NewzIntel.com

Category: coronavirus

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Man Sentenced to Prison for Unemployment Insurance and Bank Fraud

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND – Darmani Hawkins, 21, of Aurora, was sentenced to 60 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud; conspiracy to commit bank fraud; and mail theft, as part of schemes to fraudulently obtain coronavirus disease (COVID)-era state unemployment benefits and, separately, to steal checks from the mail, alter them, and deposit them. He was also ordered to pay $681,114.14 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment.

    According to court documents, from 2020 through 2021, Hawkins conspired to fraudulently obtain COVID pandemic unemployment insurance benefits by submitting fake claims, and in 2023, he conspired to steal checks out of the United States mail, deposit them, and keep the proceeds.

    In the COVID fraud scheme, Hawkins and his co-conspirators exploited the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security), which had been established to assist people who were out of work because of the COVID-related shutdown. They submitted false unemployment applications to multiple states, making it appear as if they were eligible to receive benefits when, in fact, they were not. Once a state’s unemployment agency approved the applications, the state mailed the unemployment benefits to Hawkins and his co-conspirators in the form of debit cards, which they used to withdraw cash for their personal benefit.

    In the bank fraud and mail theft scheme, Hawkins used a social media platform to recruit postal workers to steal checks from the U.S. Postal Service in exchange for a fee. Hawkins also offered to pay people to use their established bank accounts to deposit the checks stolen from the mail. Those who agreed to participate in mail theft deposited the stolen checks into bank accounts that Hawkins had paid others to allow him to access.  Hawkins then withdrew or received the stolen deposited funds. 

    “Mr. Hawkins shamelessly exploited federal resources intended to help those who became unemployed as a result of an uncontrollable, life-changing world event. His deceitful actions were selfish and heartless, diverting much-needed funds away from those who lost their jobs through no fault of their own,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “He also manipulated others to steal checks and misuse our banking system in a greedy effort to make easy money. Those, like Mr. Hawkins, who seek to capitalize on the misfortune of others by abusing federal safety nets established to protect the needy, and who steal from the U.S. taxpayer and private citizens, will be held to account and brought to justice.”

    “The sentencing of Mr. Hawkins should send a strong message to anyone who believes they can deceive government programs designed to help the American public in times of need. As part of our mission, postal inspectors will aggressively work to protect the public and prevent criminal misuse of the mail,” said Postal Inspector in Charge Lesley Allison of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Pittsburgh Division. “We value our relationships with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the law enforcement partners involved in bringing Mr. Hawkins to justice.”

    During the investigation, officials determined that Hawkins had caused a loss of approximately $425,000 in the COVID fraud scheme and more than $700,000 in the stolen check scheme.  

    This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, and the FBI Cleveland Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erica Barnhill for the Northern District of Ohio.

    To report fraud, visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/unemployment-insurance-payment-accuracy/UIFraudReporting or https://www.uspis.gov/report. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Part-Time Actor from O.C. Sentenced to Over Eight Years in Prison for Soliciting Investors for Shell Companies Peddling Bogus COVID Cure

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – An Orange County man and part-time actor was sentenced today to 98 months in federal prison for soliciting investors in companies that marketed what in fact were a bogus cure and treatment for COVID-19 during the pandemic’s early days.

    Keith Lawrence Middlebrook, 57, of Huntington Beach, was sentenced by United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer, who also fined him $25,000 and ordered him immediately remanded to federal custody to begin serving his prison sentence. 

    At the conclusion of a three-day trial in May 2024, a jury found Middlebrook guilty of 11 counts of wire fraud.

    In March 2020, Middlebrook solicited potential investors in California, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Colorado via text messages, videos and statements posted on YouTube and Instagram about his purported cure for COVID-19. Middlebrook called this so-called cure “QC20,” and he also marketed a purported COVID treatment, which he called “QP20.”

    Middlebrook claimed to have personally developed a “patent-pending” cure and a treatment to prevent coronavirus infection. Middlebrook fraudulently solicited investments in various companies with a series of false promises. These fraudulent claims included miraculous results from the prevention product and the cure, risk-free and 100 percent guaranteed “enormous returns” on investments,” and that former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Earvin “Magic” Johnson was a director and officer of Middlebrook’s company. He induced victims to invest their money by promising them enormous returns. Judge Fischer based Middlebrook’s sentence in part on finding that he obstructed justice by his lying on the witness stand when he testified about his purported relationship and business dealings with Johnson.

    To bolster these claims, Middlebrook lied that a party in Dubai had offered to purchase his companies for $10 billion, and this offer would secure the victim-investors’ investments in the companies. He also lied that he had secured funding from seven investors who had each already invested between $750,000 and $1 million.

    The FBI arrested Middlebrook in this case in March 2020 after Middlebrook delivered pills – purportedly the treatment that prevents coronavirus infection – to an undercover agent who was posing as an investor.

    The FBI investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Kenneth R. Carbajal of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Joseph S. Guzman of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former State Government Employee and Her Former Boyfriend Plead Guilty to Fraudulently Obtaining COVID Jobless Benefits

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – A former employee of the California Employment Development Department (EDD), which administers the state’s unemployment insurance (UI) program, pleaded guilty this afternoon to fraudulently obtaining more than $750,000 in COVID jobless relief.

