Tag: Louisiana
Gustavo Mendoza-Alvarez, Methamphetamine Smuggling, Louisiana 2026
Drone-Based Methamphetamine Smuggling Scheme Exposed in Louisiana Two Mexican nationals have been charged in connection with a drone-based methamphetamine smuggling scheme at a federal prison in Louisiana. The suspects, Gustavo Mendoza-Alvarez, 25, and Osvaldo Lopez-Sanchez, 28, both of Mexico, are facing up to life in federal prison on the charged offenses. According to court documents,…
Two Defendants, Health Care Fraud, Louisiana 2026
Two Defendants Charged in Connection with Alleged Health Care Fraud Schemes U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced today that two defendants have been charged in connection with alleged schemes to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE, and other health care benefit programs. The charges, part of the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, stem from schemes…
Erik Roberto Machado-Mencia, Alien Re-Entry, Louisiana 2025
⏱ 2 min read Erik Roberto Machado-Mencia, a 37-year-old Honduran native, pleaded guilty to re-entering the United States without authorization after being previously deported. The incident occurred on May 15, 2025, when Machado-Mencia was found in a silver Toyota sedan on Interstate 12 near Lacombe, Louisiana. A federal Border Patrol Agent had stopped the vehicle…
Scharmaine Lawson Baker, Medicare Fraud, Louisiana 2026
Feds Slam Nurse Practitioner with 87 Months in Prison for $12M Medicare Scam In a brazen case of healthcare corruption, a Louisiana nurse practitioner has been sentenced to 87 months in prison for orchestrating a $12 million Medicare fraud scheme. Scharmaine Lawson Baker, 59, of Fulshear, Texas, was handed down the harsh sentence on June…
Amanda Clayborne-Williams, COVID-19 Loan Fraud and Tax Evasion, Louisiana 2020
Amanda Clayborne-Williams Charged in $1.3M COVID-19 Loan Scam A 44-year-old New Orleans woman has been charged with wire fraud and tax evasion for allegedly scamming the Small Business Administration out of $447,305.98 in COVID-19 relief funds. Amanda Clayborne-Williams submitted 12 false loan applications through the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program,…
Ubald Yasir Amaya-Colindres, Illegal Reentry of Removed Alien, Louisiana 2026
Ubald Yasir Amaya-Colindres, a 27-year-old Honduran national, has been found guilty of reentering the United States after being previously removed. The crime occurred sometime prior to March 1, 2026, when Amaya-Colindres reentered the country, violating Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a). Amaya-Colindres’ sentencing is set before U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon on June…
Oscar Paz-Mejia, Illegal Re-Entry of Removed Alien, Louisiana 2026
New Orleans, LA – A Honduran national has been indicted for allegedly re-entering the United States after being deported in 2023. Oscar Paz-Mejia, 33, a native of Honduras, was found to have allegedly re-entered the U.S. on May 26, 2026, according to the indictment. According to the indictment, Paz-Mejia was previously deported on or about…
Robert Hines, Fentanyl Trafficking, Louisiana 2026
New Orleans, LA – In a shocking turn of events, Robert Hines, a 47-year-old resident of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, has pleaded guilty to violating the Federal Controlled Substances Act. On May 28, 2026, Hines entered a guilty plea to counts 1, 3, and 4 of a superseding indictment before United States District Judge Barry Ashe. Hines…
Lorenzo Smith, Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Distribution, Louisiana 2026
A New Orleans man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for distributing massive amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Lorenzo Smith, 20, was sentenced on May 12, 2026, by Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter. According to court documents, Smith and his co-conspirators sold fentanyl, methamphetamine, and firearms to persons they believed to…
Darren Foley, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Louisiana 2026
A New Orleans man has been sentenced to 26 months in prison for his second conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Darren Foley, 38, was sentenced on April 30, 2026 by U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon to 26 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, along with a…
