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  • MIL-OSI: Proactis SA – Financial Information 6m 07 24

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Proactis SA announces financial information for the 6 months period ended 31 July 2024

    Paris – 31 October 2024 – Proactis SA (Euronext: PROAC), a leading provider of comprehensive spend management and business process collaboration solutions, today announced financial information for the 6 months period ended 31 July 2024, in accordance with the “European Transparency Obligations Directive” financial disclosure requirements.

    Financial data

    € Million   H1 FY2023
    6 months period
    from 1 August 2022
    to 31 January 2023    		   H1 FY2025
    6 months period
    from 1 February 2024 to 31 July 2024    		   % Change
    2025 / 2023    		  
                   
    Revenue   6.5   4.3   (34)%  
    EBITDA (*)   0.2   0.8   408%  
    Net Earnings   (1.2)   (0.9)      
    Operating Cashflow   0.3   0.5   50%  
    Cash   0.2   0.5   257%  
                   
    (*) EBITDA: Operating result before depreciation and non-recurring items.        

    Subsequent to the previous fiscal year year-end date change to align with the Proactis UK Group year-end date change to 31 January, the fiscal year to consider is now 2025 to cover the period from February 1st 2024 to January, 31st 2025 (previous FY period was running from August 2022 until January 2024 – 18 months).

    Accounts for the 6 months period to 31 July 2024 have been reviewed by auditors and were approved by the Proactis SA Board of Directors on 17 October 2024.

    Revenue split is as follow:

    € Million   6 months period ended
    31 January 2023    		   6 months period ended
    31 July 2024
             
    Revenue   6.5   4.3
             
    Operating revenue   4.4   2.9
    Revenue from intercompany re-invoicing   2.1   1.4

    Operating revenue is at €2.9m, 35% lower than the period to 31 January 2023. As previously communicated in August, this revenue decrease is principally due to customer churn where contracts were incorporating third party software. The change to Service revenues reflects a large implementation project in the FY23 comparative that has since been completed.

    The EBITDA (*) has increased from €0.2m in the 6 months period to 31 January 2023 to €0.8m in the 6 months period to 31 July 2024. Increased EBITDA performance is driven by a rationalisation of the cost base and lower external charges on subcontracted projects that were included in H1 FY23 not repeated in H1 FY25.

    At 31 July 2024 the cash position was of €0.5m; aligned with the position recorded on 31 January 2024 (€0.6m).

    * * * *

    About Proactis SA (https://www.proactis.com/proactis-sa), a Proactis Company

    Proactis SA connects companies by providing business spend management and collaborative business process automation solutions for both goods and services, through The Business Network. Our solutions integrate with any ERP or procurement system, providing our customers with an easy-to-use solution which drives adoption, compliance and savings.

    Proactis SA has operations in France, Germany, USA and Manila.

    Listed in Compartment C on the Euronext Paris Eurolist.

    ISIN: FR0004052561, Euronext: PROAC, Reuters: HBWO.LN, Bloomberg: HBW.FP

    Contacts
    E-mail: investorContact@proactis.com

    * * * *

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Security News: United States Files Suit for Unpaid Duties and Penalties for Alleged Failure to Pay Duties on Imported Chinese Bedroom Furniture

    Source: United States Department of Justice 2

    The United States has filed a civil lawsuit against Lawrence Bivona, who was the President of LaJobi Inc., a Delaware corporation that imported Chinese-manufactured children’s bedroom furniture into the United States. The lawsuit alleges that Bivona made false statements to customs officials and, as a result, avoided paying antidumping duties owed on the imported furniture.

    At the time merchandise is entered into the United States, the importer is responsible for providing all information necessary to enable Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to assess the applicable duties owed on the goods, including any antidumping duties applicable to the merchandise. Antidumping duties are trade remedies that help protect domestic industries from unfair trade practices by foreign businesses and countries, such as government subsidies or below market sales.

    The United States’ complaint contends that Bivona caused LaJobi to misrepresent the identity of the manufacturers of the children’s furniture imported from China. In particular, the United States alleges that Bivona falsely represented that the furniture was manufactured by Chinese entities subject to duty rates of approximately 7% or less, and failed to disclose that the furniture was actually manufactured by entities subject to duty rates of 216%.

    “Anti-dumping duties play an important role in countering illegal foreign trade practices and protecting U.S. manufacturers,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to pursue those who seek to gain an unfair advantage by violating our trade laws.”

    “These civil penalties support the seriousness of CBP’s trade mission and protect the U.S. economy, while maintaining fair trade and preserving American jobs from predatory practices,” said Executive Director Susan Thomas of CBP’s Cargo and Conveyance Security, Office of Field Operations. “CBP’s antidumping and countervailing duties enforcement aims to mitigate harm by anti-competitive behavior and supports a level playing field for U.S. companies injured by unfair trade practices.”

    “We take very seriously our role in protecting the U.S. economy from illegal and predatory trade practices,” said Assistant Director Ivan J. Arvelo of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Global Trade Investigations. “HSI is committed to working alongside CBP and partners to stop those who engage in fraud to circumvent U.S. trade laws.”

    The complaint seeks the recovery of over $7 million in import duties and over $15 million in civil penalties.

    HSI Newark led the investigation with CBP Trade Regulatory Audit Newark, CBP Associate Chief Counsel New York, CBP Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising (CPMM) Center of Excellence and Expertise. CBP and HSI are the agencies responsible for enforcing U.S. laws related to the importation of merchandise into the United States, including the collection of duties and assessment of penalties.

    Trial Counsel Daniel Hoffman of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, National Courts Section, is handling the case.

    The case is filed in the Court of International Trade and captioned United States v. Lawrence Bivona No. 24-00196.

    To combat trade fraud, including avoidance of import duties, the Justice Department created a Trade Fraud Task Force. The Task Force partners with CBP and other law enforcement agencies to ensure compliance with U.S. trade laws.

    The claims in the complaint are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Fusion of academic and practical: students and postgraduates explore creative economy

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    The HSE hosted The Fourth International Forum of Young Researchers in Creative Economy. The authors of scientific papers that passed the competitive selection presented their reports: Russian and foreign researchers under 35 years of age, postgraduates and students studying the socio-economic aspects of the development of the creative economy and creative industries.

    The Fourth International Forum of Young Researchers in the Creative Economy took place on the second day of the IV International Scientific Conference “Creative Economy: Key Development Trends and State Policy”. The event is being held Institute for Statistical Research and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEZ) under the auspices of the Decade of Science and Technology in Russia, within the framework of the activities of the World-Class Scientific Center “Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Human Potential» HSE University, with the support of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science.

    The researchers studied key trends in the development of the creative economy and creative industries, digitalization of creative industries, analysis of creative clusters, creative potential of cities and regions, etc.

    Every year more and more people participate in the competition, and now the competition was serious, emphasized the forum moderator, director of the center “Russian Cluster Observatory» Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, National Research University Higher School of Economics Evgeny Kutsenko.

    The three best works were awarded diplomas and prizes. Elizaveta Fainshtein from the National Research University Higher School of Economics studied the perception of visitors to various public spaces based on a semantic analysis of reviews. The jury noted the relevance of the work and its practical focus. “Such spaces are appearing in many cities in Russia, and your research shows how they can help themselves, because, of course, there is not always enough money to develop them through the state,” noted Evgeny Kutsenko.

    The work of Ivan Slipchenko from the Central University of Finance and Economics (China) was devoted to the impact of government support measures on the dynamics of China’s creative goods exports in 2016–2023. The researcher analyzed which support measures are most important and used a panel model for this purpose, which allows assessing cause-and-effect relationships.

    Timur Malikov from the National Research University Higher School of Economics studied the reasons for overtime work in the video game industry. The jury noted the deep study of the topic, as well as the high-quality fusion of academicism and practicality.

    In addition, the members of the competition committee additionally singled out four more works that they liked. A team of HSE students presented the study “Bread and Wine: Defining the Boundaries of Influence of Modern Creative Clusters in Moscow Using the Example of Spaces Near the Dmitrovskaya and Kurskaya Metro Stations”. Another team of HSE students studied the phenomenon of “catch-up” creativity in northern regions using the example of the Murmansk Region. Vitaly Saakov from the Russian State University of Economics (RINH) conducted an analysis of the creative industries of the Rostov Region. Anastasia Makukhina from the State Institute of Art Studies studied social networks as a factor in shaping demand for theatrical goods.

    In conclusion, Evgeny Kutsenko called on the contestants to refine their research in accordance with the recommendations and take part in the HSE competition next year.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoyer, Cardin, Van Hollen, Ruppersberger Announce Over $7.5 Million for Carroll County Regional, Tipton, and Martin State Airports

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny Hoyer (MD-05), U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-02) recently announced $7,556,842 in U.S. Department of Transportation awards to Carroll County Regional, Tipton, and Martin State Airports for upgrades to modernize their facilities and improve passenger comfort.

