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Category: AM-NC

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: DR Congo crisis: ‘The violence must end now’, UN Security Council told

    Source: United Nations 4

    Peace and Security

    The UN Security Council convened its second emergency meeting in three days on Tuesday to address the escalating crisis in Goma – the regional capital of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

    Vivian van de Perre, Deputy Head of the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), provided a detailed briefing from Goma, highlighting the dire humanitarian situation and the need for “urgent and coordinated international action,” to stop the fighting between Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and Congolese forces – as they battle for control of the city.

    She reported that the recent clashes have led to massive displacement, with over 178,000 people fleeing Kalehe territory after the M23 took control of Minova.

    More than 34,000 of those on the run have sought refuge in already overcrowded IDP sites in and around Goma, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and overwhelming the city’s infrastructure.

    Rebels and Rwandan troops joint attack

    “Despite the appeals from Member States during the Security Council meeting on 26 January, the M23/RDF [Rwanda Defence Force] launched an attack on Goma, using heavy direct and indirect fire,” Ms. van de Perre stated.

    “These attacks have resulted in numerous civilian casualties, further displacement, and significant trauma among the population.”

    She emphasised the critical role of MONUSCO in providing refuge and protection, noting that the mission has received a large number of people seeking safety, including officials and armed elements who have surrendered.

    “MONUSCO’s bases are not able to accommodate the large number of surrendering elements and civilians seeking refuge,” she said. “The Uruguayan Battalion (URUBATT) alone has taken in approximately 1,200 Congolese soldiers and over a thousand civilians, placing immense pressure on resources.”

    UN bases ‘not safe’

    The situation is further complicated by damage to water tanks, compromising the security of UN personnel and property.

    “Our bases are not safe: two mortars have hit MONUSCO bases and compounds in the last three days, as well as numerous bullets,” Ms. van de Perre reported.

    “Installations of [formed police unit] staff in Jambar camp have been destroyed and burnt.”

    Casualty evacuation efforts remain a significant challenge, with peacekeepers injured during the fighting in Sake.

    Despite the closure of Goma airport, MONUSCO continues to facilitate medical evacuations with the help of SAMIDRC – the Southern African Development Community mission in DRC.

    Evacuation of injured ‘blue helmets’

    “We continue to do our utmost to ensure timely evacuation of injured peacekeepers and other casualties to our level 3 hospital in Goma despite continued challenges,” Ms. van de Perre said.

    The M23 and Rwandan forces’ capture of Goma’s international airport and their advance from multiple directions have heightened the risk of weapons proliferation, as combatants blend into the civilian population, the Deputy UN Special Representative continued.

    The mass influx of IDPs, separation of families, and escape of prisoners from Goma prison have increased the vulnerability of women and children to sexual and gender-based violence.

    Ms. van de Perre called on all parties to guarantee the protection of life and access to basic services, and to prevent sexual violence.

    “The degree of suffering that the population here in Goma and its environs is enduring is truly unimaginable,” she said.

    “Let us please draw on our humanity and do our utmost to bring an immediate end to such levels of violence and suffering.”

    In light of the ongoing conflict, Ms. van de Perre urged the establishment of humanitarian corridors between Goma, Minova and Bukavu, and the reopening of critical airports and border points.

    Political solution must be found

    She emphasised that military action cannot resolve the conflict and called for a resumption of the Luanda Process under the auspices of the Angolan Government to ensure de-escalation and “avert the looming threat of a third Congo war.”

    The briefing concluded with a call for urgent and coordinated international action to address the crisis in Goma. Despite the challenges, MONUSCO remains a vital lifeline for vulnerable groups, but its effectiveness is being severely tested by the ongoing violence and logistical difficulties.

    “The protection of civilians and the pursuit of a peaceful resolution must be prioritised to end the suffering in Goma,” MONUSCO’s deputy head stressed.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Transport Sector – Transporting New Zealand backs speed limit changes

    Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

    National road freight association Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand has welcomed today’s Government announcement reversing speed limit reductions on 38 sections of the state highway network, saying the changes will reduce journey times and help avoid dangerous behaviour by frustrated drivers.
    Speed limits on 49 further sections of state highway will be put out for public consultation to allows local communities to have their say on whether to revert to previous speed limits.
    Chief Executive Dom Kalasih says the changes reflect the Government’s more balanced approach to speed management, taking a cost-benefit approach to speed limit setting.
    “Our members have been frustrated by blanket speed reductions around the country over the past four years that did not adequately consider the impact of increased journey times, dangerous overtaking and tailgating by frustrated drivers, and increased freight costs for businesses and consumers and we’ve made these points consistently to road controlling authorities across the country.
    “We’re pleased to see the programme of speed limit reversals getting underway, as directed by the Government’s Setting of Speed Limits 2024 Land Transport Rule.”
    Kalasih says that while appropriate speed limits play a vital role in road safety, they need to be considered alongside good roading design and effective enforcement.
    “It is crucial that Government continues to invest in adequate maintenance, roading improvements, and effective enforcement of RIDS (restraints, impairment, distraction and speed).
    “Speed limit setting is only one key element of supporting road safety and reducing our road toll.” 
    About Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand
    Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is the peak national membership association representing the road freight transport industry. Our members operate urban, rural and inter- regional commercial freight transport services throughout the country. 
    Road is the dominant freight mode in New Zealand, transporting 92.8% of the freight task on a tonnage basis, and 75.1% on a tonne-km basis. The road freight transport industry employs over 34,000 people across more than 4700 businesses, with an annual turnover of $6 billion.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Economy – Reserve Bank NZ speech: Beyond the cycle – Growth and interest rates in the long run

    Source: Reserve Bank of New Zealand

    29 January 2025 – In a speech delivered today, Reserve Bank Chief Economist Paul Conway discussed New Zealand’s longer-term ‘potential output’ and its significance for monetary policy.

    “Understanding potential output is crucial for assessing whether the economy is running too hot or too cold from an inflation control perspective and for gauging medium-term growth prospects,” Mr Conway says.

    Mr Conway also outlined the Reserve Bank’s assessment of the ‘neutral interest rate’, which shapes expectations for where the OCR will tend to move over time, in the absence of economic shocks.

    The speech goes beyond the business cycle to explore New Zealand’s long-term economic challenges and key factors influencing future growth – including productivity growth. It also explores drivers behind changes in New Zealand’s neutral interest rate.

    Key insights from the speech include:

    • In the absence of future shocks, economic activity in New Zealand will tend towards the level of potential output, as pandemic-related disruptions fade. Likewise, without future shocks, the OCR will tend towards the neutral interest rate.
    • Over the next few years, with declining inward migration and weak productivity growth, potential output growth is likely to be modest. This will set a modest ‘speed limit’ on how fast the economy can grow without generating excess inflation pressure.
    • Unlocking higher investment and productivity growth is key to raising potential output growth and improving per capita incomes. This would also reduce the likelihood of negative recessionary economic growth during future periods of restrictive monetary policy.
    • Reserve Bank estimates suggest that the neutral interest rate has fallen over recent decades, given weak productivity growth and aging populations. Our research suggests that this decline may be reversing and that the long-term nominal neutral interest rate currently lies between 2.5% and 3.5%.

    Background notes

    What is potential output?
    Potential output is the level of goods and services the economy can sustainably supply without generating excess inflation or disinflation. It depends on the supply of inputs – capital and labour – and how productively they are combined to produce output. For example, if there are more people available to work, more capital to use, or better ways of doing things, then potential output increases.

    What is the neutral interest rate?
    The nominal neutral interest rate is the level of the Official Cash Rate (OCR) consistent with inflation being sustainably at target and the economy running at its potential output. Without future shocks, the neutral interest rate indicates where the OCR is likely to settle to keep inflation at the 2% target midpoint.
     

    More information

    Read the speech: https://govt.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bd316aa7ee4f5679c56377819&id=2920e70068&e=f3c68946f8
    Watch the speech: https://govt.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bd316aa7ee4f5679c56377819&id=e1dd2a8aa0&e=f3c68946f8

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Woman Sentenced for Fraud Scheme Involving Claims for Unnecessary Respiratory Tests Submitted with COVID-19 Tests

    Source: US State of California

    A California woman was sentenced today to nine years in prison for her role in fraudulently submitting claims to governmental and private insurance programs during the COVID‑19 pandemic for expensive respiratory pathogen panel (RPP) tests that were medically unnecessary and never ordered by health care providers.

