Laboratory Executives, Marketers, and Physician to Pay Over $2M to Settle Allegations of Illegal Kickbacks to Doctors

 

Former laboratory CEO Susan Hertzberg, of New York, and former laboratory sales executive Matthew Theiler, of Pinehurst, North Carolina, have agreed to pay $1.2 million to resolve False Claims Act litigation with the United States alleging illegal payments to doctors for laboratory referrals in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute.

One doctor — Frederick Brown, of Missouri City, Texas — and six marketers — Thomas Gray Hardaway, of San Antonio, Texas; William Todd Hickman, of Anna, Texas; and Ginny Jacobs, Scott Jacobs, S&G Staffing LLC, and Jacobs Marketing Inc., all of Magnolia, Texas — have agreed to pay an additional $859,055 to settle the United States’ laboratory kickback allegations against them in the case.

With these settlements, the Department of Justice has secured over $61 million in civil False Claims Act settlements since 2019 for kickbacks to healthcare providers disguised as managed service organization (MSO) investment distributions, including recoveries from over 50 physicians.

“The Department of Justice is committed to rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse in federally funded healthcare programs,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Kickback schemes can waste taxpayer dollars, erode healthcare providers’ medical judgment, and result in patients being subjected to unnecessary medical treatments.”

“Nearly every working American took time recently to pay their federal taxes. As we did so, we all hoped that our money was being used wisely, and we trusted that systems were in place to prevent the types of fraud and kickback schemes that this case uncovered,” said U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs for the Eastern District of Texas. “In the Eastern District of Texas, we mean to deliver on the promise of the President, the Vice President, and Acting Attorney General to aggressively combat the fraudulent use of tax dollars. The settlements today, along with the criminal convictions in the related case, show that we are delivering on that promise.”

“This settlement demonstrates that violations of the Anti‑Kickback Statute, such as alleged here, can undermine clinical judgment and erode trust in the health care system,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS‑OIG). “HHS‑OIG will continue working with our law enforcement partners to make sure that anyone who uses kickbacks to compromise the integrity of medical decision‑making and generate unnecessary services is held accountable.”

“By disrupting fraud and misconduct of this nature, we help to ensure TRICARE, the uniformed services’ primary health care program, is better positioned to deliver critical care to the warfighter,” said Special Agent in Charge Chad Gosch of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Southwest Field Office. “This result demonstrates the commitment of DCIS and our investigative partners to aggressively pursue those who seek to betray the American taxpayer and undermine our military’s healthcare system.”

The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and other federally funded healthcare programs. It seeks to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.

Susan Hertzberg — the former CEO of Boston Heart Diagnostics Corporation (Boston Heart), a laboratory in Framingham, Massachusetts — agreed to pay $600,000 to resolve allegations that she caused false claims for laboratory testing to Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE from 2015 to 2017. Likewise, Theiler, Boston Heart’s former VP of Sales, also agreed to pay $600,000 to resolve allegations that he caused false claims for laboratory testing to Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE from 2015 to 2017. Hertzberg and Theiler allegedly agreed to a kickback scheme in which marketers, including Boston Heart’s own employees, offered and paid doctors kickbacks disguised as MSO distributions to induce the doctors’ referrals to Texas hospitals for laboratory testing performed by Boston Heart, including medically unnecessary testing. Hertzberg and Theiler allegedly knew that marketers using MSOs were recruiting doctors to order testing performed by Boston Heart for a hospital in Texas and were given a “strong recommendation” to “reel this in” and “stand down on all hospitals,” particularly in Texas. Nevertheless, Hertzberg allegedly approved, and Theiler allegedly implemented, an expansion of the Texas hospital arrangement to another hospital to continue working with many of the same marketers.

In addition, the settlements announced today resolve the United States’ allegations in the lawsuit that Dr. Brown solicited and received kickbacks in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute from laboratory marketers’ purported MSOs in return for laboratory testing referrals. Dr. Brown agreed to pay $309,055 to resolve allegations that from November 2015 to November 2017, he received thousands of dollars in payments from two purported MSOs, Ascend MSO of TX LLC and Indus MG LLC, in return for ordering laboratory tests from Little River Healthcare, a critical access hospital in Rockdale, Texas, and True Health Diagnostics LLC, a clinical laboratory in Frisco, Texas.