    “President Biden and Vice President Harris’ Investing in America agenda continues to deliver for Maryland’s airports and boost our economic competitiveness,” said Congressman Hoyer. “As Chair of the Regional Leadership Council, I have worked with House Democrats and top officials in the Biden-Harris Administration to ensure that every community in America can see and feel the impact of the historic laws that Democrats passed in the 117th Congress. I was pleased to work with Team Maryland to secure these Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds for Carroll County Regional Airport, Martin State Airport, and Tipton Airport, which will create good jobs and provide a more reliable air travel experience. Together, we will continue to lower costs, create jobs, and ensure our state’s economy works for all Marylanders.”

    “The landmark infrastructure law enacted by President Biden in 2021 continues to invest in Maryland,” said Senator Cardin.  “It recognized that our airports, both large and small, have aging and outdated facilities that require upgrades to meet the changing demands on our aviation system and keep it safe and competitive.”

    “Our local airports are important transportation hubs that support our state’s economy, ensuring that travelers and goods get where they need to go. We fought for these investments to support the Carroll County Regional, Tipton, and Martin State airports in serving the growing needs of Maryland’s businesses, residents, and visitors,” said Senator Van Hollen.

    “The bipartisan infrastructure law continues to reap rewards for Maryland and Marylanders including this funding for local airports, which provide a critical connection to communities and economies throughout the region,” said Congressman Ruppersberger. “This is a strategic investment that will make our airports safer, more comfortable and convenient. I look forward to even more upgrades to our nation’s aging transportation infrastructure to come.”

    The funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Airport Improvement Program and Airport Terminal Program.

    The federal grants have been awarded as follows:

    1. $3,612,000. Carroll County Regional Airport: To remove a building and relocate fencing identified as obstructions by the FAA.
    2. $2,944,842, Tipton Airport: To construct a 6,000 square-foot terminal to accommodate the movement of passengers and baggage.
    3. $1,000,000, Martin State Airport: To fund the funds the construction of a new Airport Traffic Control Tower, replacing the 82-year-old sponsor-owned tower that has reached the end of its useful life.

    The Airport Improvement Program funds various types of airport infrastructure projects across the country, including repairs and upgrades to runways, taxiways, airport signage, lighting and markings – all while creating thousands of good-paying, local jobs. The members have consistently fought to provide funds for airports and terminal operators, including through the fiscal year 2024 appropriations process, which makes $3.35 billion available from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund and an additional $532 million from the general fund for AIP projects.

    The Airport Terminal Program was created in 2021 through the lawmakers’ efforts to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Funded at $1 billion in fiscal year 2024, the Airport Terminal Program supports safe, sustainable, and accessible airport terminals, on-airport rail access projects, and airport-owned airport traffic control towers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Susan Wild Announces Over $200 Million for Pennsylvania to Help Households with Home Energy Costs

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Susan Wild (PA-07)

    Today, Congresswoman Susan Wild announced that Pennsylvania has been awarded $207,342,959 in funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). This investment will help individuals and families with low incomes pay home heating costs this winter, as well as prevent energy shutoffs, weatherize homes to increase energy efficiency, and make minor energy-related home repairs.

    “LIHEAP is a critical part of protecting the health and safety of families across Pennsylvania while assisting them with their energy costs,” said Congresswoman Susan Wild. “I was proud to once again secure this funding for our community, and support families throughout the Greater Lehigh Valley so that they can stay warm and healthy this winter.”

    Pennsylvania was awarded a total of  $207,342,959:

    • $197,147,761 from the regular LIHEAP block grant funding.

    • $10,185,882 in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for Fiscal Year 2025.

    This funding is administered through the Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Community Services at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

    By helping reduce the costs of home heating, reconnecting energy services that have been disconnected, preventing energy shutoffs, and providing minor energy-related home repairs, LIHEAP helps make sure that families can meet their energy needs and stay safe in their homes — because maintaining safe indoor air temperatures is critical, particularly for households with older adults, children, and individuals with disabilities.

    Visit energyhelp.us to learn more about how to apply for LIHEAP and identify if you are eligible for assistance using the  LIHEAP Eligibility Tool  or call the hotline at 1-866-674-6327.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Fatal crash: John F Kennedy Drive, Palmerston North

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    One person has died following a crash on John F Kennedy Drive overnight.

    Police were called to the single vehicle crash just after 1:50am.

    One person died at the scene. Two other people were transported to hospital, one in a critical condition and one in a serious condition.

    The Serious Crash Unit conducted a scene examination, and enquiries are ongoing to determine the circumstances of the crash.

    John F Kennedy Drive has since reopened.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA:  NSF Arecibo C3 opening moved to 2025, aligning with NSF’s 75th anniversary commemorations

    Source: US Government research organizations

    The U.S. National Science Foundation has announced that the official opening of the NSF Arecibo Center for Culturally Relevant and Inclusive Science Education, Computational Skills, and Community Engagement (NSF Arecibo C3) will be moved to 2025. The opening will now coincide with NSF’s 75th anniversary commemorations all year round, marking a milestone that celebrates decades of advancing scientific discovery and innovation.  

    “NSF and the Puerto Rican community are eagerly anticipating the opening of Arecibo C3. I want to assure you NSF recognizes the importance of taking the necessary time to ensure the center meets the highest standards of excellence,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “By extending the timeline, we can ensure that the center has the time it needs while taking advantage of a unique opportunity to launch during NSF’s 75th anniversary — a significant year that reflects our long-standing commitment to scientific progress and STEM education.”  

    This decision is driven by several factors, including delays in the scheduling and transporting of essential equipment to the island and ongoing efforts to ensure the center meets the required standards for access and inclusivity.   

    Separate from the factors that led to this decision, this revised schedule allows the Arecibo C3 team to make necessary arrangements and adjust their organizational structure following Universidad del Sagrado Corazón’s recent decision to conclude its engagement with the project. This new structure will present new opportunities for institutional and organizational partnerships, community engagement, and science education and research at the site.   

    “At Sagrado, we are proud of the important contributions our team has made to the project so far. We have successfully completed our first-year milestones, establishing foundational protocols, processes, and collaborations essential for the project’s success. Additionally, we formed a communication team and built partnerships with Ciencia Puerto Rico and other organizations. These partnerships and structures have now been successfully initiated, and the remaining institutions involved in the project will continue this important work,” said Anuchka Ramos, Provost and VP for Academic Affairs, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón.  

    “The Arecibo C3 team extends our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Dr. Díaz Merced and Universidad del Sagrado Corazón for their contributions to this project. As we continue refining our programs and exhibits with input from collaborators and pilot participants, we’re building momentum toward our opening, which will now have the added honor of celebrating NSF’s anniversary,” added Jason Williams, Arecibo C3 lead investigator, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

    Credit: Greg Coll, NSF

    New parking lot banner

    The additional time will also allow the Arecibo C3 team to extend the pilot phase, which began in the summer of 2024 and has engaged small, invitation-only groups of local students and educators. The pilot phase has provided valuable insights that will shape the center’s future offerings, ensuring that when the doors officially open, Arecibo C3 will serve as a premier destination for science education and community engagement.  

    During the extended pilot phase, Arecibo C3 will continue to collaborate closely with students and educators to develop and refine programming across a wide range of STEM topics. Although the center will remain closed to the public, the community can expect continued engagement through invitation-only educational programs, workshops and outreach activities.

    Credit: Yadira Ortiz, Arecibo C3 

    Students explore DNA sequencing in a summer workshop.

    NSF will announce an exact date as soon as the agency is confident that all preparations are complete and will continue to provide updates on progress and next steps as they become available, ensuring that everyone remains informed and engaged. 

    For ongoing updates, visit nsf.gov and www.areciboc3.org. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: “Booker” for High-End Brothel Network Pleads Guilty

    Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

    BOSTON – A Dedham, Mass., man who served primarily as the “booker” for an interstate prostitution network that operated sophisticated high-end brothels in greater Boston and eastern Virginia pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Boston. 

    Junmyung Lee, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce one or more individuals to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution; and one count of money laundering conspiracy. U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick scheduled sentencing for Feb. 12, 2025. Junmyung Lee was arrested and charged in November 2023 with co-defendants Han Lee, 42, of Cambridge, Mass. and James Lee, 69, of Torrance, Calif. The defendants were subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024. Han Lee pleaded guilty on Sept. 27, 2024 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 20, 2024.

    From at least January 2022 through and including November 2023, Junmyung Lee knowingly conspired with Han Lee and, allegedly, James Lee to operate an interstate prostitution network with multiple brothels in greater Boston and eastern Virginia designed to entice women to travel interstate to engage in prostitution. Junmyung Lee and his alleged co-conspirators also knowingly conspired with one another, and others, to launder the proceeds of the prostitution network by concealing that the money was derived the prostitution conspiracy.

    Junmyung Lee was recruited to work for the prostitution network in approximately late 2021 through early 2022, as the business expanded. His main role in the conspiracy was that of the appointment “booker” and assisted with various tasks to maintain the prostitution network. In exchange, Han Lee paid Junmyung Lee $6,000-$8,000 per month.