    Phyllis Hope Stitt, 61, of Carson, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and bank fraud for filing at least 29 fraudulent UI claims that caused the EDD to suffer approximately $768,958 in losses. Also pleading guilty today to the same charge was Kenneth Earl Riley, 64, of South Los Angeles, Stitt’s former boyfriend.

    According to their plea agreements, Stitt and Riley had been in a relationship as domestic partners with each other for over a decade at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when Stitt was employed by the EDD as an employment program representative. Her job duties included determining claimant eligibility for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and performing claim processing activities.

    From March 2020 to September 2021, while using the access and information available to her in her position with the EDD, Stitt acquired the names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and other personal identifying information of victims that were used to submit fraudulent claims.

    Stitt then filed fraudulent applications for UI benefits without the victims’ knowledge or consent, and then increased the amount of UI benefits paid out by backdating the fraudulent requests to maximize the claims.

    Stitt certified the fraudulent applications alleging that the victims had submitted their employment history and driver’s license information, and she confirmed they were unemployed because of the pandemic and actively were searching for work.

    Many of the victims were ineligible to receive these benefits because they were currently employed, not unemployed because of the pandemic, or were deceased at the time.

    In filing the fraudulent applications, Stitt used mailing addresses that Riley had access to. Debit cards and accounts created as a result of these fraudulent applications were then accessed by Riley and others, who made cash withdrawals at ATMs, bank transfers and retail purchases.

    United States District Judge André Birotte Jr. scheduled sentencing hearings for May 9, at which time each defendant will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.

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

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

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

    The United States Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, the FBI, and the California Employment Development Department – Investigation Division investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorney Steven M. Arkow of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Las Vegas Resident Sentenced to Prison for COVID-19 Fraud Scheme

    Source: US FBI

    LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas woman was sentenced Wednesday by United States District Judge James C. Mahan to 30 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for fraudulently seeking over $1 million in COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

    According to court documents, from April 2020 to July 2020, Karen Chapon, aka Karen Hannafious, made multiple false statements about her companies’ respective business operations and payroll expenses, and submitted false documents to support six fraudulent PPP loan applications, including false federal tax filings. As part of the fraudulent loan applications, Chapon falsely stated that she had not been convicted of a felony in the past five years, but in fact, she pleaded guilty to felony fraud offenses in 2016. She received four loans totaling approximately $596,931. Chapon used fraudulently obtained funds for her own benefit, including the purchase of a Mercedes Benz SUV.

    In August 2023, Chapon pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. In addition to the prison term, Chapon was ordered to pay $589,484.13 in restitution.

    The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted March 29, 2020. It is designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act is the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP. In April 2020, Congress authorized over $300 billion in additional PPP funding.

    The PPP allows qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of one percent. Businesses must use PPP loan proceeds for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. The PPP allows the interest and principal to be forgiven if businesses spend the proceeds on these expenses within a set time period and use at least a certain percentage of the loan towards payroll expenses.

    United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI; Acting Inspector General Heather M. Hill for the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA); and Special Agent in Charge Weston King for the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Western Region made the announcement.

    This case was investigated by the FBI, TIGTA, and SBA OIG. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Oliva and Trial Attorneys Lucy Jennings and Jennifer Bilinkas of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

    In May 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 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 www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    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 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 Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Portland Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Distributing Fentanyl and Stealing COVID Relief Program Funds

    Source: US FBI

    PORTLAND, Ore.—A local man was sentenced to federal prison today for distributing counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl in and around Portland and stealing federal funds intended to help small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Yuriy Viktorovich Vasilchuk, 33, a Portland resident, was sentenced to 49 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $32,855 in restitution to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

    According to court documents, in early 2021, special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) identified Vasilchuk as a Portland area source of supply for counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl. In December 2021, Vasilchuk was located in a stolen vehicle. He was arrested with 88 counterfeit Oxycodone pills and later released.

    On May 3, 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Vasilchuk with one count of possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl. Following his indictment, HSI special agents and probation officers from the Multnomah County Department of Community Justice (DCJ) attempted to arrest Vasilchuk who was again located in a stolen vehicle. As the probation officers approached Vasilchuk’s stolen vehicle, Vasilchuk sped off, nearly striking a nearby probation officer. After fleeing for several miles and causing multiple accidents, Vasilchuk’s vehicle became inoperable and he fled on foot. Soon after, investigators located Vasilchuk hiding in an abandoned RV and placed him under arrest.

    Following his arrest, investigators obtained evidence that, between March and November of 2021, while he was actively distributing fentanyl, Vasilchuk applied to receive Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the SBA. In his applications, Vasilchuk falsely stated that he had not, within the past five years, been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a felony involving fraud, bribery, embezzlement, or making a false statement on a loan application. Based on the false information provided, the SBA disbursed more than $32,000 to Vasilchuk, which he in turn spent on various personal expenses.

    On August 22, 2023, Vasilchuk was charged by criminal information with wire fraud. On March 11, 2024, he pleaded to one count each of wire fraud and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, resolving both of his criminal cases.