    According to court documents, Lourdes Navarro, 66, of Glendale, and Imran Shams owned and controlled Matias Clinical Laboratory, doing business as Health Care Providers Laboratory (HCPL). Navarro and Shams conspired to obtain nasal swab specimens that enabled HCPL to test for COVID-19, as well as to obtain testing orders from physicians and other medical professionals. The specimens were collected from, among others, residents and staff at nursing homes, assisted living facilities, rehabilitation facilities, and similar types of facilities, and from students and staff at primary and secondary schools, for the purported purpose of conducting screening tests to identify and isolate individuals infected with COVID-19. However, Navarro and Shams caused HCPL to perform RPP tests on most of the specimens, even though only COVID-19 testing had been ordered and there was no medical justification for conducting RPP tests on asymptomatic individuals who needed only COVID-19 screening tests. Through HCPL, Navarro and Shams billed approximately $369 million for the RPP tests to Medicare, the Health Resources and Services Administration COVID-19 Uninsured Program, and a private health insurance company, and were reimbursed approximately $46.7 million for fraudulent claims.

    Navarro was also ordered to forfeit $11,662,939 in funds that the government had previously seized from three bank accounts. The total amount seized and forfeited from Navarro and Shams is $14,518,485. Navarro also was ordered to pay $46,735,400 in restitution.

    Navarro pleaded guilty on Oct. 5, 2023, to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. Shams pleaded guilty on Jan. 24, 2023, in the Central District of California to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and concealment of his exclusion from Medicare and was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Jan. 30, 2024. In addition, on May 29, 2024, Shams was sentenced to five years in prison in connection with his 2017 plea in the Eastern District of New York to conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks, and defrauding the United States by obstructing the lawful functions of the IRS, of which three years were ordered to run consecutive to the Central District of California sentence.

    Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Rochelle Wong of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Los Angeles Regional Office made the announcement.

    The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.

    Trial Attorneys Gary A. Winters and Raymond E. Beckering III of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maxwell Coll for the Central District of California handled the financial penalties.

    The Justice Department’s COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force marshals the resources of the department 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, visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to al Shabaab

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

    Danielle R. Sassoon, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that KARREM NASR, a/k/a “Ghareeb Al-Muhajir,” pled guilty to attempting to provide material support to al Shabaab, a designated foreign terrorist organization before U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres.

    U.S. Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon said: “Karrem Nasr devoted himself to waging violent jihad against America and its allies. Inspired by the evil terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, 2023, Nasr, a U.S. citizen, traveled from Egypt to Kenya in an effort to join al Shabaab so that he could execute his jihadist mission of creating death and destruction.  Now, instead of perpetrating a deadly attack in the name of a foreign terrorist group, Nasr resides in federal prison.  I thank the career prosecutors of my office and our law enforcement partners for their extraordinary work in disrupting this plan and bringing a terrorist to justice.”

    According to the allegations in the court filings and statements made in Court:

    NASR is a 24-year-old U.S. citizen who moved from New Jersey to Egypt in or about July 2023.  Starting in at least in or about November 2023, NASR repeatedly expressed his desire and plans to join al Shabaab, a designated foreign terrorist organization that has attacked Americans and American allies around the world, and wage jihad, including in communications with an FBI confidential source (the “CS”), who was posing as a facilitator for terrorist organizations.[1]

    In communications exchanged with the CS and postings that NASR made online, NASR stated that he had been thinking about engaging in jihad for a long time, and he was particularly motivated to become a jihadi by the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack in Israel.  For example, in communications with the CS, NASR stated that the number one enemy was “evil America,” which he called the “head of the snake.”  In social media posts, NASR warned that “Jihad” was “coming soon to a US location near you,” posting airplane, bomb, and fire emojis:

    In further communications with the CS, NASR expressed his intent to join al Shabaab to receive military training and engage in jihad, that he was prepared to kill and be killed, and that he specifically aspired to be a martyr for the jihadist cause.  For example, NASR stated “I would like to become a martyr in the sake of Allah. . . .  I think in coming years, inshallah we are going to see here big events in Egypt and the other Arab countries.  Inshallah if this happens; I will come back to Egypt, inshallah to help the Muslims in Egypt in their struggle to establish here in Egypt.”

    Beyond his online postings and communications with the CS, NASR took specific and targeted steps in his effort to join and receive military training from al Shabaab.  Among other things, NASR made flight and lodging reservations for travel to Kenya, where he planned to meet members of al Shabaab for further travel to Somalia to join and train with the terrorist group.  In addition, the day before his flight, NASR told the CS that he planned to delete data from his cellphone and computer to ensure that if he were detained, law enforcement would not be able to recover evidence of his jihadist activities from those devices.  On December 14, 2023, as planned, NASR flew from Egypt to Kenya, where he then planned to transit into Somalia to join and train with al Shabaab.  Later that day, NASR was taken into custody by Kenyan authorities.  On December 28, 2023, NASR arrived in the U.S.

    *                *                *

    NASR, 24, of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, pled guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  NASR is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Torres on June 30, 2025.

    The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

    Ms. Sassoon praised the outstanding efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”)’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the New York City Police Department.  Ms. Sassoon also thanked the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Nairobi, Kenya, the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, and the Kenyan Directorate of Criminal Investigations, including the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit and the Joint Terrorism Task Force-Kenya, for their assistance.

    This case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Camille L. Fletcher, Kimberly J. Ravener, and Stephen Ritchin are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Jennifer Burke of the Counterterrorism Section.
     

    [1] Communications referenced herein are described in substance and in part.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Secures Agreement Preventing Indiana Exhibitor and Dog Breeder from Violating the Animal Welfare Act

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WASHINGTON — In a consent decree entered today by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, Indiana exhibitor and dog breeder, Vernon D. Miller, agreed to not apply for or engage in any activity that requires a Department of Agriculture (USDA) license for two years. If Miller is relicensed in the future, he must comply with Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulations and standards necessary to provide humane and lawful care to the animals he exhibits and sells.

    A complaint filed in October alleged that Miller — individually and doing business as the Dutch Creek Farm Animal Park in Shipshewana, Indiana — had violated the AWA by failing to provide adequate veterinary care, safe and hospitable enclosures, appropriate enrichment and sanitary housing, food and water to his animals. The complaint also alleged that Miller had failed to maintain legally required records.

    At the time of the filing of the complaint, Miller had been cited for 90 AWA violations in just over a year, the highest number of citations for any USDA-licensed facility during that time period (2023-2024). Miller’s violations impacted over 300 animals that he exhibited to the public — including deer, zebra, exotic birds and primates — and dozens of dogs and puppies that he bred for sale as pets.

    The citations for multiple violations included unsanitary conditions (including stalls piled high with feces and food dishes coated in grime or mold), and failing to provide animals with sufficient shelter, failing to properly vaccinate puppies and failing to provide veterinary care for animals with illnesses or open wounds. The complaint alleged that such conditions had likely led to numerous animal deaths, with at least seven animals dying in the few months prior to the filing of the case.

    USDA suspended Miller’s license for 21 days starting on Oct. 9. The court entered a temporary restraining order against Miller on Oct. 28, requiring him to comply with multiple AWA regulations and standards, provide records and documentation to help monitor compliance and refrain from buying, selling, euthanizing or exhibiting animals without the consent of the United States or the court. The temporary restraining order expired on Dec. 2.

    “The maltreatment of animals entrusted to Mr. Miller’s care is a despicable act that deserves just intervention,” said Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.  “We will continue to work with our federal partners to identify and hold accountable those exhibitors and dog breeders who provide inhumane care to animals in violation of the Animal Welfare Act.” 

    “USDA is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of animals protected under the Animal Welfare Act,” said Deputy Administrator Sarah Helming for USDA’s Animal Care program. “The partnership between USDA and DOJ helps to ensure enforcement of the AWA regulations for those who put regulated animals at risk.”

    In addition to not applying for or engaging in activity requiring a USDA license for at least two years, the consent decree, in effect for five years, outlines that Miller will allow USDA inspectors limited access to the facility, if it is open to the public, and will produce certain records for compliance monitoring during any time he is not licensed. If Miller applies for and receives a USDA license in the future, he agrees to comply with AWA regulations and standards that he had previously violated and to maintain veterinary and other accurate and complete records.