    As “booker,” Junmyung Lee was responsible for vetting sex buyers, booking appointments, as well as communicating directly with vetted customers via at least two cell phones – for Massachusetts and for Virginia, respectively. These brothel cell phones each contained over 2,800 verified customers of the prostitution business. An additional known cell phone containing additional contacts for the Virginia brothel was never recovered. Junmyung Lee also helped transport women to and from the airport, with some women working at the brothel locations on multiple occasions and in multiple states.

    The defendants allegedly rented high-end apartments in Massachusetts and Virginia to serve as brothel locations, which they furnished and regularly maintained. In June 2022, Junmyung Lee leased one of the brothel locations in Cambridge, Mass. under his own name. In exchange for the lease, Junmyung Lee received a large cash payment of prostitution proceeds from Han Lee. A portion of the cash payment went towards the purchase of a Corvette.

    Additionally, Junmyung Lee collected the cash proceeds from the various brothel locations at the direction of Han Lee. Junmyung Lee would then conceal the proceeds via structured deposits into personal bank accounts. Additionally, it is alleged that the defendants regularly used hundreds of thousands of dollars of the cash proceeds from the prostitution business to purchase money orders (in values under an amount that would trigger reporting and identification requirements) to conceal the source of the funds. These money orders were then used to pay for rent and utilities at the brothel locations.

    Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

    The charge of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice and coerce one or more individuals to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $500,000 fine or twice the value of funds laundered, whatever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Cambridge Police Commissioner Christine Elow made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Central District of California and the Eastern District of Virginia; the U.S. Postal Service; and Watertown Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Weinstein of the Criminal Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquelle Kaye, of the Asset Recovery Unit are prosecuting the case.

    The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Naples Man Pleads Guilty To Trafficking Fentanyl And Methamphetamine

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jadyn Howard Loman (21, Naples) has pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Loman faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Loman has also agreed to forfeit the firearms and ammunition used to facilitate the offenses.

    According to court documents, deputies from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Loman after he failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of 20th Place Southwest and 41st Street Southwest in Naples, Florida. A subsequent chase ensued with Loman exceeding speeds of 100 miles per hour in his vehicle before crashing. He then fled the crash scene on foot before being apprehended. Inside his vehicle, deputies found 2 handguns, ammunition, and various baggies containing fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

    This case was investigated by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick L. Darcey.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make out neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: DHS Places Additional PRC-Based Textile Companies on the UFLPA Entity List

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    UFLPA Entity List Will Now Restrict Goods from 78 PRC-Based Companies from Entering the United States

    WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the addition of textile companies based in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List. The additions reinforce DHS’s commitment to eradicate forced labor and ensure accountability for the PRC’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other religious and ethnic minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

    Effective November 1, 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will apply a rebuttable presumption that goods produced by Esquel Group, Guangdong Esquel Textile Co., Ltd., and Turpan Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. will be prohibited from entering the United States. The addition of these textile entities builds on DHS’s Textile Enforcement Plan and demonstrates the FLETF’s commitment to focus on entities in high priority sectors for enforcement under the UFLPA Strategy, including the apparel and cotton and cotton products sectors. In addition to this announcement, Changji Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. will alsobe removed from one section of the UFLPA Entity Lists and added to another. Goods produced by Changji Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. (also known as Changji Yida Textile Co., Ltd.) will continue to be subject to a rebuttable presumption that they are prohibited from entering the United States.

    “Through today’s expansion of the Entity List, we enable American businesses to better assess their supply chains and ensure they do not profit, directly or indirectly, from the use of forced labor,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Our Department will continue to aggressively enforce the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and, in doing so, we stand up for human rights, safeguard a free and fair marketplace, and hold perpetrators accountable.”

    The FLETF – chaired by DHS and whose member agencies also include the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Justice, Labor, State, and the Treasury – has now added 78 entities to the UFLPA Entity List since the UFLPA was signed into law in December 2021. The UFLPA Entity List includes companies that are active in the apparel, agriculture, polysilicon, plastics, chemicals, batteries, household appliances, electronics, seafood and textile sectors, among others. Identifying these additional entities provides U.S. importers with more information to conduct due diligence and examine their supply chains for risks of forced labor to ensure compliance with the UFLPA.

    “We are uncompromising in removing forced labor from U.S. supply chains,” said Under Secretary for Policy Robert Silvers, who serves as chair of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force. “Our enforcement efforts are yielding results. Our Administration is committed to advancing this momentum and strengthening accountability across global supply chains.”

    The FLETF has reasonable cause to believe, based on specific and articulable information, that the below entities meet the criteria for inclusion in the UFLPA Entity List under Section 2(d)(2)(B)(v) of the UFLPA, which identifies facilities and entities that source material from the XUAR or from persons working with the government of XUAR or the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps for the purposes of the “poverty alleviation” program or the “pairing assistance” program or any other government labor scheme that uses forced labor.

    Esquel Group (also known as Esquel China Holdings Limited) is a Hong Kong-based vertically integrated textile and apparel company that engages in cotton research, as well as ginning, spinning, knitting, weaving of cotton and cotton products, in the production of textiles, apparel and accessories, including packaging and merchandising of these products. Esquel Group includes a variety of subsidiaries also involved in cotton, textile, clothing, and other products manufacturing, production, and sales, including Changji Esquel Textile Co., Ltd., Turpan Esquel Textile Co., Ltd., and Guangdong Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. The FLETF has reasonable cause to believe, based on specific and articulable information, including publicly available information, that Esquel Group sources cotton from the XUAR. The FLETF therefore determined that the activities of Esquel Group satisfy the criteria for addition to the UFLPA Entity List described in Section 2(d)(2)(B)(v).

    Guangdong Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. is a company based in Foshan City, Guangdong Province, that is engaged in the manufacture and processing of textiles and apparel. TheFLETF has reasonable cause to believe, based on specific and articulable information, including publicly available information, that Guangdong Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. sources cotton from the XUAR. The FLETF therefore determined that the activities of Guangdong Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. satisfy the criteria for addition to the UFLPA Entity List described in Section 2(d)(2)(B)(v).

    Turpan Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. is a company based in Turpan City, in the XUAR that is engaged in the production and sales of cotton and cotton yarn. The FLETF has reasonable cause to believe, based on specific and articulable information, including publicly available information, that Turpan Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. is sourcing cotton from the XUAR. The FLETF therefore determined that the activities of Turpan Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. satisfy the criteria for addition to the UFLPA Entity List described in Section 2(d)(2)(B)(v).

    Changji Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. (also known as Changji Yida Textile Co., Ltd.) is a company based in Changji Prefecture, XUAR that is engaged in production and sales of cotton yarn. The company had been included as one of the original twenty entities named to the UFLPA Entity List in June 2022 as an entity that qualified for inclusion under Section 2(d)(2)(B)(i) of the UFLPA. The FLETF has removed Changji Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. from Section 2(d)(2)(B)(i) of the UFLPA Entity List as the FLETF has determined there is no longer reasonable cause to believe that Changji Esquel Textile Co. meets the criteria described in Section 2(d)(2)(B)(i) of the UFLPA.The FLETF, however, has reasonable cause to believe, based on specific and articulable information, including publicly available information, that Changji Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. sources cotton from the XUAR. The FLETF therefore determined that the activities of Changji Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. satisfy the criteria for addition to the UFLPA Entity List described in Section 2(d)(2)(B)(v).

    The bipartisan Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, signed into law by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., in December 2021, mandates that CBP apply a rebuttable presumption that goods mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the XUAR or produced by entities identified on the UFLPA Entity List are prohibited from importation into the United States unless the Commissioner of CBP determines, by clear and convincing evidence, that the goods were not produced with forced labor. CBP began enforcing the UFLPA in June 2022. Since then, CBP has reviewed over 9,700 shipments valued at more than $3.5 billion under the UFLPA. Additionally, Homeland Security Investigations, through the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, conducts criminal investigations into those engaging in or otherwise knowingly benefitting from forced labor, and collaborates with international partners to seek justice for victims.

    Today’s announcement supports President Biden’s Memorandum on Advancing Worker Empowerment, Rights, and High Labor Standards Globally. The memorandum represents the first whole-of-government approach to advance workers’ rights by directing federal agencies engaged abroad to advance international recognized labor rights, which includes DHS’s work implementing the UFLPA.

    You can read more about the FLETF by visiting: https://www.dhs.gov/uflpa  

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: It’s always Physical Therapy Month for this PTA at Naval Hospital Bremerton

    Source: United States Navy (Medical)

    Well before dawn on most days, there’s a solitary figure striding up the surrounding inclines which envelop Naval Hospital Bremerton.

    For Ed Gerlach, physical therapist assistant at NHB, the morning workout allows him to maintain physical – as well as mental – health to handle his daily workload assigned to NHB’s Physical Therapy Department.

    “As well as maintain the ability to do all of my hiking, kayaking, snowboarding and many other hobbies, as well as prevent and work on my own aches and pains, and be fully ready to assist my patients,” said Gerlach.

