GREENBELT, MD—Three alleged members of the notorious La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, gang have been charged with racketeering conspiracy, including murder and drug trafficking, following their initial appearance in the District of Maryland on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. According to court documents, Maxwell Ariel Quijano-Casco, 24, of El Salvador; Daniel Isaias Villanueva-Bautista, 19, of El Salvador; and Josue Mauricio Lainez, […]
WASHINGTON, DC—The FBI is issuing a public warning about a significant increase in “ramp-and-dump” stock manipulation schemes targeting U.S. investors through social media platforms and messaging applications. The agency reports a 300% surge in victim complaints related to this type of fraud in 2025 compared to last year. These sophisticated schemes often lure investors into what appear to be legitimate […]
BALTIMORE, MD—A Bel Air, Maryland, man was sentenced to federal prison this week for his role in a $29 million embezzlement and kickback scheme that defrauded his employer, a Harford County manufacturer. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Eugene Andrew DiNoto, 54, to concurrent terms of 70 months for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and engaging in an illegal […]
BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore County couple has been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a $20 million insurance fraud scheme, federal prosecutors announced this week. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced James William Wilson, Jr., 78, to 12 years, and his wife, Maureen Ann Wilson, 77, both of Owings Mills, to four years. Both were ordered to pay […]
WASHINGTON, DC—The Justice Department on Monday announced criminal charges against 324 defendants, including 96 medical professionals, in a nationwide health care fraud takedown involving more than $14.6 billion in alleged schemes. The 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, described by officials as an “unprecedented effort,” spanned 50 federal districts and involved 12 State Attorneys General’s Offices. Authorities seized more than […]
BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore man pleaded guilty Monday to distributing 80 kilograms of cocaine following a wiretap investigation, federal authorities announced. Travis Sentell Howell, 46, of Baltimore, admitted to his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that was investigated by the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) beginning in fall 2022. According to his guilty plea, investigators obtained court-authorized wiretaps on […]
BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore man pleaded guilty Wednesday to illegally operating a drone over M&T Bank Stadium during an NFL Wild Card game in January, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced. Alexis Perez Suarez, 43, of Baltimore, admitted to knowingly and willfully violating national defense airspace. Magistrate Judge Charles D. Austin sentenced Suarez to one year of […]
BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore man pleaded guilty Monday to a charge stemming from a 2016 murder-for-hire plot that resulted in the death of a woman mistaken for her neighbor, a federal witness. Matthew Hightower, 43, faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Hightower admitted to using a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime that resulted in […]