Lastly, the following marketers and their associated entities agreed to pay a total of $550,000 to resolve the United States’ allegations in the civil litigation that they paid kickbacks disguised as MSO payments to doctors to induce the doctors’ laboratory testing referrals:  Former MSO owner William Todd Hickman; Thomas Gray Hardaway, a former Boston Heart sales representative and co-owner of Texas marketing company LGRB Management Services LLC; and Ginny Jacobs and Scott Jacobs, co-owners of Texas marketing companies S&G Staffing LLC and Jacobs Marketing Inc. Hickman’s civil settlement amount was based on his ability to pay. The civil settlement amounts that Hertzberg, Theiler, Dr. Brown, Hickman, and Hardaway agreed to pay were in addition to amounts they were ordered to pay in a criminal proceeding captioned United States v. Susan Hertzberg, et al., No. 6:22-cr-3-JDK (E.D. Tex.).

The settlements announced were the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, with assistance from HHS-OIG and DCIS. They were handled by attorneys Christopher Terranova and Gavin Thole in the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Gillingham and Betty Young in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.

The government’s pursuit of these matters illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.

The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only, and there has been no determination of civil liability.

BEST OF THE BEST: Secretary Mullin Awards Medal to Dallas ICE Law Enforcement Officers for Heroic Actions during 2025 Anti-ICE Sniper Attack

 

On September 24, 2025, a gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop on a Dallas ICE field office. Two detainees were killed; the gunman killed himself

The United States Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin held a press conference at the Dallas U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office where a sniper carried out a sniper attack against ICE law enforcement officers in September 2025. At today’s press conference, Secretary Mullin recognized three individuals who showcased heroism and dedication to duty during the attack, awarding each of them the Distinguished Service Medal. 

“We honored some of our ICE law enforcement officers who, amid sniper shots at the Dallas ICE facility shooting on September 24, 2025, rushed into action to save illegal aliens’ lives. Every day, the brave men and women of ICE make our communities safer by arresting the worst of the worst: terrorists, murderers, gang members, rapists, pedophiles, and drug traffickers,” said Secretary Mullin. “Our officers are the best of the best. They risk their lives to protect our nation. The Democrats must turn down the temperature and stop comparing our officers to Nazis, the secret police, and slave patrols. This repeated demonization has led to a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against our officers.” 

“ICE and Border Patrol are on the front lines of not only defending American sovereignty, but keeping our communities safe and ensuring that murderers and rapists and gang bangers are not running loose within our neighborhoods,” said U.S. Representative Brandon Gill (R-TX). 

On September 24, 2025, a gunman opened fire on an ICE Dallas field office from a nearby rooftop. The shooter fired at the ICE building, including at a van in the sallyport where illegal aliens were shot. Two detainees were killed. The gunman was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

At Monday’s press conference, Secretary Mullin honored three individuals whose actions were crucial in saving lives that day: Enforcement Removal Assistant Christopher Pyne, Deportation Officer Marco Solis, and Deportation Officer Andres Goche. 

Enforcement Removal Assistant Pyne was recognized Monday for his part in administering lifesaving first aid to two critically injured detainees who had been shot while inside a transport van, stabilizing them until further medical care could be provided. He established and supported a casualty care area under duress, and assisted with triage and priority interventions.  

Officer Solis was recognized Monday for his part in administering lifesaving first aid to two critically injured detainees who had been shot while inside a transport van. He responded to casualties under active threat, and conducted immediate trauma assessment for two gunshot victims extracted from the vans.

Officer Goche was recognized Monday for displaying extraordinary courage and unwavering composure during this active shooter incident. During the attack, he used his assigned radio to make the initial call to the 911 Emergency Dispatch to provide critical information concerning the ongoing event and explaining the need for assistance. Officer Goche’s quick thinking, selflessness, and past training allowed him to act during the shooting and played a major role in retrieving multiple detainees out of the transport van that was under fire and getting them to safety within the processing area. This allowed the detainees to be evaluated and receive first aid, contributing to stabilization prior to the arrival of advanced medical treatment.

