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  • MIL-OSI USA: Administrator Samantha Power Travels to Lviv and Western Ukraine

    Source: USAID

    The below is attributable to Spokesperson Benjamin Suarato:‎

    Today, Administrator Samantha Power traveled to Western Ukraine. She first visited a substation that provides energy to approximately 500,000 residents in the region and has been targeted in Russian air strikes. The Administrator saw new autotransformers purchased by USAID, and saw how, with USAID support, our Ukrainian partners have installed additional protective measures. The Administrator reaffirmed USAID’s commitment to supporting Ukraine in building its energy resilience and security in the face of Russia’s continued ruthless attacks on energy infrastructure.

    Next, Administrator Power traveled to Lviv where she visited the site where eight people were killed in the Russian airstrike in Lviv on September 4 and paid respects at a memorial near their home. She then went to Urban Camp, a hub and community space for internally displaced persons, established by Ukrainian NGO Street Culture and supported by USAID, where she spoke with Lviv Mayor Andriy Ivanovych Sadovy and sat down with displaced Ukrainians to hear about their experiences.

    Administrator Power then met with business leaders from Ukraine’s vibrant tech sector at the Lviv IT Cluster, which brings together over 300 technology companies from across Ukraine with USAID support. The IT Cluster leadership explained the enormous progress and potential of Ukraine’s tech sector as well as the challenges they’re facing because of Putin’s war on Ukraine. The group discussed joint work to expand private sector investment in Ukraine and Administrator Power emphasized that strengthening the resilience of economic sectors such as IT is a critical component of USAID’s assistance to Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion and revitalizes its economy.

    The Administrator concluded her visit with a tour of the historic city with the Mayor of Lviv Andriy Ivanovych Sadovyi.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Minister Shorten interview on the Today Show with Sarah Abo and Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton

    Source: Ministers for Social Services

    Program:

    Today Show

    Interviewer:

    Sarah Abo

    E&OE TRANSCRIPT

    SUBJECTS: Planned protests to mark one year anniversary of Oct 7 attacks; Australians in Lebanon; NRL grand final

    SARAH ABO, HOST: Well, thousands of protesters will take to the streets this weekend to mark a year of the Israel-Gaza conflict, with authorities calling for calm after the rallies were given the green light. For more, we’re joined by NDIS and Government Services Minister Bill Shorten in Melbourne and opposition leader Peter Dutton in Brisbane. Good to see you both. Pete, I’ll start with you. So, New South Wales tried to block this rally, that was overruled. The SA, in South Australia, the police say they don’t oppose it. Those attending say it’ll be peaceful. So how do we strike the right balance here?

    PETER DUTTON, LIBERAL PARTY: Well, Sarah, this is the biggest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust. And that’s what October 7th is. So, it’s the anniversary of the terrorist attack in the kibbutz’s and where people were slaughtered in the Nova music festival. So, there were no attacks, no rockets launched by Israel on October 7th or October 8th or October 9th. The response came after that, as we know. So, this is an anniversary of 1200 people losing their lives. And that’s why the protests shouldn’t go ahead. And you would only be protesting the anniversary of that loss of life if you were trying to be provocative or difficult. If you were marking the anniversary of the Holocaust, people would be outraged. And I just think it’s completely unacceptable that people would be using this opportunity to essentially rub, you know, I just think they’re compounding the grief of people who have lost lives. And it’s completely unacceptable.

    ABO: Yeah, I mean, Pete, I guess despite all of that, they are still going ahead. I mean, there’s nothing we can do to stop it. So, it’s really just about upholding the peaceful intended nature of it.

    DUTTON: Well, just again, Sarah, I mean, why would people why would people want to do this? And I think there are people within the community, leaders so-called within the community, who should show greater sensitivity and there are other dates that they can commemorate. But October 7th is an anniversary where 1200 people were killed by a terrorist organization and people who were sympathizers to the terrorist organization in this country, frankly, are at odds with our values and our rule of law.

    ABO: And, Bill, there are obviously significant sensitivities around this. And as we know, the tensions are escalating currently in the Middle East. There’s a lot of heat in the community, and it seems little is being done to sort of turn down that temperature. Is the government concerned that these protests may cause further rifts in the community?

    BILL SHORTEN, MINISTER FOR THE NDIS AND GOVERNENT SERVICES: Well, I agree with a fair bit of what Peter was saying there. October the 7th was a massacre of Israelis. Hamas crossed the border. They killed young people at a concert. They committed shocking crimes. They kidnapped people. They sexually abused people. I don’t know what someone who’s – I don’t know why someone would protest about that or be in some fashion being seen to lend their weight to it. I mean, we are a free country. We don’t want to become like the countries that we criticize. But I just think on October the 7th, that was a massacre of innocent people. Now, there might be some people watching who say, oh, what about, you know, my side of the argument and my hurt and my pain. I accept that, but one, you’ve got to keep it peaceful. Two, why do it on the day where – you know, if you really think that Hamas was right. I do not understand how you think. I do not understand how people would want to celebrate Hamas’ actions.

    ABO: Yeah.

    SHORTEN: So yeah, but I think most Australians don’t want to see these arguments from overseas coming to these shores. They certainly expect it to be peaceful. And I’ll just say to any protesters, if you think somehow, you’re convincing or changing anyone’s mind, think again.

    ABO: It is truly horrific, that’s for sure. The fresh wave of attacks that we’re seeing, bill in Lebanon at the moment. The UN has called this truly catastrophic. We know that the Australian government is doing what it can, deploying the RAAF planes there to try and evacuate some. How is that all tracking at the moment?

    SHORTEN: Yeah. I want to thank our people in the Australian Defence Force. We have military resources to help evacuate people pre-positioned in Cyprus. I know the government’s assisted people on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday to get commercial flights out. I know there’ll be opportunities on Saturday for 500 Australian citizens and immediate family members. But also, I have to say that the Prime Minister and the government has been saying since last November, please do not go to Lebanon. Whilst it might have been a surprise on which particular day the fighting escalated, the point is there was a big chance the fighting was going to escalate. So please get out now. Do not go to Lebanon. Please get out now. The Australian Government has a phone number. I think it’s 6261 3305. 6261 3305. But yeah, just let’s get out of there. It’s just – there’s nothing going to be good about being in Lebanon right now.

    ABO: Yeah. I think both sides are in agreement on that. Look, it’s all very heavy and really tragic and awful. So, let’s focus on something a little bit different now because this weekend of course we have the big NRL grand final decider. It’s less than 48 hours away with the Storm taking on the Panthers. Pete, I wanted to ask you. I mean, seeing as you’re single handedly responsible for the turning of the political tide in Victoria, you would, of course, be backing the Storm right now, right?

    DUTTON: Well, I’ve picked. I’ve picked Penrith, I think. Just an amazing –

    ABO: What? Pete.

    DUTTON: They are an amazing team. They are an amazing team.

    ABO: You need to win Melbourne over mate, come on.

    DUTTON: I’m still celebrating the Lions win. I’m still, I’m still – every Victorian was going against the New South Wales team last weekend. So, they were all on the Lions and we were on a unity ticket. So, this week – you know I just think I mean storms had had an incredible season as well. But I just think Penrith will be too strong.

    ABO: Billy, surely you’ve got the storm, right?

    SHORTEN: Yeah. No, I think the Storm’s a really well-run club. I’ve been lucky enough to have a bit to do with them over the journey and, you know they did beat Penrith in 2020. Craig Bellamy, ten grand finals. Penrith is a really strong team. One thing’s for sure. The two best teams are playing in the grand final. But, you know, Pete, there was that chance for you to sort of cement the deal in Victoria, but given two choices –

    ABO: I know, I gave him an opportunity.

    SHORTEN: But you went the wrong way, I know

    ABO: He didn’t take it. 
    .
    SHORTEN: Sarah just laid it out in the red carpet. I don’t know. I don’t know.

    DUTTON: Hey, Bill, I’m just glad that you know there’s an NRL team in in Victoria. Well done.

    ABO: We couldn’t leave this chat without a sledge. Right? Okay.

    SHORTEN: That’s good. And do you know what? Even though we’re not an NRL, even though we’re not an NRL state, we can still win the flag. I love it. When Victorians turn their mind to something. We’re unstoppable.

    ABO: Yes. Let’s go with that.

    SHORTEN: It’s actually the third Queensland team anyway.

    ABO: Thank you both very much for joining us.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Administrator Samantha Power at a Press Gaggle in Lviv

    Source: USAID

    ADMINISTRATOR SAMANTHA POWER: I just met with a great group of Ukrainians here at the IT Cluster. This is an innovation hub supported by the Government of Ukraine and by USAID. I have learned from Ukrainian entrepreneurs, and I’ll just give you one example of the kinds of innovations that are happening. 

