February 2026 Criminal Investigation press releases

Feb. 27, 2026

• Three charged with trafficking methamphetamine on behalf of Mexico-based trafficker
• Westchester construction contractor pleads guilty to filing false tax returns
• Oyster Bay resident sentenced to 108 months in prison for $30 million investment fraud scheme and selling foreign nationals access to prominent U.S. politicians
• Former CEO of non-profit nursing home pleads guilty to misapplication of property
• New River couple convicted of $12 million AHCCCS fraud scheme
• Pasadena commercial real estate broker sentenced to 2 years in federal prison for years-long pattern of obstructing the IRS
• Leader of nationwide theft ring who purchased stolen catalytic converters from Sacramento for $38 million pleads guilty
• Former New York national sales director sentenced to three years in prison for kickback scheme
• Armed felon and methamphetamine trafficker from Oahu sentenced to over 14 years in federal prison
• Louisiana man pleads guilty to committing COVID relief fraud while in prison

Feb. 26, 2026

• Kansas City man pleads guilty to COVID-19 fraud
• Victoria man sentenced for laundering nearly $600,000 in drug proceeds
• Real estate broker pleads guilty to avoiding reporting requirements and obstruction of justice
• Zachary man sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for convictions of multiple drug charges
• Cedar Rapids drug trafficker sentenced to federal prison
• Sinaloa Cartel leader charged with narcoterrorism, material support of terrorism and drug trafficking
• D.C. Scam Center Strike Force seizures of cryptocurrency from Chinese transnational criminals tops $580 million
• Prominent lawyer Thomas Goldstein convicted of tax evasion and mortgage fraud
• Springfield business owner pleads guilty to COVID-19 fraud and money laundering
• Bridal shop owner pleads guilty to employment tax crimes
• Memphis tax preparer pleads guilty to preparing false returns for clients
• Oregon business owner sentenced to federal prison for employment tax crimes

Feb. 25, 2026

• Leader of Anchorage drug trafficking organization sentenced to 30 years
• Kansas City woman sentenced to 87 months for COVID-19 fraud and identity theft

Feb. 24, 2026

• IRS-CI data shows BSA filings are used in nearly all its investigations
• Port Saint Lucie tax preparer sentenced to prison for tax fraud and lying on naturalization application
• Ten drug dealers handed lengthy federal prison sentences for trafficking kilos of fentanyl, meth, and cocaine
• Goliath Ventures CEO arrested for wire fraud and money laundering
• Kodiak man sentenced to 20 years for role in 2022 fatal fentanyl overdose
• Texas doctor sentenced to 8.5 years in prison for $145 million health care fraud scheme

Feb. 23, 2026

• Cedar Rapids man sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking
• Four-time congressional candidate sentenced to 4 years in prison for funneling campaign money to himself via his mother and friend
• Suspended Los Angeles lawyer sentenced to over 7 years in federal prison for receiving $2.1 million bribe payment from oil company
• Man from Netherlands sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug trafficking and money laundering
• Members of Jacksonville drug trafficking organization sentenced to prison for role in drive-by shooting on I-95

Feb. 20, 2026

• Las Cruces woman pleads guilty to methamphetamine trafficking
• Houston resident sentenced to decade in prison for laundering proceeds from $40 million fraud scheme
• Resident of Cyprus sentenced to 18 months in prison for money laundering
• Cameroonian national sentenced for unemployment insurance benefits fraud
• Former pastor sentenced for embezzling from a local church
• Newcastle, Washington, man pleads guilty to laundering nearly $100 million in proceeds of investment fraud scheme
• Last defendant in primary health network fraud scheme convicted by jury for wire fraud

Feb. 19, 2026

• Bergen County accountant admits to defrauding investors through multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme and failing to file income tax returns
• Five individuals charged with multi-million-dollar mortgage and apartment fraud scheme
• Pembroke man sentenced for misusing CARES Act funds to purchase the Angus Lea golf course
• Gang member sentenced to 29 years for role in sex trafficking operation
• San Francisco tow company operator sentenced to five years for arson conspiracy and more than two years for mail and wire fraud conspiracy
• Former police officer sentenced to three years in prison for inheritance scam
• Former Troup County payroll manager sentenced for embezzling more than $500,000 in government funds
• Tucson airman and his spouse indicted for defrauding the Department of War of millions
• Longview tax preparer guilty in tax fraud scheme