    USDA investigated the case and filed a parallel administrative enforcement action.

    Senior Trial Attorney Devon Flanagan and Trial Attorneys Kamela Caschette, Angela Mo and Chris Carrara of the Justice Department’s Wildlife and Marine Resources Section prosecuted the case, with support from Assistant U.S. Attorney Dirk DeLor for the Northern District of Indiana and USDA’s Office of General Counsel and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lame Deer woman admits assault charges in rollover crash that injured two passengers on Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BILLINGS — A Lame Deer woman today admitted to assault charges after two passengers were seriously injured when the vehicle she was driving rolled on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

    The defendant, Kendra Carol Cook, 34, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Cook faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on each count.

    U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Cook was detained pending further proceedings.

    In court documents, the government alleged that on May 18, 2023, the FBI received a report that a car driven by Cook had rolled north of Lame Deer, injuring Cook and her two passengers. Cook was under the influence of alcohol at the time. A witness reported finding two women who were injured. The women told her that Cook had left the scene. One of the passengers, Jane Doe 2, was in the back seat, while another passenger, Jane Doe 1, was in the front seat. Cook told Doe 2 that she was drinking whiskey before picking her up. They bought alcohol and were drinking it while driving to Lame Deer. Cook was swerving all over the road, and, in Doe 2’s opinion, intentionally trying to wreck. Cook accelerated and turned the wheel, causing the car to go into a ditch and start flipping. Doe 1 estimated Cook was driving approximately 80 miles and hour and slowed to approximately 60 mph when they started swerving. Doe 1 denied there was any fighting or interfering with Cook. Cook acknowledged being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the wreck and claimed she and the passengers were fighting over the alcohol. Both victims suffered fractures and other serious injuries. The rollover occurred in a 35-mph speed zone.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Marshall Islands, military leaders strengthen partnership, defense

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    MAJURO, Marshall, Islands  –  

    U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s senior military official to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) met with local leaders in Majuro to discuss defense and security, Jan 23.

    Commander, Joint Task Force-Micronesia (JTF-M) U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Greg Huffman spoke with representatives from the U.S. Embassy and RMI National Security Director Chris deBrum during the visit.

    The U.S. has a longstanding relationship with the RMI and, continued under the recently renewed Compact of Free Association, is responsible for its defense. Established in June 2024, JTF-M’s mission is to synchronize military operations and activities across all domains from seabed to space to promote regional security and stability.

    “I am thankful for the opportunity to build upon the partnership we share with the people of the Marshall Islands,” Huffman said. “We have the common goal of maintaining peace and security in the region and will continue to work together to grow our collective maritime domain awareness and strengthen our defense here and across all of Micronesia.”

    Huffman shared his commitment to open lines of communication with RMI’s leadership and community about potential military activities and future investments. He also underscored the value of a common operating picture to counter illegal activity in the region.

    “We look forward to partnering more closely with INDOPACOM to address security concerns,” deBrum said. “We have overlapping issues so to be able to share resources is critical to our mutual success.”

    Huffman met with members of the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority (MIMRA) at their headquarters in Majuro, where the MIMRA team provided a capabilities brief. He also met with Commander, U.S. Army Garrison-Kwajalein Atoll Col. Andrew Morgan and Royal Australian Navy Lt. Cmdr. Lachlan Sommerville, maritime security advisor, for updates in their respective areas of responsibility.

    Dedicated to promoting regional stability, JTF-M performs Homeland Defense, Defense Support to Civil Authorities, and Foreign Humanitarian Assistance through a whole of government approach within its assigned joint operations area.

    For more information about JTF-M, visit https://www.pacom.mil/JTF-Micronesia/

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lummis Secures Key Subcommittee Chairmanship to Champion Wyoming Energy 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis

    January 28, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) announced she will chair the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, Nuclear Innovation and Safety for the 119th Congress:
    “Thanks to my position on the Environment and Public Works committee, I can deliver crucial results for the people of Wyoming,” said Lummis. “I am honored to chair this subcommittee, which oversees the EPA Office of Air and Radiation and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.  Wyoming continues to develop its traditional energy sector while investing in new and exciting nuclear technology.  I look forward to advancing policies that benefit an all-of-the-above energy approach and spur development across the Cowboy State. ”
    Senator Lummis will also serve on the Transportation and Infrastructure and the Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife subcommittees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hagerty Stands with Small Businesses, Supports Repeal of Misnamed Corporate Transparency Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty

    January 28, 2025

    WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, has joined Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and his colleagues in introducing legislation that would repeal the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and its onerous small business reporting requirements.
    Background
    The CTA was passed into law as part of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. While the bill intended to target shell companies that facilitate illicit activities, in practice, it created substantial compliance burdens for approximately 32.6 million law-abiding small businesses and associations that operate as corporations or limited liability companies. Penalties for noncompliance can result in up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The Biden Administration’s botched implementation of the CTA only worsened the situation; according to a survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), 83 percent of their members were unfamiliar with the reporting requirements.
    The legislation co-sponsored by Hagerty, the Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act, would repeal the CTA.
    Full text of the legislation can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI—Hagerty Joins America’s Newsroom on Fox News to Discuss Trump’s Foreign Policy Wins, Cabinet Nominations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty
    WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Appropriations, Banking, and Foreign Relations Committees and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, today joined America’s Newsroom on Fox News to discuss President Donald Trump’s foreign policy wins during his first week in office, along with the need to confirm his cabinet nominees.