    Knopka is a member of the IT Cluster here that is revolutionizing medical alert systems. Traditionally, medical alert systems are not wireless. This matters for Ukraine because they would not work during power outages. Power outages have been a real issue for hospitals during the war. So, one Ukrainian entrepreneur here developed a system called “Knopka”. If anything abnormal happens with a patient’s vital signs or the patient indicates that they need care, Knopka sends an alert out to doctors’ and nurses’ phones using cellular data. As long as their phones have some charge left. These doctors and nurses know exactly where to go and who to help us, even when there is no power during the blackout. Knopka technology is 30 percent cheaper than other medical alert systems. While those other systems can often take weeks or even months to install, Knopke’s technology can be installed in just one day. 

    Supported by USAID, Knopka is growing fast. It has already been installed in 30 hospitals in Ukraine and one in Poland, and now Knopka is in talks with hospitals and clinics in Canada and the United States. Those hospitals and clinics are considering acquiring its system, too. Just in the past six months, Knopka’s workforce has expanded from 20 to 35 employees. Knopka’s Founder and CEO said, “Despite the challenges of war, we demonstrate Ukraine’s capacity for innovation and the talent behind it.” 

    So, it is this capacity for innovation that has driven Ukraine’s ability to retain business despite being more than two and a half years into Putin’s brutal invasion. In the tech sector alone, 95 percent of Ukraine’s 5,000 tech companies, including household names like Grammarly and GitLab, have retained their national and global contracts, together powering a full 12 percent of Ukraine’s exports. Since 2022, indeed Ukraine’s tech sector has grown seven percent, contributing $14 billion to Ukraine’s economy.  

    Ukraine’s business leaders in the tech sector and beyond it, are harnessing their creativity and their resilience to lead the country into the future and at USAID, we have been privileged to do what we can to support that effort. Since 2022, we have directly deployed more than $260 million to support businesses in Ukraine, from relocating and restoring the operations of companies on the front lines, to running reskilling programs to train Ukrainians in high demand trades like construction and transportation, to increasing access for businesses and for startups to affordable financing. 

    This support has itself unlocked $232 million in new investments to Ukrainian companies. This helps them expand operations, hire Ukrainians, and this investment allows them to provide much needed tax revenue to support Ukraine’s defense.

    At the same time, we are working closely with our partners in the Ukrainian government to help them shape the business environment. International businesses describe for us the policy and regulatory reforms that they need to be convinced to invest in Ukraine. So, we are working closely with our partners in the Ukrainian government to improve transparency, to reduce opportunities for self-dealing, and to make the judiciary more independent. All of these are critical steps to building confidence that contracts will be honored and investment regulations will be enforced. 

    And finally, we are thrilled to be able to support Ukraine’s ambition to become a global leader in e-governance. As all of you Ukrainians here well know, the revolutionary Diia app that we have supported for years makes it possible for Ukrainians to access all kinds of services. It allows Ukrainian entrepreneurs to register companies, apply for permits, begin procurement processes, and more. By registering on the Diia City platform, Ukrainian and international companies alike, can access benefits that incentivize them to do business in Ukraine – benefits like reduced taxation and legal and financing support. In the first quarter of this year alone, businesses registered on Diia’s City have contributed over four billion Hryvni tax revenue to the Government of Ukraine, that is the equivalent of nearly $100 million. And, these are taxes, of course, that can be used to rebuild schools, to heat homes in winter and to fuel Ukraine’s defense.

    Businesses, like the ones I met with today, are working to build a future where the ingenuity of the Ukrainian people drives progress. Driving that progress not only here in Ukraine, but in places all around the world that will continue to benefit from the products, services, and ideas developed here. 

    Thank you so much, and I look forward to your questions. 

    QUESTION (via translation): How much monetary equivalent has the U.S. government financed in technology in Ukraine and especially western Ukraine?

    ADMINISTRATOR POWER: We will have to get back to you with the precise figure, especially with the geographic breakdown that you are looking for. But, I am sure someone on the team can provide that. 

    QUESTION (via translation): If you think about long term supporting perspective, where does [the] U.S. government see Ukraine in [the] future? Is it technological? Is it [an] agrarian country? Is it a country of construction?  

    ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Thank you for that question. As someone who works at an Agency that addresses food insecurity all around the world, I know firsthand the terrible harm that Putin caused by preventing Ukrainian agricultural exports from leaving Ukraine. I saw kids in sub-Saharan Africa who were hungrier because the food prices went up so much because Ukrainian agricultural exports were blocked by Putin’s forces. So, we are in awe of Ukraine’s farmers and its innovators who have found a way, despite the war, to increase agricultural exports now basically to their pre-war levels. And, we recognize that Ukraine’s farmers, as is evidenced by Ukraine’s flag, are foundational to this country’s economy. Ukraine’s agriculture is also a huge part of Ukraine’s identity, and it is a huge part of keeping people fed around the world. 

    But, what is really exciting about what we see in the Lviv IT Cluster is the diversification of Ukraine’s economy. And, seeing the steady growth of IT services as exports in this country, gives us, I think, an indication of where the future can take Ukraine. There are apparently 307,000 tech professionals now in Ukraine, and that is a seven percent increase from last year. Ukraine is becoming famous all around the world for the Diia app. Many citizens in other countries who see the Diia app are very jealous of Ukrainians. The simplicity and the government accountability that makes life better and easier for citizens is something many countries would wish to have. The more people learn in Silicon Valley and elsewhere about the kind of innovation that is happening at a place like this, the more we will see investment and increased exports in IT services.

    We are, of course, also seeing a lot of innovation in other manufacturing sectors. Because of Russia’s brutal attacks, Ukraine has had to innovate in the defense sector. Even drones, which are being manufactured now in Ukraine, have broad civilian appeal for farmers and other sectors around the world. Ukraine is a home to many critical minerals that provides economic opportunity in the future. And, of course, as Ukraine shifts its energy economy to renewables, that will be something, I’m sure, of great interest outside this country.

    My point is not to specify, again, any particular trajectory for Ukraine. It is simply to take note of the incredible innovation and resources that will power Ukraine’s economy in the future. And, of course, it is young people that will drive even more innovation and more ideas of what can come from Ukraine beyond even what I have mentioned today. When I think of all of the innovation that has occurred in Ukraine, just since the full-scale invasion, I marvel at imagining what this country and the Ukrainian people can do in peacetime. And, now Ukraine is more famous than it was before Putin’s full-scale invasion, for the resilience, but also the creativity and innovation of its people. 

    QUESTION: Ms. Power, I’m very thankful for your generous support that USAID has been giving to both private sector, state institutions, and civil society in Ukraine for years. But, I wanted to ask – I know that from my own feelings – I see that USAID is an institution that is caring [for] both people. And, besides funding, both in trends and investments, we do need people, and we do understand that Ukraine, for boosting its innovations and its economy, needs [to] bring people back. We have six to seven million abroad, we have people dying on the front line, and we have a very low birth rate. Is it something that is in your concern, and that USAID would think about, and would think of some special projects to help, somehow, help this situation.

    ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Well, this is something, actually, I discussed yesterday with President Zelenskyy. It is absolutely critical for Ukraine’s future that its population here is thriving. It is crucial, for example, that the tech professionals who are being groomed here, see themselves as having a full future here where they don’t feel they need to move to Silicon Valley. 

    What USAID is doing is looking at many of the reasons that Ukrainians feel compelled to leave. So, one of the things I discussed with the President is the safety of schools. USAID has invested in refurbishing and rendering more secure around 10,000 bunkers in schools. In Kharkiv, we’ve actually been involved in building a school that is entirely underground because of the situation there. So, education is one example where, as we think about where to make our investments, we do so thinking about a parent who wants nothing more in the world than to keep their children safe. 

    The other core dimension of our work that is designed, of course, to keep people here or to draw people back, is work on helping the economy grow. When people cannot find work, they go to try to find work somewhere else. So, being very specific about which programs can help create jobs for Ukrainians is another example of this kind of work. 

    But, in the future, when peace comes back to Ukraine, there will be tremendous opportunities for jobs and, of course, for people to experience the safety that they once knew. And, that is when we and the European Union and, of course, the government and the people here will need to be very intentional on how we advertise all the opportunities that will exist in what will then be a stronger economy and a stronger democracy.

    This is why the reforms, tackling corruption, strengthening the judiciary, and making the regulatory environment for business more attractive, none of those reforms can wait. And, if that reform effort can continue to progress, it will make Ukraine, on the other side of war, a place that businesses flock to, even more than we are able to get them to come now.

