U.S. Attorney DC

Americans are being industrially looted every year by Chinese criminal networks involved in scam centers in Southeast Asia and spreading like a cancer around the world, but we are fighting back.   - More than $1 billion in cryptocurrency seized in one year - 500+ scam sites taken down - Prosecutions underway   This is not just fraud. It’s an attack on American security. We will deploy every tool at our disposal to dismantle these networks and crush their criminal operations.

We’re continuing our commitment to prosecuting the dirtbags who are flooding our streets with poison. Over the course of this investigation: 🔺 15 defendants charged
🔺 87+ kilograms of high-purity meth seized
🔺 800+ kilograms of GBL seized in the U.S.
🔺 57+ kilograms of ketamine seized
🔺 1.5 metric tons of GBL seized in South Korea — the largest domestic seizure of a controlled substance in the country’s history Narcotics traffickers who threaten our communities can expect to face serious time in prison, just like these defendants.

Members of my office attended the Rose-Laying Ceremony at Syracuse University, held during Remembrance Week to honor the 270 lives lost—including 35 SU study abroad students and 11 people in Lockerbie, Scotland—in the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 bombing. We remain steadfast in our commitment to justice as we prosecute the terrorist who made the bomb responsible for this tragic attack. We will never forget.

This morning, two former senior FBI officials, Nikki Floris, 46, and Bradley Benavides, 56, surrendered on arrest warrants after being charged with lying to Congress about their roles on the Foreign Influence Task Force during the 2020 election.  Floris and Benavides allegedly lied to Congress about their roles in the FBI’s Hunter Biden investigations, with one claiming they only learned about it from Wikipedia - despite evidence showing their involvement in helping shape the public narrative about Hunter Biden’s laptop right before the election.   Lying to Congress by anyone strikes at the heart of our democratic system, but when senior FBI agents lie to Congress believing they are above the law, it’s time to bring the hammer of justice down on them. When senior officials entrusted with safeguarding our nation’s security choose deception over duty, they undermine the very institutions they swore to uphold.   Today’s action makes clear that no one is above the law, and we will hold accountable all who obstruct the truth.

Jack Hargreaves was just 20 years old. His parents are now living every family’s worst nightmare. Anthony Winslow is being held accountable for his death, but no prosecution can undo this loss. Fentanyl continues to devastate families across our region. The D.C. Safe Task Force, has seized more than 6.8 kilograms of fentanyl-laced drugs. DEA data shows progress, with 29 percent of fentanyl pills tested in FY 2025 containing a potentially lethal dose, down from 76 percent two years earlier. But the threat remains deadly. If you sell this poison in our communities, we will find you, prosecute you, and hold you accountable.

This operation exemplifies the commitment of our federal, state, and local partners working together under the Make DC Safe and Beautiful initiative. Gun‑running networks do not respect state lines, and neither does our determination to stop them. This joint effort shows how coordinated enforcement can protect both Washington, D.C. communities and the communities where these schemes originate.

My office is joining the @VP’s pledge to fight fraud and hold those responsible accountable.   Since I took office as U.S. Attorney, we have clawed back well over $1 billion dollars in fraud.   Americans will be protected. @WHFraudTF

Great meeting today with U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Chris Anderson to align strategies on dismantling Chinese transnational criminal organizations that are scamming Americans out of their life savings.

I and members of my Scam Center Strike Force went to London to fight the scammers from Ghana. With our partners at the @NCA_UK, @FBIDirectorKash, @FBI, @DOJCrimDiv we are annihilating those operations. Since November, my Strike Force has seized nearly $1 BILLION in stolen cryptocurrency, thousands of computers and phones, and the websites and infrastructure these criminals use to steal from victims. These scam compounds destroy lives and wipe out Americans’ hard-earned savings. We are fighting like hell to shut them down, take their money, seize their infrastructure, and put them behind bars.

Guilty verdict against two MS-13 leaders who ran a violent criminal enterprise of murder, violence, and drug trafficking. One actually ordered a hit from a prison in El Salvador. By the time they get out of prison, they’ll be too old to even think about murder and mayhem.

🚨 Federal small business programs are for hard-working Americans—not overseas scammers. My new Fraud and Asset Recovery Division exposed a Pakistan-based company that stole more than $2 MILLION in SBA funds meant for economically disadvantaged communities. Now they’re paying it back.