Feb. 18, 2026

• Nigerian man sentenced to eight years in prison for computer intrusion and theft
• Two Mexican nationals removed to U.S. to face federal drug trafficking charges in New Mexico
• Easton man sentenced to three years in prison for wire fraud
• Jacksonville tax preparer sentenced to prison for preparing over $1.8 million in fraudulent tax returns
• Georgia resident sentenced to 20 months for role in conspiracy to obstruct IRS
• Oregon business owner sent to prison for employment tax crimes
• President of insurance brokerage firm and CEO of marketing company sentenced in $233m Affordable Care Act enrollment fraud scheme that preyed on vulnerable consumers
• Former union president and former lobbyist sentenced for stealing union funds and lying to federal investigators
• Home repairmen sentenced to prison for tax fraud after failing to report income earned overcharging elderly clients for repairs
• New York man sentenced to eight months in prison for kickback scheme
• Texas and Maryland women plead guilty to COVID fraud

Feb. 17, 2026

• Alleged major Sinaloa Cartel drug trafficker appears in San Diego court
• Virginia landlord sentenced to prison for obstructing the IRS and willfully failing to file tax returns
• Former Connecticut resident sentenced to 90 months for operating $4 million investment fraud scheme, tax evasion
• Bank insider pleads guilty to facilitating fraud schemes from inside two financial institutions
• California man sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy
• Glendale man sentenced to nearly 5 years in federal prison for role in darknet network that sold and distributed narcotics nationwide

Feb. 13, 2026

• California man sentenced in connection with drug trafficking crimes
• Two men sentenced for their roles in mail theft and check fraud scheme
• Leader of Tijuana-based fentanyl trafficking organization sentenced
• Miami man charged in connection with grandparent scam and failure to appear
• New Castle man involved in Puerto Rico-sourced cocaine trafficking operation pleads guilty to narcotics and firearm charges
• New York man sentenced to 14 months in prison for kickback scheme
• Source of supply for major drug trafficking ring appears in U.S. District Court in Seattle following transfer from Mexico
• Erie man charged with bank fraud and money laundering in relation to falsified applications for pandemic relief funds

Feb. 12, 2026

• Federal court sentences four defendants in $11.5 million COVID-19 fraud scheme
• Leader of Jacksonville drug trafficking organization sentenced to 35 years for his role in drive-by shooting on I-95
• Former NYPD official and Florida businessman charged with bribery offenses
• Wolcott man indicted for cryptocurrency fraud scheme
• Praetorian Group International CEO sentenced to 20 years in prison for $200M bitcoin Ponzi scheme
• Greece pawn shop owner going to prison for his role in retail theft ring involving hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen merchandise
• Salvadoran national pleads guilty to selling firearms without a license
• Cleaning service owner pleads guilty to employment tax crimes
• Third leader charged in multi-state forced labor conspiracy involving Kingdom of God Global Church
• Two men arrested in connection with seizure of tens of thousands of counterfeit pills
• Three adult Sinaloa Cartel associates charged in conspiracy to use teen hitmen to kill cartel target

Feb. 11, 2026

• Jefferson County businessman admits failing to pay taxes on behalf of employees
• Lexington man sentenced for money laundering and wire fraud involving COVID relief loans
• Virtual asset trading platform sentenced for violating the travel act and other federal criminal charges
• Winter Haven tax preparer sentenced to more than six years in federal prison and ordered to pay over $1.6 million in restitution to the IRS

Feb. 10, 2026

• Five indicted by federal grand jury for fraud offenses and money laundering
• Dallas man sentenced to 27 years in federal prison for trafficking heroin and methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas
• CEO of digital asset company SafeMoon sentenced to 100 months in prison for multimillion dollar crypto-fraud scheme
• Fraud tourists plead guilty to Minneapolis Medicaid fraud
• U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, and HSI announce creation of regional Homeland Security Task Force to combat violent crime and transnational organized crime
• Honduran national sentenced to six years in prison for repeated arrests for possession and distribution of fentanyl
• Las Cruces man charged in federal drug trafficking and firearms case
• Former president and vice president of Jacksonville Teachers Union sentenced to federal prison for embezzling millions in union funds
• Suburban Chicago tax preparer indicted for allegedly preparing more than 25 fraudulent tax returns