    The very last thing I would say is the obvious, which is a huge part of ensuring or increasing the likelihood that people stay in Ukraine is that the 50-country coalition continues to support Ukraine’s defense. And, that is why the very significant defense package that President Biden just announced is an important part of the answer to your question. More air defense means that citizens can feel safer and that they are less likely to leave the country. That is why we, in the United States, understand that attracting people to stay in Ukraine is a whole-of-U.S.-government enterprise. 

    Thank you.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Hooning Offences – Katherine

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Northern Territory Police have impounded a vehicle in relation to recent hooning offences in Katherine.

    On the evening of Wednesday 2 October 2024, two vehicles were sighted by members of the public driving in a manner that caused damage to road surface and public places as well as driving a vehicle causing a deliberate loss of traction.

    NT Police members from the Road Policing Division became aware of the incident after footage was posted on social media by a member of the public. Police have since located one of the vehicle’s following an investigation.

    Police subsequently seized the vehicle under hooning legislation, which has since been impounded.

    The registered owner of the vehicle will receive an infringement notice for drive vehicle causing loss of traction and damaging road surfaces.

    Sergeant Rowan Benson said  “ Hooning will not be tolerated in our community. The manner of driving is dangerous and put the occupants of the vehicle and members of the community at unnecessary risk.

    Road users are encouraged to report traffic offending to police either by calling 13144 or online at http://pfes.nt.gov.au/reportonline

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Department of Labor investigators find Nebraska grain cooperative exposed workers to combustible dust, multiple hazards at Hemingford elevator

    Source: US Department of Labor

    HEMINGFORD, NE ‒ Federal investigators found life-threatening hazards at a Nebraska grain cooperative, where workers faced risks of fire and explosions due to the company allowing a buildup of combustible dust and failing to maintain effective dust collection systems, leading to more than $500,000 in proposed penalties. 

    Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration responded to a complaint of unsafe working conditions at Legacy Cooperative’s Hemingford grain elevator and opened its inspection in March 2024, under the agency’s regional emphasis program for grain-handling facilities in Nebraska. 

    Specifically, OSHA found the company permitted more than one-eighth inch of grain dust to accumulate in priority housekeeping areas, such as in the bottom belt tunnel and around the elevator legs. The agency also found duct tape wrapped around the dust collection system, located in the bottom belt tunnel, in a makeshift attempt to repair the dust collection system. This reduced the system’s efficiency and increased its vulnerability to failure. If left unchecked, grain dust can ignite in seconds and cause deadly fires and explosions. 

    “Grain dust fires and explosions are a well-known industry hazard, which makes Legacy Grain Cooperative’s failure to control dust where a belt’s friction could easily cause ignition inexcusable,” said OSHA Area Director Matthew Thurlby in Omaha, Nebraska. “Employers must develop company-wide safety procedures to mitigate known grain handling dangers and ensure workers are trained to recognize hazards.”

    OSHA cited Legacy Cooperative for two willful and 22 serious safety and health violations and proposed penalties totaling $536,965 for the following safety failures:

    • Not conducting regular inspections on equipment.
    • Failing to certify completion of preventive maintenance. 
    • Not complying with permit-confirmed space requirements, including developing procedures for entry operations that included hazard evaluations, atmospheric testing, rescue procedures, monitoring and training.
    • Exposing workers to fall hazards from unguarded stairway holes and a lack of handrails.
    • Failing to close electrical openings and improper use of flexible cords.
    • Not providing forklift training as required.
    • Failing to label containers of hazardous chemicals properly.

    Through its alliance program, OSHA has partnered with the Grain Handling Safety Coalition, Grain Elevator and Processing Society and National Grain and Feed Association to address hazards, reduce risks and improve safety and health management systems to help prevent life-altering injuries and fatalities and identify the critical steps for handling grain safely. 

    Established by the merger of Farmer’s Cooperative and Panhandle Cooperative in 2024, the Legacy Cooperative is based in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Its Hemingford elevator was operated by Farmer’s Cooperative previously. 

    The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. 

    Learn more about OSHA and industry-recognized safety rules for agricultural operations. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: US Department of Labor enters agreement with Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics to resolve alleged gender pay discrimination at Delaware facility

    Source: US Department of Labor

    NEWARK, DE – The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has entered into a conciliation agreement with Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc. to resolve alleged pay discrimination against female employees at its manufacturing facility in Newark. 

    A routine OFCCP compliance review found that, beginning Jan. 1, 2020, the employer paid females in system engineer roles less than male counterparts in similar positions at the laboratory diagnostics manufacturing center. Such action violates Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment decisions based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.

    In addition to paying eight female system engineers $57,200 in back wages and interest, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics made $24,821 in salary adjustments for three women. The company also agreed to review its compensation practices and policies and train managers to ensure future compliance. 

    “Our conciliation agreement with Siemens reflects the U.S. Department of Labor’s continued efforts to bridge gender wage gaps and hold federal contractors accountable when they fail to comply with the law,” said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Regional Director Samuel B. Maiden in Philadelphia.

    Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc. is contracted by the National Institutes of Health and employs about 1,300 workers in Newark. Since 2020, the company has held at least $882 million in federal contracts with numerous federal agencies including the National Institute of Health and the Department of Defense.

    Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc. in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc. is the holding company of Siemens Healthineers AG’s U.S., based in Germany. 

    In addition to Executive Order 11246, OFCCP enforces Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974. These laws, as amended, prohibit federal contractors and subcontractors from discrimination in employment because of disability or status as a protected veteran.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Two people charged with drug trafficking 

    Source: Tasmania Police

    A 23 year old Penguin woman and a 36 year old Burnie man have been charged by police with trafficking in controlled substance and other crimes committed in the state’s north and north west.
    Yesterday members of the Western Drugs and Firearms Unit and other specialist units arrested a man and woman in the Exeter area after a targeted operation.  A search was conducted at the time of the arrest where police seized illicit drugs, stolen property and cash.
    As a result of the investigation, the woman was charged with trafficking in controlled substance, selling controlled drug, possessing a controlled drug, dealing with proceeds of crime, using controlled drugs, burglaries, stealing and failing to appear in court.
    The man was charged with trafficking in controlled substances, possessing a controlled drug, burglaries, stealing, aggravated evade, unlicenced driving, and attaching false registration plates.
    The man has appeared in court and has been remanded in custody to reappear on 7 November.  The woman was also remanded in court to reappear on 11 November.
    Police will continue to target those who cause harm to our community through illicit drug distribution.  Anyone with information to assist is asked to contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at crimestopperstas.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Man Agrees to Plead Guilty to Interstate Transportation of Stolen Andy Warhol Art Print

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

    LOS ANGELES – An Ohio man has agreed to plead guilty to a federal criminal charge for trafficking a stolen Andy Warhol print worth at least $175,000. 

    Image Source: Federal Plea Agreement

    Brian Alec Light, 58, of Hudson, Ohio (formerly a resident of downtown Los Angeles), is expected to plead guilty in the coming weeks to one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods. His initial appearance in federal court is scheduled for October 28.

    According to his plea agreement, a thief stole the Warhol print – a trial proof depicting former Soviet Union leader Vladimir Lenin and was print number 44 of 46 total Warhol made – from the victim’s home in Los Angeles County in early 2021. The victim informed law enforcement of its theft soon after, as well as the original gallery in West Hollywood that sold him the artwork. Days after the theft, the thief brought the artwork to a pawnshop, which purchased it. The pawnshop’s owner contacted Light for help selling the artwork, which Light knew was stolen. Light contacted an auction house to sell the print within weeks of its theft. Light told the pawnshop owner to drop off the Warhol at the auction house in Beverly Hills so that it could be transported to Dallas for inspection and sale, which the pawnshop owner did.

    The auction house shipped the Warhol artwork to Dallas where it was to be inspected and included in an upcoming auction in the spring of 2021. An employee of the auction house in Dallas reached out to the gallery in West Hollywood for its opinion of the piece. The gallery immediately recognized the piece as the stolen piece of art. As a result, the gallery notified the auction house of its stolen nature and notified the FBI. When the FBI questioned Light about it, he lied and created a fake receipt purporting to show that he bought the print before it was stolen. 

    Upon pleading guilty, Light will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. 

    As part of his plea agreement, Light will forfeit the stolen artwork retrieved by law enforcement.