    These cases were investigated by HSI, the Westside Interagency Narcotics Team (WIN), and the SBA Office of Inspector General with assistance from the Portland Police Bureau and DCJ. They were prosecuted by Cassady A. Adams and Rachel K. Sowray, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

    WIN is a Washington County, Oregon-based multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program that includes members from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Beaverton and Hillsboro Police Departments, Oregon National Guard Counter Drug Program, FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

    The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: CEO of Non-Profit That Provided Mentoring Services to Public School Students Pleads Guilty to Fraudulently Obtaining COVID Benefits

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – A South Bay man who provided lifestyle and personal development coaching to students in public schools through a non-profit he founded pleaded guilty today to fraudulently applying for millions of dollars in COVID-19 jobless benefits, including by using stolen identities.

    Reginald Foster Jr., 38, of the Westchester neighborhood of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and bank fraud, and one count of use of unauthorized access devices.

    Foster admitted in court today that, from June 2020 to October 2020, he conspired with others to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), a law Congress passed in March 2020 to help individuals and businesses deal with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Foster exploited the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) provision of the CARES Act, which is designed to expand access to unemployment benefits to self-employed workers, independent contractors, and others who would not otherwise have been eligible because of the pandemic. The California Employment Development Department (EDD) administers the state’s unemployment insurance program, which included the PUA provision.

    Foster admitted that he and his co-conspirators filed fraudulent applications for benefits in the names of people who had not authorized him to do so, using the identity-theft victims’ personal identifying information without their permission. Foster included false information on the applications to ensure that EDD would approve the applications and send the debit cards through which the benefits were dispersed to a mailing address he used. In total, Foster and his co-conspirators submitted 118 fraudulent applications as part of the scheme.

    Foster used the debit cards to make transfers to his non-profit, Champs Up! LLC, which Foster has said provides guidance programs to middle school students in Los Angeles and Long Beach. Foster also used the cards to make multiple $1,000 withdrawals at ATMs. He then transferred the cards to co-conspirators, who used them to make further ATM withdrawals. Foster and his co-conspirators were able to withdraw almost $1.5 million of the benefits. EDD and Bank of America froze the remaining benefits as soon as the scheme was uncovered, preventing further losses of more than $4 million.

    United States District Judge Mark C. Scarsi scheduled a March 24, 2025, sentencing hearing, at which time Foster will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for the conspiracy count and up to 10 years in federal prison for the unauthorized access devices count.

    Foster remains free on $50,000 bond.

    Co-defendants Shelece Counts, 31, of the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles; and Isaiah Herbert Lawrence, 31, of Houston, Texas, have pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in this case and are scheduled to go to trial on January 21, 2025.

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

    The United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the California Employment Development Department, and Homeland Security Investigations investigated this matter. Substantial assistance was provided by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General; the United States Secret Service; the FBI; U.S. Customs and Border Protection Special Response Team; and the Los Angeles Unified School District Office of Inspector General.

    Assistant United States Attorney Ranee A. Katzenstein of the Criminal Appeals Section is prosecuting this case.

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

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it to the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF online complaint form.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hollywood Man Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years in Prison for Fraudulently Seeking Millions of Dollars in COVID Tax Breaks

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LOS ANGELES – A Hollywood man who admitted to seeking more than $65 million from the IRS by falsely claiming on tax returns that his nonexistent farming business was entitled to COVID-19-related tax credits was sentenced today to 57 months in federal prison.

    Kevin J. Gregory, 57, was sentenced by United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton, who also ordered him to pay $2,769,173 in restitution.

    Gregory, who has been in federal custody since May 2023, pleaded guilty on January 17 to one count of making false claims to the IRS.

    In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact, Congress authorized an employee retention tax credit that a small business could use to reduce the employment tax it owed to the IRS, also known as the “employee retention credit.”

    To qualify, the business had to have been in operation in 2020 and to have experienced at least a partial suspension of its operations because of a government order related to COVID-19 (for example, an order limiting commerce, group meetings or travel) or a significant decline in profits. The credit was an amount equal to a set percentage of the wages that the business paid to its employees during the relevant time period, subject to a maximum amount.

    Congress also authorized the IRS to give a credit against employment taxes to reimburse businesses for the wages paid to employees who were on sick or family leave and could not work because of COVID-19. This “paid sick and family leave credit” was equal to the wages the business paid the employees during the sick or family leave, also subject to a maximum amount.

    From November 2020 to April 2022, Gregory made false claims to the IRS for the payment of nearly $65.3 million in tax refunds for a purported Beverly Hills-based farming-and-transportation company named Elijah USA Farm Holdings.

    The IRS issued a portion of the refunds Gregory claimed, and Gregory used a significant portion – more than $2.7 million – for personal expenses.

    Specifically, in January 2022, Gregory made a false claim to the IRS for the payment of a tax refund in the amount of $23,877,620, which he submitted as part of Elijah Farm’s quarterly federal tax return. Gregory claimed Elijah Farm employed 33 people, paid nearly $1.6 million in quarterly wages, had deposited nearly $18 million in federal taxes, and was entitled to nearly $6.5 million in COVID-relief tax credits.

