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  • MIL-OSI Security: California Man Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement and Other Charges During January 6 Capitol Breach

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

                WASHINGTON — A California man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting law enforcement and other charges related to his alleged conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His alleged actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

                Michael Fagundes, 49, of Costa Mesa, California, is charged in an indictment filed in the District of Columbia with three felony offenses, including two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and one count of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder.

                In addition to the felonies, Fagundes is charged with misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings, and parading demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

                The FBI arrested Fagundes on Oct. 8, 2024, in Costa Mesa, and he made his initial appearance in the Central District of California. 

                According to court documents, Fagundes attempted to attend the former President’s “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., but was refused entry. He then made his way toward the U.S. Capitol building and eventually arrived at the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement on that day.

                It is alleged that Fagundes reached the Tunnel entrance at about 2:42 p.m. and donned a gas mask. He then made his way inside the Tunnel and shortly exited before returning and approaching a group of rioters who were attempting to take control of a police riot shield. It is alleged that Fagundes himself took possession of the riot shield from the group and emerged from the Tunnel proudly displaying it over his head. He then tossed the shield onto the ground before making his way back into the Tunnel and toward the police line. Shortly thereafter, the rioters inside the Tunnel began a heave-ho movement against the police line but were quickly forced out of the Tunnel by police.

                As the rioters were forced out, at approximately 3:18 p.m., a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer was forcibly dragged from the police line at the entrance to the Tunnel and into the crowd of rioters. As the rioters attacked the officer, Fagundes shouted and moved in their direction. The crowd then surrounded the officer, and Fagundes allegedly reached toward the officer a few times before grabbing ahold of the officer’s chest and neck and dragging the officer further into the crowd.

                Around 3:50 p.m., it is alleged that Fagundes placed his hand on the handle of an Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) dispenser held up by another rioter and appeared to try and manipulate the trigger or safety mechanism. Immediately after, another rioter took possession of the dispenser and sprayed it into the Tunnel towards the police line. Court documents say that rioters on the Lower West Terrace continued to assault police officers both inside and at the mouth of the Tunnel. Shortly after the OC spray was deployed, the crowd, including Fagundes, pushed their body weight back and forth into the police line in a “heave-ho” motion.

                By about 4:09 p.m., Fagundes picked up a police riot shield near the entrance to the Tunnel and used it to push against other rioters who were pushing against the police line. Approximately two minutes later, at around 4:11 p.m., Fagundes once again made his way towards the front of the mob and reached the police line. There, Fagundes allegedly picked up a police riot shield from the ground, raised his green backpack and the shield directly over his head, stepped toward the police line, and then rapidly dropped the backpack and the shield down in a striking motion in the direction of the officers. The shield and the backpack appeared to make contact with at least one officer.

                Sometime in the afternoon, Fagundes appeared to be on a video call with another individual while he was adjacent to the continued violence against police and immediately next to a broken window that led to the inside of the U.S. Capitol building. Fagundes then appeared to gesture toward the crowd, waving them toward the broken window, and he entered the Capitol. 

             The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California provided valuable assistance.

                This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Los Angeles and Washington Field Offices. Fagundes was identified on the FBI’s seeking information images as AFO (Assault on Federal Officer) #527. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

                In the 45 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,532 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 571 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

                Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

                An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Woman arrested after Christchurch incident

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Attribute to Detective Senior Sergeant Colin Baillie:

    A woman has been charged after a man suffered critical injuries in Christchurch overnight.

    About 10.30pm, a taxi driver arrived at a fastfood restaurant on Memorial Avenue to seek help after being stabbed several times. The victim suffered critical injuries but is now serious but stable condition in hospital.

    About 15 minutes after Police were called, the alleged offender was taken into custody at a nearby hotel.

    Cordons were in place overnight and enquiries into the incident are ongoing.

    Police will have an ongoing presence in the area today while a scene examination is carried out, but we do not believe there is any ongoing risk to the public and are not seeking anyone else in relation to the incident.

    A 46-year-old Auckland woman has been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and is due to appear in the Christchurch District Court today.

    If you have any information that could help our enquiries, please update us online now or call 105.

    Please use the reference number 241011/2985.

    ENDS

    Issued by the Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Road blocked, SH32, Whakamaru Road

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    Whakamaru Road, State Highway 32, is blocked following a serious crash this morning.

    Emergency services are in attendance of a two-vehicle crash, reported at around 6.30am.

    Initial indications suggest there are serious injuries.

    The road is blocked, motorists are advised to follow diversions and expect delays.

    ENDS

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Los Angeles-Area Residents Arrested on Indictment Alleging Scheme to Fraudulently Obtain and Launder Medicare Proceeds

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles woman and a San Fernando Valley man were arrested today on a 24-count federal grand jury indictment alleging a scheme to defraud Medicare out of more than $54 million via hospice and diagnostic testing services that were never provided and then laundered their illicit proceeds, including by buying millions of dollars’ worth of gold bars and coins.

    Sophia Shaklian, 36, of the Larchmont area of Los Angeles, and Alex Alexsanian, 47, of Burbank, were arrested early this morning. They are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

    Shaklian is charged with 16 counts of health care fraud and four counts of transactional money laundering. Alexsanian is charged with one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and three counts of concealment money laundering.

    According to the indictment that a federal grand jury returned on October 2, Shaklian, often using aliases, managed and submitted claims for seven health care providers enrolled with Medicare and located in Los Angeles County. These businesses included a hospice company she owned – the Pasadena-based Chateau d’Lumina Hospice and Palliative Care – and several diagnostic testing companies: Saint Gorge Radiology in Sylmar; Hope Diagnostics in North Hollywood; Direct Imaging & Diagnostics and Lab One – both located in Hollywood; and Labtech and Lifescan Diagnostics in Claremont.

    From March 2019 to August 2024, these companies allegedly submitted more than $54 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for services that were never provided and not needed. In total, they received more than $23 million for those claims. Shaklian allegedly laundered Medicare funds paid to Chateau by transferring them to accounts in the name of “Varsenic Babaian,” a synthetic or fake identity. 

    Alexsanian allegedly directed a foreign national to open Saint Gorge Radiology, and to acquire Medicare provider Console Hospice in Van Nuys, and then provide control of those companies and their bank accounts and the foreign national’s personal bank accounts to Alexsanian.

    Alexsanian conspired with the foreign national (who soon left the country) and others to have Saint Gorge Radiology and Console Hospice submit fraudulent claims to Medicare for services not provided and then laundered the Medicare reimbursements they received, as well as funds deposited into their accounts through the “Babaian” identity, and used them to, among other things, buy more than $6 million in gold bars and coins.

    An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime.  Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    If convicted of all charges, Shaklian would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each health care fraud count and up to 20 years in federal prison for each money laundering count. Alexsanian would face up to 20 years in federal prison for each count. 

    The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General and the FBI are investigating this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorney Kristen A. Williams of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Six Defendants Sentenced to Prison for Trafficking Nearly 12 Kilograms of Methamphetamine in Adderall Lookalike Pills Via the Dark Web

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

    CINCINNATI – Six Texans convicted as part of a large-scale dark web drug trafficking organization have been sentenced in federal court in Cincinnati.

    According to court documents, from July 2019 through December 2020, the co-conspirators distributed significant quantities of methamphetamine – pressed to look like legitimate Adderall pills – over the dark web. The defendants sold at least 11.98 kilograms total of methamphetamine in pills and laundered between $15,000 and $50,000 per month using cryptocurrency. The group shipped the drugs nationwide, including into the Southern District of Ohio, using the United States Postal Service.

    The defendants used the vendor name “Loverbois,” along with several other usernames, and averaged 20 orders per day.

    Those sentenced in this case include:

    Name Age City of Residence Sentence Imposed
    Hung Ahn Huy Phung 26 Houston, Texas 84 months in prison
    John G. Dang 24 Houston, Texas 75 months in prison
    Bernardo Guzman 31 Houston, Texas 72 months in prison
    Stephanie R. Pray 35 Houston, Texas Five years’ probation
    Kevin Tran 25 Houston, Texas 60 months in prison
    Chazton Harris 29 Houston, Texas 74 months in prison

    Court documents detail that Phung created and ran the Loverbois account(s) for much of the conspiracy period. He took orders online and obtained pills from Tran and Guzman. Phung also coordinated the receipt of cryptocurrency in exchange for the pills and laundered those proceeds.

    Guzman had a pill press and industrial mixer at his apartment in Houston, where Phung also lived for a period of time. Harris also lived in the Houston apartment, where he pressed his own pills for distribution. Pray aided Guzman by helping obtain, pack, and ship the pills.

    Dang packaged pills for shipment and delivery and helped move and launder cryptocurrency. Dang laundered approximately $15,000 per month.

    The Loverbois online drug trafficking organization sold and shipped pills to undercover law enforcement officers in the Southern District of Ohio in a series of transactions.

    A federal grand jury indicted the defendants in June 2021. The final defendant, Kevin Tran, was sentenced on Sept. 30.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Charles L. Grinstead, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Food and Drug Administration – Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), Kansas City Field Office; Lesley C. Allison, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Mason Police Chief Levi Wells; Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz and the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) team announced the sentences imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins. Deputy Criminal Chief Frederic C. “Fritz” Shadley is representing the United States in this case.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, and gangs that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Actions During January 6 Capitol Breach

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

                WASHINGTON – An Ohio man pleaded guilty on Oct. 8, 2024, to felony and misdemeanor charges related to his conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

                Dustin Martin, 30, of Grove City, Ohio, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of civil disorder and a misdemeanor charge of disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds before U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan. Judge AliKhan will sentence Martin on Feb. 7, 2025.

