Foxes in the Henhouse > Minnesota, First Nations caregiver gets 5 years for CSA of 3 kids over 10 years; PA Doctor pleads guilty to CSE; Dentist indicted, assistant imprisoned; School Counselor indicted on 11 CSA crimes

 

Red Lake man sentenced to 5 years in prison for sexual abuse of minors

Leland Whitefeather Sr., 77, was sentenced to 66 months for sexually abusing three minors between 2009 and 2019 in Red Lake Nation.

RED LAKE — A Red Lake man has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for sexually abusing three minors between 2009 and 2019.

According to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Leland Whitefeather Sr., 77, was sentenced to 66 months for the sexual abuse of a minor on Wednesday, July 15.

Whitefeather, who was acting as a caretaker to the victims at the time, admitted to knowingly engaging in sexual acts with multiple minors, including at his home, within the boundaries of the Red Lake Nation between 2009 and 2019, the release said.

“There’s no higher priority for our office than protecting children. We will continue working closely with the FBI, the Red Lake Police Department, and all of our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who prey on the innocent,” U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said in the release.

After his release from custody, Whitefeather will be placed on sex offender supervision for a period of five years.

“The FBI has no tolerance for child sexual abuse,” said FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dotson. “Leland Whitefeather Sr. admitted to the sexual abuse of three children on multiple occasions during the span of over nine years. His sentence to federal prison is deserved. The FBI and our partners with the Red Lake Tribal Police work diligently every day to protect the community and the children of the Red Lake Nation. We hope this sentence can be part of the healing process for this defendant’s victims and their families.”

This case was the result of an investigation by the FBI and Red Lake Tribal Police Department.

Berks County doctor pleads guilty to child sexual exploitation offenses

ByBerks Weekly

July 18, 2026, 10:30 am

United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Dr. Habib Bhatti, 44, of Barto, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty Friday before United States District Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl to one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct; one count of use of an interstate commerce facility to entice a minor, and attempt to entice a minor, to engage in sexual conduct; two counts of production of child pornography; and two counts of possessing child pornography.

The defendant was arrested on a criminal complaint and warrant in September 2025 and charged by information this June, arising from his traveling across the country to meet minors to engage in commercial sex acts, secretly recording himself engaging in sex acts with minors, and possession of child sexual abuse material (“CSAM”). With today’s plea, he has waived prosecution by indictment.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, from about July 2024 to November 2024, Bhatti used the internet to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce Minor Victim #1 into engaging in sexual activity that would constitute a criminal offense, specifically, attempted statutory sexual assault.

Then, in or about November 2024, Bhatti traveled from Pennsylvania to California intending to engage in illicit sexual conduct with Minor Victim #1 and Minor Victim #2.

As further detailed, in December of 2018, in Philadelphia, the defendant sexually exploited Minor Victim #3 and Minor Victim #4, persuading each minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of those acts.

Bhatti also possessed multiple devices containing CSAM, with at least one of the minors depicted a prepubescent child under 12 years of age.

In addition to the offenses of conviction detailed above, as part of his plea agreement, Bhatti admitted committing offenses involving 24 additional minor girls. Generally, the defendant would meet the minor victims online and subsequently offer them money in exchange for sexually explicit photos and/or for in-person sexual encounters. The minor victims were between 14 and 17 years old at the time of the defendant’s crimes. For the purpose of determining Bhatti’s Sentencing Guidelines range, these additional offenses will be treated as if the defendant had been convicted of 24 additional counts of production of child pornography.

Bhatti is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29 and faces a maximum possible term of life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (“CEOS”), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the FBI, with CEOS’s High Technology Investigative Unit, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Kulik and Trial Attorney James E. Burke IV of CEOS.

Chandler dental assistant gets 40 years for sex abuse of children

Dentist indicted for not reporting allegations

Courtesy of Chandler Police Almost 2 years to the day after the arrest of an assistant at a Chandler dentist's office, a dentist has been indicted for not reporting crimes. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced May 6 that Dr. Walter Villanueva has been indicted for failing to report the abuse of a child patient committed at his dental practice's south Chandler location by Deion Garcia, 29, shown here. Garcia was found guilty and was sentenced July 17 to 40 years in prison and lifetime supervised probation.