    With October designated as National Physical Therapy Month, Gerlach helps provide a wide array of physical therapy services for eligible patients. Last year, NHB’s Physical Therapy saw over 9,200 patients. As a physical therapist assistant, Gerlach works under supervision of a physical therapist in helping patients improve their mobility and function after injury and surgery. He also assists in evaluating, instructing and treating musculoskeletal ailments and disorders, and providing specifically designed routines to help clients recover, recuperate and rehabilitate.

    However, Gerlach knows there are some people who are unfamiliar with physical therapy and the associated benefits.

    “PT is just a good way to decrease and prevent pain, increase balance, and improve mobility which in the long term helps improve quality of life, including some mental health benefits such as helping to reduce stress and anxieties,” stressed Gerlach. “There are people who don’t work out regularly because of pain. PT is a good way to start a workout routine that will help identify the cause of the pain and target muscle group to help decrease pain and prevent future pains and injuries.”

    Some of the most common injuries which Gerlach and other members of PT usually deal with include helping patients with post operative healing from shoulder surgeries to foot and ankle surgeries, as well as chronic illnesses.

    “We care for patients on a daily basis who have suffered a traumatic injury or debilitating illness, and our clinic does really well help them recovery and rehab,” stated Gerlach, who has been working in NHB’s PT department for 10 years. For him, it’s been a decade of fulfillment.

    “Seeing people progress from not being able to move or lift a body part after a surgery to getting back out to doing the activities and hobbies that they love is gratifying,” Gerlach said. “Their appreciation in receiving help to personally improve their quality of life also helps me on a personal level by knowing I’ve made a difference in someone’s life for the better.”

    Yet it’s almost by chance that a self-described Army brat somehow ended up in the Pacific Northwest far removed from his original roots. Born in Texarkana, Texas, Gerlach moved to Heidelberg, Germany when only four months old and spent his next 14 years there.

    “However, if you were to see me on a Friday during any college sports season, you would know that I call Arkansas home which is where most of my family still lives and is where the original homestead is,” exclaimed Gerlach.

    By 1998 he was in Fayetteville, North Carolina, completed Pine Forest High School in 2002, followed by graduating from Fayetteville Technical Community College in 2007. Before starting his career in Navy Medicine Gerlach toiled for a local company as a traveling physical therapist assistant, commuting between six different clinics, “and getting paid mileage and lunch which was great for a recent college graduate new to the work force,” quipped Gerlach.

    Still, he sensed something was missing. A timely note from a former teacher informed him of a position open at Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune.

    “I hopped on the opportunity. Fast forward six years later from there. The wife and I decided to move in 2014 and Washington just happened to be the landing spot. She’s at Madigan Army Medical Center and I’ve been at NHB for ten years. Being from the military community, it’s just felt like home here. I have been around the military my whole life so being able to help out military families and help give back means a lot. I know the hardships that come along our lifestyle. And the best part is just how much fun it is meeting new people all the time and helping improve their quality of life,” shared Gerlach.

    The added bonus for Gerlach being at NHB is access to the surrounding wilderness featuring the Olympic Mountains to the west and the Cascade Range across Puget Sound. He takes off at every opportunity to explore.

    “There are so many awesome hiking, trekking, backpacking and camping adventures. But my all-time favorite would be the Enchantments Lakes [high elevation alpine lakes in the Cascades]. Nearly 20 miles of crystal blue lakes, depending on time of year blazing golden larches and a super fun ascent nearly 2,000 feet in just three-quarters of a mile,” related Gerlach.

    When asked to sum up his experience with Navy Medicine in one sentence, Gerlach replied, “It’s been awesome to be here the last 10 years and be able to be part of such an amazing core group of clinicians and co-workers.”

    Even when the mountains are calling.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cardin, Van Hollen, Trone Announce $7.7 Million for Airport Infrastructure Projects in Western Maryland

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maryland Ben Cardin

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressman David Trone (all D-Md.) announced $7,705,850 in federal funding for infrastructure and expansion projects at the Hagerstown Regional Airport and Garrett County Airport. The funding, provided through the Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Improvement Program and Airport Terminal Program, will increase the airports’ capacities to meet operational needs and safety standards.

    “Hagerstown Regional and Garrett County airports help connect Western Maryland with greater economic opportunity. We fought for these investments to provide both airports with resources to continue to serving Maryland’s businesses, residents, and visitors in the years to come,” said the lawmakers.

    The federal grants have been awarded as follows:

    • $6,786,262 to Hagerstown Regional Airport to remove a building and relocate fencing identified as obstructions by the FAA and to renovate and expand the existing terminal building to accommodate existing and projected airline passenger demand
    • $919,588 to Garrett County Airport to rehabilitate 7,300 square yards of the existing Terminal Apron pavement

    The Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds various types of airport infrastructure projects across the country, including repairs and upgrades to runways, taxiways, airport signage, lighting and markings – all while creating thousands of good-paying, local jobs. The members have consistently fought to provide funds for airports and terminal operators, including through the fiscal year 2024 appropriations process, which makes $3.35 billion available from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund and an additional $532 million from the general fund for AIP projects.

    The Airport Terminal Program was created in 2021 through the lawmakers’ efforts to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Funded at $1 billion in fiscal year 2024, the Airport Terminal Program supports safe, sustainable, and accessible airport terminals, on-airport rail access projects, and airport-owned airport traffic control towers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Cuellar Celebrates Groundbreaking of New Gateway Barbara Fasken Healthcare Clinic in Laredo

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28)

    LAREDO, TX – Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. (TX-28) celebrated the groundbreaking of the new Gateway Barbara Fasken Healthcare Clinic in Laredo, TX. 

    “Gateway clinics are the backbone of Laredo’s health system. I secured $1,997,000 in federal funding in FY23 for the new Barbara Fasken Healthcare Clinic in Laredo,” said Dr. Cuellar, a Senior Member of the House Appropriations Committee. “I will continue to help expand Gateway’s reach through federal funding and provide Laredo residents with the quality health care they need to live healthy, fulfilling lives. Thank you to Gateway CEO Elmo Lopez Jr, Gateway Board Chairman Lauro A. Garcia, Laredo Mayor Victor Trevino, Council Member Vanessa Perez, and Fasken Oil and Ranch General Manager Lynda James for being here today and for their work in supporting the health of Laredo residents.” 

    The new clinic will provide essential healthcare services including primary care and behavioral care for both adults and children. The clinic also plans to expand to provide dental care.  

    The clinic will expand Gateway’s reach and enhance their services, ensuring that everyone in the Laredo community, especially those who have historically been underserved, can access comprehensive, quality healthcare. This will be the second Gateway clinic west of Interstate 35 in Laredo that the Congressman has supported with federal funding. 

    Since 2021, Congressman Cuellar has secured more than $35.8 million in federal funding for Gateway clinics, a testament to his commitment to bringing healthcare to those who need it most.  

    The Congressman remains committed to securing federal funding to promote a healthier, more successful South Texas. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Cuellar Celebrates Ribbon Cutting for New Los Martinez Park in Laredo

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28)

    LAREDO, TX – Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. (TX-28) celebrated the ribbon cutting for the new Los Martinez Park in Laredo, TX. 

    “I am pleased to be here today to celebrate the new Los Martinez Park. Los Martinez Park will offer a safe space where people of all ages can gather and enjoy the outdoors in our community,” said Dr. Cuellar, a Senior Member of the House Appropriations Committee. “I want to thank Mayor Victor Trevino, Councilwoman Vanessa Perez, Community Development Director Tina Martinez, and everyone involved in this project for your efforts to provide our community with more outdoor recreational spaces and for supporting the health of our community.”    

    Congressman Cuellar secured $551,365 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the project. 

    Los Martinez Park will offer amenities and equipment for children and families such as volleyball nets, benches, swing sets, seesaws, a spring rider, and a walking trial.   

    This project will ensure that Laredo residents have more outdoor recreational spaces to go to. The CDBG Program provides funding for neighborhood improvement projects that offer services to low- and moderate-income households in the community, ensuring that all residents have access to recreational spaces.  

    The Congressman remains committed to providing federal funding for recreational projects that will enhance the health of residents in the district. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Deer Lake — Arrest warrant issued for Colin McNeil

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    An arrest warrant has been issued for 34-year-old Colin McNeil of St. John’s in relation to charges laid by Deer Lake RCMP.

    McNeil is charged with the following offences:

    • Uttering threats – two counts
    • Breach of a court release order

    A picture of Colin McNeil is attached.

    Anyone with information on the current location of Colin McNeil is asked to contact Deer Lake RCMP at 709-635-2173 or, to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers: #SayItHere 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visit www.nlcrimestoppers.com or use the P3Tips app.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa Joins Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco to Address Affordable Housing Crisis in Northern California

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 31, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Committed to prioritizing solutions for the affordable housing crisis in Northern California, U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, (CA-1) hosted a roundtable discussion with the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (FHLBank San Francisco) at the Northern California National Bank in Chico, California yesterday. The roundtable brought together leaders in affordable housing, community organizations, financial institutions, and other stakeholders throughout the area to discuss how organizations and public-private partnerships across government agencies could play a pivotal role in solving the housing crisis in California, specifically in rural areas of Northern California that are vulnerable to economic distress and area wildfires.

