Maryland
Trump Frees Felon to Keep Deported Maryland Dad Locked Up
The Trump administration has freed a convicted human smuggler in its desperate bid to convict Kilmar Abrego Garcia of the same charge.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported Abrego Garcia in March—a move the Department of Justice (DOJ) admitted was an error—before a federal judge forced the administration to return him. Abrego Garcia was placed in federal custody on a human smuggling charge as soon as he set foot on U.S. soil again.
Despite President Donald Trump’s pledge to focus mass deportation efforts on criminals—the “worst of the worst”—the DOJ has now released three-time felon Jose Ramon Hernandez Reyes from federal prison and transferred him to a halfway house in exchange for his testimony against Abrego Garcia, an undocumented father from Maryland.
“It’s wild to me,” Lisa Sherman Luna, executive director at the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, told the Washington Post. “It’s just further evidence of how the government is using Kilmar’s case to further their propaganda and prove their political point.”
In exchange for testifying against Abrego Garcia, prosecutors have reportedly promised Hernandez he will be permitted to stay in the U.S. for at least a year. ICE officials, meanwhile, have said Abrego Garcia will be deported again in the event he is convicted at trial.
The Trump administration flew Abrego Garcia to a notorious El Salvadoran prison in March as a result of what the DOJ described as an administrative error; an immigration judge previously ruled that it was not safe for Abrego Garcia to be deported to his home country.
In a move denounced by critics as an attempt to save face over the gaffe, officials returned Abrego Garcia to the U.S. earlier this month and then charged him with smuggling, based partly on Hernandez’s testimony.
Abrego Garcia, 29, has not been convicted of a crime in the United States, where he has resided since he was 16. He has denied involvement with the notorious MS-13 street gang, which the White House maintains he is a member of.
He has pleaded not guilty to human smuggling charges, which stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee where he was allegedly driving a van full of other undocumented migrants. Charges in that case were not filed until May—well after Abrego Garcia became a flashpoint in Trump’s migrant crackdown—and were unsealed upon Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. this month.
Hernandez, now the DOJ’s star witness in its case against the Maryland father of three, who is married to an American, has had many more run-ins with U.S. law enforcement. He served time for three separate federal offenses: smuggling migrants, illegally reentering the country, and drunkenly discharging a firearm in a residential neighborhood.
He has been either arrested or in prison every year for the past decade, per the Post’s report. His record dates back to at least 2015, when he was fined for public intoxication in Virginia. A year later, Texas police arrested him for alleged possession of cocaine, and in 2017, he was picked up for driving under the influence with a handgun in the car.
Following his first removal in February 2018, the U.S. Border Patrol arrested him again after he had waded into the country from across the Rio Grande. He entered a guilty plea for crossing illegally and served 30 days before being deported again in May of that year.
Hernandez resurfaced in Mississippi the following December, when officers pulled him over to discover several undocumented migrants in his vehicle. He later admitted he had been transporting people into the country at $350 a head, pleaded guilty to human smuggling, and in 2020 was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.
The latest incident took place in late 2022. Texas police arrested Hernandez, who appeared “highly intoxicated” at the time, after he was seen riding around a Montgomery County community firing a handgun from the passenger side of the vehicle in broad daylight, for which he received two years in prison.
ICE has further clarified that it does not plan to return the Maryland dad to his native El Salvador but rather to an unspecified “third country.” Under Trump’s nationwide deportation drive, a number of Latin American migrants have already found themselves removed to South Sudan, an East African nation ravaged by more than two years of civil war.
A federal judge allowed Abrego Garcia to be released on his own recognizance ahead of his smuggling trial. However, his lawyers begged to keep him in custody ahead of trial, as ICE signaled it would arrest and deport him as soon as he stepped free.
The DOJ accepted Abrego Garcia’s request to remain behind bars. His next hearing is scheduled for July 16.
MARYLAND (WBFF) — Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced Thursday that his office has reached a settlement with LifeBridge Health, Inc. that will provide nearly $2 million in restitution to certain patients who paid outpatient facility fees before new state notice requirements took effect.
AG Brown said the Consumer Protection Division entered into a settlement agreement with LifeBridge concerning hospital fees known as outpatient facility fees that were charged prior to July 1, 2021, when the Facility Fee Right-to-Know Act took effect and established standards for notices about such fees.
The Consumer Protection Division alleged that consumers were not adequately informed they would be subject to the facility fees. LifeBridge denied that patients had been inadequately informed, but agreed to pay $1,985,198.90 in restitution.
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The restitution is for patients who paid out-of-pocket for fees charged by certain LifeBridge hospital clinics for clinic services received before July 1, 2021, when those services also were available at a non-hospital facility owned or operated by a LifeBridge affiliate where the consumer would not have incurred a facility fee.
Eligible patients should expect to receive a refund check from LifeBridge over the next six months, according to AG office.
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Consumers with questions about the settlement can call 410-576-6571.
Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
The Maryland Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 4, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from March 4 drawing
07-14-42-47-56, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 4 drawing
Midday: 4-0-2
Evening: 7-1-8
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 4 drawing
Midday: 0-6-9-0
Evening: 4-8-1-0
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 4 drawing
Midday: 5-6-2-1-8
Evening: 1-5-8-4-5
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from March 4 drawing
9 a.m.: 15
1 p.m.: 03
6 p.m.: 12
11 p.m.: 15
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Bonus Match 5 numbers from March 4 drawing
01-12-24-30-31, Bonus: 09
Check Bonus Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 4 drawing
05-10-26-53-59, Powerball: 06
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Keno
Drawings are held every four minutes. Check winning numbers here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
Maryland Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes above $600, winners can claim by mail or in person from the Maryland Lottery office, an Expanded Cashing Authority Program location or cashiers’ windows at Maryland casinos. Prizes over $5,000 must be claimed in person.
Claiming by Mail
Sign your winning ticket and complete a claim form. Include a photocopy of a valid government-issued ID and a copy of a document that shows proof of your Social Security number or Federal Tax ID number. Mail these to:
Maryland Lottery Customer Resource Center
1800 Washington Boulevard
Suite 330
Baltimore, MD 21230
For prizes over $600, bring your signed ticket, a government-issued photo ID, and proof of your Social Security or Federal Tax ID number to Maryland Lottery headquarters, 1800 Washington Boulevard, Baltimore, MD. Claims are by appointment only, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This location handles all prize amounts, including prizes over $5,000.
Winning Tickets Worth $25,000 or Less
Maryland Lottery headquarters and select Maryland casinos can redeem winning tickets valued up to $25,000. Note that casinos cannot cash prizes over $600 for non-resident and resident aliens (tax ID beginning with “9”). You must be at least 21 years of age to enter a Maryland casino. Locations include:
- Horseshoe Casino: 1525 Russell Street, Baltimore, MD
- MGM National Harbor: 101 MGM National Avenue, Oxon Hill, MD
- Live! Casino: 7002 Arundel Mills Circle, Hanover, MD
- Ocean Downs Casino: 10218 Racetrack Road, Berlin, MD
- Hollywood Casino: 1201 Chesapeake Overlook Parkway, Perryville, MD
- Rocky Gap Casino: 16701 Lakeview Road NE, Flintstone, MD
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Maryland Lottery.
When are the Maryland Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 11 p.m. ET Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5 Midday: 12:27 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, 12:28 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday.
- Pick 3, 4 and 5 Evening: 7:56 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday, 8:10 p.m. ET on Sunday.
- Cash4Life: 9 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash Pop: 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. daily.
- Bonus Match 5: 7:56 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday, 8:10 p.m. ET on Sunday.
- MultiMatch: 7:56 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
- Powerball Double Play: 11 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Maryland editor. You can send feedback using this form.
MARYLAND (WBFF) — A Maryland man and his California accomplice both pled guilty to drug trafficking charges involving the concealment of drugs within auto parts at a repair shop, the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
Authorities reported that Norville Clarke, 56, of Clarksburg, Maryland, and Daniel Cruz, 39, of Los Angeles, California, were charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
In 2023, an investigation targeted a drug trafficking organization that was transporting and distributing large quantities of cocaine from California to Maryland.
The investigation began after police seized a parcel containing approximately two kilograms of cocaine that was mailed from Los Angeles with an intended delivery to Clarke’s auto-repair shop in District Heights, Maryland.
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During the investigation, Cruz was linked to the narcotics in the parcel, as well as to its source, authorities reported.
In January 2024, postal inspectors, along with other investigators, identified a freight shipment from Los Angeles intended for delivery at Clarke’s auto-repair shop, and officials said surveillance footage showed Cruz dropping off that shipment at a shipping company in California.
After that, authorities observed Cruz traveling to Maryland to track the shipment’s delivery.
Cruz and Clarke were then seen by investigators meeting at the auto-repair shop several days after the shipment occurred.
Investigators tracked the fright shipment to Dulles, Virginia, where authorities executed a search warrant and recovered two automobile transmissions inside, as well as 20 one-kilogram bricks secreted in both transmissions.
Officials reported that laboratory forensic tests confirmed that the bricks were over 16 kilograms of cocaine.
A search warrant was then also executed for Clarke’s District Heights auto-repair shop, Clarke’s Clarksburg residence, and Cruz’s hotel room in Capitol Heights, Maryland.
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At the auto repair shop, officials recovered 502.4 grams of cocaine, and then at Clarke’s residence, officers found two-kilogram bricks of cocaine and $45,730 in cash.
Furthermore, investigators later found another nine historical freight shipments that resembled the original shipment containing cocaine, which Cruz sent to Clarke’s auto repair shop.
In plea agreements, officials said both defendants agreed to have been involved in possessing around 22 kilograms of cocaine in furtherance of the drug trafficking conspiracy.
Both also face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum life in prison, followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release
Cruz’s sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, June 18, at 1 p.m., and the sentencing for Clarke is scheduled for Friday, July 24, at 10 a.m.
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