James_September-October_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 72
Drug dealers are also using
other advanced technologies like
the dark web, cryptocurrency,
and encrypted communication to
push poisons. Recently, in another
HSTF case, a Georgia inmate and
a co-conspirator were sentenced to
federal prison for trafficking fentanyl from China using these new
tools. Even in this new age of drug
trafficking, offenders are still being
held fully accountable.
We are laser-focused on prosecuting violent gangs and members of the cartels, but we are not
allowing other types of crime to go
unpunished. In March, President
Trump signed an executive order
that established the Task Force to
Eliminate Fraud. It is a coordinated national strategy to stop fraud,
waste, and abuse in federal benefit
programs. In the Department of
Justice, the National Fraud Enforcement Division was created to
further these goals.
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U.S. ATTORNEY KEYES ANNOUNCED THE NATION’S LARGEST FEDERAL PROSECUTION
OF A PRISON DRONE-DROP OPERATION AT A JUNE PRESS CONFERENCE IN MACON.
As a result of this initiative,
two men in Tifton are now facing
decades in prison for using online
tax preparation software to file
New York State tax returns falsely
claiming film industry credits. In
another matter, the former city
clerk of Edison recently admitted in
federal court that she used taxpayer money for personal purchases,
including for designer clothing and
dining out. Both cases demonstrate
that no amount of fraud against the
American taxpayer is acceptable.
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If government programs are being
abused, we will prosecute.
Our office is also focused on
cases involving particularly vulnerable victims. Recently, we announced charges against a couple
at Fort Benning who allegedly
starved their infant to death and
abused their pets. In another
animal welfare case, we secured
a conviction— the first time in the
United States— for possessing firearms in furtherance of dog fighting.
We will use every tool available to