                According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Martin and a friend – Cody Lee Tippett – arrived in Washington, D.C., from Columbus, Ohio, and made their way to the Ellipse to attend the former president’s speech. After the speech, Martin and Tippett walked from the Ellipse to the U.S. Capitol, arriving on the west side of Capitol grounds by at least 1:30 p.m. Martin then approached the Lower West Terrace, where he observed a crowd of people standing across from a line of bike rack barricades and police officers behind them, some dressed in riot gear.

                At approximately l:36 p.m., several rioters in Martin’s vicinity began to push against one of the barricades. As officers fought to prevent rioters from breaking the police line, Martin walked forward and joined with the rioters, leaning forward, bracing himself against those in front of him, and using his body weight to help push the barricade against the police officers on the other side. Court documents say that the group, including Martin, pushed the barricade directly into the officers, forcing them several feet back and requiring a dozen officers to drive the crowd back. The tussle caused Martin to fall, after which he retreated into the crowd.

                Later, at about 1:50 p.m., rioters on the Lower West Terrace pushed a line of police officers up a set of stairs leading to the Upper West Terrace of the Capitol. Other rioters, including Martin and Tippett, followed that group of rioters up onto the stairs. However, another police line prevented the crowd from advancing further up the stairs. At approximately 2:10 p.m., the rioters again pushed past the police line on the steps and gained access to the Capitol building for the first time that day. Martin and Tippett followed.

                At approximately 2:15 p.m., Martin and Tippett entered the Capitol building via the Senate Wing Door. Inside, Martin and Tippett walked to the Crypt and Capitol Visitor’s Center before exiting the building at about 2:57 p.m. Martin and Tippett remained on the Upper West Terrace, the area immediately outside the building, for nearly an hour.

                That day, Martin posted pictures, videos, and written descriptions on Facebook illustrating his participation in the riot at the Capitol. In one post, he included a photo of himself and Tippett inside the Capitol and wrote, “Trump 2021!!!” In another post, he included a photo of himself outside the Capitol and a video of rioters on the Upper West Terrace of the Capitol, writing, “So now I can say I’ve been hit with rubber bullets, bear mace, pepper spray, teargas, and wrestle with Capital Police f— yeah ‘America B— I’ll do it all over again too!”

                The FBI arrested Martin on June 21, 2023, in Ohio.

                Cody Lee Tippet was previously sentenced to 30 days in prison for his role in the events of January 6th.

                The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio provided valuable assistance.

                This case was investigated by the FBI’s Cincinnati and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

                In the 45 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,532 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 571 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

                Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Red Pheasant First Nation — Saskatchewan RCMP responding to robbery with a firearm

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Saskatchewan RCMP are currently responding to a report of a robbery with a firearm on Red Pheasant First Nation. An adult female has been taken to hospital with injuries described as non-life threatening. No other injuries were reported to police.

    Police advise that there are two suspects, a male and a female. They may be armed and are dangerous. The suspects were last seen driving a 2019 Dodge Ram truck, Warlock edition. The truck has the word “O’Brien” or “O’Brian” on the back window and Saskatchewan license plate 716 LWG. We do not have any further description of the suspects at this time.

    Investigators have reason to believe the suspects may be travelling to Saskatoon, but their current whereabouts are unknown. Saskatchewan RCMP continues to investigate.

    We are asking the public to report any suspicious activity or people in the Red Pheasant First Nation and Saskatoon areas to police. If anyone sees the vehicle matching the above description they are asked to contact their local police or police of jurisdiction immediately. Call 9-1-1 in emergencies or 310-RCMP in non-emergencies.

    We will provide an update when we have more information available. If an imminent risk to public safety is identified, we will notify the public.

    Report all information about this incident to your local police by calling 310-RCMP.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Niagara on the Lake — Brampton resident pleads guilty for failing to declare over $227,000 USD at Canadian border

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    In early October 2023, two travellers arrived at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Queenston Bridge port of entry in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Both travellers declared that they did not have more than $10,000 cash with them. Upon secondary examination, CBSA officers found $227,453.00 USD concealed in the vehicle. It was determined at the time with the exchange rate to have a value of over $312,200.00 CDN.

    The CBSA seized the currency under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA) and detained the occupants for suspicion of smuggling under the Customs Act. The RCMP Niagara-on-the-Lake Border Integrity Unit then began a criminal investigation which identified the cash as belonging to the passenger of the car.

    Chandrakant Patel (56) of Brampton was charged with:

    • Fail to declare currency greater than $10,000.00 contrary to Section 12(1) of the PCMLTFA

    On September 9, 2024, Patel pled guilty to the charge.

    The RCMP is committed to working with our partners to protect the residents and communities of Canada. Our collaboration with the CBSA continues to provide positive results for Canada. The RCMP also acknowledges the hard work of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) for the detection, prevention and deterrence of money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities.

    “The Niagara-on-the-Lake Border Integrity Program is committed to working with our partners, the CBSA and FINTRAC, on joint concerns and responsibilities. This investigation highlights our dedication to working together to stop money laundering across our country.”

    • Sgt. Lepa Jankovic, Non-commissioned Officer in charge, Niagara-on-the-Lake detachment.

    “Stopping currency obtained through proceeds of crime from crossing borders is part of the commitment of the Canada Border Services Agency to keep our communities safe. This seizure and investigation demonstrates the consequences for smugglers, and those perpetuating the cycle of organized crime.”

    • Christine Durocher, Regional Director General, Canada Border Services Agency, Southern Ontario Region

    Fast facts

    The RCMP Niagara-on-the-Lake Border Integrity Unit is tasked with the prevention and detection of the cross-border smuggling both to and from Canada. This unit supports four CBSA ports of entry by conducting larger criminal investigations that start at the port. The unit is also tasked with protecting the border area between the ports from Cobourg on Lake Ontario to Port Burwell on Lake Erie. The members of the unit will often be found in boats ensuring vessels are complying with reporting requirements when entering Canada.

    The CBSA works closely in an investigative capacity with our law enforcement partners such as the RCMP, and other domestic and international law enforcement partners, to combat the impact that cross border criminal activity is having on our communities.

    If you have any information related to smuggling, drug importation, trafficking, or possession, or wish to report other criminality, you can contact the Ontario RCMP at 1-800-387-0020, the confidential CBSA Border Watch toll-free line at 1-888-502-9060 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), at any time.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Emerson — Manitoba RCMP and U.S. Border Patrol host border and migrant safety event

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Manitoba RCMP officers and agents from United States Border Patrol met first in Pembina, North Dakota and then at Emerson, MB to talk about border safety and showcase some of the equipment used in preventing border incursions.

    The border between Canada and the United States is the world’s longest undefended border. The RCMP in Manitoba is responsible for approximately 520 kilometres of shared border. While people and technology are in place on both sides of the border to protect it, people do still cross illegally.

    In Manitoba year-to-date in 2024, there have been 85 apprehensions of illegal northbound crossers. The originating countries of those apprehended include the Republic of Chad, the Republic of Sudan, Guinea, Iraq, Mauritania, Congo, Yemen, Somalia, Saint Helena, Eretria, Cuba, Morocco, Mali, and Brazil.

    In 2023, there were 75 apprehensions of illegal crossers into Manitoba.

    This is a complex issue, as many of the illegal crossers come to Canada to make a refugee claim. More and more, law enforcement is seeing smuggling organizations working to get the migrants across the border without detection. Human smuggling is a real concern.

    “These smugglers are not in the business because they care about the migrants,” said Sergeant Lance Goldau, head of the Manitoba RCMP’s Integrated Border Enforcement Team (IBET). “The smugglers are looking at the bottom line – getting as much money as they can with as little work as possible.”

    The ethos of the least amount of work possible leads many migrants to have to face the actual border crossing alone. They are dropped at a location far from a Port of Entry into Canada, and they are left to fend for themselves with vague directions to connect with someone waiting for them on the other side, creating major safety concerns.

    “Some individuals who are illegally crossing the border between Manitoba, North Dakota and Minnesota are not aware of the extreme weather conditions and geography they may encounter,” said Sgt. Goldau. “This lack of understanding has led to severe injury and death. They have to realize, too, that in extreme weather, even with all of our equipment, chances of a rescue are remote.”

    Both the RCMP and the Grand Forks Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol implore any would-be crossers to enter the country legally, in a way that does not involve risking one’s life.

    “Grand Forks Sector, along with our partners at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, are committed to educating the public about the dangers of crossing the border illegally; one death is too many,” said Chief Patrol Agent Scott Garrett.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Arvin High School Employee Sentenced for Explosives Conspiracy and Making False Statements to FBI

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

    FRESNO, Calif. — Angelo Jackson Mendiver, 27, of Bakersfield, a former campus security supervisor at Arvin High School, was sentenced today to two years in prison for conspiring to engage in the manufacturing and dealing in explosive materials and for mailing explosive devices, as well as making false statements to FBI agents, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

    According to court documents, Mendiver used an Instagram account to sell explosives and explosive materials and worked closely with a male juvenile Bakersfield high school student to fulfill transactions and send explosives in the mail to residents of other states. In Instagram messages to the juvenile, Mendiver sent a photo of titanium salute, an explosive device, followed by two videos of homemade explosive devices that he had made and the statement that “homemade kills all consumer.” He also advised the juvenile to be “super careful bro that homemade shit is dangerous.” On June 1, 2023, a federal search warrant executed at Mendiver’s residence resulted in the seizure of 536 pounds of uncontained explosives and explosive materials, which presented an extreme safety hazard to the residents. Agents seized another 440 pounds of uncontained explosives and explosive materials from the juvenile’s residence. At both residences, agents also found items used to make explosives.