    The FBI’s Art Crime Team is investigating this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorney Erik Silber, Senior Counsel in the Criminal Division and Assistant United States Attorneys Dominique Caamano and Matthew O’Brien, of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section, are prosecuting this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sixty-Eight Defendants Charged in Indictment of Dozens of Members and Associates of San Fernando Valley White Supremacist Gang

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

    LOS ANGELES – Federal and local law enforcement have arrested 42 members and associates of the SFV Peckerwoods, a San Fernando Valley-based white supremacist street gang, on a 76-count federal grand jury indictment alleging they engaged in a years-long pattern of racketeering activity that included trafficking of drugs – including fentanyl – illegal firearms possession, and COVID-19 benefits and loan fraud, the Justice Department announced today. 

    The indictment unsealed today charges a total of 68 defendants with a score of federal crimes: conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of controlled substances, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, and possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices.

    The 29 defendants arrested today are expected to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. Prior to today’s takedown, 13 defendants were already in custody.

    During the investigation, law enforcement seized large quantities of illegal firearms, and dozens of pounds of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin, according to the indictment. 

    “The Peckerwoods’ violent white-supremacist ideology and wide-ranging criminal activity pose a grave menace to our community,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “By allegedly engaging in everything from drug-trafficking to firearms offenses to identity theft to COVID fraud, and through their alliance with a neo-Nazi prison gang, the Peckerwoods are a destructive force. In prosecuting the members of the Peckerwoods criminal organization, our office is carrying out its mission to protect the public from the most dangerous threats.”

    “The Justice Department has dealt a decisive blow to the San Fernando Valley (SFV) Peckerwoods, a violent white supremacist gang that we charge is responsible for trafficking deadly fentanyl and other drugs, committing robberies, and perpetrating financial fraud to fund both their criminal enterprise and that of the Aryan Brotherhood,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “With today’s charges and arrests, the Justice Department, together with our state, local, and federal partners has targeted the heart of this gang’s operations, and we will continue to zero in on the criminal enterprises that endanger our communities.”

    “This operation, led by our Joint Terrorism Task Force, disrupted a racially motivated violent extremist group who engaged in a wide range of criminal activity,” said Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “This case strikes at the heart of our collective mission to rid our communities of the corrosive elements that fuel violence and extremism that greatly impact our way of life. The FBI, along with our federal, state, and local partners, remains strongly committed to working every day to make sure the people of the Southland remain safe.”

    “The San Fernando Valley Peckerwoods, the Aryan Brotherhood and their associates are fused by one thing: hatred,” Matthew Allen, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Los Angeles Field Division. “It appears, however, that the business of hate was not enough for them. Driven by greed, they engaged in other crimes, including drug distribution, pushing out deadly fentanyl onto our streets. Operating from corners of the San Fernando Valley, they conducted their crimes within and beyond the 8-1-8 community. Today’s large-scale indictments and arrests reflect our relentless commitment to dismantling criminal organizations that continue to harm our communities.”         

    According to the indictment that a grand jury returned on September 26, the Peckerwoods is a street gang based in communities in the San Fernando Valley whose members engage in a wide variety of criminal activity, including drug trafficking, violent crime, and fraud. As a white supremacist gang, the Peckerwoods at times takes orders from the Aryan Brotherhood, California’s dominant prison-based white supremacist gang, and maintains an alliance with the Mexican Mafia prison gang, which controls most Latino street gangs in California. The Peckerwoods use Nazi tattoos, graffiti, and iconography to indicate their violent white supremacy extremist ideology. These tattoos and iconography include swastikas, the symbol “88”, used by violent white supremacy extremists as code for “Heil Hitler,” and images of Nazi aircraft.

    Members and associates of the gang used social media to share information with each other about their criminal activities and gang rules, to identify gang members in good standing, and to target people who broke the gang’s rules. The social media use included a members-only Facebook group and private, direct messages between the gang’s members and associates. 

    From at least December 2016 to September 2024, Peckerwoods members conducted and participated in the affairs of their criminal enterprise by engaging in violence and threats of violence to preserve and expand the gang’s criminal operations, which promoted a climate of fear. Members and associates of the gang illegally maintained firearms and ammunition in furtherance of these aims.

    To generate revenue for the gang, its members trafficked narcotics, including fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine. Specifically, lead defendant Claire Patricia Haviland, 62, of Chatsworth, and co-defendants Brian Glenn Ekelund, 53, of Chatsworth, and Brianne Brewer, 38, of North Hollywood, maintained and oversaw drug stash houses where large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and other drugs were stored prior to distribution. Haviland and Ekelund allegedly mailed illegal drugs to customers and used applications such as Zelle and CashApp to receive money from drug buyers and send money to their drug sources.

    They also generated revenue via robberies and financial fraud and participated in identity theft schemes. For example, from at least March 2021 to July 2023, defendants Sean Craig Gluckman, 35, of Encino, Maria Anna James, 30, of Canyon Country, and others submitted false and fraudulent applications for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was designed to aid businesses harmed by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The defendants – posing as sole proprietors – signed fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of individuals incarcerated in California state prisons and collected a portion of the fraudulently obtained proceeds from co-conspirators as payment for their assistance.

    Gluckman in April 2021 submitted an application that falsely stated he was a self-employed “artist/writer” with a gross income of nearly $250,000. Later that month, he obtained a PPP loan in the amount of $20,833. In a separate scheme, Gluckman submitted fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) applications in the names of other people to the California Employment Development Department (EDD) to fraudulently obtain jobless benefits.

    “The proliferation of gang related organized crime deteriorates the core of our society,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Dominic Choi. “Taking guns out of the hands of gang members and drugs from our streets is just one more step towards reducing this deterioration. Today is yet another example of how local, regional, and federal law enforcement, with a matched dedication, are working together to investigate, apprehend and prosecute criminals.”     

    “When criminal organizations cross jurisdictional lines, it makes conducting investigations and subsequent prosecutions much more difficult,” said Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff. “Having our federal law enforcement partners involvement in such cases greatly enhances our ability to protect not only the citizens of our county, but also those of our region of the state.”

    “The DOL-OIG will continue to allocate investigative resources to support our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners in the fight against organized crime, particularly when it involves matters within our jurisdiction,” said Quentin Heiden, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General’s Western Region. “This investigation reinforces our commitment to protecting the integrity of the nation’s unemployment system.” 

    An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

    If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.

    The FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office are investigating this matter. Other law enforcement agencies that assisted in today’s takedown are the Simi Valley Police Department; California Highway Patrol; the Glendale Police Department; the Burbank Police Department; the Redondo Beach Police Department; the Beverly Hills Police Department; the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; the United States Marshals Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Police; the United States Department of Labor; the Federal Bureau of Prisons; the Los Angeles County Probation Department; the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services; the Pasadena Fire Department; United States Customs and Border Protection; and IRS Criminal Investigation.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Reema M. El-Amamy of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, Jeremiah M. Levine of the Violent and Organized Crime Section, and Alexander Su of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section are prosecuting this case.

    On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. 

    On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Central and Eastern Districts of California to jointly head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. The Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors, as well as those who committed multiple instances of pandemic relief fraud. The Strike Force uses prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. Additional information regarding the Strike Force may be found at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-covid-19-fraud-strike-force-teams. 

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Executive at Irvine-Based Company That Marketed Faulty Stem Cell Products Sentenced to Three Years in Federal Prison

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

    LOS ANGELES – The imprisoned founder and CEO of an Orange County-based company that marketed stem cell-based products linked to multiple hospitalizations was sentenced today to 36 months in federal prison – consecutive to his current prison sentence.

    John Warrington Kosolcharoen, 53, most recently of Rancho Santa Margarita, was sentenced by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II, who also scheduled a December 3 restitution hearing in this case.

    Kosolcharoen pleaded guilty on August 26 to one count of introducing an unapproved new drug into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud and mislead. Kosolcharoen is currently in custody serving a sentence for a separate, unconnected conviction.

    “Exploiting the hopes of patients suffering from serious illnesses is not merely greedy, it’s cruel,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “My office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who take advantage of victims’ fears and anxieties to line their pockets.” 

    “Misleading the public about the safety and effectiveness of purported cures and treatments is illegal,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will work with its law enforcement partners to prosecute individuals who market potentially dangerous products for personal gain.” 

    Beginning in 2016, Kosolcharoen created two companies, the Irvine-based Liveyon LLC and the San Diego-based Genetech Inc., to manufacture and distribute injectable stem cell products made from human umbilical cord blood. Liveyon marketed the products under different brand names, including “ReGen.”

    Kosolcharoen and others misrepresented ReGen as suitable for the treatment of a variety of conditions, such as lung and heart diseases, autoimmune disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and others. Liveyon marketed the products throughout the United States until about April 2019 using advertising materials that contained multiple false and misleading statements about their purported safety and effectiveness.