Secretary Mullin and Deportation Officer Andres Goche

Secretary Mullin and Deportation Officer Marco Solis

Secretary Mullin and Officer Solis

Secretary Mullin and Enforcement Removal Assistant Christopher Pyne

In August 2025, there was a bomb threat on the same Dallas ICE facility when an unknown male arrived at the reporting entrance of the Dallas Field Office and claimed to have a bomb in his backpack. ICE law enforcement officers face a more than 1,300% increase in assaults, a 3,300% increase in vehicular attacks, and an 8,000% increase in death threats against them.

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Two Defendants Convicted Of Engaging In A Massive Enterprise To Distribute Fake Pharmaceuticals Online That Resulted In Death

 

The Defendants Shipped More Than a Million Pills Containing Fentanyl or Methamphetamine to Victims in All 50 States Which Resulted in the Death of a Victim

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that FRANCISCO ALBERTO LOPEZ REYES, a/k/a “Frank,” and EDWARD EUSTATE JIMENEZ, a/k/a “Chino,” were found guilty by a jury following a six-week trial before U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan.  LOPEZ REYES was convicted of being a principal administrator of a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death, narcotics distribution, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.  EUSTATE JIMENEZ was convicted of conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and narcotics distribution.  The defendants’ conspiracy was responsible for sending fake pharmaceutical pills that actually contained fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl, which killed a victim.    

“A unanimous jury found that Francisco Alberto Lopez Reyes and one of his deputies, Edward Eustate Jimenez, ran a massive, predatory scheme to distribute pills containing fentanyl and other drugs through fake online pharmacies, including pills that tragically killed a United States Army veteran in February 2024,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “For years, Lopez Reyes was a one-man opioid crisis, duping thousands of victims by distributing millions of pills through the mail from what he thought was the safety of his home in the Dominican Republic.  The pills were designed to look like real pharmaceuticals, but they actually contained deadly fentanyl and other controlled substances.  The scale of Lopez Reyes’s distribution is staggering, as is the scale of the harm his shipments brought to our communities.  A jury has now confirmed what New Yorkers know: if you deal in fentanyl, you deal in death.”    

As established during trial: 

For at least two and a half years, LOPEZ REYES ran an enterprise that distributed pills containing fentanyl, parafluorofentanyl, methamphetamine, and other controlled substances via sales through purported online pharmacies.  The pills LOPEZ REYES and his co-conspirators, including EUSTATE JIMENEZ, distributed were dyed, shaped, and designed to look indistinguishable from the prescription medications they were marketed as, including oxycodone and Adderall.  The pills were shipped to thousands of victims in all 50 U.S. states.   

In order to manufacture the pills, from his home in the Dominican Republic, LOPEZ REYES oversaw a series of pill mills—or industrial scale pill-pressing facilities—located primarily in the basements of residential buildings in the Bronx and Washington Heights.  In those mills, deputies working at LOPEZ REYES’s direction oversaw workers who mixed controlled substances with inert powders and dyes and then pressed those powders into millions of pills shaped and imprinted to match the design of the legitimate pharmaceuticals the purported online pharmacies had represented them to be. 

LOPEZ REYES’s deputies then transferred the pills to other members of the conspiracy—including EUSTATE JIMENEZ—for shipment to customers.  LOPEZ REYES sent the shippers lists of customer orders and corresponding addresses. Those lists and other records maintained by the enterprise reveal shipments of more than one million pills to victims over a two-and-a-half year period.  In addition, law enforcement officers seized another approximately 650,000 pills during the course of searches of mills and stash houses maintained by the enterprise. 

The drugs the defendants shipped were not only dangerous, but deadly.  On February 25, 2024, a 45-year-old, female veteran of the United States Army (“Victim-1”) died of acute fentanyl intoxication after taking pills purchased from one of the enterprise’s pharmacies. Although Victim-1 had ordered oxycodone, what she actually received were round, blue pills marked with an “M” on one side and a “30” on the other that were merely designed to look like oxycodone. In actuality, the pills Victim-1 received contained the lethal mix of fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl that resulted in her death five days after their arrival through the mail on her doorstep.  