    Mendiver also falsely stated to FBI agents that he did not sell explosives and did not work with anyone in committing explosives offenses.

    The juvenile co-conspirator’s case is being handled by the Kern County District Attorney’s Office.

    This case was the product of an investigation by the FBI with assistance from the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Three Indicted in Conspiracy to Commit Bank Robberies in the Eastern District of California and the East Bay

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

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Sept. 26, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment against Dontae Jones Jr., 20, and Yasmin Millett, 21, both residing in Northern California with no fixed address, and JoMya Mauriyne Futch, 21, of Richmond, charging them with conspiracy to commit bank robbery and bank robbery, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Futch was additionally charged with one count of perjury.

    The indictment was unsealed today following the defendants’ arrests.

    According to court documents, between June 2023 and September 2024, Jones and Millett conspired to commit at least 10 bank robberies in Sacramento, Vallejo, Suisun City, Benicia, Concord, and Antioch. Jones and Millett worked together and with others, primarily women they recruited, such as Futch, to facilitate a patterned series of bank robberies. The participants drove to bank and credit union branches, entered the branches with threatening notes demanding money, presented the notes to branch employees, took cash, and exited the branches to a waiting getaway car. Generally, the notes would instruct the bank employees to provide money or “I will kill everyone in here.” On at least one occasion, a woman was held at gunpoint and forced to commit a robbery by Jones and Millett against her will. On another occasion, Jones and Millett used a minor in an attempted robbery. After a successful robbery, the members of the conspiracy distributed the stolen money amongst themselves.

    Jones and Millett actively sought and groomed recruits to act as the note passers. Millett advertised the conspiracy on Instagram in videos and photographs of herself and other participants holding large amounts of cash. Jones and Millett sometimes directed recruits to wear dark sunglasses during the robberies to conceal their identities and carry purses in order to carry the stolen money away from the banks and credit unions.

    Futch joined the conspiracy and conspired to commit at least two bank robberies. She is additionally charged with perjury. On Aug. 15, 2024, Futch appeared as a witness under oath before a grand jury and knowingly made false statements.

    This case is the product of an investigation by FBI field offices in San Francisco and Sacramento, with assistance from the Sacramento Police Department, Vacaville Police Department, Suisun City Police Department, Vallejo Police Department, Antioch Police Department, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, Benicia Police Department, Concord Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Hayward Police Department, and Fremont Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitnee Goins is prosecuting the case.

    If convicted of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. The bank robbery counts carry a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Futch faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if she is convicted of perjury. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Idaho Delegation: Biden-Harris Admin is Complicit in the Flow of Fentanyl into our Country

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho James E Risch

    BOISE, Idaho – U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo and U.S. Representatives Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher today demanded the Biden-Harris administration answer for its failure to stop the flow of illicit and deadly fentanyl into Idaho through the southern border. The administration’s lax border policies have allowed historic amounts of fentanyl to enter the United States. Fentanyl overdose is now the leading cause of death in those ages 18 to 45, claiming 197 Idahoan lives last year.

    “It is apparent that the Biden-Harris administration’s open-border policies have done nothing but imperil national security and endanger law-abiding citizens. Since day one, this administration exacerbated the crisis at our border and undermined the efforts of those trying to secure it,” wrote the lawmakers. “By allowing drug cartels to exploit our southern border, the Biden-Harris administration is complicit in the flow of fentanyl into our country. Idaho families are paying the price.”

    Risch is a member of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control and has introduced a number of bills to crackdown on drug trafficking and stem the flow of fentanyl into the United States.

    Read the full letter here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Halifax Regional Municipality — RCMP warning of cryptocurrency investment scam

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment is warning the public about a cryptocurrency investment scam reported in the Halifax Regional Municipality.

    On October 2, RCMP officers learned that a man interacted with a woman through social media platforms and was convinced to invest into a cryptocurrency app. The victim was defrauded of more than $400,000.

    With the introduction of cryptocurrencies, these scams are becoming more common and harder to detect.

    RCMP officers stress the importance of due diligence when considering investment opportunities. You can protect yourself by following these tips:

    • Be cautious: Be wary of anyone offering high-reward, low-risk investment opportunities. If it’s too good to be true, it’s probably a scam.
    • Do your research: Take the time to investigate an investment opportunity. Anyone who trades or advises on securities in Nova Scotia must be registered with the Nova Scotia Securities Commission (NSSC). If someone isn’t registered with the NSSC or another Canadian securities regulator, it’s likely they’re a scammer.
    • Get advice: Remember that cryptocurrencies are currently unregulated in Canada and don’t have the same fraud protection as credit cards, nor are they covered by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corp. Always use well-known and reputable exchanges to purchase cryptocurrency. When in doubt, seek advice from a reputable financial institution.

    If you or someone you know is a victim of investment fraud, report it to your local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

    File #: 24-135214

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former City of Pittsburgh Building Inspector Sentenced for Accepting Bribes From Developer

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 18 months of probation, including 90 days of home confinement, a $1,375 forfeiture, and a $1,500 fine on his conviction for bribery, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

    Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak imposed the sentence on Walter Eiseman, 59.

    According to information provided to the Court, Eiseman was a building inspector for the City of Pittsburgh, where he was responsible for performing inspections of properties that were the subject of applications for certificates of occupancy. In 2018, a developer was working on a project to redevelop a commercial building in downtown Pittsburgh as luxury apartments and hotel rooms. As part of the financing for the project, the developer sought a historical tax credit, which would only be granted after the developer obtained a temporary certificate of occupancy for one of the project’s floors by the end of December 2018. As part of his guilty plea, Eiseman admitted performing inspections on two floors of the project during the month of December, which resulted in a temporary certificate of occupancy being issued. In return for such official action, Eiseman accepted home appliances from the developer, which were delivered in early January 2019. Eiseman also admitted that he solicited a set of kitchen cabinets from the developer, which were ordered but ultimately not delivered to Eiseman’s residence.

    Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey R. Bengel prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

    U.S. Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Eiseman.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: York County Judge Indicted for Fraud, Tampering with a Witness, and Obstruction of Justice

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

    SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Steven Stambaugh, age 61, of York, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury in a 31-count indictment with wire and mail fraud, as well as witness tampering and obstruction of justice.

    According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment charges Stambaugh with twenty-six counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, two counts of tampering with a witness, and one count of obstruction of justice.  It is alleged that from March 19, 2020 to on or about May 18, 2020, Stambaugh devised a scheme to defraud the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to obtain money through materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.  The indictment charges that Stambaugh instructed his employees to file and collect unemployment compensation benefits with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania during the COVID-19 pandemic, while at the same time directing and requiring his employees to continue working for Stambaugh Law, P.C.  In furtherance of the scheme to defraud, it is alleged that Stambaugh caused the use of interstate wire communications, as well as the delivery of mail matter via interstate mail deliveries.

    The indictment further alleges that beginning in April 2021 through November 2022, Stambaugh attempted to intimidate and corruptly persuade a government witness to offer false testimony before a federal grand jury and to lie to federal law enforcement officers, and also attempted to obstruct justice while serving as a judicial officer for the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for York County.

    “An important part of the mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of fraud involving unemployment insurance programs. We will continue to work with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and our law enforcement partners to investigate these types of allegations,” stated Syreeta Scott, Special Agent-in-Charge, Mid-Atlantic Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

    “As alleged, the defendant orchestrated a scheme that defrauded the Commonwealth of unemployment benefits designed to provide relief amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and to further this fraud, sought to mislead federal investigators,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, special agent in charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The FBI will continue to work alongside partners to protect the integrity of these programs, investigate allegations of fraud, and bring those who engage in these schemes to justice.”

    The charges stem from a joint investigation involving the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Harrisburg. Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle Olshefski and Sean Camoni are prosecuting the case.

    The maximum penalty under federal law for mail/wire fraud and witness tampering is 20 years of imprisonment.  The maximum penalty for obstruction of justice is 10 years of imprisonment.  A term of supervised release follows any term of imprisonment and a fine.   A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

    Indictments are only allegations.  All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Sorensen Visit Rock Island Arsenal to Reinforce Support for Local Servicemembers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    October 10, 2024

    [ROCK ISLAND, IL] – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), and U.S. Representative Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17) today visited Rock Island Arsenal to discuss current manufacturing operations and how Congress can continue to support the Arsenal. Duckworth and Sorensen met Arsenal Leadership, including LTG Mark Landes, Commanding General, First Army, BG John “Brad” Hinson, Army Sustainment Command and COL William “Joe” Parker, III, Garrison Commander, to tour the Arsenal’s Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center and learn about their metal manufacturing operations.

    “Rock Island Arsenal plays an important role in the strength of both our national security and the Quad Cities community,” Duckworth said. “I’m glad to have the opportunity to see how the Arsenal’s expertise and resources are helping protect our nation and keep the region’s economy strong. I’ll keep working with Congressman Sorensen to ensure the men and women of Rock Island Arsenal have the support they need and that the Arsenal can succeed for years to come.”

    “The Rock Island Arsenal, and the brave men and women that work there, help make the Quad Cities community such a special place to live in,” Sorensen said. “I was honored to join Senator Duckworth and the Arsenal’s leadership in touring the facility and talking about ways we can work together to create more jobs and strengthen its operations. The Arsenal has always been an important part of how we keep our nation safe, and I will always work hard with Senator Duckworth to bring resources from Washington back home to support the Arsenal’s work.” 