    In recent years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned consumers that patients seeking cures and remedies for serious diseases and conditions may be misled about unapproved stem cell products that are illegally marketed, have not been shown to be safe or effective, and, in some cases, may have significant safety issues that put patients at risk. Stem cell products are regulated by FDA, and generally they must have FDA approval before being introduced into interstate commerce.

    Kosolcharoen misled the FDA about Liveyon’s activities by directing Liveyon’s purchase orders to falsely state that the stem cell products were being sold “for research purposes only.” In 2018, FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received reports of patients in multiple states requiring hospitalization for bacterial infections after receiving Liveyon products. Kosolcharoen admitted that he and others fraudulently induced customers into purchasing stem cell-derived Liveyon products by, among other things, misleading the public about the cause and severity of adverse events suffered by Liveyon patients, and falsely reporting and concealing material facts regarding the outcome of an FDA inspection of Genetech. According to FDA records, that inspection documented evidence of significant deviations from good manufacturing and tissue practices.

    FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations; the FBI; Amtrak Office of Inspector General; Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Department of Labor Employment Benefits Security Administration; and the California Department of Health Care Services investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Aveis of the Major Frauds Section and David H. Chao of the General Crimes Section, Assistant Director Ross S. Goldstein and Trial Attorneys Meredith B. Healy, Kathryn A. Schmidt and Peter J. Leininger of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch prosecuted this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Long Beach Man Pleads Guilty to Participating in Smash-and-Grab Robbery at Beverly Hills Jeweler That Caused $2.6 Million in Losses

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

    LOS ANGELES – A Long Beach man pleaded guilty today to a federal criminal charge for participating in the daylight smash-and-grab robbery of a Beverly Hills jewelry store in 2022 in which more than $2.6 million in merchandise was stolen – and which he later displayed on Instagram.

    Ladell Tharpe, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act). 

    According to his plea agreement, on March 23, 2022, Tharpe, Deshon Bell, 22, of Long Beach, and Jimmy Lee Vernon III, 33, also of Long Beach, and other co-conspirators robbed a luxury jewelry store in Beverly Hills. Before, during, and after the robbery, Tharpe led the cars used to transport the robbers and the getaway vehicle to the location. Bell was one of the getaway drivers. Tharpe conducted surveillance and acted as the lookout for the co-conspirators. 

    Once they had arrived outside the jewelry store, some of the robbers – including Vernon – got out of one of the cars, entered the store and used heavy tools to smash the store’s display cases while employees and customers were present. 

    The thieves removed from the store’s display cases at least 19 bracelets, seven pairs of earrings, four necklaces, a pair of obelisks, eight rings, and 20 watches, all of which was valued at approximately $2,674,600. The robbers then returned to the car in which Bell was waiting and then fled the scene.

    Tharpe posted images of large amounts of cash on Instagram after the robbery with the text “Robbery Gang.”

    United States District Judge George H. Wu scheduled a January 6, 2025, sentencing hearing for Tharpe, who will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Tharpe has been in federal custody since March 2023. 

    Bell and Vernon each have pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery. Judge Wu on February 26 sentenced Bell to one year and one day in federal prison and ordered him to pay $2,674,600 in restitution. The sentencing hearing for Vernon, who has been in federal custody since September 2022, is scheduled for December 5.

    The FBI and the Beverly Hills Police Department investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Kevin B. Reidy of the Major Frauds Section are prosecuting this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Beaumont Convenience Store Robbers Guilty of Killing Clerk with Firearm

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

    BEAUMONT, Texas – Two men who robbed a Beaumont convenience store and killed the clerk last December have pleaded guilty to federal firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.

    Larry Nathaniel Hagan, 27, of Houston, pleaded guilty to possessing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death before U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone on October 2, 2024.  Keandre Marquis Robinson, 20, of Beaumont, pleaded guilty to the same offense before Judge Crone on October 1, 2024.  

    According to information presented in court, on December 29, 2023, Robinson and Hagan were wearing masks and brandishing semi-automatic pistols when they entered the Kris Food Mart located on Gulf Street in Beaumont.  Robinson quickly forced the clerk behind the counter and demanded cash while Hagan guarded the front door.  Seconds later, Robinson shot the clerk two times in the chest, killing him.  Robinson grabbed cigarettes from behind the counter and fled with Hagan.  No cash was taken.

    Later that night, the Beaumont Police Department posted images from the robbery to social media and a tip identified Robinson.  Police detained Robinson about three hours after the robbery as he was leaving his residence just a few blocks from the store.  Robinson later confessed to his role in the robbery and killing but would not identify Hagan.

    Detectives searched Robinson’s phone and discovered text messages with Hagan related to the robbery.  The texts began on December 28 at 10:15 a.m. and ended a few minutes after the robbery. During the conversation, Robinson and Hagan planned to rob the store to “[g]et some money.” In one text, Robinson told Hagan that he would “knock [the clerk’s] top” [to eliminate any] “lose [sic] ends…”.  The conversation ended on December 29 at 10:07 p.m. (approximately 4 minutes after the shooting).  In that text, Hagan told Robinson to “[s]tay in the house for some days”. 

    Robinson was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 7, 2024.  Hagan, who was at large until April 24, 2024, when he was arrested in New Orleans by the U.S. Marshals Service, was added to the indictment by the federal grand jury on May 1, 2024. 

    Robinson and Hagan each face up to life in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.  A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

    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.

    This case was investigated by the Beaumont Police Department, the FBI, and the U.S. Marshals Service, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ross.

    ###

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Marshals and Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies Capture New Jersey Fugitive Wanted for Aggravated Sexual Assault

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Memphis, TN – Yesterday, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Team captured Siamel Alberto Perez, 34, of New Jersey, who was wanted for an Aggravated Sexual Assault of a child in New Jersey.

    On September 23rd, 2024, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Perez out of Linden City Municipal Court in Union County, New Jersey. Perez has charges ranging from Aggravated Sexual Assault, Sexual Assault, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. The USMS New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force (NY/NJ RFTF) adopted the case days later.

    NY/NJ RFTF Investigators developed information that Perez was traveling south and could be hiding in the Memphis area. The USMS Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force (TRVFTF) in Memphis was requested to help locate and apprehend Perez.

    On October 1, Deputy Marshals and sheriff’s deputies located a vehicle with a New Jersey license plate at the Sleep Inn Suites off American Way and Perkins Road. While investigators were watching the car, Perez was spotted walking out the hotel toward the parking lot. He was arrested without incident and transported to the Shelby County Jail to await extradition.

    The U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force is a multi-agency task force within Western Tennessee. The TRVFTF has offices in Memphis and Jackson, and its membership is primarily composed of Deputy U.S. Marshals, Shelby, Fayette, and Tipton County Sheriff’s Deputies, Memphis and Jackson Police Officers, the Tennessee Department of Correction Special Agents and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Since 2021, the TRVFTF has captured over 2,600 violent offenders and sexual predators.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Inmate Guilty of Assaulting Two Correctional Officers

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

    CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 31-year-old felon from Donna has been convicted of assaulting two correctional officers while housed at Coastal Bend Detention Center in Robstown, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

    U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has found Aaron Gutierrez guilty of two counts of assaulting or impeding a federal officer following a one-day bench trial that occurred Sept. 16. 

    On Aug. 25, 2023, Gutierrez and six other inmates escaped from a recreation area through an unlocked gate. They ran down a walkway to intercept another inmate belonging to a rival gang. Two correctional officers were escorting that inmate – who was in full restraints.

    The seven escaped inmates attacked the defenseless other inmate as well as the correctional officers who were attempting to protect him. As a result, both officers suffered injuries and were transported to the hospital for treatment. One required surgery. Authorities also transported the victim inmate to the hospital for treatment.

    Within a minute of the attack, multiple correctional officers converged on the attackers and restrained them.

    Gutierrez attempted to convince the court that while he intended to join the fight, he never got the chance because he was the last one to leave the recreation yard. However, testimony revealed that every inmate participated in the attack. Judge Morales did not believe defense claims and found him guilty as charged.

    Correctional officers at Coastal Bend Detention Center work on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and are protected as federal officers when in the performance of their official duties. 

    Judge Morales will impose sentencing in January 2025. At that time, Gutierrez faces up to eight years in federal prison. He will remain in custody pending that hearing.