    “I enjoyed discussing how we can tackle the critical issues of increasing housing supply, affordability, and economic growth in Northern California,” said LaMalfa following the roundtable event in Chico. “Regulatory reform and promoting public-private partnerships can help speed up this process. These efforts will create opportunities for our region and help us protect our way of life.”

    “This roundtable is happening at a critical time in our district, and we are grateful for the partnership with Representative LaMalfa, an engaged leader and advocate for finding solutions to the housing crisis across California,” said Alanna McCargo, president and chief executive officer of FHLBank San Francisco. “We know firsthand the value when we convene a range of community voices to develop solutions and build innovations designed to improve affordability, increase housing supply and invigorate our local economy. The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco is a reliable partner in the community that can enable the ideas coming from the roundtable through our broad and deep network of members.”

    FHLBank San Francisco recently announced that its 2024 Access to Housing and Economic Assistance for Development (AHEAD) Program awarded $7.3 million in grant funding to boost economic development across the region, which includes a project in Chico, California, within Rep. LaMalfa’s district. Chico Housing Action Team (CHAT) rents affordable housing to people transitioning from homelessness and provides ongoing social services, personal attention, and housing support to maintain the client’s housing stability. CHAT was awarded $100,000 in AHEAD grant funding to enhance CHAT’s services with an improved intake process, support for furnishings, food delivery, property maintenance, transportation, and volunteers. The grant will also support adding new staff and the purchase of a wheelchair accessible bus to transport residents.

    In addition to Congressman LaMalfa and members of FHLBank San Francisco, attendees included:

    • Adam Pearce, Bill Webb Homes
    • Amy Morin, Northern California National Bank
    • Ashley Potočnik, City of Yuba City
    • Leslie Depweg, Chico Real Estate
    • Todd Lewis, Northern California National Bank
    • Ron Sweeny, Sierra Central Credit Union
    • John Giem, Tri Counties Bank
    • Danna Prater, Tri Counties Bank
    • Sarah Graham, Chico Housing Action Team
    • Mehgie Tabar, California Housing Finance Agency
    • Vladimir Kislyanka, Premier Enterprise Inc.
    • Seana O’Shaughnessy, Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP)
    • Mark Montgomery, Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP)
    • Christy Covington, Golden 1 Credit Union
    • Dominic Schuessler, Golden 1 Credit Union
    • Larry Guanzon, Housing Authority of Butte
    • Ed Mayer, Housing Authority of Butte
    • Alisha Ake, Sierra North Valley Realtors
    • Katy Thoma, Chico Builders Association

    FHLBank San Francisco is dedicated to supporting housing initiatives throughout its three-state region, including Arizona, California, and Nevada. Since the AHP was created in 1990, FHLBank San Francisco has awarded over $1.35 billion in AHP dollars to support the construction, rehabilitation, or purchase of over 154,600 homes affordable to lower-income households, including $61.8 million in 2024 alone. Together, the 11 regional FHLBanks that make up the Federal Home Loan Bank System are one of the largest privately capitalized sources of grant funding for affordable housing in the United States.

    About the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco

    The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco is a member-owned cooperative supporting local lenders in Arizona, California, and Nevada to build strong communities, create opportunity, and change lives for the better. The tools and resources we provide to our member financial institutions — commercial banks, credit unions, industrial loan companies, savings institutions, insurance companies, and community development financial institutions — propel homeownership, finance quality affordable housing, drive economic vitality, and revitalize neighborhoods. Together with our members and other partners, we are making the communities we serve more vibrant, equitable, and resilient.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Societe Generale: Availability of the third amendment to the 2024 Universal Registration Document

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    AVAILABILITY OF THE THIRD AMENDMENT TO 2024 UNIVERSAL REGISTRATION DOCUMENT
    Regulated Information

    Paris, 31 October 2024

    Societe Generale hereby informs the public that the third amendment to the 2024 Universal Registration Document filed on 11th March 2024 under number D.24-0094, has been filed with the French Financial Markets Authority (AMF) on 31st October 2024 under number D-24-0094-A03.
    This document is made available to the public, free of charge, in accordance with the conditions provided for by the regulations in force and may be consulted in the “Regulated information” section of
    the Company’s website (https://investors.societegenerale.com/en/financial-and-non-financial-information/regulated-information) and on the AMF’s website.

    Press contacts:

    Jean-Baptiste Froville_+33 1 58 98 68 00_ jean-baptiste.froville@socgen.com
    Fanny Rouby_+33 1 57 29 11 12_ fanny.rouby@socgen.com

    Societe Generale

    Societe Generale is a top tier European Bank with more than 126,000 employees serving about 25 million clients in 65 countries across the world. We have been supporting the development of our economies for nearly 160 years, providing our corporate, institutional, and individual clients with a wide array of value-added advisory and financial solutions. Our long-lasting and trusted relationships with the clients, our cutting-edge expertise, our unique innovation, our ESG capabilities and leading franchises are part of our DNA and serve our most essential objective – to deliver sustainable value creation for all our stakeholders.

    The Group runs three complementary sets of businesses, embedding ESG offerings for all its clients:

    • French Retail, Private Banking and Insurance, with leading retail bank SG and insurance franchise, premium private banking services, and the leading digital bank BoursoBank.
    • Global Banking and Investor Solutions, a top tier wholesale bank offering tailored-made solutions with distinctive global leadership in equity derivatives, structured finance and ESG.
    • Mobility, International Retail Banking and Financial Services, comprising well-established universal banks (in Czech Republic, Romania and several African countries), Ayvens (the new ALD I LeasePlan brand), a global player in sustainable mobility, as well as specialized financing activities.

    Committed to building together with its clients a better and sustainable future, Societe Generale aims to be a leading partner in the environmental transition and sustainability overall. The Group is included in the principal socially responsible investment indices: DJSI (Europe), FTSE4Good (Global and Europe), Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, Refinitiv Diversity and Inclusion Index, Euronext Vigeo (Europe and Eurozone), STOXX Global ESG Leaders indexes, and the MSCI Low Carbon Leaders Index (World and Europe).

    In case of doubt regarding the authenticity of this press release, please go to the end of the Group News page on societegenerale.com website where official Press Releases sent by Societe Generale can be certified using blockchain technology. A link will allow you to check the document’s legitimacy directly on the web page.

    For more information, you can follow us on Twitter/X @societegenerale or visit our website societegenerale.com.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Helport AI Launches on Google Cloud Marketplace, Redefining Intelligent Solutions for Global Businesses

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE and SAN DIEGO, Oct. 31, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Helport AI Limited (NASDAQ: HPAI) (“Helport” or the “Company”), a global leader in AI-powered business transformation solutions, today announced the launch of Helport AI Assist on Google Cloud Marketplace.

    This significant development extends Helport AI’s advanced, scalable solutions to a global audience, reinforcing the Company’s mission for everyone to work as an expert through AI solutions. Partnering with Google Cloud marks a strategic step in making Helport’s transformative AI solutions even more accessible to enterprises worldwide.

    Helport AI Assist is designed to optimize sales, streamline workflows, and enhance service quality. Now seamlessly integrated with Google Cloud, Helport AI Assist provides companies in insurance, mortgage, wealth management, and real estate with mature, market-tested AI capabilities that drive measurable business outcomes. This widely trusted product has consistently empowered organizations by enabling rapid, high-quality deployment and delivering recognized performance improvements across sectors.

    “Helport AI’s launch on Google Cloud Marketplace marks a major leap in bringing expert-level AI tools to businesses globally,” said Guanghai Li, Chief Executive Officer of Helport AI. “This partnership extends our reach, enabling companies across sectors to harness secure, scalable AI solutions that drive efficiency and transformation. Together with Google Cloud, we are advancing a new era of intelligent business solutions that redefine productivity and elevate customer experiences worldwide.”

    Helport AI’s availability on Google Cloud Marketplace highlights our dedication to security, technical excellence, and global credibility:

    • Enhanced Visibility and Global Trust: Listing on Google Cloud Marketplace elevates Helport AI’s credibility and global presence, positioning the Company as a trusted, secure AI partner for enterprises worldwide. This endorsement by Google reflects client confidence in Helport AI’s solutions, giving enterprises assurance in the reliability and technical quality of its solutions.
    • Stringent Security and Compliance Standards: Helport AI has met Google Cloud’s security and compliance benchmarks, ensuring advanced data protection, regulatory adherence, and smooth integration with Google Cloud’s secure infrastructure. This provides its clients with a high-performance, secure AI platform designed to handle sensitive information with confidence.

    As part of Google Cloud Marketplace, Helport AI is uniquely positioned to leverage Google’s ecosystem, driving forward the possibilities of AI transformation across industries:

    • Broad Industry Empowerment: With global accessibility on Google Cloud, Helport AI delivers targeted solutions for insurance, wealth management, healthcare, retail, real estate, and more, enhancing sales and fostering efficiency and productivity gains across a wide range of industries.
    • Seamless Scalability and Innovation: Designed to adapt to industry demand, Helport AI scales effortlessly, positioning the Company to continuously evolve with the AI market and provide high-impact solutions that address emerging business needs.
    • Enhanced Service Standards and Customer Experience: Aligned with Google Cloud’s service standards, Helport AI offers seamless API and billing integrations, a smooth user experience, and robust technical support, ensuring a positive client experience backed by dependable, high-quality support.
    • Strategic Ecosystem Collaborations: As a member of the Google Cloud Partner, Helport AI leverages co-marketing and joint initiatives to deliver next-level AI solutions, enhancing customer outcomes and driving innovation.

    About Helport AI

    Helport AI (NASDAQ: HPAI) is a premier provider of AI-driven solutions, specializing in enhancing professional capabilities across industries. Focused on delivering measurable outcomes, The company serves enterprise-level customer contact services through intelligent products, solutions, and a digital platform, helping businesses optimize their sales and improve customer engagement. Our mission is to empower everyone to work as an expert. Learn more at www.helport.ai.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, Helport’s business plan and outlook. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on Helport’s current expectations and projections about future events that Helport believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “approximates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may” or other similar expressions. Helport undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although Helport believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and Helport cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in Helport’s registration statement and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

    For media inquiries, please visit:
    https://ir.helport.ai/

    Investor Relations Contact:
    Chris Tyson 
    Executive Vice President
    MZ North America
    Direct: 949-491-8235
    HPAI@mzgroup.us
    www.mzgroup.us

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Alaska National Guard aids remote community after flooding

    Source: US National Guard (video statements)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r5c9MNt6Yg

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren Presses Department of Justice on Failure to Hold TD Bank Executives Accountable, “Legal Gymnastics” That Allowed Bank to Escape “Death Penalty”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    October 31, 2024

    $670 million laundered through TD Bank

    “These charging decisions represent absurd legal gymnastics by DOJ that ultimately have allowed the bank and its top executives to avoid full responsibility for their actions. This is not an acceptable outcome.”

    Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, questioning them on the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) “legal gymnastics” that allowed TD Bank to escape the bank death penalty — and DOJ’s failure thus far to hold any top executives accountable for egregious crimes. DOJ’s recent settlement with TD Bank over money laundering and other charges did not include any of the bank’s high-level executives, and appears to be intentionally structured so that the bank can escape the full scope of penalties for its failures.

    “The way that DOJ structured the plea agreement ensures that TD Bank will not face the full range of penalties that Congress has enacted for banks that engage in criminal money laundering,” wrote Senator Warren.

    Senator Warren noted that TD Bank’s crimes hurt hundreds of thousands of people. Top executives allowed the bank to act as a criminal slush fund, knowingly presiding over a criminally deficient anti-money laundering program while growing the bank such that its “risk profile increas(ed) significantly.”

    “These shocking failures enabled three separate money laundering syndicates to launder more than $670 million through the bank between 2019 and 2023. The magnitude of the dollar value of these illicit transactions is dwarfed only by the obviousness of the criminal activity,” wrote Senator Warren.

    The letter highlights past comments from Deputy Attorney General Monaco which emphasized the importance of “individual accountability” and the need to “identify the most serious wrongdoers, whether individuals or companies” and hold them accountable. Senator Warren noted that the TD Bank settlement does not meet DOJ’s own apparent standards.

    Though the penalties against TD Bank appropriately include an asset cap and a $3 billion fine, “(u)ntil and unless those executives who presided over TD Bank’s institutionalized money laundering are held accountable, banks will continue to factor enforcement fines into the cost of doing business, rather than approaching compliance with our money laundering laws with the seriousness it requires,” wrote Senator Warren.

    The structure of DOJ’s settlement also enables TD Bank to evade the full scope of bank regulators’ consequences for its misdeeds. Specifically, the charges shift responsibility for the hundreds of millions of dollars in money laundering from TD Bank to its holding company, which precludes the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) from invoking the bank “death penalty” provision.

    “These charging decisions represent absurd legal gymnastics by DOJ that ultimately have allowed the bank and its top executives to avoid full responsibility for their actions. This is not an acceptable outcome,” wrote Senator Warren.

    Senator Warren has fought to hold corporations and their executives accountable for lawbreaking:

    • In October 2024, Senators Warren and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, urging DOJ to investigate Boeing executives following years of promoting short-term profits over passenger safety. 
    • In October 2023, Senator Warren sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, calling on the DOJ to immediately reverse its newly unveiled “safe harbor” policy that would provide a get-out-of-jail-free card for mergers involving corporate white-collar criminals.
    • In August 2022, Senators Warren and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) sent a letter to Attorney General Garland and Deputy Attorney General Monaco urging DOJ to use its authority to ban corporations that commit misconduct from government contracting.
    • In May 2019, Senator Warren and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) released a new report: Rigged Justice 2.0: Government of the Billionaires, by the Billionaires, and for the Billionaires. The report is the second in a series on the failure of the federal government to hold corporate and white-collar criminals accountable and highlights how enforcement hit a 20-year low under the Trump administration.
    • In April 2019, Senator Warren introduced the Corporate Executive Accountability Act, which holds executives of large corporations criminally responsible when their companies commit crimes, harm large numbers of Americans through civil violations, or repeatedly violate federal law.
    • In March 2018, Senator Warren introduced the Ending Too Big to Jail Act to hold big bank executives accountable when the banks they lead break the law. 
    • In January 2016, Senator Warren released a report: Rigged Justice: How Weak Enforcement Lets Corporate Offenders Off Easy. The report highlights 20 of the most egregious civil and criminal cases during the past year in which federal settlements failed to require meaningful accountability to deter future wrongdoing and to protect taxpayers and families.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren Drops New Report on How Biden-Harris Admin and Congressional Democrats Saved Nearly 1.4 Million Teamsters’ and Other Union Pensions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    October 31, 2024
    New data from White House reveals that in Massachusetts alone, 35,000 union workers’ pensions were saved. 
    “Democrats will continue to fight to ensure all Americans can count on a secure retirement, including the benefits they have earned, from pensions to Social Security.”
    Report – Promises Made, Promises Kept: How Congressional Democrats and the Biden-Harris Administration Saved Nearly 1.4 Million Workers’ Pensions from Cuts (PDF)
    Boston, MA – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released a report detailing how the Biden-Harris administration, along with Congressional Democrats, saved the pensions of nearly 1.4 million Teamsters and other union members. 
    In Massachusetts alone, 35,000 workers and retirees have benefited from the pension protections championed by Senator Warren and included in ARPA. 
    In 2017, it became clear that union multiemployer pension plans (MPPs) for over a million workers were at risk of becoming insolvent due to problems stemming from the 2008 financial crisis and later exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, pension benefits could have been slashed by up to 98%.
    The Trump administration, with a Republican Congress, took no action to save the pensions. Instead, Senators Warren and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) introduced the Butch Lewis Emergency Pension Plan Relief Act to save these pension funds without cutting benefits.   
    In 2021, the Biden-Harris administration and Congressional Democrats passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), a relief package created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included the Butch Lewis Act, securing the retirement benefits of union workers and retirees in MPP funds for 30 years without cutting the earned benefits of participants and beneficiaries
    ARPA provided a $68 billion investment to save the pensions of nearly 1.4 million union workers and retirees across America through 2051, with no cuts to earned benefits. Following the enactment of ARPA, severe pension cuts were reversed for over 80,000 union workers and retirees across 18 multiemployer plans. 
    “After giant hedge funds and big banks took down our economy and put pension funds at risk, Democrats stepped up to protect our union workers, ” said Senator Warren. “I fought hard alongside the Biden-Harris administration to ensure Massachusetts Teamsters and other union workers could continue to count on the retirement funds they earned.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Celebrate Diwali at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

    Source: City of Stoke-on-Trent

    Published: Thursday, 31st October 2024

    Families are being invited to a special event to celebrate Diwali this weekend.

    Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Light, is one of the largest religious festivals for Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism.

    On Saturday 2 November, the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery is hosting its popular celebration event which brings together local communities and cultures.

    The free event will feature traditional music, dance performances, Henna, and clay lamp making.

    Stoke-on-Trent City Council leader Jane Ashworth said: “Diwali is one of our most popular events and a highlight in the museum’s calendar and I’m sure this year will be no different.

    “Diwali is a major global event, one which reminds us to celebrate light and positivity in our lives, so it’s an ideal opportunity to join together as one and enjoy some free, family friendly fun. I’d encourage anyone who wants to celebrate Diwali to come along and join us.”

    The Diwali celebrations take place on Saturday 2 November from 11am to 5.30pm at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.

    Fo more information, visit: https://www.stokemuseums.org.uk/pmag/whats-on/events/diwali/diwali-2024/.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Funding to help grow number of childcare places in Plymouth

    Source: City of Plymouth

    New grant funding is available to help childcare providers expand their offering to more children, giving vital support to Plymouth parents and carers.

    Following the Government’s expansion of free childcare hours, the city needs to significantly increase the current available number of childcare places.

    The Council has received £434,000 in capital grant funding from the Government to help childcare providers, including schools, nurseries and childminders to increase their places. 

    The grants will be used to increase early years places for under two-year-olds, or to increase wraparound care for primary-school aged children, which means before and after-school provision.

    Councillor Sally Cresswell, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships said: “Increasing the number of childcare places available is absolutely crucial to supporting our families and our local economy. Parents need to be able to access childcare in order to be able to work or study, so it’s important that we help put the infrastructure in place so that our childcare providers can meet the demand. It is so important to offer high quality early years provision.

    “This grant scheme offers a fantastic opportunity for schools, nurseries and childminders to expand their provision.”

    Capital grants of up to £20,000 can be used to make adaptations to buildings in order to accommodate more children, or the purchasing of new equipment in order to provide childcare to children of different ages.

    There are also revenue grants of up to £20,000 available to businesses planning to expand or create wraparound care for primary-school aged children. There’s a total of £446,000 available to be distributed to Plymouth businesses which could contribute to start-up costs, or support with running costs including training.

    Childcare provision funded from this grant must meet the definition of wraparound childcare, such as needing to be available directly before and after the school day, from 8am to 6pm and be registered with Ofsted.

    Any organisations or businesses interested in applying for a grant can find more information at: www.plymouth.gov.uk/childcare-expansion-grants.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DHS Places Additional PRC-Based Textile Companies on the UFLPA Entity List

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: DHS Places Additional PRC-Based Textile Companies on the UFLPA Entity List

    em>UFLPA Entity List Will Now Restrict Goods from 78 PRC-Based Companies from Entering the United StatesWASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the addition of textile companies based in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List. The additions reinforce DHS’s commitment to eradicate forced labor and ensure accountability for the PRC’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other religious and ethnic minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).Effective November 1, 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will apply a rebuttable presumption that goods produced by Esquel Group, Guangdong Esquel Textile Co., Ltd., and Turpan Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. will be prohibited from entering the United States. The addition of these textile entities builds on DHS’s Textile Enforcement Plan and demonstrates the FLETF’s commitment to focus on entities in high priority sectors for enforcement under the UFLPA Strategy, including the apparel and cotton and cotton products sectors. In addition to this announcement, Changji Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. will alsobe removed from one section of the UFLPA Entity Lists and added to another. Goods produced by Changji Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. (also known as Changji Yida Textile Co., Ltd.) will continue to be subject to a rebuttable presumption that they are prohibited from entering the United States.“Through today’s expansion of the Entity List, we enable American businesses to better assess their supply chains and ensure they do not profit, directly or indirectly, from the use of forced labor,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Our Department will continue to aggressively enforce the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and, in doing so, we stand up for human rights, safeguard a free and fair marketplace, and hold perpetrators accountable.”The FLETF – chaired by DHS and whose member agencies also include the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Justice, Labor, State, and the Treasury – has now added 78 entities to the UFLPA Entity List since the UFLPA was signed into law in December 2021. The UFLPA Entity List includes companies that are active in the apparel, agriculture, polysilicon, plastics, chemicals, batteries, household appliances, electronics, seafood and textile sectors, among others. Identifying these additional entities provides U.S. importers with more information to conduct due diligence and examine their supply chains for risks of forced labor to ensure compliance with the UFLPA.“We are uncompromising in removing forced labor from U.S. supply chains,” said Under Secretary for Policy Robert Silvers, who serves as chair of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force. “Our enforcement efforts are yielding results. Our Administration is committed to advancing this momentum and strengthening accountability across global supply chains.”The FLETF has reasonable cause to believe, based on specific and articulable information, that the below entities meet the criteria for inclusion in the UFLPA Entity List under Section 2(d)(2)(B)(v) of the UFLPA, which identifies facilities and entities that source material from the XUAR or from persons working with the government of XUAR or the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps for the purposes of the “poverty alleviation” program or the “pairing assistance” program or any other government labor scheme that uses forced labor.Esquel Group (also known as Esquel China Holdings Limited) is a Hong Kong-based vertically integrated textile and apparel company that engages in cotton research, as well as ginning, spinning, knitting, weaving of cotton and cotton products, in the production of textiles, apparel and accessories, including packaging and merchandising of these products. Esquel Group includes a variety of subsidiaries also involved in cotton, textile, clothing, and other products manufacturing, production, and sales, including Changji Esquel Textile Co., Ltd., Turpan Esquel Textile Co., Ltd., and Guangdong Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. The FLETF has reasonable cause to believe, based on specific and articulable information, including publicly available information, that Esquel Group sources cotton from the XUAR. The FLETF therefore determined that the activities of Esquel Group satisfy the criteria for addition to the UFLPA Entity List described in Section 2(d)(2)(B)(v).Guangdong Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. is a company based in Foshan City, Guangdong Province, that is engaged in the manufacture and processing of textiles and apparel. TheFLETF has reasonable cause to believe, based on specific and articulable information, including publicly available information, that Guangdong Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. sources cotton from the XUAR. The FLETF therefore determined that the activities of Guangdong Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. satisfy the criteria for addition to the UFLPA Entity List described in Section 2(d)(2)(B)(v).Turpan Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. is a company based in Turpan City, in the XUAR that is engaged in the production and sales of cotton and cotton yarn. The FLETF has reasonable cause to believe, based on specific and articulable information, including publicly available information, that Turpan Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. is sourcing cotton from the XUAR. The FLETF therefore determined that the activities of Turpan Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. satisfy the criteria for addition to the UFLPA Entity List described in Section 2(d)(2)(B)(v).Changji Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. (also known as Changji Yida Textile Co., Ltd.) is a company based in Changji Prefecture, XUAR that is engaged in production and sales of cotton yarn. The company had been included as one of the original twenty entities named to the UFLPA Entity List in June 2022 as an entity that qualified for inclusion under Section 2(d)(2)(B)(i) of the UFLPA. The FLETF has removed Changji Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. from Section 2(d)(2)(B)(i) of the UFLPA Entity List as the FLETF has determined there is no longer reasonable cause to believe that Changji Esquel Textile Co. meets the criteria described in Section 2(d)(2)(B)(i) of the UFLPA.The FLETF, however, has reasonable cause to believe, based on specific and articulable information, including publicly available information, that Changji Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. sources cotton from the XUAR. The FLETF therefore determined that the activities of Changji Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. satisfy the criteria for addition to the UFLPA Entity List described in Section 2(d)(2)(B)(v).The bipartisan Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, signed into law by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., in December 2021, mandates that CBP apply a rebuttable presumption that goods mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the XUAR or produced by entities identified on the UFLPA Entity List are prohibited from importation into the United States unless the Commissioner of CBP determines, by clear and convincing evidence, that the goods were not produced with forced labor. CBP began enforcing the UFLPA in June 2022. Since then, CBP has reviewed over 9,700 shipments valued at more than $3.5 billion under the UFLPA. Additionally, Homeland Security Investigations, through the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, conducts criminal investigations into those engaging in or otherwise knowingly benefitting from forced labor, and collaborates with international partners to seek justice for victims.Today’s announcement supports President Biden’s Memorandum on Advancing Worker Empowerment, Rights, and High Labor Standards Globally. The memorandum represents the first whole-of-government approach to advance workers’ rights by directing federal agencies engaged abroad to advance international recognized labor rights, which includes DHS’s work implementing the UFLPA.You can read more about the FLETF by visiting: https://www.dhs.gov/uflpa  
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Press Release: FDIC Appoints Amanda J. Lavis as Director of Office of Equal Employment Opportunity

    Source: US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation FDIC

    WASHINGTON – The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today announced its Board of Directors has approved the appointment of Amanda J. Lavis as Director of the agency’s new Office of Equal Employment Opportunity (OEEO).

    In June, the FDIC Board announced the creation of the OEEO to serve as a single point of entry for employee complaints of discrimination and retaliation.  In this role, Ms. Lavis will lead the OEEO’s work to intake, investigate, and report on complaints of employment discrimination within the FDIC workplace.  The OEEO, along with the agency’s new Office of Professional Conduct (OPC), will report directly to the FDIC Board.

    Ms.  Lavis was selected from among several highly qualified candidates after a competitive, nationwide public solicitation.  Most recently, she served as Chief Culture Officer for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), where she was the primary EEO advisor to the Commanding General and executive leadership.

    She previously served as the State of Hawaii’s EEO Officer, serving as the primary EEO advisor to the Governor and Executive Branch.  As an attorney and partner at Rhoads & Sinon LLP, Ms. Lavis worked with financial institutions and other private and public sector clients on employment issues and all aspects of EEO compliance.

    Ms. Lavis has a Juris Doctor from the Villanova University School of Law, a Master of Business Administration from Shippensburg University, and a Bachelor of Science in International Business from Messiah University.

    # # #

    MEDIA CONTACT: 
    mediarequests@fdic.gov


    FDIC: PR-94-2024

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Secretary of the Commonwealth Addresses When We Can Expect Pennsylvania’s Election Results

    Source: US State of Pennsylvania

    October 31, 2024 – Harrisburg, PA

    Secretary of the Commonwealth Addresses When We Can Expect Pennsylvania’s Election Results

    Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt today held the fourth in a series of daily media briefings leading up to the Nov. 5 general election.

    Schmidt discussed why Pennsylvania’s results may not be known on election night.

    “Counting millions of ballots takes time. For every single vote cast in this election, there will be a voter-verified paper ballot that election officials need to securely handle and count,” Schmidt said. “Predicting exactly when Pennsylvania will have unofficial results that show a clear winner is just not possible. Pennsylvania has never had final results on election night, regardless of whether media outlets have announced winners on that night or at a later date.

    “Ultimately, it comes down to how close any race is. The closer the race, the longer it takes to know who won and who lost,” Schmidt added.

    The people doing the hard work of administering this election and making democracy happen are your neighbors at your polling place and professional civil servants at the county level, and they deserve our thanks, our respect and our patience, Schmidt said.

    Speakers Include:
    Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Owner of Arkansas Tree Service Business Sentenced for Tax Fraud

    Source: US State of Vermont

    An Arkansas man was sentenced yesterday to 20 months in prison for filing a false individual income tax return.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Carlos Gonzalez, 59, of Rogers, filed false tax returns that underreported the gross receipts from his tree-trimming and removal business, Charley’s Tree Service. From 2014 through 2020, Gonzalez cashed more than $3 million in customer checks instead of depositing them into his business’ bank account, knowing that his return preparer relied on the bank account records when preparing his returns. In addition, he did not tell his return preparer about the cashed checks. As such, the return preparer prepared tax returns that underreported gross receipts from his business resulting in a tax loss to the IRS of more than $900,000.

    In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Brooks for the Western District of Arkansas ordered Gonzalez to serve one year of supervised release and to pay approximately $1.4 million in restitution to the United States and the State of Arkansas.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes for the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

    Trial Attorneys Curtis Weidler and Wilson Stamm of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Marshall for the Western District of Arkansas prosecuted the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Holds Beverly Hills Accountable for Preventing Reproductive Health Clinic from Opening, Failing to Protect California’s Constitutional Right to Abortion

    Source: US State of California

    Today’s first-of-its-kind stipulated judgment will ensure Beverly Hills comes into full compliance with the law and provides a benchmark for local governments to align with state reproductive healthcare laws

    The City to abide by robust injunctive measures including mandated training and reporting

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the filing of a stipulated judgment with the City of Beverly Hills resolving allegations that the City violated the California Constitution, Article I, sections 1 and 1.1, and the Reproductive Privacy Act, Health and Safety Code. In September 2022, DuPont Clinic (Dupont), an abortion provider in Washington, D.C., sought to open a clinic in Beverly Hills, California. However, despite their public position of support for abortion rights, Beverly Hills officials actively implemented barriers, which prohibited Dupont from opening its reproductive health clinic in the City. Today’s stipulated judgment requires Beverly Hills to abide by robust injunctive measures including, among other things, requiring training about the state and federal protections for reproductive healthcare clinics and requiring reporting of compliance with the stipulated judgment to the Attorney General’s office.

    “At a time when access to abortion care is under attack across this nation, it is now more critical than ever to double down on our commitment to protect those seeking reproductive healthcare in our state,” said Attorney General Bonta. “It is troubling that, even here in California where access to reproductive healthcare is a constitutional right, Beverly Hills officials have taken actions reminiscent of those in extremist red states by illegally interfering with, and ultimately preventing a new reproductive healthcare clinic from opening. Today’s first-of-its kind agreement will ensure that the City abides by comprehensive training and education of reproductive healthcare laws. The agreement also serves as a benchmark for local governments to evaluate their healthcare policies and services, guaranteeing that they not only comply with the law, but also fulfill California’s broader commitment to reproductive healthcare access. At the California Department of Justice, we believe that reproductive healthcare is a fundamental right and will ensure that this right is upheld, free from political interference, and hold accountable those who break the law.” 

    In September 2022, Dupont signed a lease for a medical suite, owned and managed by Douglas Emmett, in Beverly Hills. DuPont spent $2.5 million to renovate the leased medical suite and applied for required City permits in early February 2023. Beginning in late 2022 and continuing into Spring 2023, anti-abortion protestors began to engage in protests outside and around the building and to lobby City officials against the opening of the DuPont clinic through objections at council meetings and private meetings. Through its investigation, DOJ found that the City unlawfully interfered with DuPont’s opening by improperly delaying the issuance of approved building permits and actively engaged in a pressure campaign against the property owner and manager Douglas Emmett, resulting in the termination of DuPont’s lease. For instance, City leadership, including the City Manager, Police Chief, City Attorney and the former Mayor, inaccurately claimed that a new DuPont Clinic would cause security threats against the building’s other tenants, going so far as to say that the building would be subject to violent protests, bomb threats, and “lone-wolf” active shooters. In fact, the City had no evidence or intelligence of any such threats. The City then claimed they would be so overwhelmed by this fictitious threat that they would be unable to provide resources to the landlord and building — threatening to abandon their sworn responsibility to uphold public safety. When these manipulation tactics didn’t work, City leadership threatened to send a letter from the Beverly Hills Police Department to all of Douglas Emmett’s other tenants in the building, warning them about the threats posed by the clinic, continuing to mount pressure until Douglas Emmett decided to end its contract with DuPont Clinic.

    The stipulated judgment is the result of the DOJ’s investigation highlighted above, and as part of the stipulated judgment, which is subject to court approval, enjoins the City from violating the California Constitution, Article I, sections 1 and 1.1, and the Reproductive Privacy Act, Health and Safety Code section 123460, and requires the City, among other things:

    • To procure or develop training materials that provide information about the California FACE Act, federal FACE Act, and California’s legal protections and access to all forms of reproductive healthcare, within 90 days after the stipulated judgment is entered.
    • To conduct comprehensive training for City employees about the state and federal protections for reproductive healthcare clinics within 150 days after the stipulated judgment is entered, and every two years thereafter.
    • To publicly post its training resources about state and federal protections for reproductive healthcare clinics.
    • To develop a complaint procedure for potential violations of state and federal laws protecting reproductive rights and reporting those complaints to DOJ.
    • To appoint a Reproductive Compliance Officer who will be responsible for developing the required training materials and ensuring that the relevant employees and elected officials receive the required training.
    • To annually report for the five-year reporting period the City’s compliance with the stipulated judgment.

    A copy of the complaint, stipulation for entry of judgment, and the court judgment are available here and here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Felon in Possession of Firearm Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison Following Shooting at the Palm Beach Gardens Mall

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    MIAMI – A felon in possession of a firearm was sentenced to 144 months in prison, following a shooting at the Palm Beach Gardens Mall (The Gardens Mall) on Valentine’s Day.

    Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon imposed an upward variance in sentencing Devon Jamal Graham, 29, to 144 months in prison. Graham previously pled guilty to possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance containing fentanyl and cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

    Kamarcio Mitchell, 29, a second man who was arrested following the shooting at The Gardens Mall, is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 21 at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Cannon in Fort Pierce, Fla. Mitchell previously pled guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

    On Feb. 14, both Mitchell and Graham were at The Gardens Mall, both separately in possession of a firearm. Mitchell was on the second level of The Gardens Mall near a retail store. Mitchell followed Graham onto the escalator and was manipulating an object under his shirt. Mitchell was then fired upon by Graham and shot. Mitchell fled the mall to the parking lot, leaving a trail of blood. A loaded firearm that had been disassembled was found in the parking lot by police, near the blood trail. Mitchell was later treated for his injury at a local hospital. Upon his later arrest on a federal warrant, authorities discovered Mitchell in possession of a distribution quantity of fentanyl after he unsuccessfully tried to toss the drugs.

    Two firearms were recovered from the vehicle Graham used to travel to the mall, along with a bag containing 35 capsules with a mixture containing fentanyl and a pill bottle with approximately 16 grams of cocaine.

    The recovered firearms had previously travelled in interstate commerce.

    U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, U.S. Marshal Gadyaces S. Serralta of the U.S. Marshals Service, Chief Dominick Pape of the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department, and Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office announced the sentencing.

    The Office of State Attorney Dave Aronberg for the 15th Judicial Circuit – Palm Beach County provided invaluable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John McMillan and Shannon O’Shea Darsch are prosecuting the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-80022.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Iqaluit — Second degree murder charged laid in death of Iqaluit man

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Iqaluit, Nunavut
    Date: 2024-10-31
    File: 2024-772064

    On June 5, 2024, the Iqaluit RCMP received a complaint that male had been found with severe injuries and was being medivac to Ottawa, Ontario. The man later died as a result of his injuries.

    On August 21, 2024, the Nunavut Major Crimes unit arrested Peter Toonoo (38 years old) for the murder of Jimmy “Sam” Kownirk. Peter Toonoo has been charged with second-degree murder and was remanded into custody. His next court appearance is scheduled for November 6, 2024.

    As a charge has been laid and the matter is now before the courts, no further information will be released by police.

    MIL Security OSI –