    As a member of SASC, Duckworth has helped secure critical resources for Rock Island Arsenal and the surrounding communities through the yearly National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In this year’s Senate-passed NDAA, Duckworth secured provisions to allow the Department of Defense to make grants to local communities to improve infrastructure around military bases that benefit local communities, like those surrounding Rock Island Arsenal. In the Fiscal Year 2022 NDAA Duckworth secured $14 million for the Arsenal to support Army’s development of additive manufacturing capabilities in austere operating environments, and another $75 million in the FY 2020 NDAA for eligible projects near the Arsenal that would improve military value and enhance the lives of servicemembers who live in the surrounding communities.

    Last month, Duckworth helped announce more than $11 million in federal funding to support the rehabilitation of critical bridge access to Rock Island Arsenal. This funding was awarded as one of fourteen Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP) grants from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: October 9th, 2024 Heinrich Meets with Carlsbad Police and Fire Department Leaders to Discuss Funding Secured for Critical Public Safety Equipment Upgrades

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    PHOTOS

    Heinrich secured nearly $1 million to support a new Mobile Command Center and new radio and communications equipment that will improve law enforcement operations and emergency response in Eddy County

    CARLSBAD, N.M. — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, met with public safety leaders at the Carlsbad Police Department to hear how nearly $1 million he secured for a forthcoming, new Mobile Command Center and operational radio and communications equipment will improve response times and emergency coordination to help law enforcement agencies in Eddy County keep New Mexicans safe.

    U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) visits with public safety leaders at the Carlsbad Police Department, highlighting plans for a new Mobile Command Center, and discussing new radio and communications equipment that he secured funds for.

    “We need to better equip law enforcement with the tools needed to keep New Mexicans safe, and I’m committed to doing that,” said Heinrich. “Upgraded technology will make a real difference for the Carlsbad Police Department, improving emergency response throughout Eddy County and helping first responders serve the community. It’s delivering investments like these to support our law enforcement officers and first responders that make me proud to fight for New Mexico on the Senate Appropriations Committee.”

    During the visit, Heinrich was briefed by the Carlsbad Police Chief Shane Skinner, Carlsbad Mayor Rick Lopez, and Carlsbad Fire Chief Tony Souza on how investments he secured through his seat on the Appropriations Committee for radio and communications equipment — currently being used by first responders and law enforcement — is keeping New Mexicans safe. Heinrich additionally highlighted funding he secured for a new Mobile Command Center.

    Background:

    Heinrich secured nearly $1 million through the Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations process for a new Mobile Command Center and new radio and communications equipment to improve response times and emergency coordination to help first responders in Eddy County keep New Mexicans safe. 

    In addition to this investment, Heinrich secured $1 million in the FY24 appropriations bill to purchase new National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) ballistics testing machines for law enforcement agencies to use in Las Cruces, Farmington, Gallup, and Roswell. These machines will help law enforcement agencies quickly and effectively identify, solve, and prosecute crimes involving firearms. 

    Prior to this investment, there were only three NIBIN machines in all of New Mexico: two in Albuquerque and one in Santa Fe.The Roswell NIBIN machinewill create a much closer option for law enforcement agencies in southeastern New Mexico. The intelligence gathered by all of the new NIBIN machines will go to the New Mexico Attorney General’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center where dedicated and trained analysts will use the information to trace and network firearms used in crimes across the state. The Center will then be able to feed that information back to law enforcement agencies to improve identification of suspects and support successful prosecutions.

    For a list of Heinrich’s actions to support law enforcement and first responders across New Mexico, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Scott, Graham, Colleagues Introduce Religious Education Week Resolution

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in introducing a resolution designating October 6-12, 2024, as “Religious Education Week” to celebrate and emphasize the importance of religious education and the schools and organizations engaged in religious instruction.

    “Each year, countless families across the country choose to enroll their children in religious education,” said Sen. Scott. “This resolution reaffirms that choice and emphasizes our commitment to ensuring religious schools can thrive alongside their secular counterparts. Families deserve the freedom to educate their children in the way they see fit, and religious schools are key in making that possible.”

    The resolution is cosponsored by Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), John Kennedy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.).

    This resolution is also supported by Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty, Coalition for Jewish Values, Foundation for American Christian Education, School Time Bible Ministries, Association of Christian Schools International, Agudath Israel of America, and Catholic Education Partners Inc.

    The full text of the resolution can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Humanity’s future depends on our ability to live in harmony with nature

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Liette Vasseur, Professor, Biological Sciences, Brock University

    The world is facing multiple — potentially catastrophic — crises, including inequality, poverty, food insecurity, climate change and biodiversity loss. These issues are interconnected and require systemic solutions, as changes in one system affects others.

    However, human systems have largely failed to acknowledge their connection to ecological systems. Most modern societies have dominating and exploitative relationships with nature, which are underpinned by imperialist and dualistic thinking that divides living beings into racial, gender, class or species hierarchies.

    Our current mindset, with its focus on competition, growth and profit, has been a key contributor to social and ecological crises. Even more alarming is that this mindset has depleted nature to the point that it may soon fail to sustain human and non-human lives entirely.

    Sustainable and equitable well-being

    Policies for future survival and prosperity must address the interconnected crises affecting the world today. These challenges are pushing social and economic systems beyond their sustainable limits.

    While current sustainability efforts, such as those outlined in Earth for All: A Survival Guide for Humanity — a collaboration between scientists and economists from around the world — and the United Nations’ Pact for the Future offer pathways for action, they often fall short. These initiatives, though well-intentioned, remain rooted in a business-as-usual approach.



    Read more:
    Have we reached the end of nature? Our relationship with the environment is in crisis

    This isn’t enough. What’s needed is a transformative shift in how we interact with the natural world. A reciprocal relationship between humans and nature, where humans give back to the environment as much as we take, is essential. Sustainable and equitable well-being must be placed at the centre of human societies.

    Central to this transformation is the need to ensure good lives for all while staying within the Earth’s planetary boundaries. These boundaries are the limits within which humanity can safely operate without causing irreversible environmental harm. This will require a new economic mindset that enables people to live with nature, instead of destroying it.

    Change is daunting, but possible

    Though the scale of change needed may seem daunting, it’s achievable and already in motion in some places. In many communities around the world, like Puget Sound on the northwestern coast of Washington state, people are already living in ways that allow humans and ecosystems to flourish.

    In other regions, like Ecuador and Sumas First Nation, new possibilities are emerging for building human societies that operate within the planetary boundaries. Humans are exceptionally adaptable and have the advantage of foresight and the ability to transform entire systems through ethical collaboration.

    Individual action is one necessary element to accelerate this shift. Change often starts small, with individuals and small groups adjusting their lives. But while personal choices do matter, individuals must also push for systemic changes in their communities, organizations, and broader society.

    To make nature-connected living more widely accessible, collaborative, equitable and intentional efforts are needed. This involves intercultural communication, collaboration and open dialogue to ensure diverse perspectives are considered in decision-making processes.

    Thoughtfully considering the direct and indirect impacts of our action, including the immediate and long-term consequences of any decisions, will create more equitable and sustainable systems.

    People looking to create meaningful change should seek to support a range of groups and organizations dedicated to environmental and social justice. This includes Indigenous leaders and treaty protocols, local authorities, environmental advocacy groups, community organizations or labour unions. A good example of this is the work being done by the UNESCO-recognized biosphere reserves.

    Alternative ways of knowing

    The problems facing the world today are vast and multifaceted, and need to be addressed in multiple ways. Both formal knowledge, like scientific research, and informal knowledge, through the Two-Eyed Seeing principle have roles to play in fostering more equitable nature-human relationships.

    Although western scientific knowledge is often centred in evidence based discussion, many valuable solutions stem from alternative ways of knowing, such as Indigenous ecological knowledge. By welcoming and supporting diverse knowledge holders in creating solutions, we can expand the range of approaches, successes and failures from which humanity can learn.

    Creativity — the essence of adaptability — flourishes when different knowledge systems are woven together. However, this must be done ethically and involve consensual and collaborative exchanges to ensure no knowledge system is exploited or undervalued. We must be careful to avoid repeating the mistakes of imperialism and domination that have created our current planetary crises.

    In addition to rethinking how we approach knowledge, rebuilding strong, interconnected relationships between humans and nature also means rethinking our technological systems.

    Technological innovation has been used to exploit the Earth for short-term gains, but it also holds great potential for positive change. It can either maintain or disrupt the status quo, depending on how we use it.

    To build healthier relationships between people and nature, human societies need to adopt a systems thinking approach. This approach looks at the bigger picture, considering the ecological, cultural, political and social aspects of technology in an integrated manner. It ensures that innovation is guided by principles of sustainability and equity.

    What the future holds

    The future will bring massive changes to Earth’s natural environments, accompanied by shocks to political economic and social systems. The survival of human and non-human beings depends on our ability to plan for these challenges.

    Climate change, biodiversity loss and resource depletion are not isolated problems — they are part of an interconnected web of crises that demand urgent and comprehensive action.

    Incremental approaches are not enough to address the scale of these looming threats. Purposefully co-ordinated actions are needed to shift the current trajectory away from exploitation to one of mutual benefit for humans and the natural world.

    What is needed is radical transformation aimed at creating just and flourishing relationships between nature and humanity for the benefit of all current and future life on Earth.