    The other six inmates involved in the attack had previously pleaded guilty. Raul Valdez, 49, San Antonio, received 24 months, while Corpus Christi residents Benito Aguirre, 43, John Steve Espinoza, 31, Joe Isaac Espinoza, 27, and Adalberto Pena, 32, each received 18 months. Emilio Salinas, 34, Edinburg, is set for sentencing Oct. 17.

    They all also remain in custody.

    The FBI conducted the investigation with assistance from the USMS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Dunn prosecuted the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Canonsburg Resident Indicted on 11 Counts Involving Sexual Exploitation of Minors

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

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal laws regarding the sexual exploitation of minors, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

    The 11-count Indictment named Justin A. Darby, 36, as the sole defendant.

    According to the Indictment, Darby received and attempted to receive material involving the sexual exploitation of a minor on five separate occasions during September and October of 2021, as well as on one occasion in February 2024. Darby is also alleged to have distributed such material on one occasion in September 2021. The Indictment further alleges that, from September 20, 2021, through October 29, 2021, Darby accessed with intent to view material involving the sexual exploitation of minors, and that, on February 6, 2024, Darby induced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct. Additionally, Darby is charged with altering, destroying, concealing, or covering up records and documents associated with a messaging application on his cellular telephone on two separate dates.

    The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Darby was ordered to be detained.

    Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.

    An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Marshals New Orleans Task Force Concludes Fiscal Year 2024 Operations With Over 500 Arrests, 24 Missing Endangered Children Recovered Across Eastern District Of Louisiana

    Source: US Marshals Service

    New Orleans, LA – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Eastern District of Louisiana New Orleans Task Force conducted multiple violent fugitive and sex offender fugitive operations during fiscal year (FY) 2024 (Oct. 1, 2023—Sept. 30, 2024) along with several USMS Missing Endangered Children operations. The task force also participated in the FBI New Orleans Field Office’s Operation Clean House. The USMS New Orleans Task Force fugitive operations included Boo Dat, New Orleans Saints and Sinners, and Baseline. The fugitives arrested by the task force included 107 persons arrested on murder related offenses, 41 suspects arrested on rape/sex assault related cases, nine individuals for kidnapping, 41 persons for robbery, 100 individuals for assault/battery, 32 for sex offender registration violations, and 20 suspects on felony narcotics offenses. In total 531 fugitives were arrested and over 150 firearms were recovered during FY 2024 as a direct result of USMS New Orleans Task Force investigations across E/LA. The USMS New Orleans Task Force also worked 95 collateral lead requests from USMS offices outside of the Eastern District of Louisiana (E/LA).  

    Missing Child Unit (MCU) operations Fresh Start, Crawfish Boil, and other MCU work done during FY 2024 resulted in the recovery of 24 missing/endangered children, with five persons arrested related to recoveries.

    Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans (GNO) provided support for several of the arrests made during the year and helped to sponsor Operation Boo Dat with a fugitive photo spread sent out to New Orleans metro area media outlets.

    Highlights of FY 2024 cases worked across E/LA include: 

    • In Tangipahoa Parish two children, 3 and 6, were abducted allegedly abducted by Daniel Callihan. Callihan is believed to have murdered the children’s mother and kidnapped the children from her residence before fleeing the state. USMS along with FBI, state police, and Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office started a manhunt in attempts to locate/apprehend Callihan. USMS E/LA was able to identify Callihan’s whereabouts in Jackson, Mississippi, and a collateral lead request was sent by the USMS New Orleans Task Force to the USMS Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force and USMS S/MS Jackson Office. Members of the GCRFTF observed Callihan near an abandoned house on Boozier Drive in Jackson. As members of the GCRFTF approached the house, Callihan ran from the house and was taken into custody. Members of the GCRFTF located a hole on the back side of the house where both missing girls were located, one of whom was deceased.
    • A teen girl was one of several runaway juveniles associating in a suspected human trafficking ring orchestrated by local gangs in the greater New Orleans metro. During the investigation, another teen girl was also identified as a missing/endangered runaway. USMS, along with Homeland Security Investigations, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Kenner Police Department and the NOPD Special Victims Division – Child Abuse Unit began working these cases together and identified two additional missing juveniles.   All four girls were believed to be involved in a sex trafficking and prostitution ring. During the course of the investigation, the four girls were recovered, one arrest was made on scene and two men were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending deportation. By the end of the investigation another arrest was made of a man charged with raping one of the juveniles and the individual responsible for setting up the juveniles’ appointments for sex was deported.
    • A teen girl was recovered after running away from her foster parent in Ouachita Parish.  She was alleged to have been a previous victim of sex trafficking and sexual assault/rape. USMS, along with HIS, located her in New Orleans and recovered her. During an interview with the teen, she disclosed that a high school teacher in New Orleans picked her up from Vicksburg, Mississippi, and transported her to New Orleans approximately one week prior to her recovery. HSI after a several months investigation obtained an E/LA federal arrest warrant for Aaron Johnson for transportation of a minor with intent to engage in prostitution and coercion or enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution. The USMS New Orleans Task Force with HSI located Johnson at a New Orleans East apartment complex and arrested him on the warrant Aug. 15.  At the time of his arrest, Johnson was working as a teacher at a local New Orleans high school.
    • Ernest Cortney Dixon III was arrested May 22 for an alleged rape that occurred in May 2024 in the French Quarter of New Orleans.  Dixon is alleged to have gone into a French Quarter business with a firearm and raped an adult female employee of that business.  At the time of the alleged rape, he was already wanted on an April 2024 NOPD warrant for domestic violence assault with a firearm stemming from an incident where he was alleged to have fired a handgun at an ex-girlfriend.  During Dixon’s arrest at a French Quarter business, the USMS New Orleans Task Force recovered a loaded stolen firearm alleged to have belonged to Dixon.
    • Wayne D. Bennett was arrested Sept. 23 by USMS Northern District of Florida and USMS Florida Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force in Altha, Florida.  Investigators with the USMS New Orleans Task Force and Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office tracked Bennett to the Altha area before sending a request to the USMS FCRFTF, who were able to locate and arrest him.  Bennett was wanted by the TPSO for first-degree rape, third-degree rape, five counts of trafficking of children for sexual purposes and three counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile.
    • Marrio Haynes was arrested Feb. 28 on a St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office warrant for second-degree murder.  On Dec. 26, 2023, Haynes allegedly murdered a Lacombe man at a gas station using an AR-15 style rifle.  Later that night officers located his vehicle and arrested his girlfriend in connection with the murder, but Haynes was able to flee on foot avoiding arrest. He went on the run and was featured in multiple Crimestoppers GNO news reports. After a two-month investigation he was arrested by the USMS New Orleans Task Force at a home in Kentwood.  His girlfriend, who was present at the residence, was rearrested for harboring a fugitive during his arrest.
    • Fugitives Davonn Davis and Carlos Taylor were arrested Sept. 26 in Baton Rouge by the USMS Middle District of Louisiana Fugitive Task Force.   Davis was wanted on a NOPD charge of second-degree murder in connection with a shooting outside of The Shamrock Bar in New Orleans.  Taylor escaped from the Orleans Juvenile Justice Center, and then is alleged to have carjacked a woman, almost running her over.  He was featured across the state of Louisiana in news outlets as a dangerous fugitive with a previous violent history.   He and Davis were located together in Baton Rouge where Taylor initially attempted to flee on foot.
    • Leon Ruffin was arrested Feb. 27 on a JPSO warrant for escape. During the escape Ruffin assaulted a JPSO deputy during a medical transport and stole her police vehicle. Ruffin was awaiting trial on a murder related charge.  He was tracked by the USMS New Orleans Task Force to a motel in New Orleans East and arrested. 

    “The U.S. Marshals Service New Orleans Task Force successfully apprehended over 500 fugitives and recovered 24 missing and endangered children in 2024,” said Enix Smith III, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “These significant accomplishments underscore the critical importance of vigilance and collaboration between law enforcement and the community.  Together, we can create a safer environment where justice is upheld, and our neighborhoods can thrive.”      

    The USMS New Orleans Task Force is sponsored by USMS E/LA and includes the following law enforcement agencies: Homeland Security Investigations, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Kenner Police Department, LA Army National Guard Counter Drug Program, LA Probation and Parole, LA State Police, New Orleans Police Department, Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Border Patrol, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The task force also frequently works with the local ATF, DEA, and FBI field offices.   

    Any information about wanted felony fugitives can be provided to the U.S. Marshals Service at (504) 589-6872 or via email at usms.wanted@usdoj.gov.  Crimestoppers GNO may also be contacted with tips at (504) 822-1111.

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  • MIL-OSI Video: Stephen Roe Lewis Pictures a Brighter Future | The Future Thanks You | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Join Stephen Roe Lewis, Governor of the Gila River Indian Community, as he shares his vision for 2045.