LOPEZ REYES, 46, of the Dominican Republic, was convicted of:  (i) continuing criminal enterprise, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison; (ii) conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; (iii) distribution of narcotics, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; and (iv) conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.    

EUSTATE JIMENEZ, 24, of Washington Heights, New York, was convicted of: (i) conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison, and (ii) distribution of narcotics, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.

The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Clayton praised the investigative work of the Homeland Security Task Force, International Narcotics and Money Laundering within the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), which is comprised of law enforcement officers and investigators from the New York City Police Department, the New York State Police, and the Kings County District Attorney’s Office; Groups D-21 and D-25 of the New York Enforcement Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”); the Homeland Security Task Force, Seaport Contraband of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), New York Division, Contraband, Interdiction & Investigations Task Force, comprised of members from USPIS, NYPD Criminal Enterprise Investigations Section, and Customs and Border Protection; the Internal Revenue Service; and the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations.  Mr. Clayton also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, HSI Santo Domingo, the DEA Dominican Republic Country Office, the U.S. Marshals Service Dominican Republic Foreign Field Office, and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for their assistance.  

This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. 

Attorney General James Releases Footage from Investigation into Death of Elijah Brown

 

New York Attorney General Letitia James released body-worn camera footage and footage from nearby security cameras that her office obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the death of Elijah Brown, who died on November 13, 2025 following an encounter with members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in Manhattan.

At approximately 7:20 p.m. on November 13, NYPD officers were canvassing an area after receiving multiple 911 calls reporting a man with a gun. Officers encountered Mr. Brown, who matched the description of the man with a gun in his hand in front of an address on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. Mr. Brown fired the gun, and officers discharged their service weapons in response, striking him. Mr. Brown was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officers recovered a gun at the scene.

The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) of the Attorney General’s Office released footage from body-worn cameras and nearby security cameras that captured the incident. The release of this footage follows Attorney General James’ directive that camera footage obtained by her office during an OSI investigation be released to the public to increase transparency and strengthen public trust in these matters.

Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.

The release of this footage is not an expression of any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of any party in a criminal matter or any opinion as to how or whether any individual may be charged with a crime. 

Warning: These videos contain content that viewers may find disturbing. 

Initial Public Meeting of the Commission on Government Efficiency

 

Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 5 p.m. 

Landmarks Preservation Commission Public Hearing Room 

253 Broadway, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10007 

Please bring a government-issued ID to enter the building. 

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING 

The New York City Commission on Government Efficiency will hold its initial public meeting on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 5 p.m.  The meeting will be held at the Landmarks Preservation Commission Public Hearing Room, 253 Broadway, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10007.  Government-issued identification is required to enter the building. 

  

The commission is empowered to consider revisions to the New York City Charter for presentation to the voters at the November 3, 2026 general election, or at another designated election date pursuant to law. 

  

This meeting is open to the public.  Because this is a public meeting and not a public hearing, the public will have the opportunity to observe the commission’s discussions, but not testify before it.    

All public hearings and meetings will be livestreamed at the commission’s website, www.nyc.gov/charter. 

  

What if I need assistance to observe the meeting?  

This location is accessible to individuals using wheelchairs or other mobility devices.  With advance notice, American Sign Language interpreters and translation services will be available.  Language translation or additional accessibility requests must be made by 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 3, 2026, by emailing the commission at charterinfo@citycharter.nyc.gov or calling 212-788-0014.  All requests will be accommodated to the extent possible.   

  

Find out more about the New York City Commission on Government Efficiency by visiting  www.nyc.gov/charter. 

 

                                                                                                               

Friends,

HAPPENING THIS FRIDAY! Our first event in our summer event series in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.

Join me on Friday, June 5, 2026, at 5:30 PM at Loreto Playground for a FREE community skate party.

Skates, equipment, and beginner lessons will all be provided free of charge.

• WHEN: Friday, June 5, 2026
• WHERE: Loreto Playground (1111 Van Nest Ave.) 
• TIME: 5:30 PM

Come skate into a beautiful Bronx evening with friends, family, and neighbors.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Yours Truly,

John Zaccaro, Jr. 