    In fact, Gregory knew that Elijah Farm employed nobody and paid wages to no one and had not made federal tax deposits to the IRS in the amounts stated on his tax return.

    IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter.

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

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

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it to the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF online complaint form.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Kansas City Woman Sentenced for COVID-19 Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for filing a false claim as part of a scheme to fraudulently receive approximately $62,811.75 in COVID-19 relief funds from the government.

    Robin Brooks, 55, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to 15 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $62,811.75 in restitution to the Small Business Administration (SBA) and to Jackson County, Missouri.

    The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was a federal law enacted in or around March 2020 and designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  As a part of the CARES Act, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was created to provided forgivable loans to small businesses that were administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) through corresponding financial institutions. The purpose of PPP was to provide support to small businesses and assist their payroll to their employees during the coronavirus pandemic.

    In her guilty plea, Brooks admitted that, in 2021, she two submitted fraudulent applications to the Small Business Administration for the loans using fake businesses. In fact, Brooks’ business never actually existed and did not have any employees.  In a related scheme, Brooks submitted approximately $30,345 in false invoices to Jackson County, Missouri, to receive CARES Act Funds for a non-profit organization she created to provide food to people negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

    Based on these false claims, the SBA issued payments totaling $32,466 to Brooks and Jackson County issued payments totaling $30,345. 

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Venneman. It was investigated by United States Secret Service.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Post-Budget speech to Auckland Business Chamber

    Source: New Zealand Government

    It’s a pleasure to be invited here today by the Auckland Chamber for my first post-Budget speech.

    The Chamber is the peak body for the Auckland business sector, where so many of our country’s businesses are based.

    Our Government backs business-friendly policies because, ultimately, business success underpins our success as a nation. 

    I am going to talk to you today about the Budget’s business growth measures. 

    Thriving businesses deliver the growth, jobs and incomes that New Zealanders need to get ahead.

    One of those thriving businesses is hosting us right here. 

    If you’ll pardon the pun, I reckon that Recorp is the can manufacturing company with the can-do attitude.

    I admire the scale of your ambition to eliminate the use of single use plastic bottles in New Zealand by 2030.

    My congratulations to you Bruce Parton and your team, and also to Rob Fyfe whose vision and commitment helped get this company up and running.

    One of Recorp’s critical points of difference is the quality of its manufacturing equipment.

    You invested heavily at the outset in the technology that enables you to accurately tailor orders to match customer requirements, regardless of size.

    You have set an example for other new Kiwi businesses. Many are following it, but it’s a challenge for others.

    We know that capital investment is a key to business success. So often, it’s the piece that gives companies the edge over competitors at home and overseas.

    One of the things I hear from business leaders is the difficulty many Kiwi businesses face raising capital to invest in the equipment and other assets they need to succeed.

    Lack of good quality capital has become a barrier to growth.

    This Government has acted to lower that barrier.

    The Investment Boost tax incentive announced in the Budget gives businesses an adrenalin boost to invest in the new productive assets they need to succeed.

    I’m really proud that we’ve managed to incorporate this exciting new initiative in the Budget.

    I expect almost all of you will have heard something about Investment Boost in recent days. 

    You may even have heard our critics say in the media that it won’t make much difference.

    Well, our MPs have been out since the Budget was delivered and what they’ve heard is that Investment Boost will be a game-changer for many Kiwi businesses.

    Like the manufacturer now planning a $70 million capital expansion over the next two years to install a fully automated plant.

    Like the chicken farmer now planning to raise his investment in upgrades and new assets from $12 million to $18 million over the next 12 months. He said this was the “best news for our sector in a long time”.

    Like the caterer with a new kitchen to fit out, who says they will be “thousands and thousands better off”.

    Like Robbie Smith, owner of Stevenson and Taylor, the large Hawke’s Bay agricultural machinery business. He has already seen a jump in sales since the announcement, with one customer purchasing two tractors. He said: “This initiative is great news for local businesses.”

    Like Pic’s Peanut Butter Chief Executive Aimee McCammon, who thinks Investment Boost will be “super helpful” for the many small to medium-sized businesses like hers that are running on old kit.

    Or like Chartered Accountants New Zealand country head Peter Vial who says  the announcement was more generous than expected and will significantly increase productivity and growth 

    He says: “New Zealand’s poor productivity is not due to poor work ethic or laziness, but rather a lack of capital investment in equipment, machinery and technology. The Investment Boost tax incentive strikes at the heart of this.”

    I couldn’t agree more.

    Then there’s the semi-retired accountant who was inundated with calls on the Friday morning after the Budget from clients looking to take advantage of Investment Boost. 

    He said: “It is a long time since I have seen a reaction like this to the Budget.”

    I’m going to talk more about Investment Boost soon – how it works, with some examples of the savings it offers. 

    But I’d like to start by putting a bit of context around the Budget, and why we’ve taken the approach we have.

    The Budget is a responsible Budget for uncertain times.

    I’ve been calling it the no-BS Budget.

    We’ve levelled with Kiwis about the challenges we face as a nation. 

    No rainbows or unicorns. No lolly scrambles. Just straight talk, and responsible actions.