    What does a thriving indigenous future look like? Visit https://thefuturethanksyou.com to share your own vision and see how our choices today can make it a reality.

    The Future Thanks You – a campaign from the Verified initiative by the United Nations and Purpose – aims to build support for a future powered by renewable energy.

    #TheFutureThanksYou #ClimateAction

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpJBsaoq3Oo

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: EECBG Program Local Government Application Assistance Webinar

    Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)

    In the final webinar before the EECBG Program local government application deadline, DOE covered:

    – Streamlined project examples (e.g., eligible activities with fewer reporting requirements and administrative labor)
    – The differences between the grant and voucher application options
    – A technical overview of the application process
    – Commonly asked questions about the application process and program overall
    – Key reporting requirements
    – Technical assistance available to complete the application (and for further support later on!)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVBQth_4_lA

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville, Britt Announce NCAA Championship Events Return to Birmingham in March 2028

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Katie Britt (R-AL) announced that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) first and second rounds of March Madness men’s and women’s basketball games will return to Birmingham on March 17-19, 2028.
    This announcement follows the letter Senators Tuberville and Britt sent to NCAA President Charlie Baker advocating for future events to be held in Alabama.
    “The State of Alabama has a long legacy of supporting intercollegiate athletics. Birmingham has the facilities, businesses, and infrastructure to make this a successful tournament. Our state is no stranger to the spotlight of big games and I’m confident fans from across the country will enjoy their time in Birmingham,” said Senator Tuberville.
    “This is a slam dunk for Birmingham. I am thrilled the first two rounds of March Madness in 2028 will be held in our great state,” said Senator Britt. “I was proud to join Senator Tuberville and local officials in advocating for the NCAA to pick the Magic City. I look forward to the tournament, and wouldn’t be surprised if more than one of Alabama’s incredible teams end up kicking off their road to the Final Four in our home state.”
    BACKGROUND:
    From 1982 through 2008, Birmingham was a stop on the road to the Final Four 11 times, 10 for men’s basketball and once for women’s basketball. 
    After a nearly 15-year hiatus, Birmingham hosted the first and second-round games of March Madness in 2023. It was a huge success with every game being sold out and both Auburn and Alabama playing in the tournament. The city also hosted the 2022 World Games. The City of Birmingham recently completed a $125 million renovation of the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center.
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
    Senator Katie Britt represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Appropriations, Banking, and Rules and Administration Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Keynotes California Natural Resources Agency 30×30 Partnership Summit

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    WATCH: Padilla Keynotes California Natural Resources Agency 30×30 Partnership Summit

    WATCH: Padilla highlights work to conserve California public lands in conversation with Secretary Wade CrowfootSACRAMENTO, CA — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) delivered a keynote address at the California Natural Resources Agency’s (CNRA) 30×30 Partnership 2024 Summit. The summit brought together conservation leaders, policymakers, and advocates at CNRA’s Sacramento headquarters to highlight California’s progress conserving 30 percent of the state’s lands and coastal waters by 2030 as part of the global 30×30 initiative.
    Padilla highlighted several efforts to create new, and expand existing, national monuments to protect California’s public lands, advance tribally-led conservation efforts, and meet California’s conservation goals, including successfully securing the expansion of the San Gabriel Mountains and Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monuments.
    The summit built on the momentum outlined in California’s recently released Pathways to 30×30 Annual Report, which highlights the state’s progress toward its conservation goals and outlines key steps for the coming years. California is only six million acres of land and half a million acres of coastal waters away reaching its 30×30 goals.
    Video of Senator Padilla’s full remarks is available here.
    Key Excerpts:
    It was not that long ago when Governor Newsom signed the executive order in the fall of 2020, calling for 30×30, preserving our lands and waters for not just the next generation, but for future generations. And we did it because we knew of the importance and the urgency of tackling climate and its impacts. We knew it was important because we believe in science.
    It wasn’t just bold and audacious but so well thought out that it inspired the Biden-Harris Administration soon thereafter, in January 2021, to call on the nation to achieve a 30×30 objective as well. So as the adage goes, so goes California, so goes the nation.
    When you grow up in a community like Pacoima, a proud working-class community, you had these visions of the mountains, and if you’re really, really lucky as a kid, you get taken on a field trip, maybe to go camping, maybe on a hike. And when you’re able to experience that, in the mountains that you see each and every day, and yet you feel like it’s a whole world away, we know what the impact means of these designations, these protections, improving access to the outdoors for the millions of people who didn’t have it before.
    Chuckwalla… and Sáttítla in northern California. Together, they represent another 800,000 acres of public lands that we can and will protect in the state of California. And we know that it’s not just because of the quantity, again, the metrics, but the quality, the thoughtful biodiversity assessments that have been done.
    All the projects that we take on, we’re going to continue to need to work together, and judging by the energy and the spirit in this room, I know we will continue to work together because every proposal that has come my way has begun with a local vision and a local effort of organizing, mobilizing, educating, building that coalition that creates the momentum for us to be able to do our part.
    Senator Padilla has consistently advocated for protecting California’s public lands and coastal waters. Most recently, Padilla, Senator Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), and Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.-30) called on President Biden to use his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to designate the Sáttítla National Monument in northern California. Additionally, Padilla, Butler, and Representative Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.-25) introduced bicameral legislation earlier this year to create the Chuckwalla National Monument and expand Joshua Tree National Park while urging President Biden to designate the monument. Padilla’s Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California (PUBLIC) Lands Act, legislation that would restore and expand protections for over one million acres of California’s public lands, advanced out of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
    Last month, Senator Padilla and Representative Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.-24), along with Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.-19) and Julia Brownley (D-Calif.-26), welcomed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) announcement of their final environmental impact statement for the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, marking an important step toward the designation of the Sanctuary. Previously, Padilla and Carbajal wrote to NOAA and the U.S. Department of Commerce to express their strong support for swiftly designating the Sanctuary while facilitating the development of offshore wind energy.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Buttigieg on road impacts in North Carolina.

    Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)

    At the President’s direction, the entire federal government is doing all it can to get support to residents in areas impacted by Hurricane Helene.

    For more information on road closures and driving conditions in North Carolina visit: http://ncdot.gov/helene-detours

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKsw50yhmyM

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Web Portal from Senator Reverend Warnock Provides One-Stop Shop Resources to Help Georgians Recover from Hurricane Helene

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    New Web Portal from Senator Reverend Warnock Provides One-Stop Shop Resources to Help Georgians Recover from Hurricane Helene

    Senator Reverend Warnock debuted a new web resource page to with clearinghouse of Federal and state programs providing hurricane recovery assistance throughout Georgia, from food to health care to relief for farmers
    Senator Reverend Warnock: “Georgians need urgent help, and I’m thankful my staff was able to put together this important list of resources to get Georgians the assistance needed to recover from Hurricane Helene”