    *Click the photo above or here to watch*
    Partial Transcript
    Hagerty on the need for reciprocity in tariff deals: “If you think about the tariff situation worldwide, the United States has been treated unfairly for years. President Trump has constantly and consistently talked about reciprocity. This goes all the way back to World War II. We created very favorable terms of trade for nations in Europe, nations like Japan, whose economies have been devastated. We should have time limited [the trade deals]. We should have put some sort of GDP-per-capita limit on that. Because right now, the United States has the lowest tariffs, on a trade weighted basis, of any major economy. Other countries have been taking advantage of us. President Trump sees this, and access to our economy is a privilege, not a right. You saw what happened in Colombia; he knows how to use leverage. He knows how to, essentially, let them know that he’s not going to tolerate bad behavior. And if countries like Colombia don’t want to cooperate with us, they’re not going to have access to our markets.”
    Hagerty on pausing funding to other nations within the State Department: “These are all very legitimate and reasonable questions to ask, Martha. There’s a lot of pearl clutching going on in Washington right now. But I can tell you back in 2016, 2017, the State Department acted as quickly as they could to shovel money out the door to NGOs, to the UN, to agencies that didn’t have the U.S.’ best interest at heart. I think it’s entirely appropriate that Secretary [Marco] Rubio put a pause on all of this. I sent a letter to every agency head in the United States government, letting them know, line and verse, how they would violate U.S. law if they were to ‘reprogram funds’ at the very end. We’re going to get a report on all of that here in the next couple of weeks. So, I think this is something that’s entirely legitimate. It’s something that should happen, and we need to make certain that taxpayer [dollars] are being used for things that advance America’s interest.”
    Hagerty on the state of Trump’s cabinet nominees: “I actually feel very good about how the nominees are moving through the process. You think about Senator [John] Thune, he’s been extremely diligent, in terms of setting up a process that will get our nominees confirmed as rapidly as possible. The Democrats have done everything they can to slow us down, but Senator Thune, our leader, has done a terrific job of making sure that we’re moving a pace. I feel good about our nominees. [Secretary] Pete Hegseth certainly had everything, including the kitchen sink, thrown at him, and he navigated the process very well. And I think as people got to know him, got to hear from him, they got to realize they had a very smart individual there who is very capable. I expect the same from the other nominees, and that process continues to pace here this week.”
    Hagerty on the need to confirm Trump’s cabinet nominees: “President Trump is entitled to his nominees. I think you’ve got a tremendous number of challenges that our nation is facing right now. President Trump opened a very large tent as he came into office, and he selected people that he thinks will help him achieve his goals, achieve the promises that he made to the American public. So, I think, on the balance, Republicans should, certainly, defer to President Trump. Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion—obviously, you’ve seen people vote in different ways from me—but, on the whole, I think people should give President Trump the benefit of the doubt.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaine, Young, Reed & Marshall Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Mental Health Resources for Health Care Providers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Todd Young (R-IN), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Roger Marshall (R-KS) introduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a comprehensive law Kaine, Young, Reed and Marshall successfully passed in 2022 to help prevent suicide, burnout, and mental and behavioral health conditions among health care professionals. The law has already provided $100 million in funding for mental health care for providers across the country, including $5.6 million in federal funding for Virginia providers at UVA Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, and George Mason University. But provisions of the law that made this funding possible expired last year. The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act would reauthorize these grant programs for five years.
    “Dr. Lorna Breen was a physician from Charlottesville who tragically died by suicide after working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Kaine. “In 2022, I was honored to work with her family and Senators Young, Reed and Marshall to pass legislation in her honor to help ensure health care workers have access to the mental health support they need. I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us in standing with our health care heroes by reauthorizing that law, so it can continue to support our healers.”
    “Our frontline workers put their own health on the line every day to serve our communities in Indiana and across the country,” said Young. “Congress must act to reauthorize this important program to provide our health care workforce with needed support to prevent suicide and promote mental and behavioral health.” 
    “Doctors, nurses, and health aids take care of patients who need them.  The federal government must do its part to ensure the mental and physical health needs of our health care workforce are taken care of too,” said Reed.
    “Our health care providers dedicate their lives to taking care of patients, sometimes, this comes at their own expense,” said Marshall. “We must ensure we’re giving them the support they need when it comes to their mental health. I’m proud to join Senators Kaine and Young in leading the reauthorization of this very important program which helps provide access to mental and behavioral health resources to our health care professionals.”
    “Health workers are at the heart of every life saved and ever patient cared for, yet the U.S. health care system is straining our workforce and perpetuating the alarming levels of burnout and poor mental health they are experiencing,” said Corey Feist, JD, MBA, co-founder and CEO of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, which leads the ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare coalition. “We are immensely grateful to Senators Kaine, Young, Reed, and Marshall for their steadfast commitment to reauthorize and fund the landmark Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act and build upon it to address the primary driver of health workers’ burnout—administrative burden.”
    Specifically, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act would:
    Reauthorize a grant program for health care organizations and professional associations for employee education on strategies to reduce burnout, peer-support programming, and mental and behavioral health treatment for five years. Communities with a shortage of health care workers, rural communities, and those experiencing burnout due to administrative burdens, such as lengthy paperwork, will be prioritized.
    Reauthorize a grant program for health profession schools or other institutions to train health care workers and students in strategies to prevent suicide, burnout, mental health conditions, and substance use disorders for five years.
    Reauthorize a national evidence-based education and awareness campaign. Currently, the campaign provides hospital and health system leaders with evidence-informed solutions to reduce health care worker burnout. Reauthorization will provide resources for the campaign to continue and expand beyond its current scope.
    In addition to Kaine, Young, Reed and Marshall, the legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Mark R. Warner (D-VA).
    Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: At Hearing, Defense Contractor Agrees with Warren: Legal Loopholes Should Not Lead to Price-Gouging the Military

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    January 28, 2025
    Warren: “The Pentagon is spending $440 billion this year on contracts. It’s important for us to get better procedures in place to get some eyes on what they’re doing.”
    Defense contractor agrees legal loopholes should not lead to price-gouging the military
    Video of Hearing
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned Shyam Sankar, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Palantir Technologies, about defense contractors exploiting loopholes to price gouge the military. 
    Senator Warren highlighted an enormous loophole in military acquisition rules that allows defense contractors to market a product as “commercial” even when the product is only made for and sold to our military. As the only customer, the Department of Defense (DoD) has no way to negotiate a fair market price without cost or pricing data, resulting in the department often overpaying for products and services. 
    In one example, defense contractor Honeywell successfully lobbied Congress to get its engines treated as commercial items and subsequently doubled the price of the engine. 
    “I completely agree that if you have a fake commercial item that doesn’t actually have commercial applicability, if the company is not able to leverage a diversified R&D base that goes beyond the government, that is the promise that should lead to price performance improvements for the government, then you’re not getting the value of the commercial item,” Mr. Shankar said.
    Last year, DoD’s Inspector General released a report that found Boeing paid the Air Force 80 times the available commercial price for a soap dispenser and recommended companies be required to alert the government when prices go up 25% or more. 
    “I’m sure it is not your intent to team up with another organization in order to price gouge the military,” Senator Warren said to Mr. Sankar. As a result, she asked him to commit to the Pentagon watchdog’s recommendation that bid contractors should provide notice when the price of a good or service goes up by 25%. Mr. Sankar refused to commit Palantir to that recommendation but said he would get back to the committee. 
    Senator Warren’s bipartisan Stop Price Gouging the Military Act would close loopholes in current acquisition laws, tie financial incentives for contractors to performance, and provide the Department of Defense (DoD) the information necessary to prevent future rip-offs.
    Transcript: Hearings to examine defense innovation and acquisition reform.Senate Armed Services CommitteeJanuary 28, 2025
    Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you for holding this hearing. So, DoD buys a lot of stuff from defense contractors, and to protect the military and taxpayers, it’s long been the law that defense contractors must give DoD contracting officers certified cost and pricing data to help verify that a price that’s being charged is fair and reasonable. 
    One of the big exceptions to this, though, is for, “commercial goods and services,” based on the principle that the market will make sure it’s a fair price. If you could buy it on Amazon, that’s a fair price. You don’t have to go into all the background on how you got there. I get that, and I am all for commercial buying. But the fact is, this is turned into a massive loophole where big defense contractors withhold data, even though there’s no market, and DoD, effectively the only customer, doesn’t have this information so that these giant companies can price gouge the military. 
    I want to give you an example here. For years, the army was buying Chinook helicopter engines from Honeywell, and Honeywell successfully lobbied Congress so its engines would be treated as commercial, and Honeywell wouldn’t have to turn over the certified cost and pricing data. Now, Mr. Sankar, you’re the CTO of Palantir, a billion-dollar tech company that contracts with DoD once Honeywell got the engine moved to a commercial engine. 
    What do you think happened to the price?
    Mr. Shyam Sankar, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President, Palantir Technologies: I’m not familiar, Senator. 
    Senator Warren: Well, it went up, not down, by 100%, and that’s the problem we’ve got here too often. DOD is outgunned when it is negotiating with these giant defense contractors, which is exactly why it needs the cost and pricing data to avoid being ripped off. Now, Mr. Sankar, your company, Palantir, is looking to create a consortium with another defense tech company, Anduril, is that right? Yeah. To jointly bid for something called “other transactions agreements,” or since we have to give everything initial OTAs, where the government also waives taxpayer protections on how to get pricing information. And I’m sure it is not your intent to team up with another organization in order to price gouge the military. This next question should probably be easy here. DoD’s inspector general recommended requiring bid contractors to alert military contracting offices when the price of a good or service goes up by 25%. In other words, move it up so other people know, and can get eyes on it. Mr. Sankar, do you agree with the IGs recommendation?
    Mr. Sankar: I do agree. I think the price signal is part of the competitive market and encouraging more entrants and capital to efficiently be allocated to improve things.
    Senator Warren: Excellent. And will Palantir agree to do that voluntarily?
    Mr. Sankar: I would defer to my team here, but I don’t think we would have any conceptual disagreement with that. 
    Senator Warren: Okay, so can I treat that as a yes? 
    Mr. Sankar: I would defer to my team. 
    Senator Warren: Well, I want to be clear here because the—
    Mr. Sankar: As the CTO, I don’t speak on the business side. 
    Senator Warren: Fair enough. Look, we only know about most of these overcharges because of the work that the Department of Defense’s Inspector General has done. This is the person who President Trump just illegally fired on Friday night, along with at least 16 other IGs. I am deeply concerned that this administration is removing exactly the cops on the beat that we need to identify waste and to prevent these kinds of increases. 
    So, Mr. Sankar, do you think it helps or hurts national security to have Senate-confirmed watchdogs, who can be there on pricing questions, like this, to call balls and strikes?
    Mr. Sankar: As a technologist, what I can speak to is, when you look at Intel in the late 60s, 96% of the market for integrated circuits was the Apollo program and the DOD. But Bob Noyce, says, the co-founder of Intel, the CO inventor the transistor, always envisioned a bigger commercial market, our ability to deliver a salt breaker and ultimately have an asymmetric threat against the Soviets—
    Senator Warren: Can you relate that to the question?
    Mr. Sankar: Yeah. I promise it will get there. Ability to deliver a salt breaker was because, actually he could, he could create integrated circuits that were 1000s of times cheaper than when we were building Apollo. That was only possible because he had an eye towards the commercial market. So I completely agree that if you have a fake commercial item that doesn’t actually have commercial applicability, if the company is not able to leverage a diversified R&D base that goes beyond the government, that is the promise that should lead to price performance improvements for the government, then you’re not getting the value of the commercial item. But when we look at space, for example, I grew up in the shadow of the Space Coast, the cost to get a kilogram into orbit for the shuttle, was $50,000 a kilogram, the cost with starship heavy reuse will be 10 bucks.
    Senator Warren: Mr. Sankar, I very much appreciate that you’re trying to push here on cost. I am too. The question I had asked you is whether or not we need IGs—who are the whistleblowers who say people are cheating on the cost, for example, on the definition of commercial—or somebody who can help us bring these costs down. The Pentagon is spending $440 billion this year on contracts. It’s important for us to get better procedures in place to get some eyes on what they’re doing. And IGs help us do that. Thank you.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: 29 January 2025 A new home for a new year The new 29 one-bedroom apartment social housing development in Nelson is ready to welcome Kāinga Ora customers.

    Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

    Local iwi this week blessed the new three-storey development in Waimea Road in Nelson South, which was built by local developer JV Properties Limited. Neighbours and other local stakeholders also had the chance to look through the homes before customers move in.

    Julia Campbell, Regional Director Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast, says people from the social housing register who have been waiting for a one-bedroom home will begin moving into the new development from early February. Some of the people moving in will now have a permanent place to call home after living in transitional housing for some time.

    This, and other trees, that were already on the property were retained as part of the new development.

    “Most of the people who are on the social housing register and in need of a place to live in Nelson are waiting for a one-bedroom home, so the completion of this development is a significant milestone,” Ms Campbell says.

    “Our specialist placement team has thought very carefully about who will live in these homes. During pre-housing conversations, we have spoken to prospective customers about their connections to the community and any support they may need to live well in their new home in the future.

    “Our team will continue to support everyone who will be living there to settle in well over the coming weeks and months. Local transitional housing providers will also continue to work with the people who are moving in from transitional housing,” she says.

    Construction of the new development began in October 2023. Kāinga Ora has an agreement with JV Properties Limited to purchase the homes upon completion. It expects to settle on the purchase of the homes this week.

    There are currently another 36 Kāinga Ora homes under construction in Nelson Tasman, including six homes in Oxford Street in Richmond and 26 new homes in Neale Avenue in Stoke, all of which Kāinga Ora has agreed to purchase from developers when they are completed. Four homes are also under redevelopment in Boundary Road in Nelson.

    See our Nelson region for more information.

    The new Waimea Road homes and a communal outdoor area

    Page updated: 29 January 2025

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two New Jersey Men Convicted For Their Roles In The Stephen Crane Village Drug Trafficking Organization, Including A Leader Convicted Of Murder

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK, N.J. –  Yesterday afternoon a Newark jury convicted two New Jersey men for their roles in a violent drug trafficking organization, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced.

    Michael Mayse, 38, of Newark, a leader of the Stephen Crane Drug Trafficking Organization, was convicted of murder, drug trafficking conspiracy, and related drug and firearms offenses.

    Gary Shahid, 66, of Newark, a drug supplier of the Stephen Crane Drug Trafficking Organization, was convicted of drug trafficking conspiracy, distribution and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and firearms offenses.

    “This Office’s commitment to prosecuting violent crime and serious drug trafficking offenses is unwavering.  This case demonstrates the strength of our partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement and ensures that serious consequences will follow for these defendants.”

    Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna

    “ATF remains steadfast in identifying and apprehending those who are terrorizing our neighborhoods with violence and senseless disorder,” ATF Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr., Newark Field Division stated.  “These guilty verdicts bring accountability to violent criminals whose actions disregard criminal law, human life, and public safety. We will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners and secure the safety of our communities.”

    “Drug trafficking can be a dangerous and violent game, often entangled with the deadly consequences. Today’s conviction against these two members of the Stephen Crane Village Drug Trafficking Organization, who repeatedly used violence when operating their criminal enterprise, shows the commitment the DEA and our law enforcement partners have in keeping our communities safe and making sure those responsible for these types of violent crimes face the consequences for their actions,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz, New Jersey Field Division.

    According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

    Stephen Crane Village is a public housing complex near Branch Brook Park, on the border of Newark, New Jersey and Belleville, New Jersey. Stephen Crane Village was the site of an open-air drug market controlled by a violent drug trafficking organization (“DTO”) from at least February 2019 through February 2020.

    Through numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, consensually recorded telephone calls and text messages, physical surveillance, electronic surveillance, and the analysis of telephone call detail records, law enforcement determined that the members of the DTO conspired to distribute narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base, in and around Stephen Crane Village.

    The DTO used a drug stash apartment in Stephen Crane Village to package and store their drugs for distribution. The DTO sold significant quantities of drugs to confidential sources and an undercover agent. On December 15, 2019, Mayse entered the DTO’s stash apartment in Stephen Crane Village and murdered a member of the DTO over a monetary debt relating to the drug trafficking conspiracy.

    The count of conspiracy to distribute at least 100 grams of heroin carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison, maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, and a fine of up to $5 million. The counts of distribution of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine each carry a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. The count for of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of heroin, and 500 grams or more of cocaine carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a fine of up to $10 million. The count of murder during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The count of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a $250,000 fine.  The counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a $250,000 fine.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents and task force officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr.; special agents and task force officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II and Chief Mitchell G. McGuire; the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Director Emanuel Miranda; and the Belleville Police Department, under the direction of Chief Mark Minichini.  He also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their assistance with this case.

    The investigation was conducted as part of the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The Newark VCI was formed in August 2017 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the City of Newark’s Department of Public Safety for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Newark. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the DEA, the DHS/HSI, the USMS, the Newark Department of Public Safety, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, Union County Jail, New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, New Jersey Department of Corrections, the East Orange Police Department, and the Irvington Police Department.

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

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Agnew of the Criminal Division in Trenton and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Goldberg of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.

                                                     ###

    Defense counsel:

    Thomas Ambrosio, Esq., for Gary Shahid

    Joel Silberman, Esq., and Keith Oliver, Esq., for Michael Mayse

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Fugitive Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Armed Drug Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

     MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 180 months in prison for trafficking drugs and possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes while being a federal fugitive.

    According to court documents, Tesean R. James, 30, was convicted of a bulk marijuana trafficking conspiracy in federal court in 2019. After his release from federal prison in September 2021, James absconded from court-ordered supervision and remained a fugitive for more than two years.

    In July 2023, federal and local law enforcement agents attempted to arrest James on his fugitive warrant. James led agents on a high-speed vehicle chase through a residential neighborhood in Mobile, bailing out of his vehicle and eluding capture on foot. In James’s abandoned vehicle, agents recovered two pistols and seven pounds of bulk marijuana. Later, in December 2023, agents captured James in Mobile after a brief foot chase. Agents executed a search warrant at the house where James had been staying, recovering more than 34 pounds of bulk marijuana, 1.5 kilograms of psilocybin mushrooms, more than $34,000 in drug proceeds, and two guns, one of which had previously been reported stolen.

    James confessed to police that he knew he had active warrants and was a federal fugitive. James admitted that he regularly received shipments of 50 pounds of marijuana at a time, which he coordinated via encrypted apps on his cell phones. Agents searched James’s cell phones, finding evidence that he had been selling marijuana and other narcotics, including mushrooms, prescription pills, and codeine syrup, since being released from federal prison in September 2021. James’s phones also contained evidence that he knew he was a fugitive, including a photo of James that had been posted on the news as “Fugitive of the Week.”

    In addition to the 180-month prison term, Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock ordered James to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will receive mental health treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Beaverstock ordered James to pay $300 in special assessments. The court also forfeited James’s guns and electronic devices to the United States.