    We inherited a country with its bank account run down and the credit card maxed out.

    Thanks to the previous Government’s refusal to turn off the spending tap after Covid, public debt ballooned from just 18.6 per cent of GDP in 2019 to 41.7 per cent in 2024, just five years later.

    We’ve slipped back to the bad old days of the eighties and nineties, when debt servicing was among the biggest government spending items.

    Today, about one dollar in every 15 of the Government’s operating spending goes to paying the interest bill on our borrowings.

    Our political opponents say that’s all good. Other countries have higher debt, so we can just borrow and spend more to get ourselves out of trouble.

    That kind of talk ignores the reality that New Zealand’s economy is different to many of those other more highly indebted economies. 

    We are small, isolated and heavily reliant on overseas trade. We have very limited ability to influence the global financial and trading conditions that affect our livelihood.

    This audience needs no reminding of how unstable and unpredictable the world trading environment is right now. 

    Further, we are a country that’s vulnerable to sudden, costly shocks. 

    One day another big earthquake, cyclone, pandemic or biosecurity breach is going to hit us. Recovering from events like those is even harder if there’s nothing left in the kitty to pay for it. 

    The good news is that the economic recovery is under way. 

    Inflation is down and is forecast to stay within the 1 to 3 per cent target band.

    Interest rates are down, and forecast to fall further. 

    The Budget forecasts GDP to rise to healthy rates of around 3 per cent in each of the next two years.

    Wages are forecast to grow faster than the inflation rate, making wage earners better off, on average, in real terms.

    The Budget also forecasts that 240,000 more people will be in work over the forecast period to mid-2029.

    Many New Zealanders may not be feeling better off now, but over time they will – provided we stay the course.

    The recovery remains fragile. Global uncertainty has caused Treasury to peg back its forecasts, especially in the near term.

    The recovery isn’t in danger, but it is likely to be slower than previously forecast.

    As a government, we’re talking straight with New Zealanders about the way ahead. 

    About getting public debt under control and nurturing the economic recovery now under way.

    About carefully managing the public purse. Making sure we’re using taxpayer dollars to pay for the must-haves, rather than the nice to haves.

    About doing nothing to put the economic recovery at risk – because a growing economy is the route to higher living standards for everyone.

    But we’re also clear that the no-BS Budget doesn’t mean penny-pinching across the board.

    We get that New Zealanders are struggling with the cost of living. The Budget responds with some carefully targeted help, including rates relief for more SuperGold Card holders, 12-month prescriptions to save the cost of repeats, better targeting Working for Families to low and middle-income earners, and continuing funding for food banks.

    We’re also investing more in health, education, law and order and other frontline public services.

    We’ve done that while also finding room to invest in business success.

    The Budget demonstrates that we truly can walk and chew gum at the same time.

    It’s about hope grounded in reality.

    That we can continue to invest in the things that matter, while staying on a debt reduction and economic growth track.

    That we can reduce government spending as a share of the economy and return the government’s books to balance.

    We’ve done it despite reducing our operating allowance from $2.4 billion to $1.3 billion a year.

    That’s the lowest allowance in a decade. The adjustment was made to keep government spending on a tight track, recognising changing forecasts due to the uncertain economic conditions.

    Despite the smaller discretionary kitty, we’ve still been able to deliver $5 billion in new spending and $1.7 billion for the Investment Boost tax incentive that I talked about earlier.

    That’s because most of the spending increase is funded by savings.

    We’ve been able to find $5.3 billion in savings through reprioritising and cost reductions across government.

    Half the savings come from changes to the pay equity regime. 

    To be clear, I am absolutely committed to pay equity. But we have to be sure that future settlements stick to fixing pay discrepancies between occupations that are based only on sex-based discrimination, and not for other reasons. 

    Otherwise, pay equity negotiations simply become a surrogate for a normal wage bargaining round.

    Even our political opponents are starting to realise that the previous pay equity regime was simply out of control. The scale of settlements coming at us would have limited our ability to invest in health, education and the other public services that the women – and men – of New Zealand rely on.

    We’ve also put another $1.8 billion towards investment in health and education infrastructure like hospitals and schools.

    And we’re putting $1.7 billion into what I believe is the single most important policy in this year’s Budget – the Investment Boost tax incentive that I talked about earlier.

    Investment Boost is available right now to every business represented in this room.

    Businesses large and small – manufacturers like Recorp, farmers, tradies, whoever.

    It’s for all those businesses that are keeping their heads above water but need a bit of help to get beyond that, by getting their hands on the productive assets they need to grow.

    Assets like machinery, tools, equipment, technology, vehicles and industrial buildings.

    Investment Boost applies to new assets purchased by New Zealand businesses. It can also apply to second-hand assets imported from overseas.

    It excludes land, residential buildings, and assets already in use in New Zealand.

    There’s no cap on the value of new investments. All businesses, regardless of size, are eligible.

    It allows you to immediately deduct 20 per cent of the cost of a new asset from your taxable income, on top of depreciation.

    That means a much lower tax bill in the year of purchase. The remaining book value is depreciated at normal rates.

    Since a dollar now is more valuable than a dollar in future, the cashflow from investments is more attractive and the after-tax returns are better.