    Click HERE for Senator Reverend Warnock’s Hurricane Helene Resource Page
    Washington, D.C. – As Georgians across the state continue working to recover from Hurricane Helene’s devastating landfall, today U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) announced a new comprehensive web resource to help Georgians navigate federal and state programs that are providing assistance to people and communities impacted by the storm. The Senator’s new Hurricane Helene Resource Page, located on the Senator’s official website, is updated regularly with new information and designed to help Georgians get the help they need—from securing immediate necessities like food, water, health care, and shelter, to the latest guidance on how to report damages to their homes, businesses, or farms, and spotting frauds and scams.
    “My office and I have been on the ground and in frequent contact with communities in every corner of the state as recovery efforts continue, and this new web resource is one more step in our unending work to deliver all of the federal assistance needed to help Georgians come out stronger on the other side of this crisis,” said Senator Warnock. “Our work is just beginning to help families and communities rebuild, and while I’m pushing to make sure Washington is doing everything it can for our state, we’ll keep updating this web resource with the latest information to help connect Georgians with the assistance and support they need following Hurricane Helene’s devastation.” 
    Senator Warnock has been active in Georgia’s Hurricane Helene response efforts. Earlier this week, Senator Warnock traveled to Augusta to deliver needed supplies and survey the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, participating in a roundtable with community leaders and members at Golden Harvest Food Bank, touring storm damage around Augusta, and handing off cases of bottled water to local volunteers and residents at Tabernacle Baptist Church. 
    Additionally, ahead of Hurricane Helene’s landfall in Georgia, Senator Warnock and his office had been in touch with state and local leaders to offer support, and in the storm’s devastating aftermath have stayed in frequent contact with elected officials, hospital leaders, and other community leaders across the state to address the needs and provide support, including delivering water, power, and other necessary supplies. Since the storm’s landfall, the Senator has worked urgently to use the tools of the federal government to provide swift and robust support to impacted Georgia families and communities, including successfully pushing President Biden to approve an emergency disaster declaration and most recently joining his Georgia congressional delegation colleagues to urge the President to “promptly” make a major disaster declaration that will unlock additional aid and support for Georgians in need; at their request the Administration has approved several Georgia counties for individual and public disaster assistance, and are actively working to approve assistance for all of Georgia’s counties impacted by the storm. Additionally, as a member of the Senate Agriculture committee, Senator Warnock has been a vocal advocate for additional disaster aid to support Georgia’s farmers, and has called for the Senate to take up and pass legislation to provide additional relief as soon as possible.
    Access Senator Warnock’s Hurricane Helene Resource Page HERE, which will be updated accordingly as new information is made available. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Merkley, Wyden Co-Sponsor Legislation to Revitalize Congressional Check on Rogue Supreme Court Decisions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    October 03, 2024
    Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden have joined legislation that would revitalize Congress’s ability to check the Supreme Court’s inaccurate interpretation of federal law and restore rights by statute that the Court has taken away.
    “The Supreme Court is making life-altering decisions threatening Americans’ reproductive freedom, workers’ bargaining power, voting rights, clean air, and so much more—Congress needs a process to quickly and effectively respond to Supreme Court decisions from these rogue MAGA justices,” said Senator Merkley. “The Supreme Court Review Act is a great step to ensure that the highest court in our land serves ‘We the People’ not just the powerful.”
    “With the help of Senate Republicans, Donald Trump spent his time in office packing our nation’s highest courts with right-wing extremists willing to do the bidding of special interests and legislate from the bench,” said Senator Wyden, who recently introduced sweeping reforms to restore public trust in the Supreme Court. “America was founded on checks and balances, and it’s time to restore that balance by putting a much-needed check on a power-hungry Supreme Court.”
    The Supreme Court Review Act would help ensure that the constitutionally-delegated power to make policy remains with Congress, not the Court, by creating streamlined procedures through which Congress can exercise its existing power to amend statutes or create federal statutory rights.? Congress has already created a process for expeditiously responding to agency rules under the Congressional Review Act, and the Supreme Court Review Act would do the same for Supreme Court decisions. The legislation would:
    Codify a process for passing new laws in response to Supreme Court decisions that interpret federal statutes or roll back constitutional rights;
    Expedite procedures for the Senate to pass these laws by a simple majority;
    Limit this process to recent Court rulings and exclude non-germane changes to federal law to prevent abuse; and
    Ensure that members of the minority party in the Senate have an opportunity to propose alternative updates to the law.
    This legislation was led by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). Alongside Merkley and Wyden, the bill was cosponsored by Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).
    Full text of the bill is available here.
    ?

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley, Welch Unveil Bipartisan Legislation to Crack Down on Big Businesses’ Corporate Misbehavior

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

    Thursday, October 03, 2024

    U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) have introduced bipartisan legislation, the Hold Corporate Criminals Accountable Act, to direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to crack down on corporate wrongdoing by America’s biggest businesses.  
    “More and more big businesses are receiving a slap on the wrist by the DOJ for corporate misbehavior, allowing corporations to skirt litigation fees while incentivizing repeated offenses. This bipartisan legislation has the teeth to hold Corporate America accountable and would crack down on DOJ’s sweetheart deals,” said Senator Hawley. 
    “All wrongdoers should be held accountable for their actions—plain and simple. Yet federal prosecution of white-collar crimes has fallen to record lows in recent years, making it easier for ultra-wealthy executives to game the system and avoid responsibility when they hurt hardworking people. It’s also making it harder for the victims of corporate crimes to get justice, and that’s unacceptable,” said Senator Welch. “Our bipartisan bill will ensure a level playing field and provide needed accountability.”
    Senator Hawley’s bill introduction comes in response to one of the most egregious and highest-profile examples of corporate misbehavior: The DOJ in 2021 had arranged a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) for Boeing after the company exhibited safety lapses contributing to two airplane crashes. Boeing then took advantage of the DOJ’s deal by committing a follow-up felony—conspiring to deceive the Federal Aviation Administration about the safety of the 737 MAX aircraft.
    Boeing will consequently pay approximately $250 million in corporate penalties.
    Senator Hawley’s new bipartisan legislation would raise the standards required to offer DPAs in the first place.
    Specifically, the Hold Corporate Criminals Accountable Act would: 
    Require corporations entered into a DPA or on probation to use effective compliance monitoring rather than skirting oversight, as in the case of Boeing’s recent agreement.
    Require federal agencies to keep a list of the deferred and non-prosecution agreements they enter, so they can be accessible to the public.
    Extend all statutes of limitations related to corporate criminal offenses by five years to provide prosecutors more time to bring complex cases.
    Redefine substantial assistance for a sentencing reduction for corporate offenders to ensure actual assistance in identifying and prosecuting individual bad actors within a corporation.
    Read the full text of the bill here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Nye County F500 Training

    Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)

    EM Nevada enhances emergency responses with grant funding. Read the full story here: https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/em-nevada-enhances-emergency-responses-grant-funding

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuSHfexAaWU

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Joint Pledges on Climate, Peace and Security – Media Stakeout | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organizations (AU) by members of the Joint Pledges on Climate, Peace and Security (France, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTVqUIBf8G8

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: E10 on the Middle East- Media Stakeout | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana, on behalf of the Security Council’s ten elected members (E10), read a statement expressing concern about the escalation of tensions in the Middle East, condemning the current cycle of violence and calling for an immediate end to all hostilities.

    —————————-

    Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana, on behalf of the Security Council’s ten elected members (E10), today (3 Oct) read a statement expressing concern about the escalation of tensions in the Middle East, condemning the current cycle of violence and calling for an immediate end to all hostilities.

    Speaking at the stakeout podium outside the Council, Rodrigues-Birkett said, “we also call on all parties to respect their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law. We further emphasise that a diplomatic solution is the only appropriate way forward and urge all parties to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy and ensure the protection of civilians.”

    The statement also underscoreed their “full support to the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and the UN system.”

    On Wednesday, the Israeli Government declared the Secretary-General persona non grata, barring him from entering Israeli territory.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g676BS2fEA

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Training: Best Practices for IGA, Contract, and ESPC Project Execution

    Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)

    This ESPC Campaign training discussed the critical steps of an ESPC project’s development and implementation phases, including how to navigate measurement and verification, commissioning, and other considerations to ensure the execution of high-quality ESPC projects.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUMPZfcSQ88

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Translation: Canada, Manitoba and Giganawenimaanaanig take step forward on red dress alert

    MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –

    Source: Government of Canada – in French 1

    Please be advised that the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, and the Honourable Nahanni Fontaine, Manitoba Minister of Families, will make an announcement about the Red Dress Alert pilot project during the Giganawenimaanaanig Education and Awareness Day.

    Winnipeg, Manitoba — Please be advised that the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, and the Honourable Nahanni Fontaine, Manitoba Minister of Families, will make an announcement about the Red Dress Alert pilot project during the Giganawenimaanaanig Education and Awareness Day.

    There will be a press briefing following this announcement.

    Media Participation:

    Media representatives are requested to confirm their participation at the following address: RCAANC.media.CIRNAC@sac-isc.gc.ca.

    Virtual participation will be possible and instructions for connecting remotely will be provided upon registration.

    Media are first invited to observe, at 11:30 a.m., the Ministers’ remarks and commitment to families, survivors, FFADA rights advocates and frontline workers. The press briefing will follow in an adjacent room.

    Date: Friday, October 4, 2024

    Time: The announcement will begin at 11:30 a.m. Central Time, followed by the press briefing.

    Media representatives are requested to prepare 30 minutes prior to the event start time.

    Location:Canad Inns Destination Center Club Regent Casino Hotel1415 Regent Ave WWinnipeg, Manitoba

    The announcement will take place in the ballroom, and the press briefing will take place in Ambassador Room E.

    Gregory FramePress SecretaryOffice of the Honourable Gary AnandasangareeMinister of Crown-Indigenous Relationsgregory.frame@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca

    Ryan StelterPress SecretaryOffice of the Honourable Nahanni FontaineMinister of Families of Manitobaryan.stelter@manitoba.ca204-590-8582

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Video: Support to UN Chief by Security Council – Media Stakeout | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Media stakeout by Pascale Baeriswyl, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN and President of the Security Council for the month of October 2024, on the Security Council support for the UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEF-V2gehGE

    MIL OSI Video –