Courtesy of Maricopa County Sheriff's Office

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More than 2 years after the arrest of an assistant at a Chandler dentist's office,  a 29-year-old man has been sentenced to several decades in state prison.

Former dental assistant Deion Alexander Garcia was sentenced July 17 to 40 years in prison and lifetime supervised probation for the sexual abuse of "several children under his care,"  according to a news release from Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell's office.

The crimes were committed when Garcia worked as a dental assistant at Kidiatric Dental & Orthodontics in Chandler.

Virginia elementary school counselor indicted on 11 child sex crime charges

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by Nick Minock  

Fri, July 17, 2026 at 6:20 PM

Updated Fri, July 17, 2026 at 7:24 PM

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (7News) — Some Virginia families are demanding to know why they weren't alerted sooner that a school employee was accused of abusing multiple children for over a year.

The Albemarle County Public School (ACPS) counselor was indicted last month for 11 felonies.

In January, Michael Swiney was working as a social and emotional learning coach at Hollymead Elementary School in Albemarle County, Virginia when police were told he was acting inappropriately with an elementary school student. After a months-long investigation, police say they found multiple victims.

Michael Swiney, a former Virginia elementary school counselor, has been indicted on 11 felony child sex crime charges. Parents and lawmakers are now demanding a state investigation into how the school district handled the case. (Albemarle County Sheriff's Office)

“We have four current victims,” said Camille Stewart, the Deputy Chief of Police of the Albemarle County Police Department. “As I said, it's possible there are other victims. The community is obviously very upset about this development.”

Noah Coffin just graduated from the school district. He says the community is alarmed they didn’t learn about the allegations until last month.

“It's heartbreaking,” said Coffin. “We see this six-month period from around January until now of total silence from the school board, of total silence from the administration. Recently, about a month ago, the parents found out, but it wasn't from the school board. It wasn't from the superintendent. It wasn't from the administration. It was the media that broke the news.”

This month, Republican Congressman John McGuire wrote a letter to Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger (D) and Attorney General Jay Jones (D) calling on them to investigate the school district like former Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) and former Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) did with Loudoun County Public Schools when there were school sex assaults in 2021.

READ ALSO | 'They tried to cover it up:' Gov. Youngkin reacts to Loudoun Co. Schools sexual assaults

“There's been a cover-up,” said McGuire. “The most valuable thing is our children. And I want to know when did this happen? When did people know it happened? And why did it take five months for someone to say something? Anyone who knew about this for one minute and didn't do anything about it should be held accountable.”

On Friday, in response to McGuire’s letter, Governor Spanberger’s office told 7News her administration is assessing all avenues to protect kids from abuse at school.

“As the parent of three daughters in Virginia public schools and a former federal law enforcement officer who went after child predators, Governor Spanberger will always prioritize the safety and well-being of kids,” a Spanberger spokesperson told 7News. “The Spanberger Administration is assessing all avenues to protect kids from abuse at school. Local leaders should also listen to the concerns of parents and community members and focus on strengthening public trust.”

The case is also getting national attention.

A day after McGuire’s letter, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced a new national K-12 initiative to crack down on sexual predators in schools.

“Our schools must protect America’s children. Parents should never have to wonder whether their kids’ school employs and protects sexual predators,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Schools that receive federal funding have a duty to protect students, report sexual misconduct honestly, and follow the law. Through this initiative, we are holding school districts accountable because every child deserves to learn in a safe environment free from sexual abuse and harassment.”

An ACPS spokesperson told 7News that they immediately notified police and placed Swiney on leave the moment they received the allegations back in January. And the school system said they didn’t tell the public or the school board about it earlier to not undermine the integrity of the police investigation.

The school board did ask the Superintendent to resign. He did and so did the principal.