New York State Assembly

D.A. Bragg Announces Indictment In Midtown Murder, Robbery And Slashings

 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. today announced the indictment of JAYDEN SANCHEZ, 17, for allegedly murdering Leonides Baez and stabbing two other individuals in separate incidents in Midtown. SANCHEZ is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count of Murder in the Second Degree, three counts of Assault in the First Degree, and one count of Robbery in the Second Degree. [1]

“As alleged, Jayden Sanchez brutally murdered Leonides Baez in the heart of Times Square, abruptly ending his life. Additionally, he allegedly stabbed two others and robbed a newsstand in a spate of violent incidents,” said District Attorney Bragg. “This alleged conduct is abhorrent. My thoughts are with Mr. Baez’s loved ones who are mourning his tragic loss.”

As alleged in court documents and statements made on the record, on April 7, 2026, SANCHEZ and three others went into a souvenir shop on West 40th Street and started picking up merchandise and throwing it around the store. When they returned later that day, two workers asked them to leave. SANCHEZ took out a knife and stabbed one of the workers in the hand.

SANCHEZ and three others also allegedly repeatedly returned to a Midtown newsstand to steal merchandise and money. At approximately 3:00 a.m. on May 3, 2026, SANCHEZ threatened a worker at the newsstand saying that he has a knife and would cut him, then reached into the newsstand and took a cashbox containing several hundred dollars.

That evening, at approximately 6:00 p.m., SANCHEZ and his cohorts returned and threw a bottle at the glass window of the newsstand, breaking it.

Later that night, at approximately 10:00 p.m., the owner of the newsstand and several workers came to fix the broken glass, and SANCHEZ returned while they were there. The workers tried to hold SANCHEZ while they called for the police. SANCHEZ broke free and stabbed one of the workers in the chest, puncturing his lung and causing a hemopneumothorax.

As further alleged, on May 4, 2026, Leonides Baez was sleeping on a ledge in a breezeway between West 42nd Street and West 43rd Street. SANCHEZ and two others came up to him and began to harass him. One of them grabbed Mr. Baez’s bag and threw it on his head, waking him up. SANCHEZ and the others walked around the corner and each of them urinated in a cup.  SANCHEZ then gestured to Baez, who was still lying on the ledge, to approach them.

When Baez got up and jogged towards them, SANCHEZ’S friend hit Beaz with the cup full of urine, causing Mr. Baez to flee back towards his belongings on the ledge. SANCHEZ pulled out an 8-inch blade from his vest, followed Mr. Baez, grabbed him by the arm, turned him, and plunged the knife directly into his heart. SANCHEZ and his friends ran away.

Mr. Baez pleaded with a passersby for help, but lost consciousness quickly before EMS or police arrived. He died shortly thereafter.

Assistant D.A. Dafna Yoran (Trial Bureau 70) is handling the prosecution of this case with Assistant D.A. Lauren Breen (Trial Bureau 70) under the supervision of Executive Assistant D.A. Lisa DelPizzo (Chief of the Trial Division), with the support of Senior Major Case Analyst Anstasia Trico and Senior Investigative Analyst Dalia Zuckermann, as well as Trial preparation assistant Sophia Filipof.

D.A. Bragg thanked the NYPD, particularly Detective Danielle Venuto of the Manhattan South Homicide Squad, Officer Carlos Arias, Detective John Tuohy, and Detective Sean Gilbert of the Midtown South Precinct Detective Squad and Detective Thomas Donovan and Detective Michael DiPalma of the Midtown North Precinct Detective Squad.

California Sanctuary Politicians RELEASED Criminal Illegal Alien From Jail Who Went on to Commit Heinous Stabbing of Two Women and a Baby

 

ICE lodged an arrest detainer asking California sanctuary politicians to not release this criminal illegal alien AGAIN

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer asking sanctuary politicians in California to not release from jail an illegal alien who was arrested and charged with stabbing two women and an infant to death. This criminal illegal alien was previously RELEASED by California sanctuary politicians after his arrest for driving under the influence.

On May 28, 2026, the Modesto Police Department responded to reports of a disturbance at a home, where they found three victims with stab wounds. According to local reports, two of the victims – 23-year-old Fabiola Gonzalez-Nunez and 54-year-old Maria Sylvia Nunez-Villalobos – were pronounced dead at the scene. The third victim, an infant named Mateo Gonzalez, died at the hospital. Police confirmed that Gonzalez-Nunez was the infant’s mother and that Nunez-Villalobos was the infant’s grandmother.