    Christie Manning, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Macalester College; Jacqueline Corbett, Professor of Information Systems, Université Laval; and Simone Bignall, Senior Researcher at the University of Technology Sydney, co-authored this article.

    Liette Vasseur receives funding from New Frontiers Research Program Exploration program in Canada.

    Anders Hayden and Mike Jones do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Humanity’s future depends on our ability to live in harmony with nature – https://theconversation.com/humanitys-future-depends-on-our-ability-to-live-in-harmony-with-nature-233042

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: During Children’s Health Month, NH Delegation Applauds More Than $19 Million to Protect Children from Lead Poisoning

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

    The New Hampshire delegation applauded the announcement of more than $19 million headed to New Hampshire from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Lead Hazard Reduction Grant program to help protect families with small children from the dangers of lead-based paint exposure. Specifically, the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority is receiving $7.75 million, the City of Nashua is receiving $7.7 million, and Sullivan County is receiving $4 million through the grant program.

    “The health of our children must always be a top priority, and protecting them from lead and other hazardous materials is essential in this effort,” said Congressman Pappas. “These funds will help New Hampshire families address lead-based paint and other health issues within our older housing supply to ensure our kids can grow up in a safe environment. I’ll continue working to address the needs of our children, families, and communities.”

    “Lead-based paint poses a serious health threat to children, and in states like New Hampshire where many of our neighborhoods have older housing stock, we must make every effort to protect families,” said Senator Shaheen. “This federal funding will help protect Granite State children from lead poisoning and exposure to other dangerous contaminants in their homes.”

    “New Hampshire’s children need safe places to live in order to thrive, but lead-based paint in older homes continues to jeopardize their health and development,” said Senator Hassan. “This federal funding to fix homes with lead paint is not only an important investment in the health of our children, but it also will preserve access to affordable housing in New Hampshire – giving more Granite Staters the safe homes and communities that they deserve.”

    “The science is clear: there is no safe amount of lead exposure—particularly for young children,” said Congresswoman Kuster. “I’m pleased to join the rest of the delegation in welcoming these resources heading to Nashua, Bedford, and Newport to help remediate older homes and apartments that contain lead paint and protect our communities from hazardous chemicals.”

    The bipartisan infrastructure law, which the full delegation supported, invested a historic $15 billion to identify and replace lead service lines.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pappas Holds Medal Ceremony Honoring WWI “Hello Girl” Grace Derby Banker

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

    Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), Ranking Member of the Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs (DAMA), held a medal ceremony to honor “Hello Girl” Grace Derby Banker. During the ceremony, Pappas presented a World War I Victory Medal and a World War I Victory Button Bronze in recognition of Grace Derby Banker’s service to our nation with the U.S. Army Signal Corps to her granddaughter, Carolyn Timbie.

    During World War I, women from across the country served as telephone operators in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, nicknamed “Hello Girls”. After their service, they were treated as citizen volunteers and not given recognition as members of the military. It was not until 1977 with the G.I. Improvement Bill signed into law that the Hello Girls finally received recognition for their service from the government, given discharges from the military, and granted veteran benefits.

    In June, Carolyn Timbie reached out to Congressman Pappas’s office for assistance in securing the WWI Victory Medal for her grandmother, Grace Derby Banker who served during World War I as chief operator of mobile for the American Expeditionary Forces in the U.S. Army Signal Corps or a “Hello Girl”. In 1919, Banker received a Distinguished Service Medal for her work and leadership. It was confirmed last month that Grace Derby Banker was entitled to these additional awards.

    “Grace Derby Banker’s story is powerful and it is uniquely American. During World War I, Grace Derby Banker used her experience as a telephone operator in civilian life to serve her country in the American Expeditionary Forces in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. She led thirty-three women, served in harsh conditions, and was often on the front lines for nearly two years. Their work was essential to maintain consistent communications between the various battle elements, no doubt saving lives and helping bring about victory,” said Congressman Pappas. “It was an honor for my office to assist Carolyn Timbie in securing the WWI Victory Medal and the WWI Victory Medal Bronze in recognition of Grace Derby Banker’s service, as well as a new copy of the Distinguished Service Award medal. These are small tokens of our appreciation for the service and sacrifice of Grace Derby Banker. I want to thank Carolyn Timbie for her advocacy on behalf of her grandmother and for working so hard to keep the story of the Hello Girls alive and well, and I would urge any veteran or military family that is looking for help or assistance of any kind to reach out to my office.”

    “It has been an absolute honor and pleasure to be here today with Congressman Pappas and all the supporters of my grandmother Grace Derby Banker, along with the supporters for the Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Act. We have waited 106 years for my grandmother to receive this honor, and we could not have done it without the assistance of Congressman Pappas’s office,” said Carolyn Timbie, granddaughter of Hello Girl Grace Derby Banker.

    Congressman Pappas’s offices are available to assist Granite Staters in the First District with federal agencies, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, the IRS, the Social Security Administration, and more.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Arrington Introduces Resolution Exposing Kamala Harris’ Disastrous Energy Policies

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19)

    Washington, D.C. – House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) introduced a resolution “strongly condemning Vice President Kamala Harris for championing policies that would exacerbate the national debt and reduce energy independence.”

    “Issuing 250 anti-energy executive orders, the Biden-Harris Administration led a whole-of-government attack on the oil and gas industry – an industry that employs 10 million people and accounts for almost 10 percent of our total economy – which have resulted in higher gas prices, a weaker economy, and more dependence on foreign sources of fuel,” said Chairman Arrington. “A Kamala Harris presidency would be much worse. As Senator, she was an original cosponsor of the Green New Deal, which would cost the federal government $93 trillion over 10 years and increase annual household energy costs by 31%. As a presidential candidate, she advocated to ban fracking, and, as Vice President, supported an $800 billion dollar EV mandate. I introduced this legislation to remind the American people that Kamala Harris’ energy policies would be disastrous for the American economy, threaten our energy and national security, and significantly increase energy costs for American consumers.” 

    “From day one, the Biden–Harris administration has been obsessed with banning gas stoves, gas cars, and other sources of clean, affordable energy—no matter the cost for families,” said Ryan Walker, Executive Vice President, Heritage Action. “Americans shouldn’t forget: Vice President Kamala Harris is a vocal supporter of radical ‘Green New Deal’ policies that lower energy efficiency and drive up costs. Conservatives in Congress must follow Rep. Arrington’s lead and continue to call out Harris’s climate alarmist agenda and fight back against her war on American energy independence.”  

    Background:

    Chairman Arrington’s resolution lays out:

    • The Federal Government has a debt of $35 trillion, amounting to a 120 percent debt-to-gross domestic product ratio not seen since World War II;
    • Energy independence and security in the United States is critical to the national security of the United States;
    • In 2019, then-Senator from California, Kamala Harris, was an original cosponsor of S. Res. 59, a resolution recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal, a proposal which, if implemented in its entirety, would cost the Federal Government $93,000,000,000,000 over 10 years;
    • A July 2019 analysis found that through 2040, the Green New Deal would reduce the annual employment in the United States by 1,200,000, reduce average annual household incomes by $7,964, and increase annual household energy costs by 31-percent, while having a negligible effect on reducing global surface temperatures;
    • Then-Senator Harris, as a candidate for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination, proposed her own climate plan that would cost American taxpayers approximately $10,000,000,000,000 over 10 years; 
    • Then-Senator Harris’s climate plan called for a 100 percent electric vehicle mandate by the year 2035, banning combustion-engine vehicles, reducing automotive supply employment, and becoming more reliable on battery component and critical mineral imports from China;
    • Then-Senator Harris’s climate plan would significantly increase energy costs for consumers in the United States by banning extraction on Federal lands and phasing out all oil and natural gas production, even if renewable alternatives are not readily available to make up the energy demand needs of the United States;
    • Then-Senator Harris’s climate plan would double the financial contributions of the United States to the international Green Climate Fund;
    • Then-Senator Harris’s climate plan calls for the Federal Government to acquire millions of acres of private land in the United States; and
    • Then-Senator Harris said during a CNN town hall that she was ‘‘in favor of banning fracking.’’

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Smith calls for stability and de-escalation of tensions in Middle East

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adam Smith (9th District of Washington)

    Representative Smith releases a statement calling for stability and de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

    The continued conflict in Gaza, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the ongoing proxy war with Iran, the fight with the Houthis, the fight with Iranian proxies in Syria — all of these conflicts are devastating to the civilian population and continue to place significant numbers of civilians at risk across Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, Lebanon, Yemen, and elsewhere. Each of these conflicts runs the risk of massive escalation.

    The international community needs to recognize that Iran remains the main driver of this conflict. They have backed Hezbollah, the Houthis, Hamas, and other Shia militias in Iraq and Syria for years. Israel is threatened by these extremist proxy groups that continually try to exterminate their country, some of whom explicitly have as their motto “death to the U.S., death to Israel, a curse upon the Jews.” This rhetoric and their attempts to destroy Israel through missiles or terrorist attacks is abominable. Israel has a right to defend itself against these existential threats. However, even as we understand Israel’s motivations to fight back against these extremist groups, the risk of escalation and the cost to the civilian population puts Israel and others in the region at even greater risk.

    The only way out of this regional conflict is to have a coalition of the U.S., Israel, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., Jordan, Qatar, and other Arab states as a deterrence to Iran. That will never happen if there isn’t a future for the Palestinian people. While I understand Israel’s response to the threat from Iran and all of their proxies, I am adamantly opposed to Israel’s approach to the West Bank. It is unacceptable for Israel to continue to press claims into the West Bank that have no support in international law. It is also completely unacceptable for Israel to not have a plan for a post-Hamas future for Palestinians in Gaza. Peace will never be achieved unless there is a future for the Palestinian people.