    U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

    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.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Recovers More Than $55 Million in Civil Settlements and Judgments in Calendar Year 2024

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN ANTONIO – U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza announced today that the Western District of Texas recovered $55,969,678.60 in settlements and judgments in over 25 affirmative civil enforcement cases between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024. This figure includes recoveries in both local matters and cases handled jointly with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Department of Justice’s Civil Division.

    “I am proud of my office’s work this year to achieve several significant civil recoveries for American taxpayers and the people of the Western District of Texas,” said U.S. Attorney Esparza. “We will continue to work with our agency and law enforcement partners to vigorously pursue civil remedies on behalf of the United States when appropriate.”

    The office’s largest civil recoveries were obtained in False Claims Act (FCA) matters. The most significant FCA recoveries include:

    • a $21.75 million settlement with Medisca, Inc. to resolve allegations concerning false and inflated Average Wholesale Prices for ingredients used in compound prescriptions;
    • a $15.875 million settlement with Booz Allen Hamilton to resolve allegations of false claims related to computer military training simulators and systems;
    • a $4.2 million settlement with Elara Caring and its subsidiaries to resolve allegations of false claims for hospice services provided to patients who were not terminally ill;
    • a $2.3 million judgment against Ma Acupuncture Center and Dr. Dongxin Ma to resolve allegations of inflated acupuncture bills submitted to the Department of Veterans Affairs;
    • a $2 million settlement with Five Point Enterprises LLC to resolve allegations of false claims for educational assistance benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill; and
    • a $1.3 million settlement with Oncology San Antonio and Dr. Jayasree Rao to resolve allegations of unlawful kickbacks and medically unnecessary tests and treatments.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office obtained several smaller—but nevertheless significant—FCA recoveries in COVID-fraud cases, including a $680,000 settlement with Lafayette RE Management LLC and Thibault Adrien, and a $425,710 settlement with Freedom Solar LLC. In both cases, the government alleged the settling parties made false certifications in applying for and/or obtaining forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Program loans.

    Another area of emphasis for the Western District of Texas is the recovery of civil penalties under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which imposes strict regulatory requirements on doctors, pharmacists, and other individuals and entities that handle dangerous drugs and precursor chemicals. Significant CSA recoveries in 2024 include:

    • a $600,000 settlement with Dr. Alfonso Luevano (of which $465,884.22 was attributed to CSA civil penalties and $134,115.78 was attributed to FCA damages) to resolve allegations related to unlawful prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances;
    • a $300,000 settlement with Shrieve Chemical Company LLC to resolve allegations the company violated recordkeeping requirements relating to the importation and distribution of listed chemicals, manufactured a listed chemical without registering, and made a drop shipment to a customer without first importing the chemical to its registered location; and
    • a $210,000 settlement with Sachnikumar Patel, RPh., Medical Arts Pharmacy, and Express Pharmacy to resolve allegations they unlawfully dispensed “office use” prescriptions, failed to register as reverse distributors, and violated CSA recordkeeping requirements.

    The claims resolved by the settlements referenced above are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Maryland Life Insurance Broker Convicted in $20-Million Insurance Fraud Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Baltimore, Maryland – After a seven-day trial, a federal jury found James William Wilson, Jr., 77, of Owings Mills, Maryland, guilty of 13 counts of fraud, three counts of money laundering, two counts of filing false tax returns, and one count of aggravated identity theft.

    Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the verdict with Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg, Department of Justice Tax Division, and Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, Washington Field Office.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Wilson defrauded life-insurance companies by securing more than 40 life-insurance policies. Wilson’s scheme included mispresenting policy applicants’ health, wealth, and existing life-insurance coverage. The total death benefits from these policies exceeded $20 million.

    Additionally, Wilson defrauded individual investors to receive funds that he used to pay premiums on the fraudulently obtained life-insurance policies. Wilson concealed the fraud by transferring the proceeds to multiple bank accounts, including accounts in the name of trusts. He then filed false individual income-tax returns for 2018 and 2019, which concealed the fraudulent proceeds from each year, approximately $5.7 million and $2 million, respectively.

    Wilson is scheduled to be sentenced at 9:30 a.m., on May 1, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering; and three years in prison for each count of filing a false tax return.  He also faces two years in prison for one count of aggravated identity theft. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    In addition, Wilson’s wife, Maureen, 76, has also been charged with fraud, conspiracy, money laundering, and filing false tax returns for 2018 and 2019. Her trial is scheduled for March 3, 2025.

    IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case, with assistance from the Maryland Insurance Administration and the Maryland Office of The Attorney General.

    U.S. Attorney Barron commended the IRS-Criminal Investigation Division for their work on the case. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew P. Phelps and Philip Motsay and Trial Attorneys Shawn Noud and Richard Kelley, who prosecuted the federal case.

    For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Reentry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – A Guatemalan man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to illegally reentering the United States after deportation.

    Edilzar Morales-Barillas, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for May 7, 2025. Morales-Barillas was charged on July 31, 2024.

    Morales-Barillas was deported from the United States on May 14, 2021. Sometime after his May 2021 removal, Morales-Barillas unlawfully reentered the United States. Immigration and Customs Enforcement became aware of Morales-Barillas’ unlawful presence in the United States on May 27, 2023, following his arrest for a fourth offense of operating under the influence of alcohol.  

    The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.  

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Todd M. Lyons, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Drug Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on January 16, 2025, JONAS RICHARD (“RICHARD”), age 43, pled guilty to three counts of a superseding indictment charging him with distribution of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C).

    As to each count, RICHARD faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, up to a $1,000,000 fine, at least three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.  RICHARD is set for sentencing on April 24, 2025.

    According to court documents, on August 24, 2023, as part of operation Big Easy, undercover agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) while walking through the French Quarter in New Orleans, were approached by RICHARD about purchasing narcotics.  After agreeing to a price for heroin, RICHARD contacted his supplier/ co-defendant. Later, RICHARD’s supplier arrived and gave the narcotics to RICHARD, who then gave the narcotics to the undercover agents.  After testing, the narcotics were identified as fentanyl and weighed 3.36 grams.

    Following the August 24, 2023 sale, RICHARD maintained telephone contact with the undercover agent and on August 28, 2023, met the agents in a New Orleans parking lot.  On this occasion, RICHARD sold them 16.26 grams of fentanyl.

    On September 15, 2023, RICHARD sold the agents a half ounce of fentanyl laced heroin in two packages.  Each package weighed 12.10 and 4.02 grams, respectively.

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

    The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Dawkins of the Violent Crime Unit.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Colorado Springs Man Sentenced For Defrauding Taxpayer Funded COVID-19 Relief Program

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Charles Lacona, Jr., 67, formerly of Colorado Springs, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $549,274.14 in restitution after being found guilty by a federal jury on two counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering related to fraudulent COVID-19 related funds he received through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

    According to the facts established at trial, between April 2020 and April 2021, Lacona devised and participated in a scheme to defraud a lender of $513,732.50 in PPP loans. Lacona inflated payroll costs and gross receipts, made false statements and certifications, and submitted fabricated tax documents and payroll reports.  During that same period, Lacona unsuccessfully applied for additional emergency government assistance through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program.  Lacona used some of the fraudulently obtained funds to purchase a Cadillac CT6 for $67,704.13.

    “Theft of taxpayer dollars will not be tolerated,” said Acting United States Attorney J. Bishop Grewell. “This sentence sends a message that people who defrauded the United States Government will be held accountable for their actions.”

    “IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to holding accountable those who exploited the COVID-19 pandemic relief programs,” said Amanda Prestegard, Special Agent In Charge, Denver Field Office. “Investigating those who defrauded programs meant for hard working Americans will remain a top priority for our agency.”

    United States District Court Judge Daniel D. Domenico presided over the trial. IRS Criminal Investigation handled the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Craig Fansler and Nicole Cassidy handled the prosecution.

    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 July 11, 2023, the Attorney General selected the District of Colorado’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of five 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-results-nationwide-covid-19-fraud-enforcement-action.

    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: Gangster Disciples Member Sentenced for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    COLUMBUS, Ga. – A validated member of the Gangster Disciples with a violent criminal past in the Columbus community was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm resulting from a Project Safe Neighborhoods case.

    Christopher Gilliam, 36, of Columbus, was sentenced to serve 162 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Clay Land on Jan. 28. Gilliam pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on Oct. 29, 2024. There is no parole in the federal system.

