Federal Correctional Officer Indicted for Sexually Assaulting Seven Inmates at Aliceville Prison

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A correctional officer at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Aliceville has been indicted on federal charges accusing him of sexually assaulting seven female inmates over a period of more than two years, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

Felix Sylvester Wilder, 37, faces eight counts of deprivation of rights under color of law in an indictment unsealed today. If convicted on all charges, he could face up to life in prison.

According to the indictment, Wilder was on duty as a correctional officer at the low-security federal prison for women when he allegedly sexually assaulted the seven victims between May 2022 and September 2024. The charges stem from incidents that prosecutors say violated the civil rights of the incarcerated women.

The case is being investigated by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG) and the FBI, and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

“The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law,” federal prosecutors noted in the announcement.

FCI Aliceville is a federal prison located in west Alabama that houses approximately 1,200 female inmates.

Former Federal Prosecutor and Defense Attorney Sentenced for Deleting Records to Obstruct Investigation

DALLAS, Texas – A former trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice and a Texas criminal defense lawyer were sentenced today for their roles in the unauthorized deletion of government records, a scheme prosecutors say was designed to conceal communications during an ongoing probe.

Carlos Lopez, a former DOJ Trial Attorney assigned to the Criminal Division’s Health Care Fraud Unit in Dallas, was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. Barrett Howell, an attorney licensed to practice in Texas, received six months of probation and a $2,500 fine.

According to court documents, on April 11, 2023, Lopez knowingly deleted text message conversations he had with Howell from his government-issued cellphone. Nine days later, on April 20, Howell aided and abetted the destruction of evidence by deleting the same text message threads from his own device. The coordinated deletions were intended to conceal Lopez’s initial disposal of the records, the factual resume in the case states.

Both attorneys were sentenced in the Northern District of Texas. In addition to their probationary terms and fines, each was ordered to pay a $25 special assessment fee.

Former DEA Task Force Officer Arrested in Florida on Fraud and Theft Charges

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A former task force officer with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been arrested on charges including official misconduct, grand theft, and forgery following an investigation into a long-running scheme to defraud.

Joshua Passman, who was previously assigned to the DEA Miami Field Office, was taken into custody on Thursday in Broward County’s Seventeenth Judicial Circuit. A criminal complaint charges him with one count each of official misconduct, organized scheme to defraud, forgery, and grand theft.

According to the complaint, the alleged misconduct occurred over an approximately 18-month period, from January 2024 through July 2025. Prosecutors say Passman falsified and forged official records or documents as part of a scheme to defraud. Specific details of the alleged scheme have not been released, as the investigation remains ongoing.

DEA Supervisor Arrested for Allegedly Taking Bribes to Fast-Track Visas at Dominican Republic Embassy

WASHINGTON – February 13, 2026 – A supervisory special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been arrested and charged with running a bribery and visa fraud scheme from his post at the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, federal prosecutors announced Friday.

Meliton Cordero, 47, was taken into custody in Washington D.C. on Thursday. A criminal complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court charges him with conspiracy to commit bribery and visa fraud.

According to the charging documents, Cordero allegedly accepted thousands of dollars in cash from foreign nationals in exchange for helping them secure nonimmigrant visas to enter the United States. During his six-year assignment at the embassy in Santo Domingo, Cordero is accused of expediting at least 119 visa applications—one of which prosecutors allege was fraudulent—and coaching applicants on how to prepare for their required interviews with U.S. consular officers.

In one instance detailed in the complaint, Cordero allegedly met with a foreign national and provided them with a passport and visa permitting travel to the U.S. in exchange for a cash payment.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia, whose office is prosecuting the case, condemned the alleged abuse of power. “This individual was entrusted by the American people to faithfully execute his duties and represent the American Government abroad as a leader within the DEA,” Pirro said in a statement. “Instead, he is alleged to have broken the law, squandered this special trust and undercut the President’s immigration priorities.”

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole distanced the agency from the alleged conduct, emphasizing that it does not reflect the work of its broader workforce. “The alleged actions do not reflect the thousands of DEA professionals who serve honorably every day dismantling transnational criminal organizations and protecting communities at home and abroad,” Cole said.

A complaint is merely an accusation. All defendants in criminal cases are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.