    It means that more investment opportunities stack up financially, so more investments will be made.

    Let’s look at an example.

    A manufacturer – let’s call it Green Kiwi – wants to invest in a new environmental test chamber, at a cost of $200,000.

    Before Investment Boost, the company could claim an annual depreciation deduction of 10.5 per cent. That would reduce Green Kiwi’s taxable income by $21,000 a year over its useful life.

    With Investment Boost, it can now also claim 20 per cent of the value of the asset – that’s $40,000 – in the year of purchase, as well as the standard depreciation on the remaining 80 per cent of its value

    Together, these deductions reduce the company’s taxable income in that year by $56,800.

    This translates to an additional $10,000 off the company’s tax bill that year.

    That’s $10,000 more that Green Kiwi has to reinvest in the assets it needs to grow.

    Another example. Farmer Brown gets a woolshed built for $150,000. The extra deductions he gets under Investment Boost mean his tax bill will be $8,274 less than it would otherwise have been, meaning more to invest in shearing equipment in his new shed.

    And another one. Pam the plumber buys a ute for $60,000. Investment Boost gives her $2906 more than she would otherwise have had to buy new tools.

    Over the next 20 years, Investment Boost is expected to lift New Zealand’s capital stock by 1.6 per cent, leading to wages rising by 1.5 per cent and GDP by 1 per cent.

    These are estimates, not precise values. But officials estimate that roughly half those benefits will be achieved in the first five years.

    The Government did consider reducing the company tax rate as an alternative to Investment Boost. But dollar for dollar, Investment Boost raises investment more than a company tax rate reduction as it only applies to new investments, not those made in the past.

    The other advantage of Investment Boost is that the benefits are expected to flow to workers.

    Inland Revenue’s Regulatory Impact Statement states that “the majority of the increase in national income from Investment Boost would flow to workers. This increase would come from a combination of higher wages and higher employment. We therefore expect that the benefits of Investment Boost will be spread broadly across a wide range of New Zealanders.”

    There you have it. Ultimately, all workers benefit from Investment Boost.

    There’s a number of other business growth initiatives in this Budget.

    We’re setting up a new agency, Invest New Zealand, to attract global capital, business and talent to this country. An experienced advisory group chaired by Rob Morrison, has been appointed to support its establishment. 

    We’re changing our thin capitalisation tax rules to encourage foreign investment in our infrastructure. We’re consulting now on the details of that.

    We’re allowing employee share schemes to defer their tax liability, to help start-ups and unlisted companies to compete for and retain talent.

    We’re re-prioritising our science and technology funding towards growth-promoting investment in areas like gene technology. We want our researchers to focus on real-world problems and innovations that can be commercialised.

    And we’re supporting our highly successful film and television sector by increasing the screen production rebate to just over a billion dollars across this year and the next four years.

    We don’t subsidise business as a rule, but when it comes to the screen industry, a rebate is the price of entry to the game.

    Over the last decade overseas production companies have invested $7.5 billion in New Zealand. We simply wouldn’t get that kind of investment in future without continuing the rebate.

    We’re also replacing the much-maligned Resource Management Act to unlock investment and growth across the country. You’ll be hearing more about that in the months ahead.

    No doubt you have heard about the changes to KiwiSaver, which the media has focused pretty heavily on.

    Essentially, we are raising the default employee and matching employer contribution rate from 3 to 4 per cent over the next three years. To ensure the scheme’s sustainability, we are also reducing the government contribution by half, to just over $260 a year. 

    We’re also extending the government contribution to 16- and 17-year-olds, to foster the savings habit, but removing it altogether for people earning more than $180,000 a year, because they don’t need it.

    I acknowledge that change impacts on employers. But to allow time to adjust, we are phasing it in over the next three years, and we are not making the new rate compulsory – employees can choose to opt back down to a three per cent contribution if they wish.

    The changes are designed to lift our retirement savings rates which, frankly, are too low, especially when compared with other countries like Australia. 

    Higher retirement savings deliver big benefits for individuals and for the country. Our financial institutions have a larger pool of capital to invest back in the economy, and the pressure on Government to financially support retired New Zealanders is eased.

    To finish, I want to touch on where this Budget takes us.

    Our decisions mean we are on track to bend the debt curve downwards without applying a blowtorch to public services.

    We are taking a deliberate, medium-term approach to fiscal consolidation.

    This is far from austerity, as some commentators have claimed. In fact, it is what you do to avoid austerity.

    There’s no doubt that balancing the books is challenging.

    Some would do it with higher taxes; we are doing it by controlling growth in spending.

    We’re saying to New Zealanders: we’re about no BS, just straight talk about the choices we face as a country.

    Thank you.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Charged in $227M Medicare Fraud Scheme

    Source: United States Attorneys General 13

    WASHINGTON — An Illinois man and a foreign national were arrested yesterday on criminal charges related to their alleged submission of more than $227 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.

    According to court documents, Syed Murtuza Kablazada, 34, of Arlington Heights, and Syed Mehdi Hussain, 32, of Carol Stream, owned and operated purported medical laboratories that submitted fraudulent claims to Medicare for the reimbursement of over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits allegedly provided to Medicare beneficiaries. The defendants allegedly installed foreign nationals to act as nominee owners at the laboratories to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare for the provision of over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits, with the understanding the nominee owners would flee the United States when they learned that their laboratory was under investigation.