    Ceasefire negotiations have never been more important. I support the Biden Administration’s continued efforts to bring parties in the region together to achieve that ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon, and Israel.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Justice thanks Commerce Secretary James Bailey for his tenure, announces Nick Preservati as acting replacement

    Source: US State of West Virginia

    CHARLESTON, WV — Gov. Jim Justice announced that Department of Commerce Secretary James Bailey, who has served in the position since 2022, will be stepping down from his role. The Governor expressed his gratitude for Sec. Bailey’s efforts and wished him well in his future endeavors.

    Nick Preservati has been appointed as the acting Secretary for the Department of Commerce. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the West Virginia Office of Energy.

    “I want to take a moment to t​hank Secretary Bailey for all of his hard work over the years,” Gov. Justice said. “I think of James as a good friend. He’s highly qualified and has done an excellent job at Commerce. I wish him nothing but the best. James will undoubtedly be very successful in the future, and I couldn’t be happier for him and his family. He’s done an outstanding job in his role as Secretary, leading some really big efforts.”

    “It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the citizens of West Virginia as part of Governor Justice’s administration,” Sec. Bailey said. “With leadership and guidance from Governor Justice, I was empowered to work every day to make West Virginia a better place to live, work, and raise a family. I have no doubt that we have accomplished that, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that opportunity.”

    During his tenure, Sec. Bailey took the lead on many of Gov. Justice’s top initiatives, helping bring a record number of jobs and investments to West Virginia, expanding workforce development across the state, advancing large energy projects, and improving West Virginia State Parks with over $250 million in investments.

    Under Gov. Justice’s leadership, Sec. Bailey also led efforts to secure record funds for the Division of Forestry to improve wildfire prevention. He fought to protect natural resources and critical programs like trout stocking and the West Virginia Wildlife Center.

    Sec. Bailey’s last day serving the State of West Virginia will be October 18, 2024.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Drug Maker Teva Pharmaceuticals Agrees to Pay $450M in False Claims Act Settlement to Resolve Kickback Allegations Relating to Copayments and Price Fixing

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. (Teva USA) and Teva Neuroscience Inc. (collectively, Teva) have agreed to pay $450 million to resolve two matters that allege Teva violated the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and the False Claims Act (FCA). Teva, headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, is the largest generic drug manufacturer in the United States. The settlement amount was based on Teva’s ability to pay.

    “Kickbacks designed to induce referrals or purchases of healthcare goods or services distort physician and patient decision-making, thwart competition and bypass controls put in place to protect federal health care programs,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department is committed to pursuing those who engage in kickback violations, including drug manufacturers, to ensure that federal health care programs continue to serve the interests of taxpayers and program beneficiaries.”

    The settlement encompasses two alleged kickback schemes. First, Teva has agreed to resolve allegations in a complaint the United States filed in the District of Massachusetts in August 2020 that Teva violated and conspired to violate the AKS and FCA by paying Medicare patients’ cost sharing obligations (copays) for the multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone from 2006 through 2017, while steadily raising Copaxone’s price. In particular, the United States alleged that Teva coordinated and conspired with multiple third parties, including a specialty pharmacy and two allegedly independent copay assistance foundations, to ensure that purported donations to the foundations were used specifically to cover the copays of Medicare Copaxone patients, which Teva knew was prohibited by the AKS, and that Teva thereby caused the submission of false claims to Medicare.

    Second, Teva USA has agreed to resolve separate allegations that it conspired with other generic drug manufacturers to fix prices for pravastatin, a drug widely used to treat high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as two other generic drugs, clotrimazole and tobramycin. Teva USA previously entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division to resolve related criminal charges. Teva USA paid a criminal penalty of $225 million and admitted to conspiring with three other generic drug companies to fix prices on certain generic drugs. Under the civil settlement announced today, Teva agreed to resolve allegations that the benefits it received under its price fixing scheme constituted illegal kickbacks.

    Teva will pay collectively $450 million to resolve the two kickback schemes. This payment is in addition to the criminal penalty paid by Teva USA under its deferred prosecution agreement. 

    “Kickback arrangements by pharmaceutical companies escalate the costs for critical drugs used by our citizens and federal health care programs,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “My office is proud to work with the rest of the Department of Justice and our investigative partners to enforce federal laws prohibiting kickback arrangements. We will continue to take action to lower the drug costs for our country and its health care programs supporting senior citizens, our military service members and others.”

    “For far too long, Teva gamed the charitable foundation process by paying kickbacks through two foundations, and with the aid of a specialty pharmacy. Those kickbacks undermined the purpose of the Medicare co-pay system and violated the Anti-Kickback Statute,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts. “This office has taken the leading role in cracking down on these highly lucrative schemes that drive up the cost of essential drugs by bringing multiple enforcement actions that have returned more than $1 billion to the Medicare system. We will continue to pursue these actions to ensure that all pharmaceutical companies play by the rules and to protect the American taxpayers.

    “The Medicare program’s copay structure serves as a safeguard against the artificial inflation of drug prices. When a pharmaceutical company manipulates drug prices through collusion, or disguises kickbacks as charitable donations to subsidize copays for its own drugs, the integrity of the Medicare program is jeopardized,” said Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Adam Globerman of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This type of conduct is unacceptable, and HHS-OIG remains committed to thoroughly pursuing allegations of price fixing and kickbacks that put the Medicare program at risk.”

    “The Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the law enforcement arm of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, seeks to protect the integrity of TRICARE, the healthcare system for U.S. military members and their dependents,” said Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty of DCIS Northeast Field Office. “When pharmaceutical corporations artificially inflate prices, they place an unnecessary financial burden on the TRICARE program. The settlement agreement announced today demonstrates our commitment to partner with investigative agencies and the Department of Justice, including the Civil Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to combat healthcare fraud.”

    Since 2017, the United States has collected over $1 billion, in addition to today’s settlement, from pharmaceutical companies that allegedly used third-party foundations as conduits to unlawfully pay patient copays. The department has also reached settlements with four foundations and a specialty pharmacy pertaining to those allegations. Today’s resolution with Teva is the largest of these settlements to date. The settlement of Teva’s price fixing conduct is the seventh pertaining to allegations of price fixing involving generic drugs, with total recoveries exceeding $500 million.

    The government’s pursuit of these matters illustrates the department’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 800‑HHS‑TIPS (800-447-8477).

    The resolution of the patient copay matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, with investigative support from HHS-OIG and the FBI.

    Attorneys Douglas Rosenthal and Nelson Wagner of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abraham R. George, Diane Seol and Evan Panich for the District of Massachusetts handled the matter.

    The civil resolution of the price fixing matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, with investigative support from HHS-OIG, the Defense Health Agency Program Integrity Office, DCIS and Office of Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

    Senior Trial Counsel Jennifer L. Cihon and Senior Litigation Counsel Laurie A. Oberembt of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Landon Y. Jones III, Rebecca S. Melley and Anthony D. Scicchitano for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania handled the matter. Fraud Section financial analyst Sheryl Paynter provided support for both matters.

    The civil action in Massachusetts is captioned United States v. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. et al., No. 20-cv-11548 (DMA).  

    DMA Settlement

    EDPA Settlement

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Drug Maker Teva Pharmaceuticals Agrees to Pay $450M in False Claims Act Settlement to Resolve Kickback Allegations Relating to Copayments and Price Fixing

    Source: US State of Vermont

    Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. (Teva USA) and Teva Neuroscience Inc. (collectively, Teva) have agreed to pay $450 million to resolve two matters that allege Teva violated the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and the False Claims Act (FCA). Teva, headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, is the largest generic drug manufacturer in the United States. The settlement amount was based on Teva’s ability to pay.

    “Kickbacks designed to induce referrals or purchases of healthcare goods or services distort physician and patient decision-making, thwart competition and bypass controls put in place to protect federal health care programs,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department is committed to pursuing those who engage in kickback violations, including drug manufacturers, to ensure that federal health care programs continue to serve the interests of taxpayers and program beneficiaries.”

    The settlement encompasses two alleged kickback schemes. First, Teva has agreed to resolve allegations in a complaint the United States filed in the District of Massachusetts in August 2020 that Teva violated and conspired to violate the AKS and FCA by paying Medicare patients’ cost sharing obligations (copays) for the multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone from 2006 through 2017, while steadily raising Copaxone’s price. In particular, the United States alleged that Teva coordinated and conspired with multiple third parties, including a specialty pharmacy and two allegedly independent copay assistance foundations, to ensure that purported donations to the foundations were used specifically to cover the copays of Medicare Copaxone patients, which Teva knew was prohibited by the AKS, and that Teva thereby caused the submission of false claims to Medicare.

    Second, Teva USA has agreed to resolve separate allegations that it conspired with other generic drug manufacturers to fix prices for pravastatin, a drug widely used to treat high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as two other generic drugs, clotrimazole and tobramycin. Teva USA previously entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division to resolve related criminal charges. Teva USA paid a criminal penalty of $225 million and admitted to conspiring with three other generic drug companies to fix prices on certain generic drugs. Under the civil settlement announced today, Teva agreed to resolve allegations that the benefits it received under its price fixing scheme constituted illegal kickbacks.

    Teva will pay collectively $450 million to resolve the two kickback schemes. This payment is in addition to the criminal penalty paid by Teva USA under its deferred prosecution agreement. 

