenses and the fear and danger their actions caused the victims.

Between Dec. 25 and 27, 2024, Stein and Martinez worked together to rob three Stripes convenience stores in Corpus Christi.

Surveillance footage showed Stein entering a Stripes convenience store on Airline Road Dec. 25. He was wearing a red and grey ski mask and brandished a firearm with an attached drum magazine while demanding money from the cashier.

Approximately two days later, he robbed another Stripes in a similar manner. Martinez provided the firearm and acted as the getaway driver.

Authorities uncovered a photograph of Martinez posing with a firearm and a large amount of cash. That firearm matched the one used in the robberies. Inside his vehicle, they located the firearm, along with a red-and-black mask matching the one used in the robberies.

Both men were permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Martin prosecuted the case.