    “As alleged, the defendants used straw owners at multiple laboratories to cause the submission of more than $200 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for COVID-19 test kits,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Health care fraud harms Americans by squandering taxpayer money and diverting limited resources from those who need them most. The Criminal Division will continue to aggressively prosecute these crimes to hold fraudsters accountable, protect victims, and recover financial losses.”

    “The overwhelming fraud uncovered in this investigation details a blatant disregard for America’s critical health care program, Medicare, and puts all patients at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office. “The FBI and our partners will not tolerate anyone who abuses the health care system for personal gain and will aggressively pursue justice on behalf of both patients and taxpayers.”

    As alleged in the indictment, the defendants rarely provided Covid-19 test kits to Medicare beneficiaries but instead submitted reimbursement claims on behalf of beneficiaries who had not requested COVID-19 test kits, including individuals who were deceased. Further, the defendants allegedly paid a marketing company to provide the names of hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries that the defendants used to submit fraudulent claims. In total, between September 2022 and June 2023, the defendants’ labs billed Medicare approximately $227 million in fraudulent claims, of which Medicare paid approximately $136 million in reimbursements.

    Kablazada and Hussain are both charged by indictment with four counts of health care fraud. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the four counts.

    The FBI Chicago Field Office and HHS-OIG are investigating the case.

    Trial Attorney Andres Q. Almendarez of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Jasmina Vajzovic for the Northern District of Illinois.

    The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of 9 strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Two Charged in $227M Medicare Fraud Scheme

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    WASHINGTON — An Illinois man and a foreign national were arrested yesterday on criminal charges related to their alleged submission of more than $227 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.

    According to court documents, Syed Murtuza Kablazada, 34, of Arlington Heights, and Syed Mehdi Hussain, 32, of Carol Stream, owned and operated purported medical laboratories that submitted fraudulent claims to Medicare for the reimbursement of over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits allegedly provided to Medicare beneficiaries. The defendants allegedly installed foreign nationals to act as nominee owners at the laboratories to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare for the provision of over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits, with the understanding the nominee owners would flee the United States when they learned that their laboratory was under investigation.

    “As alleged, the defendants used straw owners at multiple laboratories to cause the submission of more than $200 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for COVID-19 test kits,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Health care fraud harms Americans by squandering taxpayer money and diverting limited resources from those who need them most. The Criminal Division will continue to aggressively prosecute these crimes to hold fraudsters accountable, protect victims, and recover financial losses.”

    “The overwhelming fraud uncovered in this investigation details a blatant disregard for America’s critical health care program, Medicare, and puts all patients at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office. “The FBI and our partners will not tolerate anyone who abuses the health care system for personal gain and will aggressively pursue justice on behalf of both patients and taxpayers.”

    As alleged in the indictment, the defendants rarely provided Covid-19 test kits to Medicare beneficiaries but instead submitted reimbursement claims on behalf of beneficiaries who had not requested COVID-19 test kits, including individuals who were deceased. Further, the defendants allegedly paid a marketing company to provide the names of hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries that the defendants used to submit fraudulent claims. In total, between September 2022 and June 2023, the defendants’ labs billed Medicare approximately $227 million in fraudulent claims, of which Medicare paid approximately $136 million in reimbursements.

    Kablazada and Hussain are both charged by indictment with four counts of health care fraud. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the four counts.

    The FBI Chicago Field Office and HHS-OIG are investigating the case.

    Trial Attorney Andres Q. Almendarez of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Jasmina Vajzovic for the Northern District of Illinois.

    The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of 9 strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Bean Votes to Deliver Relief and Prosperity for Hardworking Americans

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Aaron Bean Florida (4th District)

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Congressman Aaron Bean spoke on the House floor early this morning in support of the One Big Beautiful Bill, landmark legislation that would provide tax relief for American families and businesses.

    Congressman Bean: Mr. Speaker, it’s a scary time to be a taxpayer in the United States or those that own a small business. Both are facing a tsunami of tax increases, the largest in U.S. history.

    But Mr. Speaker, I’ve got good news…help is on the way! The One Big Beautiful Bill is real tax relief for real Americans. It’s for those that are paid in tips, hourly workers that are working overtime, for families, and seniors who have been struggling under the weight of inflation. And it is for the 91% of Americans who use the standard deduction. The bill expands the Child Tax Credit, it secures our border, enhances education and health savings options, it unleashes American energy, it will encourage production on U.S. soil. Made In America will mean something once more.

    So, buckle up America, and put your seat in the upright position because with the passage of this bill, the Golden Age of America is ready for takeoff. I yield back. 

    Congressman Bean’s floor speech may be found here.

    BACKGROUND

    Several of Congressman Bean’s bills were included in the tax relief package: 

    Puts American families in control of their health care: The bill expands upon Congressman Bean’s Flexible Savings Arrangements for Healthy Robust America (FSA-HRA) Act, to give Americans the flexibility to plan, save, and take charge of health care decisions for their families. 