    “Kickback arrangements by pharmaceutical companies escalate the costs for critical drugs used by our citizens and federal health care programs,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “My office is proud to work with the rest of the Department of Justice and our investigative partners to enforce federal laws prohibiting kickback arrangements. We will continue to take action to lower the drug costs for our country and its health care programs supporting senior citizens, our military service members and others.”

    “For far too long, Teva gamed the charitable foundation process by paying kickbacks through two foundations, and with the aid of a specialty pharmacy. Those kickbacks undermined the purpose of the Medicare co-pay system and violated the Anti-Kickback Statute,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts. “This office has taken the leading role in cracking down on these highly lucrative schemes that drive up the cost of essential drugs by bringing multiple enforcement actions that have returned more than $1 billion to the Medicare system. We will continue to pursue these actions to ensure that all pharmaceutical companies play by the rules and to protect the American taxpayers.

    “The Medicare program’s copay structure serves as a safeguard against the artificial inflation of drug prices. When a pharmaceutical company manipulates drug prices through collusion, or disguises kickbacks as charitable donations to subsidize copays for its own drugs, the integrity of the Medicare program is jeopardized,” said Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Adam Globerman of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This type of conduct is unacceptable, and HHS-OIG remains committed to thoroughly pursuing allegations of price fixing and kickbacks that put the Medicare program at risk.”

    “The Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the law enforcement arm of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, seeks to protect the integrity of TRICARE, the healthcare system for U.S. military members and their dependents,” said Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty of DCIS Northeast Field Office. “When pharmaceutical corporations artificially inflate prices, they place an unnecessary financial burden on the TRICARE program. The settlement agreement announced today demonstrates our commitment to partner with investigative agencies and the Department of Justice, including the Civil Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to combat healthcare fraud.”

    Since 2017, the United States has collected over $1 billion, in addition to today’s settlement, from pharmaceutical companies that allegedly used third-party foundations as conduits to unlawfully pay patient copays. The department has also reached settlements with four foundations and a specialty pharmacy pertaining to those allegations. Today’s resolution with Teva is the largest of these settlements to date. The settlement of Teva’s price fixing conduct is the seventh pertaining to allegations of price fixing involving generic drugs, with total recoveries exceeding $500 million.

    The government’s pursuit of these matters illustrates the department’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 800‑HHS‑TIPS (800-447-8477).

    The resolution of the patient copay matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, with investigative support from HHS-OIG and the FBI.

    Attorneys Douglas Rosenthal and Nelson Wagner of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abraham R. George, Diane Seol and Evan Panich for the District of Massachusetts handled the matter.

    The civil resolution of the price fixing matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, with investigative support from HHS-OIG, the Defense Health Agency Program Integrity Office, DCIS and Office of Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

    Senior Trial Counsel Jennifer L. Cihon and Senior Litigation Counsel Laurie A. Oberembt of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Landon Y. Jones III, Rebecca S. Melley and Anthony D. Scicchitano for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania handled the matter. Fraud Section financial analyst Sheryl Paynter provided support for both matters.

    The civil action in Massachusetts is captioned United States v. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. et al., No. 20-cv-11548 (DMA).  

    DMA Settlement

    EDPA Settlement

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Justice Department Concurs with Federal Trade Commission’s Changes to Premerger Notification Form Used in Merger Review

    Source: US State of Vermont

    Final Rule Modernizes Premerger Notification Procedure to Help Streamline Merger Review Process

    The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division announced today its concurrence with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s unanimous vote to finalize changes to the premerger notification form and associated instructions, as well as to the premerger notification rules implementing the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act.

    The final rule, which was adopted after a rigorous public comment process, marks the first large-scale material update to the HSR form since it was first established in 1978. The rule will address critical gaps in the information available to the Justice Department and the FTC (the Agencies) when they review merger filings, making the Agencies’ initial review more efficient and effective. In response to public comment on the proposed rule, the final rule contains many changes aimed at reducing the burden on parties while still improving the information the Agencies receive to help streamline initial merger review.

    “Access to better information at the beginning of the merger review process ensures that the antitrust agencies can devote our resources to the most important issues and reduces the burden on filers, third parties, and other market participants,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “I’m grateful to the Commissioners who have worked diligently to evaluate the public comments to develop the excellent rule.”

    Under the HSR Act, parties to certain mergers and acquisitions are required to submit premerger notification forms that disclose certain information about their proposed deal and business operations. The Agencies use this information to conduct a premerger assessment in the short time allowed under the HSR Act, typically 30 days, to determine which transactions may violate the antitrust laws, and thus require additional review.

    The requests added to the HSR form reflect the dramatic changes over the past four decades in global markets and in how mergers and acquisitions are conducted. These additions include:

    • Requiring parties to submit transaction-related documents prepared by or for the supervisory leader of the deal team;
    • Requiring parties to describe their principal categories of products and services as reflected in the parties’ ordinary course business documents;
    • Requiring disclosure of additional information about the buyer’s officers, directors, and investors, including those with management rights over the firm; and
    • Ensuring the Agencies have access to translations of all documents submitted in a language other than English.

    This additional information will enable the Agencies to streamline their initial reviews and make decisions more quickly. In some circumstances, it will allow the Agencies to evaluate a merger without opening a preliminary investigation or seeking additional information through a second request. In this way, the final rule complements the FTC’s decision to lift its temporary suspension on early termination of HSR filings. When additional information is necessary to review a merger, the final rule will enable the Agencies to issue more targeted requests, reducing the time and effort required to respond. Under the prior form, the Agencies routinely had to rely on third parties, many of whom were small businesses, to fill in informational gaps. By helping to fill some of these gaps, the final rule can alleviate the burden on third parties as well.

    The new information required by the final rule is already within the possession of the filing parties. The rule was carefully structured to provide the Agencies with important additional factual and documentary information that is readily available to the merging parties. Moreover, the Agencies carefully reviewed the hundreds of public comments filed in response to the proposed rule and made substantial changes to reduce the burden on merging parties. The final rule differs from the proposed rule in many ways, including among other things, eliminating the requirements to:

    • Submit preliminary drafts of deal-related documents;
    • Collect and produce ordinary course documents from people who report directly to the CEO;
    • Provide information about employees’ commuting zones and occupation classifications;
    • Report prior acquisitions that are more than five years old or involve entities with less than $10 million in sales or revenue; and
    • Certify that the filer took steps to preserve documents.

    These changes eliminated substantial costs to filing parties while ensuring that the Agencies will receive the additional information they require to more effectively and efficiently review merger filings.

    The final rule will be effective 90 days after it is published in the Federal Register.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ohio Man Sentenced for Creating and Distributing Videos Depicting Monkey Torture and Mutilation

    Source: US State of Vermont

    An Ohio man was sentenced today to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release in connection with his involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.

    According to court documents, Ronald P. Bedra, of Etna, conspired with others to create and distribute videos depicting acts of sadistic violence against baby and adult monkeys. The conspirators used encrypted chat applications to direct money to individuals in Indonesia willing to commit the requested acts of torture on camera. Bedra also mailed a thumb drive containing 64 videos of monkey torture to a co-conspirator in Wisconsin.

    According to a statement of facts signed by defendant Bedra, the videos in question included depictions of monkeys having their digits and limbs severed and monkeys being forcibly sodomized with a heated screwdriver. Bedra pleaded guilty in April.

    “Defendant Ronald Bedra commissioned grotesque videos of torture of juvenile and baby monkeys,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Such appalling conduct has no place in our society. The Justice Department stands ready to prosecute individuals engaging in this activity to the fullest extent of the law.”

    “We will punish participants of sadistic conspiracies like this one no matter their role in the crime,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio. “As this case shows, even if you do not commit the torture firsthand, you will be held accountable for promoting this obscene animal abuse.”

    “The torture of animals in this case is disturbing, cruel and illegal,” said Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola of FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office. “The FBI and our partners will continue to work to protect defenseless animals and investigate those who intentionally harm them.”

    “Today’s sentencing underscores the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s unwavering commitment to combating the exploitation of wildlife in any form,” said Assistant Director Edward Grace of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement. “These monstrous crimes are indefensible. This case serves as a stark reminder that those who harm animals protected under federal and international laws and treaties will face serious consequences. We continue to work diligently with our partners to identify and prosecute individuals engaged in these cruel activities to the fullest extent of the law.”

    The FBI and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the case. Homeland Security Investigations provided critical assistance.

    Trial Attorney Mark Romley and Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Pakiz for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: TD Bank Pleads Guilty to Bank Secrecy Act and Money Laundering Conspiracy Violations in $1.8B Resolution

    Source: US State of Vermont

    WASHINGTON — TD Bank N.A. (TDBNA), the 10th largest bank in the United States, and its parent company TD Bank US Holding Company (TDBUSH) (together with TDBNA, TD Bank) pleaded guilty today and agreed to pay over $1.8 billion in penalties to resolve the Justice Department’s investigation into violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and money laundering. 

    TDBNA pleaded guilty to conspiring to fail to maintain an anti-money laundering (AML) program that complies with the BSA, fail to file accurate Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs), and launder money. TDBUSH pleaded guilty to causing TDBNA to fail to maintain an AML program that complies with the BSA and to fail to file accurate CTRs.

    TD Bank’s guilty pleas are part of a coordinated resolution with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Board (FRB), as well as the Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

    “By making its services convenient for criminals, TD Bank became one,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Today, TD Bank also became the largest bank in U.S. history to plead guilty to Bank Secrecy Act program failures, and the first US bank in history to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. TD Bank chose profits over compliance with the law — a decision that is now costing the bank billions of dollars in penalties. Let me be clear: our investigation continues, and no individual involved in TD Bank’s illegal conduct is off limits.”

    “For years, TD Bank starved its compliance program of the resources needed to obey the law. Today’s historic guilty plea, including the largest penalty ever imposed under the Bank Secrecy Act, offers an unmistakable lesson: crime doesn’t pay — and neither does flouting compliance,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “Every bank compliance official in America should be reviewing today’s charges as a case study of what not to do. And every bank CEO and board member should be doing the same. Because if the business case for compliance wasn’t clear before — it should be now.”

    “For nearly a decade, TD Bank failed to update its anti-money laundering compliance program to address known risks. As bank employees acknowledged in internal communications, these failures made the bank an ‘easy target’ for the ‘bad guys.’ These failures also allowed corrupt bank employees to facilitate a criminal network’s laundering of tens of millions of dollars,” said Principal Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “U.S. financial institutions are the first line of defense against money laundering and illicit finance. When they participate in crime rather than prevent it, we will not hesitate to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” 

    “TD Bank prioritized growth and convenience over following its legal obligations,” said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey. “As a result of staggering and pervasive failures in oversight, it willfully failed to monitor trillions of dollars of transactions – including those involving ACH transactions, checks, high-risk countries, and peer-to-peer transactions – which allowed hundreds of millions of dollars from money laundering networks to flow through the bank, including for international drug traffickers. The bank was aware of these risks and failed to take steps to protect against them, including for two networks prosecuted in New Jersey and elsewhere – one that dumped piles of cash on the bank’s counters and another that allegedly withdrew amounts from ATMs 40 to 50 times higher than the daily limit for personal accounts.”

    According to court documents, between January 2014 and October 2023, TD Bank had long-term, pervasive, and systemic deficiencies in its U.S. AML policies, procedures, and controls but failed to take appropriate remedial action. Instead, senior executives at TD Bank enforced a budget mandate, referred to internally as a “flat cost paradigm,” requiring that TD Bank’s budget not increase year-over-year, despite its profits and risk profile increasing significantly over the same period. Although TD Bank maintained elements of an AML program that appeared adequate on paper, fundamental, widespread flaws in its AML program made TD Bank an “easy target” for perpetrators of financial crime.

    Over the last decade, TD Bank’s federal regulators and TD Bank’s own internal audit group repeatedly identified concerns about its transaction monitoring program, a key element of an appropriate AML program necessary to properly detect and report suspicious activities. Nonetheless, from 2014 through 2022, TD Bank’s transaction monitoring program remained effectively static, and did not adapt to address known, glaring deficiencies; emerging money laundering risks; or TD Bank’s new products and services. For years, TD Bank failed to appropriately fund and staff its AML program, opting to postpone and cancel necessary AML projects prioritizing a “flat cost paradigm” and the “customer experience.”

    Throughout this time, TD Bank intentionally did not automatically monitor all domestic automated clearinghouse (ACH) transactions, most check activity, and numerous other transaction types, resulting in 92% of total transaction volume going unmonitored from Jan. 1, 2018, to April 12, 2024. This amounted to approximately $18.3 trillion of transaction activity. TD Bank also added no new transaction monitoring scenarios and made no material changes to existing transaction monitoring scenarios from at least 2014 through late 2022; implemented new products and services, like Zelle, without ensuring appropriate transaction monitoring coverage; failed to meaningfully monitor transactions involving high-risk countries; instructed stores to stop filing internal unusual transaction reports on certain suspicious customers; and permitted more than $5 billion in transactional activity to occur in accounts even after the bank decided to close them.

    TD Bank’s AML failures made it “convenient” for criminals, in the words of its employees. These failures enabled three money laundering networks to collectively transfer more than $670 million through TD Bank accounts between 2019 and 2023. Between January 2018 and February 2021, one money laundering network processed more than $470 million through the bank through large cash deposits into nominee accounts. The operators of this scheme provided employees gift cards worth more than $57,000 to ensure employees would continue to process their transactions. And even though the operators of this scheme were clearly depositing cash well over $10,000 in suspicious transactions, TD Bank employees did not identify the conductor of the transaction in required reports. In a second scheme between March 2021 and March 2023, a high-risk jewelry business moved nearly $120 million through shell accounts before TD Bank reported the activity. In a third scheme, money laundering networks deposited funds in the United States and quickly withdrew those funds using ATMs in Colombia. Five TD Bank employees conspired with this network and issued dozens of ATM cards for the money launderers, ultimately conspiring in the laundering of approximately $39 million. The Justice Department has charged over two dozen individuals across these schemes, including two bank insiders. TD Bank’s plea agreement requires continued cooperation in ongoing investigations of individuals.

    As part of the plea agreement, TD Bank has agreed to forfeit $452,432,302.00 and pay a criminal fine of $1,434,513,478.40, for a total financial penalty of $1,886,945,780.40. TD Bank has also agreed to retain an independent compliance monitor for three years and to remediate and enhance its AML compliance program. TD Bank has separately reached agreements with the FRB, OCC, and FinCEN, and the Justice Department will credit $123.5 million of the forfeiture toward the FRB’s resolution.

    The Justice Department reached its resolution with TD Bank based on a number of factors, including the nature, seriousness, and pervasiveness of the offenses, as a result of which TD Bank became the bank of choice for multiple money laundering organizations and criminal actors and processed hundreds of millions of dollars in money laundering transactions. Although TD Bank did not voluntarily disclose its wrongdoing, it received partial credit for its strong cooperation with the Department’s investigation and the ongoing remediation of its AML program. TD Bank did not receive full credit for its cooperation because it failed to timely escalate relevant AML concerns to the Department during the investigation. Accordingly, the total criminal penalty reflects a 20% reduction based on the bank’s partial cooperation and remediation.

    IRS Criminal Investigation, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General, and Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. The Morristown Police Department, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and New York City Police Department provided substantial assistance.

    Trial Attorneys D. Zachary Adams and Chelsea R. Rooney of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark J. Pesce and Angelica Sinopole for the District of New Jersey prosecuted the case.

    MLARS’ Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers, and employees, whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system. Since its creation in 2010, the Bank Integrity Unit has prosecuted financial institutions for violations of the BSA, money laundering, sanctions, and other laws, imposing total penalties of over $25 billion.

    This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Concurs with Federal Trade Commission’s Changes to Premerger Notification Form Used in Merger Review

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division announced today its concurrence with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s unanimous vote to finalize changes to the premerger notification form and associated instructions, as well as to the premerger notification rules implementing the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act.

    The final rule, which was adopted after a rigorous public comment process, marks the first large-scale material update to the HSR form since it was first established in 1978. The rule will address critical gaps in the information available to the Justice Department and the FTC (the Agencies) when they review merger filings, making the Agencies’ initial review more efficient and effective. In response to public comment on the proposed rule, the final rule contains many changes aimed at reducing the burden on parties while still improving the information the Agencies receive to help streamline initial merger review.

    “Access to better information at the beginning of the merger review process ensures that the antitrust agencies can devote our resources to the most important issues and reduces the burden on filers, third parties, and other market participants,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “I’m grateful to the Commissioners who have worked diligently to evaluate the public comments to develop the excellent rule.”

    Under the HSR Act, parties to certain mergers and acquisitions are required to submit premerger notification forms that disclose certain information about their proposed deal and business operations. The Agencies use this information to conduct a premerger assessment in the short time allowed under the HSR Act, typically 30 days, to determine which transactions may violate the antitrust laws, and thus require additional review.

    The requests added to the HSR form reflect the dramatic changes over the past four decades in global markets and in how mergers and acquisitions are conducted. These additions include:

    • Requiring parties to submit transaction-related documents prepared by or for the supervisory leader of the deal team;
    • Requiring parties to describe their principal categories of products and services as reflected in the parties’ ordinary course business documents;
    • Requiring disclosure of additional information about the buyer’s officers, directors, and investors, including those with management rights over the firm; and
    • Ensuring the Agencies have access to translations of all documents submitted in a language other than English.

    This additional information will enable the Agencies to streamline their initial reviews and make decisions more quickly. In some circumstances, it will allow the Agencies to evaluate a merger without opening a preliminary investigation or seeking additional information through a second request. In this way, the final rule complements the FTC’s decision to lift its temporary suspension on early termination of HSR filings. When additional information is necessary to review a merger, the final rule will enable the Agencies to issue more targeted requests, reducing the time and effort required to respond. Under the prior form, the Agencies routinely had to rely on third parties, many of whom were small businesses, to fill in informational gaps. By helping to fill some of these gaps, the final rule can alleviate the burden on third parties as well.

    The new information required by the final rule is already within the possession of the filing parties. The rule was carefully structured to provide the Agencies with important additional factual and documentary information that is readily available to the merging parties. Moreover, the Agencies carefully reviewed the hundreds of public comments filed in response to the proposed rule and made substantial changes to reduce the burden on merging parties. The final rule differs from the proposed rule in many ways, including among other things, eliminating the requirements to:

    • Submit preliminary drafts of deal-related documents;
    • Collect and produce ordinary course documents from people who report directly to the CEO;
    • Provide information about employees’ commuting zones and occupation classifications;
    • Report prior acquisitions that are more than five years old or involve entities with less than $10 million in sales or revenue; and
    • Certify that the filer took steps to preserve documents.

    These changes eliminated substantial costs to filing parties while ensuring that the Agencies will receive the additional information they require to more effectively and efficiently review merger filings.

    The final rule will be effective 90 days after it is published in the Federal Register.

    MIL Security OSI –