Mateo Gonzalez

23-year-old Fabiola Gonzalez-Nunez (left) and 54-year-old Maria Sylvia Nunez-Villalobos (right)

Shortly after finding the victims, police arrested 28-year-old Joaquin Escoto Vazquez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, who is believed to have been in a relationship with Gonzalez-Nunez.

The suspect: Joaquin Escoto Vazquez

Vazquez now faces felony charges of homicide and cruelty toward child. His criminal history includes FOUR prior arrests for driving under the influence of liquor (DUI).

Following the most recent of Vazquez’s previous DUI arrests in June of 2025, ICE placed a detainer with the San Joaquin County Jail asking that he be turned over to ICE custody. Sanctuary politicians in California REFUSED to cooperate and RELEASED him without notifying ICE. 

ICE has placed another detainer on Vazquez with the Stanislaus County Jail following his arrest for the fatal stabbings.

“This monster’s heinous crime could have been prevented if sanctuary politicians in California simply cooperated with ICE law enforcement. This criminal illegal alien from Mexico is now charged with homicide and cruelty toward child after the fatal stabbings of a baby, the baby’s mother, and the baby’s grandmother,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “ICE had placed a detainer on him after he was arrested for driving under the influence of liquor in 2025, but California sanctuary politicians chose to RELEASE him instead of turning him over to ICE. Governor Gavin Newsom and his fellow sanctuary politicians must stop putting lives at risk by RELEASING criminals from jails into California communities to create more victims.”

Vazquez illegally entered the country in California in 2018, and was deported by the first Trump Administration. He then illegally re-entered the United States – a felony – at an unknown date and location. 

In February, ICE Director Todd Lyons sent a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta calling on him to put the safety of Americans first and honor ICE arrest detainers of the more than 33,000 criminal illegal aliens in California’s custody. 

California’s failure to honor ICE detainers has resulted in the release of 4,561 criminal illegal aliens since January 20. The crimes of these aliens include 31 homicides, 661 assaults, 574 burglaries, 184 robberies, 1,489 dangerous drugs offenses, 379 weapons offenses, and 234 sexual predatory offenses. 

There are currently 33,179 aliens in the custody of a California jurisdiction with active detainers. The crimes of these aliens include 399 homicides, 3,313 assaults, 3,171 burglaries, 1,011 robberies, 8,380 dangerous drugs offenses, 1,984 weapons offenses, and 1,293 sexual predatory offenses.

Man Sentenced for Kidnapping Victim at Gunpoint and Seeking Ransom for Drug Debt

 

A North Dakota man was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for his role in a kidnapping for ransom resulting in the beating of the victim, holding him at gunpoint, and transporting him across states lines to Minnesota to collect an unpaid drug debt.

According to court documents, in the early morning hours of March 5, 2024, Kyle Kahalehili Maez-Schaack, 33, of Grand Forks, North Dakota, at the orders of the co-defendant and an unindicted co-conspirator, kidnapped the victim. The co-defendant sent Maez-Schaack a screen shot of the victim’s social media profile and his address and ordered Maez-Schaack to pick up the victim to collect a drug debt. The victim owed the co-defendant $6,000 for 500 grams of methamphetamine. Maez-Schaack and others took the victim at gunpoint from Fargo, North Dakota, to Moorhead, Minnesota. There, the victim was held for ransom and ordered to call his friends and family to ask for money. Despite several calls to family and friends, the victim was unable to raise the funds to pay the ransom. At one point, the victim was left unattended in the Moorhead residence and was able to escape. Maez-Schaack and others kept the victim’s vehicle after the kidnapping.

According to statements made in court, Maez-Schaack was a drug distributor for the co-defendant and was often used as the muscle for the drug trafficking organization that primarily distributed methamphetamine in the Red River Valley and Devils Lake area of North Dakota.  

“The drug business is a scourge that often leads to kidnappings and demands for ransoms related to drug debts,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This collateral violence threatens the safety of communities. The lengthy sentence captures the seriousness of the drug related conduct in this case and speaks to the collateral ills of the drug trade that ruins the lives of so many Americans.”

“Too often drug trafficking is perpetuated by violent crime, as shown by Maez-Schaack,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas W. Chase for the District of North Dakota. “Our office, working alongside our federal and state partners, will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those committing violent acts and trafficking illegal drugs in our community.”

“Maez-Schaack is a brazen, violent offender who made our communities less safe, and today he receives the consequences for his actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph Persails of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) St. Paul Field Division. “ATF remains committed to identifying and targeting the most violent offenders, and we will continue to do that work every single day. I want to thank our law enforcement partners for their collaboration on this case, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their successful prosecution.”

“Stopping violent offenders like Kyle Maez-Schaack is one of the FBI’s top priorities,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office. “This defendant, a previously convicted felon, kidnapped a victim at gunpoint, demanded ransom of the victim’s friends and family, and trafficked methamphetamine into our community. Now, he will rightly spend the next 30 years of his life in federal prison. The entire Red River Valley and Devil’s Lake communities are safer for that fact. The FBI will not stop in our mission to make our communities safe by bringing violent criminals like Maez-Schaack and his accomplices to justice.”

Maez-Schaack pleaded guilty on Feb. 26 to kidnapping, drug trafficking conspiracy, brandishing a firearm during the kidnapping, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.   

The FBI and ATF investigated the case.

Bronx Man Pleads Guilty To Trafficking More Than 100 Firearms Into New York City

 

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that EDSON BROWN, a Bronx resident, pled guilty to an 18-count indictment, charging him with crimes in connection with a firearms trafficking scheme spanning more than a year and involving at least two straw purchasers.  BROWN pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan. 

“New Yorkers want criminals who use guns off our streets and, together with the NYPD, the FBI, the ATF, and many others, we are committed to pursuing gun-toting criminals and gun traffickers,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “To be clear, gun traffickers are criminals who serve violent criminals—there is no place for them in New York.” 

As alleged in the Superseding Indictment and other public filings in this case:

Between in or about July 2023 and in or about February 2025, BROWN, who lived in the Bronx, traveled to North Carolina and South Carolina more than a dozen times to illegally purchase approximately 118 firearms at gun stores, each of which were federal firearms licensees (“FFLs”) that he then transported back to New York and sold.  BROWN was not allowed to purchase or possess guns because he is a convicted felon. 

BROWN’s illegal purchases were split between North Carolina and South Carolina. BROWN illegally acquired approximately 53 guns in North Carolina that he then transported to New York and sold to others.  Between July and December 2023, BROWN made six trips from New York to North Carolina with a straw purchaser, that is, someone who falsely stated to FFLs that the straw purchaser was buying the guns legally and for his or her own use, but in reality was buying the firearms for BROWN and for the purpose of resale in New York.  BROWN also illegally acquired approximately 65 guns in South Carolina that he then transported to New York and sold to others.  Between October 2023 and February 2025, the defendant worked with a second straw purchaser in South Carolina to acquire those guns.  Sometimes that straw purchaser bought the guns and then transferred them to the defendant.  Other times the defendant traveled to South Carolina from New York, impersonated the straw purchaser himself by using the straw purchaser’s ID to buy the guns, and then transported the guns back to New York himself.

BROWN defaced many of the guns by removing their serial numbers before selling them in New York.  Members of the NYPD have recovered seven of the guns that BROWN trafficked from North Carolina and South Carolina to New York.  Six of those seven guns had obliterated serial numbers that the NYPD firearms lab was able to restore—and thus trace back to BROWN’s purchases in North Carolina and South Carolina.  The remaining firearms that BROWN trafficked have not yet been recovered, or if they have been recovered, members of law enforcement have been unable to trace them because their serial numbers cannot be restored.

BROWN, 37, of the Bronx, New York, pled guilty to the following 18 crimes, which carry the maximum sentences described in the below chart:

Count(s)	Charge	Maximum Sentence
1	Conspiracy to Traffic Firearms	15 years
2	Firearms Trafficking	15 years
3	Unlicensed Dealing of Firearms	Five years
4-18	Unlicensed Transportation of Firearms	Five years per count

The statutory maximum sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the New York City Police Department.