    “Violent convicted felons caught illegally with firearms in the Middle District of Georgia will find their cases in federal court,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Shanelle Booker. “This case is another example of the kind of effective law enforcement partnerships helping us track down and hold the most dangerous repeat offenders accountable.”

    “Project Safe Neighborhoods is not just a program; it is a powerful, unyielding effort to dismantle violent criminal networks and rid our communities of those who bring harm. Through strategic enforcement and collaboration, we will ensure that violent offenders, like Gilliam, face justice in federal court,” said ATF Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka.

    “If you are bold enough to commit a crime involving a gun coupled with gang involvement, we will be courageous enough to arrest you for your crimes against others,” said Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman. “We will continue to work with our federal partners to promote safer neighborhoods and communities.”

    According to court documents and statements referenced in court, Gilliam was wanted for an active outstanding arrest warrant for aggravated assault when law enforcement tracked him to his girlfriend’s residence in Columbus on July 21, 2023. Gilliam was taken into custody and officers found a stolen 9mm semiautomatic pistol with a laser and a loaded 15-round magazine in plain view. Gilliam has a lengthy criminal history, to include prior convictions for aggravated assault. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.

    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 of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities; supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place; setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities; and measuring the results.

    The case was investigated by the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals Chief prosecuted the case for the Government.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Sanford Man Sentenced to 10 Years After Officer Sees Drugs Protruding from His Shirt Pocket

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PORTLAND, Maine: A Sanford man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute.

    U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Nicholas Delahunt, 39, to 120 months in prison to be followed by eight years of supervised release.

    According to court records, in October 2023, an officer from the Sanford Police Department noted a vehicle pulled over on the side of the road. The officer queried the vehicle and learned that the registered owner, Delahunt, had a suspended license. Police confirmed Delahunt was operating the vehicle. While speaking with him on the side of the road, the officer noted a large plastic baggie protruding from his sweatshirt front pocket that appeared to contain narcotics. Delahunt removed the bag, which was found to contain approximately 166 grams of fentanyl. A further search of Delahunt’s person revealed three additional grams of fentanyl. Just 2 grams of fentanyl is considered a potentially lethal dose. Delahunt was previously convicted in Maine in 2021 for unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs.

    The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Sanford Police Department.

    ###

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Boynton Beach Man Sentenced To 5 Years For Distributing Videos Depicting The Sexual Abuse Of Children

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Jacksonville, Florida – Chief United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Timothy Burch Morris (46, Boynton Beach) to five years in federal prison for distributing over the internet two videos depicting the sexual abuse of young children. Morris was also ordered to serve a five-year term of supervised release, pay $10,000 in assessments for child victims, and register as a sex offender.

    According to court documents, on November 20, 2023, an FBI agent (UC) in Jacksonville was working in an undercover capacity on a particular social media application (app) to identify individuals who were attempting to sexually exploit children using the internet. The UC joined an online public chatroom on the app posing as an adult with access to a child. App user “timkw37138,” who was later identified as Morris, posted within this public group – “Hi all. 44 very well hung male in Florida. My PM is open.” Later that day, the UC and Morris began texting using the private messaging feature of the app. Morris typed, “I just love stroking to guys [sic] daughters,” and stated that his favorite age is “prob 13-15 give or take a couple years neither side.”

    On November 22, 2023, when asked to verify if he was “legit,” Morris sent the UC a sexually explicit photo of himself. Five minutes later, Morris distributed two videos to the UC depicting minors being sexually abused. During another online conversation on November 27, 2023, Morris sent the UC another sexually explicit photo of himself taken at his residence.

    After further investigation, FBI agents arrested Morris. During a search incident to his arrest, agents seized Morris’s cellphone which contained several sexually explicit photos of Morris that he had taken while at his home that were consistent with those sent to the UC. During an interview with law enforcement, Morris admitted having the “timkw37138” user account on the app for over five years.   

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville and West Palm Beach, with assistance from the Boynton Beach Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

    It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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 child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. 

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  • MIL-OSI USA: MEMO: How Trump’s Federal Funding Freeze Affects Colorado

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
    Head Start programs, Meals on Wheels, Veterans’ suicide prevention programs, COPS grants to police departments all affected
    In a chaotic late-night, two-page memo, President Trump immediately froze federal grants and loans. While the order is blatantly illegal, below is a memo outlining what programs are being affected by this sudden, ill-thought out freeze of funding. 
    “What does this mean for Colorado? Funding to our police departments, our hospitals, programs for homeless veterans. Nearly 9,000 kids in Colorado Head Start programs may be locked out. Trump is sacrificing working Americans,” said U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper.
    TO: Interested Parties
    FROM: Office of U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper
    SUBJECT: Effects of Trump Executive Order Freezing Federal Funds 
    DATE: January 28, 2025 
    OMB Memo to Pause Spending: On Monday night, the acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget sent a two-page memorandum to all federal agency heads directing them to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligations or disbursement of Federal financial assistance.” The order is set to take effect at 3pm MT today. The memo also requires that agencies review all financial assistance programs to ensure activities are “consistent with the President’s policies and requirements,” citing several executive orders directed to pause all spending on foreign aid, the green new deal, “woke gender ideology,” and DEI programs. Agencies must provide OMB detailed information on program spending by February 10th, and assign “responsibility and oversight” to a senior political appointee. Below you can find priority programs and projects in Colorado that may be impacted by this pause. 
    COLORADO IMPACTS
    The order is expected to impact tens of billions of dollars in payments for Colorado. Federal funds make up approximately 25 percent of  Colorado’s total budget.
    The latest Biden administration data lists total IRA/BIL/CHIPS public investment in Colorado at $10.586 billion
    IRA/BIL climate-focused programs: Estimated $600M-$900M 
    Halts programs at Colorado’s rural hospitals: Pauses funding to increase health care access, support community health centers, treat substance abuse issues, and improve care quality for small rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals across the state. 
    For example, some of the programs and areas that will be affected:
    $1,420,601 for rural hospital improvements and Medicare flexibility in Arapahoe County
    $1,250,000 to battle the opioid crisis and increase access to substance abuse programs in Moffat County
    $784,031 to help screen patients suffering from black lung disease Denver County
    $499,847 to battle the opioid crisis and increase access to substance abuse programs in Adams County 
    $200,000 to improve access to health care providers in San Miguel County 
    $100,000 to expand rural health care development in Archuleta County 
    $100,000 to expand rural health care development in Mesa County
    Additional programs paused include cancer research, rural telehealth options, and infectious disease preparation.
    Medicaid portal down nationwide: Our office has heard from Colorado hospitals that the Medicaid payment system has been turned off. With Medicaid portals down, doctors and hospitals in Colorado are unable to receive funds through the system. Reports have circulated that other states are running into the same issue and have been shut off from Medicaid. 
    Takes food away from 40 percent of Colorado school kids: Halts federal payments for school breakfast and lunch programs. 40% of Colorado kids rely on these programs to stay fed and healthy. 
    Cuts off 83,000+ low-income families from heating their homes in the dead of winter: Halts funding disbursements for low-income Colorado families who rely on LIHEAP funding to keep their home warm this winter. In FY24, 83,800+ households depended on LIHEAP. 
    25,000+ Colorado seniors will be unsure where their next meal will come from: Local Meals on Wheels providers are unsure whether they will be able to serve meals. 25,000+ Colorado seniors utilize Meals on Wheels to access food. 
    Strips $182 million from the budgets of our local public schools: Will strip Colorado public schools of $182 million in federal funding, straining the budget of our local public schools even further.
    19,000+ kids unable to attend child care or Head Start programs: Facilities will not be able to access reimbursements that help provide low-income kids with the early childhood education, health, and nutrition that they need. In FY23, nearly 9,000 kids were enrolled in Head Start in Colorado. Head Start programs around the country are already reporting being locked out of the portal to access reimbursements.
    Federal funding to provide child care assistance to low-income families will also be paused, with over 10,000 kids in Colorado between the ages of 0-5 were supported by Child Care and Development Block Grant funding last year. 
    Hits our farmers and producers where it hurts when food prices are already too high for working families: This threatens funding to programs that benefit producers and consumers alike, including the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). Since 2022, LFPA has contributed over $2M to local ag in Colorado, and enabled food banks to distribute over 1.2 million pounds of nutritious food to Coloradans in need. The order also pauses funding to agriculture research and meat, poultry, and egg product inspection.  
    Pauses critical loans for thousands of Colorado small businesses: All SBA loans, including disaster relief, will be paused. This will cripple local small businesses as they will be unable to make payroll, their leasing payment, or more. Over 5,000 Colorado small businesses have been approved for SBA loans in the past three years. 
    Deny Colorado communities funding to fight opioid misuse: Last year, Colorado received $20.8 million to fund addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery services across the state.
    Weakens our public safety and undermines our law enforcement: Pauses crucial funding used to prevent terrorism, hire more police officers, prevent school violence, and crack down on drug trafficking. 
    For example, some of grants that boost public safety in Colorado that will be impacted include: 
    $12.2 million to the Colorado Department of Public Safety to prevent terrorism 
    $9 million in Office of Violence Against Women grants in FY24 for Colorado organizations for victims assistance as well as state and local police  
    $680,798 awarded to Colorado Springs to reduce drug trafficking and drug production
    $336,629 for the Colorado Department of Public Safety to crack down on drug trafficking 
    Strips Colorado’s 365,000+ veterans of the support and resources they’ve earned: Halts funding for community-based suicide prevention efforts, organizations that provide care for veterans experiencing homelessness, and services for veterans living with disabilities or struggling with mental health crises. Health care programs that support family members of disabled veterans as well as educational programs, such as the Montgomery GI Bill and post-9/11 education benefits, will be paused. Funds will also be frozen for the VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, which supports surviving family members. Federal funding that helps veterans secure good-paying jobs through job training and support services is also threatened. 
    For example, organizations, such as the Colorado Coalition for Homeless, won’t be able to access their regular funding to help support veterans pay their monthly rent.  
    Cuts off 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Pauses funding for the suicide and life crisis hotline that offers real-time support for those struggling with a mental health crisis, emotional distress, and alcohol or durg use.  
    After our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has already invested $5.3 billion in Colorado, all DOT grant programs will be paused and reviewed. Many Colorado projects are at risk, including all major programs impacting highways, aviation, safety, rail, and more.
    Appeases China by allowing them to continue having a hold in our rural communication networks: Hickenlooper successfully secured $3.08 billion for the Federal Communications’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, or the Rip and Replace program for short. Colorado was awarded the highest outstanding amount. That funding is now paused, leaving our rural small businesses in the dust and our telecommunications networks at risk.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Supporting Elimination of DEI, Restoration of Lethality in Armed Forces

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) issued a statement in support of President Donald Trump’s latest executive orders restoring lethality to the United States Armed Forces.
    “For the past four years, I have sounded the alarm about Joe Biden and the far-left, progressive Democrats politicizing our military,” said Senator Tuberville. “As a result, recruitment has fallen to the lowest levels since before World War II. We need our military to be a fighting machine, not a playground for Democrats’ culture war. Thankfully, change is here. Yesterday’s executive orders from President Donald Trump eliminate DEI in the military, reinstate service members discharged for refusing the COVID vaccine, and ensure military standards are updated to prioritize readiness, restore lethality, and build confidence in our Armed Forces. With President Trump and Secretary Hegseth at the helm, our military will be 100% focused on protecting our country and putting America First on the world stage.”
    MORE:
    Tuberville: “We need a military that is 100% focused on protecting our country and enhancing national security.”
    ICYMI: Tuberville op-ed: “Biden is Infecting Our Military With Woke Politics While the World Implodes”
    Tuberville Questioned Army Officials on Lasting Effects of Vaccine Policy on the Military
    Tuberville, Colleagues Help Secure Provision To Protect Servicemembers From COVID Vaccine Mandate In 2023 NDAA
    Tuberville Questions Pentagon about COVID Vaccine Military Discharge
    Tuberville Demands Answers on Military’s Vaccine Mandate
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Capito, Whitehouse Announce EPW Subcommittee Assignments for the 119th Congress

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the EPW Committee, announced the EPW subcommittee assignments for the 119th Congress.
    “Each of these subcommittees play an important role in developing solutions that tackle the infrastructure, energy, and environment challenges within EPW’s jurisdiction. I’m confident in the ability of our chairs to lead these panels effectively, and continue EPW’s track record of getting things done. I look forward to working with our subcommittee leaders and members to address the issues most important to the American people,” Chairman Capito said.  
    “Our subcommittees cover many issues that are essential to ensuring clean air, clean water, a healthy climate, and modern infrastructure,” said Ranking Member Whitehouse. “I look forward to working together on these important topics.”
    Subcommittee assignments for the 119th Congress are as follows:
    Transportation and Infrastructure
    Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Chairman 
    Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.)
    Senator John Curtis (R-Utah)
    Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
    Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska)
    Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.)
    Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)
    Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.)
    Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Ranking Member
    Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)
    Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.)
    Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.)
    Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
    Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)
    Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.)
    Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Innovation and Safety
    Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Chairman 
    Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.)
    Senator John Curtis (R-Utah)
    Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
    Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.)
    Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)
    Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.)
    Senator Jon Husted (R-Ohio) 
    Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Ranking Member
    Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
    Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)
    Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.)
    Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
    Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)
    Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.)
    Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight
    Senator John Curtis (R-Utah), Chairman
    Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
    Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska)
    Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)
    Senator Jon Husted (R-Ohio) 
    Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member
    Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
    Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.)
    Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.)
    Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water
    Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Chairman
    Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.)
    Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.)
    Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska)
    Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.)
    Senator Jon Husted (R-Ohio) 
    Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Ranking Member
    Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
    Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.)
    Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
    Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.)

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Capito Votes to Confirm Sean Duffy for Transportation Secretary

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation (Commerce) Committee, issued the following statement after voting to confirm Sean Duffy to serve as the next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportations (DOT):
    “I have known Sean Duffy for years and worked closely with him during our time in the House of Representatives. His promise to leave a legacy of increased safety on our roads, waterways, and skies at the Department of Transportation is a noble effort that both Republicans and Democrats can unite behind,” Senator Capito said. “I was proud to vote to confirm Sean to the top position at DOT, and I look forward to working with him and the Trump administration on a surface transportation package this Congress so that we can deliver results for West Virginia, especially our critical infrastructure projects, and make traveling safer for all Americans.”
    BACKGROUND:
    Senator Capito previously met with Duffy in December of 2024 to discuss his nomination and learn more about his vision to lead the department.
    Senator Capito and Duffy served together in the U.S. House of Representatives.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Barrasso Votes to Confirm Sean Duffy as Secretary of Transportation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming John Barrasso
    WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today issued the following statement after the Senate voted to confirm Sean Duffy as head of the Department of Transportation.
    Earlier today, Senator Barrasso spoke on the Senate floor in full support of former Congressman Sean Duffy’s nomination to be Secretary of Transportation.
    Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s full remarks.
    Sen Barrasso’s remarks as prepared:
    “Since January 20, the United States Senate has confirmed 5 of President Trump’s well-qualified nominees. Today, the Senate will confirm the sixth.
    “Former Congressman Sean Duffy is the nominee to be the Secretary of Transportation. Congressman Duffy received unanimous support in the Commerce Committee.
    “As Secretary of Transportation, Congressman Duffy will be responsible for ensuring Americans have reliable infrastructure and safe travel. His job is critical to America’s economic success.
    “From the Erie Canal to the Transcontinental Railroad in the 19th Century, from the Panama Canal to the Interstate Highway System in the 20th Century – infrastructure transformed our commercial republic into an economic superpower.
    “Today, our highways, bridges, ports, and airways need improvement as travel and commerce hit new records. We need to build great things in America again. Families and businesses need confidence that they’ll get where they need to go.
    “Sean Duffy is dedicated to moving America forward. As Secretary of Transportation, he will lead the Department with safety and modernization at the forefront.
    “I look forward to confirming Congressman Duffy and working with him.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn Votes to Confirm Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement after Scott Bessent was confirmed as Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury:
    “As Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent will be a valuable asset to President Trump and a powerful partner to Congress as we work together to extend the Trump tax cuts, rein in spending, and bring down inflation. Scott and I agree that tackling our national debt is critical to the success of Republicans’ pro-growth agenda and securing America’s dominance on the world stage. I look forward to working with him to seize this historic opportunity and get our economy roaring back to life.”

    MIL OSI USA News –