Eastern District of Texas prosecutes 35 defendants as part of Homeland Security Task Force investigations in May 2026

PLANO, Texas - The Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative was established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas brought eight new Homeland Security Task Force cases in May while securing five convictions and achieving five substantial sentences totaling 944 months in federal prison as part of the Homeland Security Task Force, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. Those cases include:

Charges

Eight indictments were returned by federal grand juries in the Eastern District of Texas during May, charging 25 defendants with various crimes including drug trafficking and immigration violations. A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. We are unable to comment on indicted cases as investigations continue.

Convictions

On May 21, 2026, Beaumont man, James William Quinney, Jr., 38, pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges. Quinney was the leader of a drug trafficking organization that distributed kilograms of methamphetamine to other distributors for redistribution. Quinney was found to be purchasing 18 kilograms of methamphetamine at a time for redistribution. In total, law enforcement seized nearly five kilograms of methamphetamine from Quinney and over $80,000.00 in U.S. currency. On May 28, 2026, Latisha Mae Thebeau, 42, of Port Arthur, pleaded guilty to her role in the conspiracy. The defendants face up to life in federal prison at sentencing.

On May 28, 2026, Beaumont convicted felon, Micheal Corbin, 48, pleaded guilty to distributing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm. As a convicted felon, Corbin is prohibited from owning or possessing firearms. Corbin faces up to life in federal prison at sentencing.

New Orleans man, Darrell Charles Coleman, 37, pleaded guilty on May 28, 2026, to trafficking methamphetamine after being pulled over for speeding on Interstate-10 in Beaumont. Coleman's passenger, Kory Jarvis Schaffer, 34, also of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on May 18, 2026, to distributing fentanyl. The defendants each face up to life in federal prison at sentencing.

Sentencings

A Mexican national illegally living in Arlington, Mauricio Diaz-Abraham, 37, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison on May 12, 2026. Diaz-Abraham was personally responsible for the distribution of at least 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine while conspiring to traffic large amounts of methamphetamine from Mexico into the Eastern District of Texas and beyond.

On May 12, 2026, Juan Jose Montanez, also known as Happy Johnny, 40, a Dallas barbershop employee, was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison and ordered to forfeit $131,800 in cash; several bank accounts totaling $126,000; three firearms; and assorted shoes, purses, sunglasses, and a jacket all together estimated to be worth approximately $64,215, after it was determined he was trafficking not only methamphetamine, but large amounts of cocaine.

On May 28, 2026, Oklahoma man, Steven Mark Moore, 27, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for being involved in a firearms trafficking scheme that involved straw purchases of firearms that were then illegally resold at an inflated price to individuals involved in criminal activities. The firearms were linked to various crimes in the United States as well as deadly cartel shootings in Mexico.

A Mexican national illegally living in Dallas was sentenced on May 28, 2026, to 18 years in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas. Angel Luis Lopez-Montero, 45, was identified as a source of supply and responsible for trafficking at least 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

On May 29, 2026, Fort Worth man, Donald Lee Harris, 40, was sentenced to 350 months in federal prison for trafficking over three kilograms of methamphetamine which was brought from Mexico for distribution in the United States.

HSTF Dallas comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Dallas Field Office; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations - Dallas (ICE-HSI); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Dallas Field Division; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Dallas Field Division; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (IRS-CD; United States Postal Service, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Transportation Security Administration, Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS); United States Secret Service (USSS); Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DSS); TEXOMA HIDTA; and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Eastern District of Texas.

HSTF Houston comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations - Houston (ICE-HSI); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI); and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Eastern District of Texas.

For more information about the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtx.