The World Economic Outlook (WEO) is a survey of prospects and policies by the IMF staff, usually published twice a year, with updates in between. It presents analyses and projections of the world economy in the near and medium term, which are integral elements of the IMF’s surveillance of economic developments and policies in its member countries and of the global economic system.
RELEASE DATES
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 9 AM ET: Chapter 2: The Great Tightening: Insights from the Recent Inflation Episode
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 11 AM ET: Chapter 3: Understanding the Social Acceptability of Structural Reforms
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 9:00 AM ET: Press Briefing: World Economic Outlook
The chapters will be available for download on this page starting on October 16. Stay tuned for updates!
As the global economy faces increasing fiscal challenges, multilateral surveillance of fiscal developments has become an important part of the IMF’s surveillance responsibilities. The Fiscal Monitor series provides an overview of latest public finance developments, updates the medium-term fiscal outlook, and assesses fiscal implications of policies relevant to the global economy.
RELEASE DATES
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15 @ 12 AM ET: Chapter 1: Putting a Lid on Public Debt
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23 @ 9:00 AM ET: Press Briefing, Full Report & MSA APPENDIX
The chapter will be available for download on this page starting October 15. Stay tuned for updates!
The World Economic Outlook (WEO) is a survey of prospects and policies by the IMF staff, usually published twice a year, with updates in between. It presents analyses and projections of the world economy in the near and medium term, which are integral elements of the IMF’s surveillance of economic developments and policies in its member countries and of the global economic system.
RELEASE DATES
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 9 AM ET: Chapter 2: The Great Tightening: Insights from the Recent Inflation Episode
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 11 AM ET: Chapter 3: Understanding the Social Acceptability of Structural Reforms
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 9:00 AM ET: Press Briefing: World Economic Outlook
The chapters will be available for download on this page starting on October 16. Stay tuned for updates!
Headline: How AI is poised to transform air travel, from reservations and check-in to baggage handling
Introducing a new industry reference architecture for airlines and airports
The aviation industry is entering a new era: airlines and airports worldwide are on the brink of transformation, driven by the power of generative AI. This powerful technology is creating new value at every stage of the aviation ecosystem, revolutionizing the way we fly and operate. From personalized travel offers to instant responses for customer service requests, AI is enhancing every step of your journey, making travel smoother and more personalized than ever before.
Generative AI is also transforming the core operations of airlines and airports. Research shows that up to 35% of flight delays can be reduced through AI-powered decision-making—saving time, reducing stress, and increasing safety for both travelers and staff.1
AI is also reshaping the workforce. With streamlined tasks and smarter tools, staff can dedicate more time to enhancing the passenger experience—both on the ground and in the air. AI-powered personalization can increase revenue per passenger by 10 to 15%. At the same time, intelligent AI chatbots can reduce customer service costs by up to 30%, creating significant value for both airlines and airports.2
This is the future of aviation. AI is not just a tool—it’s a revolution, creating value across the entire industry. Microsoft has developed a new industry reference architecture enabling AI for a seamless traveler journey, efficient airline operations, and enhanced airport operations.
Create connected mobility experiences with AI-powered solutions >
Seamless traveler journey
The experience begins the moment a traveler considers a trip. They can interact with an AI-powered mobile app to explore options, book flights, and receive personalized recommendations. Throughout their journey, the app serves as a digital assistant, providing real-time updates on flight status, gate changes, and the weather at the destination. At the airport, travelers can navigate through a touchless experience, from check-in to security, using biometric identification and e-boarding passes on their mobile devices. The app continues to assist by guiding them to their gate, offering lounge access, and updating any travel alerts.
Once on board, the digital assistant ensures a comfortable experience by allowing travelers to control in-flight entertainment, order food and items from the onboard shop, and adjust seating preferences through their mobile device. The journey concludes with the app facilitating a smooth arrival process, including customs and baggage claim guidance, and arranging for ground transportation. Throughout this journey, AI and machine learning algorithms work behind the scenes to anticipate needs, offer timely assistance, and personalize the travel experience.
Air India passengers, for example, now get answers to all their questions from planning to arrival at their fingertips. Their AI.g virtual assistant, powered by Microsoft AI services, quickly proposes a travel itinerary for passengers, finds answers about check-in options and flight status, recommends the best food options, finds the next business lounge or helps with lost luggage. Another example is Saudia Airlines. The flag carrier of Saudi Arabia developed an AI-powered travel companion for their passengers using Microsoft technology to enable travel-related services like: planning and booking, refund management, and exploring new destinations.
Efficient airline operations
AI working on data platforms enhances efficiency and customer experience across various segments of the airline value chain.
In aircraft handling, AI-powered predictive maintenance can forecast potential issues before they occur, minimizing downtime and ensuring timely operations. Ground support equipment can be optimized using AI algorithms to streamline processes and reduce delays.
In ground operations, AI can manage complex logistics, from baggage handling to fuel management, by analyzing vast amounts of data to optimize workflows and resource allocation. This leads to smoother operations and can significantly reduce turnaround times for aircraft.
Flight operations benefit from AI through advanced analytics that can assist in route planning, weather forecasting, and fuel consumption optimization. By leveraging historical data and real-time inputs, AI can provide pilots and flight planners with insights that lead to safer and more cost-effective flights.
For marketing and sales, AI enables personalized customer experiences by analyzing customer data to tailor offerings and promotions. This can lead to increased customer loyalty and revenue as airlines can offer the right product to the right customer at the right time.
In customer support, AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants provide around the clock support, handling inquiries and resolving issues promptly. This not only improves customer satisfaction but also frees up human agents to deal with more complex queries, enhancing overall service quality.
Lufthansa, for example, developed the one data platform built on Microsoft Azure to provide self-service applications and leverage cognitive AI services like image and speech recognition.
“Leveraging Microsoft Azure’s robust cloud capabilities, we’ve transformed Lufthansa’s operations with a unified data platform. This innovation empowers us to optimize every aspect of our service, from ground operations to in-flight experiences, ensuring punctuality and safety across our global network—continuing to use AI will help us advance to the level.”
Ganesh Swaminathan, Head of Platforms, Lufthansa Group Digital Hangar
American Airlines, the world’s largest airline, is using Azure as its preferred cloud platform. Their team members now use the ConnectMe app for the latest crew information while the airline is using AI to reduce taxi time and turn times at gates.
Microsoft AI
Enhanced airport operations
Generative AI and data platforms also play a pivotal role in enhancing airport operations, catering to the needs of tens of thousands of passengers daily. Airports can optimize their critical infrastructure management, such as energy, water, and climate control. The integration of AI into security and emergency services significantly enhances their capabilities, providing a safer and more secure environment for travelers. Connected transportation systems such as buses and trains benefit from predictive analytics and real-time data processing capabilities, leading to improved scheduling and passenger flow management.
In the realm of commerce, which encompasses retail stores and restaurants within the airport, generative AI and data platforms offer valuable insights into consumer behavior, enabling businesses to tailor their services and inventory to meet the dynamic needs of passengers.
The logistics and supply chains for cargo, fuel, and baggage are also transformed by these technologies, with AI-powered systems facilitating better tracking, forecasting, and management of resources. This results in a more streamlined and cost-effective operation, reducing delays and enhancing the overall passenger experience. Fraport has introduced FraportGPT, an example of an employee-facing app powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to streamline internal processes.
“Fraport’s company GPT app, powered by Generative AI, has been a resounding success, swiftly adopted by our team. It’s not just streamlined our processes; it’s accelerated skill acquisition, empowering our employees to master new competencies with unprecedented speed.”
Christian Wrobel, Chief Data Architect, Fraport AG
Together with Microsoft, Miami International Airport (MIA) has developed a centralized data hub environment, known as the Common Data Environment (CDE), to store, manage, and share business data, apps, and business process flows. This is crucial for breaking down data silos and ensuring data accessibility for analysis and helps unlocking additional value from generative AI.
“By integrating various data sources, including on-premises, cloud, and edge environments, we provide a unified and scalable platform for data management. This is the basis, and together with our partner Microsoft we will now be able to leverage advanced technologies such as AI, machine learning, and IoT to gain insights, make data-driven decisions, and drive innovation.”
Maurice Jenkins, Chief Innovation Officer, Miami International Airport
The overarching reference architecture and partners
Our common architecture for airports and airlines is built among core elements with the ultimate goal to create AI-enhanced experiences for everyone, from passengers to ground personnel: the creation of user-facing applications, data storage and analytics, and data ingestion and integration of existing data systems.
Figure 1: Industry reference architecture for airlinesFigure 2: Industry reference architecture for airports
The AI-enhanced experiences are tailored to each user group.
For passengers, it is all about a smooth journey from origin to destination, with plenty of time to enjoy travel with retail, entertainment, and restaurant offers.
Ground staff and customer service focus on making the passenger experience smooth, even when something goes wrong.
Pilots and crew members require support for coordination, communication, and the reduction of their management overload.
For technicians, it is about knowing where to go next, reducing cognitive workload for maintenance and repair tasks, and automating documentation.
Terminal managers require support to manage traffic, ensure security, and provide travel comfort.
For airside operators, it is about managing baggage, refueling, and safety.
Different user groups require different backend applications and data sources. The user-facing applications layer describes some of the common front-end experiences that can be built using Microsoft services.
End users require mobile and web applications built using services such as Azure API Management, Azure App Service and Azure Functions. Developers create AI-powered user experiences leveraging services such as Azure OpenAI Service. These applications can be deployed in Azure tenants and can scale to millions of users.
Business users leverage Dynamics 365 (Customer Service, Finance, Project Operations, and Customer Insights) to manage business operations, such as claims, promotions, and ticketing. Dynamics 365 has built-in custom agents for many common business use cases such as customer service, sales, finance, field service, and customer insights.
Front line workers are fully integrated in the business with customized workflows and automated operations with custom AI, tailored to their needs and the ergonomics of their workplaces—wherever fixed terminals, mobile devices, or augmented reality. Microsoft Copilot Studio facilitates the creation of custom AI agents to support their work. Power Apps enables the creation of custom user interfaces, while Power Automate enables the creation of business workflows.
With Microsoft 365 Copilot, employees can collaborate and communicate using Microsoft products such as Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook.
The operation of airports and airlines generates large amounts of data. The data storage and analytics layer describes how to securely store business data to support operations and create insights.
Microsoft Dataverse is a scalable data platform that securely stores and manage business data. The data model is a structure framework that organizes data in tables with relationships. It is possible to use industry models to harmonize and integrate business data across multiple applications.
Microsoft Fabric is an end-to-end data and analytics platform that includes real-time analytics capabilities. OneLake is a unified logical data lake that centralizes and simplifies data management, with multiple analytical engines and workspaces. Fabric enables organizations to process and analyze data for timely insights and decision making.
Airports and airlines are established businesses. It is important to integrate existing data systems, such as connected assets as well as existing systems. Messaging services on Azure enables connectivity to assets and devices using standardized communication protocols such as Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) with Azure Event Grid, or data streams like Apache Kafka using Azure Event Hubs. Serverless solutions like Azure Functions provide compute to process messages.
We’re also proud to collaborate with leading partners driving innovation in aviation.
Amadeus and Microsoft have formed a global strategic partnership that harnesses cloud technology to innovate and explore new products and solutions and create smoother travel experiences.
SAP deployments on Azure provide robust cloud solutions tailored to customer needs.
Our partnership with SITA, and their SITA Mission Control solution, helps duty personnel anticipate and respond to real-time changes during flight operations.
We also integrate independent software vendors (ISVs), such as SmartKargo, PROS, and Satavia, to contribute to a smarter, more connected aviation ecosystem.
Creating frontline worker experiences
Frontline worker experiences are highly customized to the task and require constant adaptation. The power of low-code platforms like Power Apps and Copilot Studio significantly reduce the time to value, allowing for rapid development and deployment of tailored solutions. These platforms enable the integration of multiple data sources, such as location-based services, logistical information from Dynamics 365, and documentation search. Additionally, task support is enhanced through the use of knowledge graphs and manuals, while collaboration and information regarding connected assets are seamlessly incorporated.
Figure 3: Terminal maintenance experience
Overcoming the challenges of using AI in aviation
While the potential of AI in aviation is immense, there are key challenges: defining the most valuable AI use cases, setting up cloud infrastructure, organizing the data estate, and minimizing costs during development, testing, and deployment phases.
Microsoft addresses the challenges of AI in aviation by working closely with partners, establishing a framework for responsible and trusted AI principles, and leveraging its comprehensive suite of tools and services. It helps define valuable AI use cases through collaborative workshops and industry-specific solutions. Azure provides scalable cloud infrastructure, while Microsoft Dataverse and OneLake streamline data management. Cost efficiency is achieved through optimized development, testing, and deployment processes. Additionally, Microsoft provides extensive training programs to equip employees with necessary AI skills and collaborates with regulatory bodies to ensure compliance with legal frameworks governing AI usage.
Moving forward with generative AI in aviation
Taking advantage of generative AI requires a pragmatic approach, where existing solutions are combined with new capabilities and partner solutions. Correctly identifying the use cases with the highest priority and impact is critical for success.
Visit Microsoft for travel and transportation or contact our team to learn more and take the next step in your AI journey.
“We’re excited to introduce our new reference architecture for the aviation industry, built on Azure’s cloud capabilities and advanced AI tools. What truly makes this effort stand out is our collaboration with leading aviation partners. Together with our partners, we’re shaping the future of the aviation industry.”
Julie Shainock, Managing Director Travel & Transportation Industry, Microsoft
“Microsoft’s Industry Solutions team is ready to help you deliver and implement AI-driven solutions across your organization: From a first [proof of concept] POC to full-scale rollouts, we are dedicated to providing the expertise you need to ensure a smooth and successful deployment.”
Eric Chaniot, General Manager of AI Industry Solutions, Microsoft
“At Microsoft Cloud for Industries, we are committed to empowering our partners with proven patterns and comprehensive enablement resources. By leveraging our industry-specific solutions and collaborative approach, we help partners accelerate innovation, streamline operations, and deliver exceptional value so that their customers can achieve more.”
Monica Ugwi, General Manager Cloud for Industries, Manufacturing & Mobility, Microsoft
1Worldmetrics: AI in the Airline Industry, 2024.
2The economic potential of generative AI, McKinsey & Co., 2023.
Launch of the October 2024 Global Financial Stability Report
The Global Financial Stability Report provides an assessment of the global financial system and markets, and addresses emerging market financing in a global context. It focuses on current market conditions, highlighting systemic issues that could pose a risk to financial stability and sustained market access by emerging market borrowers. The Report draws out the financial ramifications of economic imbalances highlighted by the IMF’s World Economic Outlook. It contains, as special features, analytical chapters or essays on structural or systemic issues relevant to international financial stability.
RELEASE DATES
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 9 AM ET: Chapter 3: Advances in Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Capital Market Activities
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 12 PM ET: Chapter 2: Macrofinancial Stability Amid High Economic Uncertainty
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 10:15 AM ET: Press Briefing: Global Financial Stability Report
The chapters will be available for download on this page starting on October 15. Stay tuned for updates!
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
FBI agents often dust for fingerprints to track down criminals and unravel complex cases. But this mission was different. The fingerprints here are not about solving crimes—they are about providing answers in the face of a tragedy that devastated parts of their community.
After deadly floods swept through East Tennessee and Western North Carolina last week, the FBI has joined local authorities in the grim task of identifying victims. Special agents from the FBI’s Johnson City Resident Agency are working alongside the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and the Northeast Regional Medical Examiner’s Office at East Tennessee State University, employing cutting-edge technology to provide grieving families with some semblance of closure.
In a region mostly unfamiliar with natural disasters, the flood’s devastation has left communities reeling. But the FBI’s involvement here is somewhat atypical. Known usually for connecting crime scenes to criminals, the FBI’s fingerprint expertise is being used not to solve crimes but to reunite families with loved ones.
“When you’re doing this, you still take extra care because that was a human and that was somebody’s loved one, it was somebody’s mother, brother, sister,” said Special Agent Paul Durant, who has been with the FBI for five years. “It’s tough, but it’s rewarding to know that we can provide some answers to families who are suffering.”
Durant, alongside Special Agent Reanna O’Hare, used electronic fingerprint devices to collect prints from victims, sometimes resorting to advanced forensic methods to recover identities. The fingerprints were sent directly to the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, using smartphone technology, streamlining what can otherwise be a lengthy process.
FBI Special Agent Paul Durant at the William L. Jenkins Northeast Tennessee Regional Forensics Center where agents have been working with state and local partners to help identify flood victims from North Carolina and Tennessee.
The process is both emotionally and physically taxing. The agents often had to work with severely compromised remains made unidentifiable through traditional means. Some victims were swept across state lines from North Carolina into Tennessee, compounding the challenge.
“The first time I walked into the morgue, I was hit with a sense of disbelief,” Durant said. “I had never been to a medical examiner’s office before, so it was surreal. You know what your job is, but it doesn’t fully sink in until you’re standing there, face to face with the victims. That’s when it becomes real, and you switch into work mode. There were days when it was overwhelming—seeing the destruction and hearing the stories. But at the end of the day, knowing we can help identify these victims and bring some comfort to their families makes it all worth it.”
Special Agent O’Hare, who has served as the senior team leader on the Knoxville FBI’s Evidence Response Team, echoed the sentiment: “And just seeing the pictures and knowing that people have lost everything, including their family members, it’s devastating.”
The FBI’s files only have fingerprints that are lawfully collected and the identification effort was not without its technical challenges. In several cases, agents had to use advanced forensic techniques to obtain usable prints. This method, often seen as a last resort in forensic work, is both unsettling and necessary for precise identification.
“Knowing we have this unique access to national fingerprint files that others might not is critical,” said O’Hare, emphasizing the FBI’s role in tapping into Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security databases. “We’ve been able to identify some victims who otherwise might have remained unknown.”
The FBI’s efforts in these floods are part of a broader collaboration with local and state authorities. Special Agent J.D. Anderson, the aupervisory senior resident agent overseeing the efforts in Johnson City, stressed the importance of such partnerships. “Our hearts go out to the families affected by this tragedy. We are committed to doing everything in our power with our partners to bring them closure.”
“It’s not just about the fingerprints; it’s about the people and the families we’re serving,” said Joe Carrico, special agent in charge of the FBI in Tennessee. “Our role is to support our state and local partners in bringing answers to those who need them most. In moments like these, it’s impossible not to feel the weight of that responsibility.”
Durant and O’Hare relied heavily on the Mobile Biometrics Application (MBA) and Special Processing Center (SPC) teams to expedite the identification of victims. These specialized units, operating out of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services in West Virginia, provided agents in the field with real-time support, often pulling fingerprints and running them through reference files within minutes. In some cases, results were returned in as little as 15 to 20 minutes, streamlining the identification process during critical moments.
The MBA team, in particular, played a vital role by not only processing prints swiftly but also actively monitoring quality control and troubleshooting more difficult cases. When automated systems didn’t yield a match, the SPC team took over, applying manual processes to assist with identification. This seamless coordination between field agents and the FBI’s lab-based experts highlights the bureau’s ability to deploy advanced technology in disaster zones, ensuring that victims’ families receive answers as quickly as possible.
While working to bring closure to grieving families, the agents also feel the storm’s personal impact. Special Agent O’Hare’s daughter and grandchildren evacuated from North Carolina to stay with her in Upper East Tennessee after being displaced by power loss. They plan to return to their town later this week now that power has been restored. “I joined the FBI to help people,” O’Hare said. “In situations like this, that’s why I am doing my very small part to try to provide some closure for the families of the victims.”
RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment has charged a man with multiple offences following an arson attempt in Beaver Bank.
On October 3, at approximately 12:15 p.m., RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment responded to a report of attempted arson on Sherri Ln. RCMP officers learned that a man had thrown a light incendiary device in proximity of a home. The fire did not damage the residence.
With the help of the public, investigators identified Shawn Michael Deschenes, 51, of Beaver Bank, as the person responsible for the incident. Deschenes and the occupants of the home are known to each other.
On October 7, at the request of investigators, Deschenes attended the Lower Sackville RCMP detachment where he was safely arrested. Later that day, RCMP officers executed a search warrant at his residence, seized a cell phone and observed evidence of flammable material.
Deschenes has been charged with:
Arson
Possession of Incendiary Material
Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose
He appeared in Dartmouth Provincial Court and was remanded into custody. He will return in court today.
A 61-year-old man from Moncton, N.B., has been sentenced in connection with an investigation into child pornography.
The investigation, led by the New Brunswick RCMP’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit, began in April 2022, following information received from the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre.
On November 8, 2022, members of the RCMP ICE Unit, the Codiac Regional RCMP and the RCMP’s Digital Forensic Services, executed a search warrant at a residence on Atlantic Avenue in Moncton. A man was arrested at the scene, and police seized several electronic devices. He was later released on conditions, pending a future court appearance.
On February 2, 2023, 61-year-old George Humphrey Lawrence appeared in Moncton Provincial Court and was charged with possession of child pornography and transmitting child pornography.
On August 8, 2024, George Humphrey Lawrence, appeared in Moncton Provincial Court and plead guilty to all charges.
On October 3, 2024, George Humphrey Lawrence was sentenced to three years in prison. He was also ordered to register with the National Sex Offender Registry for 20 years and to provide a DNA sample.
Following his release from prison, he will have to abide by conditions set out by the court, including not communicating with anyone under the age of 16, and to not attend any place that someone under the age of 16 is known to be for a period of 20 years.
The New Brunswick RCMP’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit includes members from the Saint John Police Force and the Kennebecasis Regional Police Force.
If you are a victim, or have any information related to similar crimes, please contact your local police. If you have information that may assist an investigation and would like to remain anonymous, please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), by downloading the secure P3 Mobile App, or by Secure Web Tips athttp://www.crimenb.ca.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
PORTLAND, Maine: A Peru, Maine woman was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for trafficking methamphetamine and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Mandy Lynn Shorey, 43, to 180 months to be followed by five years of supervised release.
According to court records, between July 2022 and January 2023, Shorey sold approximately 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine to an undercover officer across four controlled buys. For three of the buys, the purity of the methamphetamine Shorey sold to police approached 100%. During one of the buys, Shorey explained that she carried a firearm with her for protection when she met with new drug customers and removed the firearm from a bag and placed it in her waistband. During another exchange, she told the undercover officer that meeting her to conduct their next transaction would be safe because she would “bring one armed man to back me up that they will never see, just in case.” When Shorey was arrested, she was in possession of a Charter Arms .22 revolver.
The FBI Safe Streets Task Force investigated the case.
###
Updated 10/9/24 to correct defendant’s city of residence at time of arrest from Windham, ME to Peru, ME
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
INDIANAPOLIS- Robdarius Williams, 21, D’Maurah Bryant, 21, and Quintez Tucker, 20, all of Indianapolis, have all been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a series of eight armed robberies of Indianapolis cell phone retailers.
Defendant
Charges
Sentence
Quintez Tucker, 20
Eight counts of robbery
Four counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence
30 years in prison 3 years of supervised release
$64,894 in restitution
D’Maurah Bryant, 21
Four counts of robbery
Three counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence
25 years in prison 3 years of supervised release
$24,485 in restitution
Robdarius Williams, 21
One count of robbery
Brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence
9.5 years in prison 3 years of supervised release
In April of 2024, Tucker and Bryant each plead guilty. In June of 2024, a federal jury found Williams guilty following a one-and-a-half-day trial.
According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, from November 8 through December 3, 2021, Tucker and Bryant worked together to rob eight cell phone retailers around Indianapolis. During each robbery, the men brandished firearms and pointed them at employees, demanded cash, cell phones, and accessories from the store and customers. Williams joined in the eighth and final armed robbery as the getaway driver, stole a license plate for the getaway car and took Tucker to pick up an AR-style rifle used in the robbery.
In total, the trio robbed eight businesses in twenty-five days:
Date
Location
Defendants
November 8, 2021
Verizon, Olio Rd., Fishers.
Tucker & Bryant
November 18, 2021
T-Mobile, Southport Rd.
Tucker & Bryant
November 23, 2021
Verizon, Kessler Blvd.
Tucker & Bryant
November 26, 2021
T-Mobile, E. 86th St.
Tucker & Bryant
November 29, 2021
T-Mobile, Fox Rd.
Tucker & Bryant
December 1, 2021
T-Mobile, E. Stop 11 Rd.
Tucker & Bryant
December 1, 2021
T-Mobile, W. 38th St.
Tucker & Bryant
December 3, 2021
AT&T, S. Emerson Ave.
Tucker & Williams
“No one should have a gun pointed in their face by heartless criminals simply because they went shopping, or went to work,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “These armed criminals terrorized their victims with utter disregard for the consequences of their actions—going so far as to point an AR-style firearm at a toddler as their parent shielded the child with their body. These horrific crimes will not be tolerated in our community. The Department of Justice has no higher priority than keeping the public safe from armed, violent crimes. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the FBI, the Fishers Police Department, IMPD, and our federal prosecutors, our communities will be protected from these criminals for many years to come.”
“The lengthy sentences handed out should serve as a deterrent to remind potential offenders that the FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to protecting those who live in the communities we serve,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “The defendants didn’t just steal items; they instilled a sense of fear in and disrupted the lives of their victims.
“The sentencing of these three violent felons to a combined 65 years in prison sends a strong message that our community will not tolerate such criminal behavior,” said Ed Gebhart, Fishers Police Chief, “I commend the hard work of our officers, our law enforcement partners and the justice system for ensuring that these dangerous individuals will be off the streets for a significant amount of time.”
The FBI investigated this case. The Fishers Police Department, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, and the Marion County Prosecutors Office also provided valuable assistance. The sentences were imposed by U.S District Court Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy C. Fugate and Peter A. Blackett, who prosecuted this case.
This case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Arisknight Winfree, 32, of East Lansing, was sentenced to life in federal prison for sexually exploiting four women, including two minors, in 2022. Winfree was convicted on multiple charges that included Kidnapping (Count 1), Coercion and Enticement (Count 2), Attempted Coercion and Enticement (Count 3), and Production of Child Pornography (Counts 4 and 5).
“Arisknight Winfree is a sexual predator whose horrendous acts caused immeasurable harm to the women and girls upon whom he preyed,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “This life sentence is necessary to protect the community and bring a measure of justice to the survivors.”
Winfree targeted his victims in multiple ways, including through use of the messaging service on various social media apps and through an online service that connects individuals, often young women, with host families in need of childcare and light housework. The Court convicted Winfree of five crimes involving four victims.
First, Winfree was convicted of Kidnapping (Count 1) and Coercion and Enticement (Count 2) for the crimes he committed against S.D. The victim was a young woman living in Italy who Winfree contacted on September 5, 2022 through AuPair.com, a website service that connects young women with potential host families. Winfree falsely represented that his family was in search of an au pair to care for his niece. On October 12, 2022, S.D. flew from Italy to Detroit, Michigan, and then took a bus to Winfree’s residence in East Lansing, Michigan. The day after she arrived, Winfree handcuffed his victim’s hands behind her back, placed a gag ball in her mouth, and raped her. Winfree considered killing his victim and hiding her body to avoid prosecution.
Second, Winfree was convicted of Attempted Coercion and Enticement (Count 3) for the crimes he committed against A.S. Winfree connected with A.S. through AuPair.com in July 2022, falsely representing he needed someone to watch his 7-year-old niece every other week. Winfree paid for A.S. to fly to Michigan on September 14, 2022. When A.S. got to Winfree’s residence, she noticed all the windows were covered with paper and cardboard. She also noticed there were cameras around the house. A.S. saw no signs of children. She saw several knives and guns around the house. On September 16, 2022, A.S.’s family called the East Lansing Police Department and requested a welfare check for A.S. With the assistance of the police, the victim left the residence with her belongings and returned to Kansas.
Third, Winfree was convicted of Production of Child Pornography (Count 4) for the crimes he committed against Minor Victim 1 (MV1). Winfree connected with MV1 on Instagram in November 2022, when the victim was 17 years old. From November 29-30, MV1 created nude images at Winfree’s request and sent them to him through the social media app’s messaging feature. On November 30, 2022, Winfree picked MV1 up from her high school, drove her to his home, and engaged in sexual acts with her.
Fourth, Winfree was convicted of another count of Production of Child Pornography (Count 5) for the crimes he committed against Minor Victim 2 (MV2). Winfree connected with MV2 in September or October of 2022 on SnapChat, when the victim was 16 years old. He instructed MV2 to engage in sexual acts and send images and videos to him through SnapChat and later through WhatsApp.
Further details are provided in the attached Complaint and the United States’ Statement of Facts Establishing Defendant’s Guilt.
“The sentencing of Arisknight Winfree marks a significant step towards healing for all those who suffered from his callous and heinous criminal acts,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “Individuals who engage in sexual exploitation involving minors will be investigated and arrested by the FBI and our law enforcement partners in Michigan. The collective investigative efforts by members from FBI Michigan, the East Lansing Police Department, and the prosecutorial efforts of the United States Attorney’s Office of Western Michigan prevented another crime from being committed by Mr. Winfree.”
“The East Lansing Police Department would like to thank the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan for their commitment to this case,” said ELPD Police Chief Chad Pride. “Arisknight Winfree’s conviction on multiple charges shows our collaborative partnerships were essential in bringing justice to the survivors of these awful acts and holding Arisknight accountable for his actions.”
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, county prosecutor’s offices, the Internet Crimes Against Children task force (ICAC), federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation, and to teach children how to protect themselves. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit the following website: http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov. Individuals with information or concerns about possible child exploitation should contact local law enforcement officials.
Assistant United States Attorney Davin Reust prosecuted this case. The East Lansing Police Department, Michigan State University Police and Public Safety, and the FBI investigated it.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan issued the previous press releases in this case and a related case:
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
MINNEAPOLIS – A Red Lake woman has been sentenced to 15 months in prison following the death of a child in her care, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to evidence presented at trial, Sharon Rosebear, 64, intentionally deprived a child, Minor A, of necessary food and health care over the course of 2022. The evidence at trial established that Minor A died in 2022 from the combined effects of starvation and infection. Rosebear’s codefendant, Julius Fineday, Sr., pleaded guilty to one count of felony child neglect causing the death of a child and was sentenced to five years in prison earlier this year.
The evidence at trial established that Rosebear acted as one of Minor A’s caretakers in 2022. In accordance with Minnesota law, the jury was instructed that Rosebear’s lack of formal legal custody of Minor A did not alter her responsibility to the child. The evidence at trial established that Rosebear was reasonably able to provide for Minor A’s nutrition and healthcare—including evidence establishing that healthcare and transportation to healthcare is free within the Red Lake Nation, and that all of the adults and children involved in the case received nutritional and cash assistance adequate to meet their basic needs—and that Rosebear nonetheless intentionally deprived Minor A of those basic needs by withholding food, and by looking the other way while Minor A’s health deteriorated. The evidence at trial included evidence that Minor A died at the same weight she had been nearly three years earlier, and that while Rosebear was aware of Minor A’s severe lice infestation, Rosebear responded by keeping Minor A isolated rather than seeking medical attention for Minor A.
Medical testimony at trial established that the type of infection Minor A had when she died could have entered Minor A’s body through scratches in her scalp related to her unaddressed lice. The medical testimony also established that Minor A’s prolonged starvation may have been an independently sufficient cause of death, or may have severely compromised Minor A’s immune system’s ability to fight infection.
On April 29, 2024, Rosebear was found guilty of felony child neglect following a six-day trial in U.S. District Court. She was sentenced today by Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz.
In handing down the sentence, Chief Judge Schiltz commented, “One of the most tragic things about Minor A’s death is that it was so easily preventable … day after day, week after week, month after month, Ms. Rosebear watched as Minor A slowly starved to death.” This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Red Lake Tribal Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey E. Middlecamp and Rachel L. Kraker tried the case.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
MINNEAPOLIS – A Pequot Lakes man has been sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for producing images and videos of child sexual abuse, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, over the course of several years, Jeffrey Benjamin Adkins, 43, repeatedly engaged in sexual acts with a minor victim. On one of the occasions, Adkins produced a five-minute video that depicted the sexual abuse of a minor.
On May 28, 2024, Adkins pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography. He was sentenced on October 4, 2024, in U.S. District Court by Judge Katherine M. Menendez.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Polachek prosecuted the case.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
BOSTON – A Boston woman was sentenced on Oct. 4, 2024 for conspiring to defraud the federal credit union where she worked as a loan officer by obtaining loans in the names of inmates at a Massachusetts prison where a co-conspirator was incarcerated.
Nadaje Hendrix, 27, of Brighton, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Julia E. Kobick to eight months in prison to be followed by three years’ supervised release. Hendrix was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $134,000. In July 2024, Hendrix pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. In January 2024, Hendrix was indicted by a federal grand jury along with alleged co-conspirator Glenroy Miller
Between December 2019 and August 2021, Hendrix and, allegedly, Miller agreed to defraud the credit union where Hendrix worked as a loan officer and assistant branch manager, by obtaining loans in the names of other individuals, including inmates at a Massachusetts prison where Miller was incarcerated. While in prison, Miller allegedly gave Hendrix information about fellow inmates for Hendrix to use in creating fraudulent loan applications, and then arranged to have other co-conspirators go into the credit union to pretend to be the inmates, sign loan forms and obtain loans from the credit union through Hendrix. The scheme also involved obtaining loans in the names of individuals whose identities were stolen. In total, Hendrix and, allegedly, Miller stole about $134,000 from the credit union in about two months in 2021.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kriss Basil of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
BOSTON – A real estate agent was sentenced today in federal court in Boston in connection with a multi-year scheme to defraud his clients by engaging in fraudulent short sales of government and bank-owned properties to straw buyers acting at the direction of the defendant and a co-conspirator.
Sheldon Haag, 34, of Glastonbury, Conn. was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to one year and one day in prison and two years of supervised release. Haag was also ordered to forfeit $277,331 and to pay restitution in an amount to be determined at a later date. In June2023, Haag pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Haag and another real estate agent, James Macchio, used straw buyers to acquire properties owned by the clients of a brokerage where they worked, which included banks, federal agencies, bankruptcy trustees and other mortgage holders. The straw buyers included a shell company set up by a co-conspirator as a purported construction company. Haag and his co-conspirators hid their involvement as the de facto buyers of short sale properties from their clients, the owners of the properties, and used their inside knowledge as the owner’s broker to minimize sale prices in order to maximize their gain from later “flipping” the properties.
While perpetrating the “flipping scheme,” Haag and his co-conspirators further defrauded clients by submitting fraudulent renovation bids from contractors to their own clients, including from the fake construction company they controlled through a co-conspirator. Once their clients accepted a fraudulent bid, Haag and his co-conspirators would hire different contractors at much lower cost and pocket the difference between the fraudulent bid and the actual cost of property repairs.
Macchio pleaded guilty in May 2024 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 19, 2024.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office made the announcement today. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kriss Basil of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On October 3, 2024, BLAIR TAYLOR (“TAYLOR”),a New Orleans resident,was sentenced after being found guilty by a federal jury of two-counts of causing a death through the use of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(j)(1), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to the trial evidence, TAYLORkilled two individuals on August 10, 2014, in what was called the “Burgundy Massacre.” One of the homicide victims killed by TAYLOR was a sixteen-year-old girl. Five other people were shot and seriously injured, including a 2-year-old child and a 4-year-old child. TAYLOR and two other individuals went to Burgundy Street in New Orleans to retaliate against a narcotics dealer who had stolen drugs from the mother of one of TAYLOR’s co-conspirators. When they arrived, TAYLOR, who possessed a rifle, opened fire on the crowd, despite several young children being outside. One of his accomplices approached the intended target and shot and killed him.
On February 2, 2017, TAYLOR and his accomplice were found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder and five counts of attempted second-degree murder after the jury returned an 11-1 verdict of guilty on all counts. However, in 2021 they were granted new trials after the United States Supreme Court found ruled non-unanimous jury verdicts unconstitutional. In October of 2022 the State of Louisiana retried TAYLOR and he was found not guilty. He was subsequently released from jail in March 2023.
Following that not guilty verdict, a federal grand jury conducted an investigation and indicted TAYLOR,for the two murders.
After a three (3) day trial, the jury found TAYLOR guilty of causing the death of both victims through the use of a firearm. As to each count of murder, TAYLOR was sentenced to life imprisonment.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich, Unit Chief Elizabeth Privitera and Special Assistant United States Attorney James Ollinger, all from the Violent Crime Unit, are in charge of the prosecution.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
With the help of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, a consent judgment was secured in May 2024. This judgment awarded full ownership of the Monet to the Parlagi heirs.
“We are immensely proud to have been able to recover this remarkable piece of art and bring it home to its rightful owners,” said FBI Criminal Investigative Division Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough. “I want to commend the work done by the FBI Art Crime Team and thank the Schlamp family for their cooperation in returning this significant artwork back to its rightful heirs. This moment brings to light not only the historical significance of this repatriation, but also the committed work of the FBI in cultural restitution and importance of our partnerships with organizations like The Commission for Looted Art in Europe. The FBI continues its commitment to returning stolen art and other objects of cultural and historical significance to the communities to which they belong.”
“We’re honored to have played a role in returning this stolen artwork to its rightful owners,” said James Dennehy, assistant director in charge of the FBI in New York City. “While this Monet is undoubtedly valuable, its true worth lies in what it represents to the Parlagi family. It’s a connection to their history, their loved ones, and a legacy that was nearly erased. The emotions tied to reclaiming something taken so brutally can’t be measured in dollars—it’s priceless.”
“We are proud to support the work of the Art Crime Team, especially in this case,” said Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil of FBI New Orleans. “Nothing can excuse the hateful and heinous behavior of the past, but we are most grateful to the Schlamp family for their role in righting this wrong. We need and appreciate the ongoing support of the public and the art community at large to ensure there are more success stories like this in the future.”
Claude Monet, pastel on paper, “Bord de Mer,” about 1865
The FBI’s work on this case is ongoing. In addition to the Monet, several other pieces of artwork were stolen from the Parlagi family in 1940. A signed Paul Signac watercolor from 1903, titled “Seine in Paris (Pont de Grenelle),” was sold to the same Nazi art dealer and is still missing today. As it is common for titles of stolen art to change over time, and due to the history of the Signac watercolor, it is very likely that it may be known under a different title today.
To assist in the search for the stolen Signac, the piece has been entered into the FBI’s National Stolen Art File (NSAF) catalog. The NSAF is a database of stolen art and cultural property. Stolen objects are submitted for entry to the NSAF by law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
If you believe you have information about the stolen Signac, you are encouraged to contact the FBI’s Art Crime Program or FBI New York at NYArtCrime@fbi.gov. You may also submit online to tips.fbi.gov, call 1-800-CALL FBI (800-225-5324), or contact your nearest local FBI field office or U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Tipsters may remain anonymous.
Paul Signac, watercolor, “Seine in Paris (Pont de Grenelle),” signed and dated, 1903
About the FBI’s Art Crime Team
The FBI’s Art Crime Team investigates art and cultural property crimes, working with international partners to recover stolen artwork and cultural heritage. The Art Crime Team works hand in hand with other federal partners to include the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State in combatting the illicit trafficking of cultural property.
Source: United States Small Business Administration
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Low-interest federal disaster loans are now available to certain private nonprofit organizations in the San Carlos Apache Tribe following President Biden’s federal disaster declaration for Public Assistance as a result of the Watch Fire that occurred from July 10-17, announced Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Private nonprofits that provide essential services of a governmental nature are eligible for assistance.
“Private nonprofit organizations should contact the San Carlos Apache Tribe by calling (928) 475-1600 or visiting https://www.scat-nsn.gov to obtain information about applicant briefings,” said Francisco Sánchez Jr., associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the Small Business Administration. “At the briefings, private nonprofit representatives will need to provide information about their organization,” continued Sánchez. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will use that information to determine if the private nonprofit provides an “essential governmental service” and is a “critical facility” as defined by law. FEMA may provide the private nonprofit with a Public Assistance grant for their eligible costs. SBA encourages all private nonprofit organizations to apply with SBA for disaster loan assistance.
SBA may lend private nonprofits up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets.
For certain private nonprofit organizations of any size, SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help with meeting working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic Injury Disaster Loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the nonprofit suffered any property damage.
“SBA’s disaster loan program offers an important advantage–the chance to incorporate measures that can reduce the risk of future damage,” Sánchez added. “Work with contractors and mitigation professionals to strengthen your property and take advantage of the opportunity to request additional SBA disaster loan funds for these proactive improvements.”
The interest rate is 3.25 percent with terms up to 30 years. The deadline to apply for property damage is Dec. 3, 2024. The deadline to apply for economic injury is July 7, 2025.
Interest does not begin to accrue until 12 months from the date of the first disaster loan disbursement. SBA disaster loan repayment begins 12 months from the date of the first disbursement.
Applicants may apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at SBA.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
###
About the U.S. Small Business Administration The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit http://www.sba.gov.
The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Minerco Inc. (former over-the-counter ticker: MINE), Bobby Shumake Japhia, and Julius Makiri Jenge, for their roles in an alleged pump-and-dump scheme that defrauded investors out of approximately $8 million while generating millions of dollars in ill-gotten proceeds from sales of Minerco stock.
According to the SEC’s complaint, in the fall of 2019, Shumake, who was formerly known as Robert Samuel Shumake, Jr., secretly gained control of a large stock position in Minerco, an inactive penny stock company, and then arranged for Jenge to assume control of Minerco. The defendants then began pumping Minerco’s stock price by promoting Minerco as the “first publicly traded company focused on the research, production, and distribution of psilocybin mushrooms.” Psilocybin is the principal psychoactive component in “magic mushrooms,” a plant-based hallucinogen.
From 2020 to 2021, the defendants allegedly continued to pump Minerco stock by making public statements and disclosures that contained false and misleading information. For example, Shumake and Minerco allegedly issued press releases falsely suggesting that an independent third party had valued Minerco at $1 billion and that Minerco had partnered with a Jamaican company that would lend expertise in growing a unique strain of psilocybin and bequeath to Minerco its Jamaican cannabis licenses. The SEC’s complaint also alleges that Jenge and Minerco falsely claimed in public disclosures that Minerco was an active Nevada company when, in reality, its charter had been revoked. Finally, Shumake allegedly engaged an offshore company to “dump” his Minerco shares and ultimately transfer at least $3.4 million in ill-gotten gains to an entity Shumake controlled.
“As alleged here, pump-and-dumps often begin when cheap stock of dormant companies is suddenly touted by a promoter as the next big thing,” said Melissa Hodgman, Associate Director of the Division of Enforcement. “Today’s action serves as an important reminder that the SEC will remain steadfast in its efforts to root out of the market stock offerings that are more about hype than substance.”
The SEC previously obtained an Order compelling Jenge to produce documents and appear for testimony pursuant to an investigative subpoena issued by the SEC.
The SEC’s complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, charges Minerco, Shumake, and Jenge with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The complaint seeks permanent injunctions, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, and civil monetary penalties against each defendant, as well as conduct-based injunctions and penny stock and officer-and-director bars against Shumake and Jenge.
The SEC’s investigation, which is ongoing, is being conducted by Adam Eisner, Brittany Garmyn, Keith O’Donnell, and Zachary Scrima and supervised by C. Joshua Felker and Ms. Hodgman. Damon Taaffe will lead the litigation team under the supervision of David Nasse. The SEC appreciates the assistance of FINRA, OTC Markets Group, the Securities Commission of The Bahamas, the Jamaica Financial Services Commission, the Québec Autorité des Marchés Financiers, the Capital Markets Board of Türkiye, and the Belize Financial Services Commission.
The SEC encourages investors to take certain steps to identify pump-and-dump schemes involving the stocks of dormant shell companies.
Manitoba Government Introduces Legislation That Would Make it Harder to Purchase Machetes and Other Long-Blade Weapons
Proposed Legislation Aims to Improve Public Safety by Regulating Retail Sale of Machetes, Knives, Swords: Wiebe
The Manitoba government is introducing legislation that would regulate the retail sale of long-bladed weapons, including machetes, knives and swords, Justice Minister Matt Wiebe announced today.
“Our government is committed to getting tough on crime and this new legislation would help keep our communities safer by restricting access to weapons such as machetes, knives and swords,” said Wiebe. “We’ve heard loud and clear: the purchase of these weapons needs to be restricted. We’re pleased to be moving forward to take real action to make our streets safer.”
Bill 39, the long-bladed weapon control act, aims to limit the supply of long-bladed weapons to individuals with dangerous intentions by:
requiring retailers to securely store long-bladed weapons in a way that prevents the public from accessing them without assistance;
prohibiting the retail sale of long-bladed weapons to minors under 18;
requiring purchasers to provide photo identification; and
requiring retailers to retain records, including purchaser information and transaction details, for a minimum of two years.
“Manitoba has seen significant success in deterring crime through regulating the retail sale of products targeted for criminal purposes,” said Wiebe. “Access controls, age restrictions and identification and record-keeping requirements have proven effective at combatting crime. Our government is expanding this approach to address long-bladed weapon violence in the province.”
The bill defines long-bladed weapons as having a metal blade at least 30 centimetres in length. The minister noted the definition could be expanded through regulation to include certain features or characteristics, in response to emerging community safety needs.
“Ensuring the safety and well-being of our AMC member nations is paramount. I want to recognize and applaud the efforts of the minister of justice to address the concerns put forth by First Nations leadership with this long blade weapons control act,” said Acting Grand Chief Betsy Kennedy, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC). “The AMC looks forward to continue being a part of this conversation and to work with Manitoba to draft a regulatory framework that prioritizes the protection of First Nation citizens in Manitoba.”
The legislation would also apply to online retailers shipping long-bladed weapons to Manitoba addresses, added Wiebe.
“The Manitoba Association of Chiefs of Police strongly supports provincial legislation that restricts the purchase of long-bladed machetes or knives by those who are acquiring with the intent to use for an unlawful or violent purpose,” said Scot Halley, president, Manitoba Association of Chiefs of Police. “Edged weapon and machete attacks have dramatically increased in the last number of years, the consequences of which can cause significant life-altering injuries or sometimes be fatal. This legislation is another tool to assist law enforcement in keeping these weapons out of the hands of the gang and criminal elements.”
If passed through the legislature, the bill would take effect on proclamation and be accompanied by regulations that would include additional long-bladed weapon features and characteristics, as well as exemptions where necessary, noted Wiebe. The minister added the province plans to consult retail businesses, law enforcement and Indigenous leadership to develop the regulations in the coming months.
1. Several measures are supported by the EU to improve coexistence with large carnivores, including through the CAP Strategic Plans (CSP) funded by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) as well as by the LIFE programme[1].
Within the CAP Strategic Plans (CSP), support schemes are designed by the Member States and approved by the Commission. These may include activities or investments such as the installation of various types of fences or acquisition of livestock guarding dogs and also including shepherding costs under some interventions. In the Italian CSP, four regions have included some of these elements (Calabria, Liguria, Piedmont and Tuscany).
2. In December 2023, the Commission published a comprehensive study on the wolf in the EU[2], that also addressed the specific issues mentioned by the Honourable Member[3]. Under the current EU legislation in force[4], national authorities have already the necessary tools to take appropriate preventive and reactive measures to address conflicts, problems, and any public safety situation related to protected wildlife species. Furthermore, on 20 December 2023, the Commission proposed a Council decision to change the wolf’s protection status under the Bern Convention[5], to which the EU and its Member States are parties. Following its adoption by the Council, the Commission has submitted the proposal to the secretary of the Bern Convention. The proposal is meant to create additional flexibility for the Parties to the Bern Convention to decide on the most appropriate management measures.
3. Damage compensation payments of up to 100% of direct and indirect costs of damages caused by protected species can be granted by the Member State within the framework of the EU State Aid rules.
A nature pilot project founded by the Go Flourish charity was officially opened on Saturday 5 October by Raoul Curtis-Machin, Director of Horticulture, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, much to the excitement of the many North Kessock Primary School pupils, parents and carers, teachers, and local community members who attended the event.
The Go Flourish Charity was established by Jane-Julia Gladwin in 2023 to bring a range of benefits to schools by establishing high quality teaching gardens within school grounds. The three-year North Kessock pilot project will be monitored by researchers at the University of St Andrews, Psychology and Neuroscience School, to examine the impact of the gardening programme on children’s well-being and to demonstrate proof of concept by gathering data on a range of benefits.
The North Kessock PS Go Flourish project is supported by fully qualified teacher, Laura Dorantt, who, as Liaison Teacher, has been working with the school over the last year in preparation to establish the garden in the school’s outdoor education curriculum. With the garden now installed and open, she will lead timetabled classes for pupils, and as the garden develops, will liaise with the local community to develop and sustain the Go Flourish Garden for the benefits of education, health, and community resilience. Based on the enthusiastic attendance of the school and local community at the Opening Day, Go Flourish is off to a very promising start.
The Highland Council’s Education Committee Chair, Cllr John Finlayson said: “This partnership project, designed to improve wellbeing and essential life skills is supported by the vision of the “Go Flourish Project” and St Andrews University’s School of Psychology and Neuroscience who will collate appropriate data and analysis to demonstrate the impact of the pilot project.
“I would like to acknowledge our gratitude to the Go Flourish founder and Garden Designer, Julia-Jane Gladwin for her unwavering support and I really look forward to visiting the outdoor classroom and learning from the pupils, staff and community involved in this wonderful project.”
This pilot project will provide:
A three-year scoping study funded by Go Flourish and St Andrews University.
Quantitative data to demonstrate educational, financial and societal benefits of Go Flourish school gardens.
Data backed evidence to inform local education authorities across Scotland and to the Scottish Government on the benefits of incorporating “Go Flourish Gardens” within school communities.
Learning the procedures and steps needed to establish and maintain sustainable gardens on Highland schools.
Go Flourish Charity Founder, Julia-Jane Gladwin said: “Our vision is to reinstate nature at the heart of education. The children at North Kessock Primary School will themselves be the proof of the intrinsic value of this.”
Primary 6 Pupil said: “The garden is cool! I like looking up through the trees when you see the sun shining through. And it smells really nice. It makes me happy.”
Regulation (EU) 2017/625[1] establishes the framework for the performance of official controls on animals and goods entering the Union to verify compliance with Union rules, in particular in the areas of food safety and animal health.
It provides that no consignments of animals coming from third countries can be introduced into the EU territory without being presented at the designated border control post of first arrival into the Union, where all consignments of animals must be inspected by official veterinarians.
The regulation obliges the competent authorities to have sufficient suitably qualified and experienced staff so that official controls are performed efficiently and effectively.
The Commission carries out audits and inspections aimed at monitoring the implementation and enforcement of Union law on live animal imports.
The list of countries authorised to import ovine and caprine animals to the EU is limited to six countries, where no case of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) has been reported so far.
According to currently available statistics, no consignments of sheep or goats have been imported into the EU from non-EU countries in 2024.
Therefore, there are no grounds for concluding that more veterinary staff would need to be deployed at the external border due to this disease incursion.
The Commission is not aware of any specific request by Greece for increased EU support for the border checks made over the last five years.
[1] Regulation (EU) 2017/625 (‘Official Controls Regulation’) of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products (OJ L 95, 7.4.2017, p. 1-142, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2017/625/oj)
The Highland Council are preparing to carry out improvement works at Monzie Square and its junction with Middle Street, Fraser Square to High Street and at An Aird Roundabout in Fort William.
The scope of the work is to improve access and will include resurfacing of footways, creating new drop kerbs and installing tactile paving.
Work is scheduled to start on Monday 14 October 2024 and will take approximately 4-6 weeks.
George Gordon Construction are the appointed contractor. They along with the Council will work together to minimise any disruption for road users and pedestrians during the works. Traffic management will be in operation as required and if at any time works might temporarily restrict access, businesses and residents will be notified in advance.
The Commission has received multiple complaints both against the recently approved Amendment 13.06 of Italy’s security bill that aims to restrict the movement of hemp inflorescences or products containing such inflorescences and against the Italian Decree of 27 June 2024[1] that classifies the products containing as an active substance for pharmaceutical use cannabidiol oil for oral consumption derived from Cannabis.
The analysis of these complaints is ongoing. In that context, the Commission is currently assessing the compliance of these measures with the Treaties and with secondary Union legislation.
[1] Decree of the Ministry of Health of 27 June 2024, Update of the tables containing the indication of narcotic and psychotropic substances, referred to in Presidential Decree No 309 of 9 October 1990, as amended and supplemented. Inclusion in the table of medicines, section B, of compositions for oral administration of cannabidiol obtained from cannabis extracts. OJ General Series No 157, 06.07.2024.
In 2022, the Commission purchased 334,540 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine (called Jynneos in the United States and Imvanex in the EU) and donated those to the Member States to respond to the global outbreak of mpox in Europe.
The Commission also concluded framework contracts under the Joint Procurement Agreement (JPA) that allow participating countries to purchase up to 2 million doses of vaccine until the end of 2024 and 10 million courses of the therapeutic Tecovirimat SIGA until mid-2026.
The Commission is currently in discussions with the JPA participant countries and the manufacturer Bavarian Nordic to conclude a new vaccine framework contract.
Imvanex is the only vaccine authorised at Union level for adult immunisation against mpox. The European Commission issued a decision extending the indication of use for Imvanex to include adolescents from 12 to 17 years of age on 19 September 2024. Tecovirimat SIGA is the only medicine authorised at EU level for treatment of mpox in adults and children weighing at least 13 kg.
Following the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 14 August 2024, the Commission donated 215 420 vaccine doses to Africa via the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. To date, 200 000 of these doses have been delivered to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Commission is also coordinating the response by the EU and Member States in a Team Europe approach where Member States have so far committed to donating approximately 360 000 additional doses to Africa as soon as an agreement is reached on allocation and acceptance of these doses by recipient countries.
The Commission promotes market integration and interconnectivity in the region through the trans-European network framework, the process to establish a list of Projects of Common and Mutual Interest (PCI/PMI) and the work of the Central and South-Eastern Europe Energy Connectivity (CESEC) High-Level group[1]. Several of the region’s PCIs were financially supported from the Connecting Europe Facility in the past[2], increasing interconnectivity.
The existing PCI list contains several projects in the region, such as the interconnector between Hungary and Romania. A new PCI/PMI selection process started in September 2024.
The Commission welcomes projects that will address inter alia a closer integration of the Southeast European region with the other regions in Europe.
While the Commission continues to monitor the situation, it appears that the high prices result from a structural shortage of flexibility in the electricity system of the region in times when it is needed to meet peak demand.
The reform of the electricity market design sets out rules addressing these situations[3]. It aims to make electricity bills more independent from short-term prices and to provide greater incentives for non-fossil flexibility such as demand response and storage.
Union legislation also enables Member States to protect vulnerable consumers with regulated prices at retail level, subject to specific conditions[4].
[3] Regulation (EU) 2024/1747 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 amending Regulations (EU) 2019/942 and (EU) 2019/943 as regards improving the Union’s electricity market design (OJ L, 2024/1747).
[4] Directive (EU) 2019/944 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 on common rules for the internal market for electricity and amending Directive 2012/27/EU (OJ 2019, L 158).
Question for written answer E-001920/2024 to the Commission Rule 144 Saskia Bricmont (Verts/ALE), Anna Strolenberg (Verts/ALE), Martin Hojsík (Renew), Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová (Renew), Ľubica Karvašová (Renew), Michal Wiezik (Renew), Lucia Yar (Renew), Leoluca Orlando (Verts/ALE), Jan Farský (PPE), Jeroen Lenaers (PPE), Jana Toom (Renew), Murielle Laurent (S&D), Gordan Bosanac (Verts/ALE), Krzysztof Brejza (PPE), Gaetano Pedulla’ (The Left), Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE), Emma Rafowicz (S&D), Dario Tamburrano (The Left), Giuseppe Antoci (The Left), Birgit Sippel (S&D), Olivier Chastel (Renew), Krzysztof Śmiszek (S&D), Benoit Cassart (Renew), Merja Kyllönen (The Left), Marie Toussaint (Verts/ALE), Damien Carême (The Left), Sebastian Everding (The Left), Nathalie Loiseau (Renew), Mounir Satouri (Verts/ALE), Rasmus Nordqvist (Verts/ALE), Markéta Gregorová (Verts/ALE), David Cormand (Verts/ALE), Danuše Nerudová (PPE), Ľudovít Ódor (Renew), Raquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle (Renew)
According to recent press reports[1], Slovak intelligence services have acquired Pegasus spyware. This technology targets mobile devices and enables the extraction of very sensitive personal data, as well as being able to activate a device’s microphone and camera. In June 2023 Parliament adopted a report[2] calling for strict conditions to be put in place to restrict the use of such intrusive technologies. Given the current situation in the country – including attacks on journalists, activists, civil society, and the opposition – we are very concerned that the potential use of this spyware will pose a significant threat to fundamental rights and the rule of law.
1.Has the Commission contacted the Slovak authorities to confirm the acquisition and use of spyware in Slovakia and to assess the potential implications for democracy and the rule of law?
2.What measures does the Commission intend to take to ensure that surveillance technologies comply with data protection requirements and respect human rights within the EU?
3.We understand that the Commission will be publishing a communication regarding the use of spyware. When will the communication be published and will it include binding obligations for Member States, as recommended by the report from Parliament’s PEGA Committee?
AMENDMENTS 005-005 JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION pursuant to Rule 136(2) and (4) of the Rules of Procedure replacing the following motions: B10-0070/2024 (Renew) B10-0071/2024 (ECR) B10-0079/2024 (PPE) B10-0083/2024 (Verts/ALE) B10-0084/2024 (S&D) on the democratic backsliding and threats to political pluralism in Georgia (2024/2822(RSP)) Rasa Juknevičienė, Michael Gahler, Andrzej Halicki, Sebastião Bugalho, David McAllister, Željana Zovko, Nicolás Pascual De La Parte, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Antonio López-Istúriz White, Wouter Beke, Daniel Caspary, Jan Farský, Sandra Kalniete, Ondřej Kolář, Andrey Kovatchev, Andrius Kubilius, Miriam Lexmann, Vangelis Meimarakis, Ana Miguel Pedro, Davor Ivo Stier, Michał Szczerba, Ingeborg Ter Laak, Matej Tonin, Milan Zver on behalf of the PPE Group Yannis Maniatis, Nacho Sánchez Amor, Sven Mikser on behalf of the S&D Group Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Adam Bielan, Mariusz Kamiński, Rihards Kols, Reinis Pozņaks, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Carlo Fidanza, Veronika Vrecionová, Michał Dworczyk, Ondřej Krutílek, Małgorzata Gosiewska, Alberico Gambino, Assita Kanko on behalf of the ECR Group Urmas Paet, Petras Auštrevičius, Dan Barna, Helmut Brandstätter, Benoit Cassart, Olivier Chastel, Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Bernard Guetta, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Nathalie Loiseau, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Hilde Vautmans, Lucia Yar, Dainius Žalimas on behalf of the Renew Group Reinier Van Lanschot on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group Jonas Sjöstedt, Hanna Gedin
AMENDMENTS 001-001 JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION pursuant to Rule 136(2) and (4) of the Rules of Procedure replacing the following motions: B10-0070/2024 (Renew) B10-0071/2024 (ECR) B10-0079/2024 (PPE) B10-0083/2024 (Verts/ALE) B10-0084/2024 (S&D) on the democratic backsliding and threats to political pluralism in Georgia (2024/2822(RSP)) Rasa Juknevičienė, Michael Gahler, Andrzej Halicki, Sebastião Bugalho, David McAllister, Željana Zovko, Nicolás Pascual De La Parte, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Antonio López-Istúriz White, Wouter Beke, Daniel Caspary, Jan Farský, Sandra Kalniete, Ondřej Kolář, Andrey Kovatchev, Andrius Kubilius, Miriam Lexmann, Vangelis Meimarakis, Ana Miguel Pedro, Davor Ivo Stier, Michał Szczerba, Ingeborg Ter Laak, Matej Tonin, Milan Zver on behalf of the PPE Group Yannis Maniatis, Nacho Sánchez Amor, Sven Mikser on behalf of the S&D Group Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Adam Bielan, Mariusz Kamiński, Rihards Kols, Reinis Pozņaks, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Carlo Fidanza, Veronika Vrecionová, Michał Dworczyk, Ondřej Krutílek, Małgorzata Gosiewska, Alberico Gambino, Assita Kanko on behalf of the ECR Group Urmas Paet, Petras Auštrevičius, Dan Barna, Helmut Brandstätter, Benoit Cassart, Olivier Chastel, Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Bernard Guetta, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Nathalie Loiseau, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Hilde Vautmans, Lucia Yar, Dainius Žalimas on behalf of the Renew Group Reinier Van Lanschot on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group Jonas Sjöstedt, Hanna Gedin
