Green Bay Landlord to Pay $50,000 to Settle Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
A landlord in Green Bay has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a federal lawsuit alleging he sexually harassed a tenant in violation of the Fair Housing Act, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed in July 2025 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin against David Jones and his company, D Jones Properties LLC.
According to the complaint, Jones — who manages multiple rental properties in Green Bay — subjected a female tenant to repeated and unwelcome sexual harassment. Federal officials said the alleged conduct included making sexual comments, grabbing the tenant without her consent, entering her home without permission and attempting to evict her after she asserted her rights under federal housing law.
Under the agreement, Jones must pay $50,000 to the tenant, complete fair housing training and comply with a two-year monitoring period by the Justice Department..
Federal Prison Officer Indicted on Sexual Assault Charges Involving Inmates
A correctional officer at a federal prison in Aliceville has been indicted on multiple federal civil rights charges accusing him of sexually assaulting female inmates over a two-year period, the Justice Department said.
Felix Sylvester Wilder, 37, a correctional officer at Federal Correctional Institution Aliceville, faces eight counts of deprivation of rights under color of law. Prosecutors allege he sexually assaulted seven incarcerated women while on duty between May 2022 and September 2024.
According to the indictment, Wilder used his position of authority at the prison to violate the civil rights of the inmates during that period.
If convicted on all counts, Wilder faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
An indictment is an allegation, and Wilder is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Maryland Man Gets Life Sentence for Raping Minors at U.S. Embassy Residence in Burkina Faso
A former U.S. Embassy employee in Burkina Faso was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for the repeated forcible rape of two teenage girls at his government-leased residence in Ouagadougou, where U.S. jurisdiction applied.
Fode Sitafa Mara, 41, a U.S. citizen from Maryland, was convicted in October 2025 after a two-week federal trial in the District of Maryland on four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, and one count of attempted obstruction of justice.
Mara targeted the victims—Burkinabé girls aged 13 and 15 at the time—exploiting their family’s abject poverty and the mother’s life-threatening illness, court documents show. Living nearby in a home without running water, the girls had previously received aid from Mara’s predecessor. Mara provided them phones to summon them during his wife’s work hours and demanded sex in exchange for any help, prosecutors said.
Authorities detailed how Mara abused the girls over roughly a year starting in 2022, sent sexually enticing messages to one, and tried to coerce his housekeeper into lying to investigators. The residence’s status as U.S. diplomatic housing enabled federal prosecution.
“The defendant, while representing the U.S. government abroad, violently sexually abused two acutely vulnerable child victims,” Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said. “His crimes were reprehensible.”
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland added, “Our message is clear: those who prey on our children will pay a hefty price.”
Ohio Man Convicted of Child Exploitation Charges Involving AI-Generated Abuse Images
A federal jury has convicted an Ohio man of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material, including images generated with artificial intelligence, federal prosecutors said.
Cody L. Prater, 28, of McArthur, was found guilty of four counts related to receiving and possessing both child pornography and obscene visual depictions of the sexual abuse of children.
According to evidence presented at trial, Prater possessed videos showing the rape and sadistic abuse of real minors, primarily infants and toddlers. Prosecutors said he also used an artificial-intelligence text-to-image program to create photorealistic images depicting graphic sexual abuse of children.
Before trial, Prater challenged the charges on First Amendment grounds, arguing that the AI-generated material constituted protected speech. A federal court rejected the argument, ruling that possessing or receiving obscene AI-generated depictions of child sexual abuse is not protected under the Constitution.
Officials with the U.S. Department of Justice said the case highlights growing concerns about the use of artificial intelligence to generate child exploitation material.
Prater has not yet been scheduled for sentencing. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years if convicted on the applicable counts.
Massachusetts Man Sentenced for Role in Animal Torture Video Conspiracy
A man from Scituate has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for participating in an online conspiracy to produce and distribute videos showing the torture of monkeys, federal prosecutors said.
Garrett Fitzgerald pleaded guilty to conspiring to create and distribute so-called “animal crush videos,” which depict extreme violence and sexual abuse against animals.
According to court documents, Fitzgerald worked with co-conspirators, including Ronald Bedra and Robert Berndt, to fund the production of the videos by sending money to individuals in Indonesia through encrypted messaging platforms. The videos allegedly showed the violent torture of baby and adult monkeys and were later shared among members of online groups dedicated to the content.
Berndt was sentenced last month to 38 months in prison, while Bedra previously received a 54-month sentence.
In addition to the prison term, Fitzgerald was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and complete 100 hours of community service.