Feb. 9, 2026

• Minnesota man indicted for filing and conspiring to file false tax returns requesting hundreds of millions of dollars in undeserved tax refunds from the IRS
• Memphis tax preparers plead guilty to conspiracy and preparing false returns for clients
• Two Queens men charged with $120m adult day care and pharmacy fraud on Medicare and Medicaid
• Dominican citizen extradited to the United States from the British Virgin Islands to face drug trafficking charges
• Fresno man pleads guilty to filing $1.5 million in false tax returns
• Start spreading the news: New York-licensed attorney and accomplice sentenced in large-scale interstate email scam scheme

Feb. 7, 2026

• Abilene fentanyl trafficker, 30 others, sentenced as part of “Operation Top Shelf”

Feb. 6, 2026

• 18th Street Gang associate from El Salvador sentenced for dealing fentanyl
• Former MLB player found guilty of obstructing justice and lying to federal officials investigating illegal sports gambling ring
• Members of Tacoma street gang are indicted for drug and gun trafficking
• Minocqua man sentenced to over six years for wire fraud and money laundering
• Glastonbury men charged with using thousands of stolen identities to defraud FanDuel and other online gambling sites of $3 million
• Seattle man sentenced to 35 years in prison following September 2025 conviction by jury for role in transnational drug trafficking organization
• Four Wisconsin residents charged with fraud in embezzlement scheme
• Rhode Island businesswoman sentenced to more than three years in prison for money laundering
• Salvadoran national sentenced for dealing fentanyl

Feb. 5, 2026

• New Gloucester man pleads guilty to presenting counterfeit Treasury checks
• Final defendant pleads guilty in $17 million pandemic fraud scheme
• North Carolina man sentenced to federal prison for tax fraud
• Fort Lauderdale financial advisor sentenced to 20 years for $94 million international investment fraud scheme
• South Carolina man and coal mine owner sentenced for tax fraud
• Eight indicted in Denver metro area on drug, weapon, and money laundering charges
• Former Luzerne County attorney sentenced to four years in prison for tax evasion
• Chesterfield woman pleads guilty to defrauding numerous COVID-19 programs and tax charges
• Florida man pleads guilty to biofuel fraud conspiracy

Feb. 4, 2026

• Three defendants indicted for $447,000 COVID-19 fraud
• Casper businessman sent to prison for tax violations
• First defendant in drug trafficking organization dealing in the International District and homeless encampments sentenced to 30 months in prison
• Large-scale Bessemer drug trafficking ring indicted
• Boston man sentenced to one year in prison for bank fraud and wire fraud
• Memphis woman sentenced to 8 years in federal prison for defrauding Department of Veterans Affairs of over $2.9 million
• Utah business owner of Urban Armz LLC sentenced to two years’ imprisonment after defrauding victims $591,932
• Lakeland tax preparer sentenced to 57 months in federal prison and ordered to pay the Internal Revenue Service nearly $13 million in restitution

Feb. 3, 2026

• Mechanicsburg man pleads guilty to tax evasion
• Four charged in multi-state SNAP and PUA fraud conspiracy
• Former owner of Philadelphia restaurant pleads guilty to tax evasion

Feb. 2, 2026

• Federal jury convicts two brothers and a public official who orchestrated elaborate fraud and bribery conspiracy
• Violent domestic abuser sentenced to federal prison for pandemic fraud scheme
• Ohio couple sentenced for arson in profit scheme to fraudulently collect millions in insurance payouts
• Tennessee man sentenced to five years for wire fraud, money laundering, and making a false claim to the IRS
• Webster man charged with unlawfully selling firearms
• Southern Utah man admits to wire fraud in an $89m investment scheme with over 200 victims
• Previously removed undocumented Mexican national indicted for $1m Ponzi scheme that defrauded approximately 30 investors in Utah