    Cutting wasteful spending: The bill incorporates several key provisions included in Congressman Bean’s Cutting Unobligated Tumultuous Spending Act to slash wasteful Green New Deal initiatives and claw back unspent Covid funds, saving tens of billions of dollars.

    Work Requirements for Medicaid: The bill includes H.R. 1279, authored by Congressman Bean, to reform work requirements for able-bodied adults. The requirements apply to adults receiving Medicaid benefits who are not in school and have no dependents. 

    For an overview of the One Big Beautiful Bill, click here. 

    The bill passed 215 to 214.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Briefing – RRF implementation underway: Cybersecurity measures – 22-05-2025

    Source: European Parliament

    The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is at the core of Next Generation EU (NGEU), the EU’s recovery instrument. NGEU was created to help its Member States address the socioeconomic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and tackle key EU challenges, including the green and digital transitions. RRF implementation has been ongoing since 2021, and just over a year is left until the deadline to meet its objectives in August 2026. EU Member States have so far received, on average, 47.8 % of the total grants and loans in their national allocation. The milestones and targets associated with the payments made so far stand at 30 % of the total. Digital transformation is among the RRF’s core priorities, and one that is shared across EU Member States. An average of 26 % of RRF funding is dedicated to digital objectives in several policy areas, of which digital public services is the largest. In its guidance at the launch of the RRF, the European Commission encouraged Member States to include investment in several digital categories. The priority of enhancing cybersecurity and cyber resilience can be found across several national recovery and resilience plans as a separate reform or investment measure. However, in many of them, it is part of a broader measure addressing, for instance, the digitalisation of public administration, digital-related investment in research and development, investment in digital capacities and deployment of advanced technologies, or supporting small companies to reposition themselves with digital tools that take into account cybersecurity needs. Thus, while not always a manifest objective, cybersecurity considerations are an integral feature of many of the RRF digital measures found across the individual national plans. Implementation of these measures, as of the RRF more generally, is underway and gaining speed. The Commission’s preliminary positive assessments of payments disbursed allow for an examination of the fulfilled implementation steps. Without being exhaustive, they offer an indication of cybersecurity developments in Member States that have been made possible with RRF funding and carried out in the first half of the RRF’s lifetime.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: FDA will approve COVID-19 vaccine only for older adults and high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Libby Richards, Professor of Nursing, Purdue University

    Older adults will continue to receive yearly COVID-19 shots, but lower-risk groups will not, says the FDA. dusanpetkovic via iStock / Getty Images Plus

    On May 20, 2025, the Food and Drug Administration announced a new stance on who should receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

    The agency said it would approve new versions of the vaccine only for adults 65 years of age and older as well as for people with one or more risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes. These risk factors include medical conditions such as asthma, cancer, chronic kidney disease, heart disease and diabetes.

    However, healthy younger adults and children who fall outside of these groups may not be eligible to receive the COVID-19 shot this fall. Vaccine manufacturers will have to conduct clinical trials to demonstrate that the vaccine benefits low-risk groups.

    FDA Commissioner Martin Makary and the agency’s head of vaccines, Vinay Prasad, described the new framework in an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine and in a public webcast.

    The Conversation U.S. asked Libby Richards, a nursing professor involved in public health promotion, to explain why the changes were made and what they mean for the general public.

    Why did the FDA diverge from past practice?

    Until the May 20 announcement, getting a yearly COVID-19 vaccine was recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older, regardless of their health risk.

    According to Makary and Prasad, the Food and Drug Administration is moving away from these universal recommendations and instead taking a risk-based approach based on its interpretation of public health trends – specifically, the declining COVID-19 booster uptake, a lack of strong evidence that repeated boosters improve health outcomes for healthy people and the fact that natural immunity from past COVID-19 infections is widespread.

    The FDA states it wants to ensure the vaccine is backed by solid clinical trial data, especially for low-risk groups.

    Was this a controversial decision or a clear consensus?

    The FDA’s decision to adopt a risk-based framework for the COVID-19 vaccine aligns with the expected recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, an advisory group of vaccine experts offering expert guidance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine policy, which is scheduled to meet in June 2025. But while this advisory committee was also expected to recommend allowing low-risk people to get annual COVID-19 vaccines if they want to, the FDA’s policy will likely make that difficult.

    Although the FDA states that its new policy aims to promote greater transparency and evidenced-based decision-making, the change is controversial – in part because it circumvents the usual process for evaluating vaccine recommendations. The FDA is enacting this policy change by limiting its approval of the vaccine to high-risk groups, and it is doing so without any new data supporting its decision. Usually, however, the FDA broadly approves a vaccine based on whether it is safe and effective, and decisions on who should be eligible to receive it are left to the CDC, which receives research-based guidance from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

    Change is coming to COVID-19 vaccine policy.
    Rock Obst, CC BY-SA

    Additionally, FDA officials point to Canada, Australia and some European countries that limit vaccine recommendations to older adults and other high-risk people as a model for its revised framework. But vaccine strategies vary widely, and this more conservative approach has not necessarily proven superior. Also, those countries have universal health care systems and have a track record of more equitable access to COVID-19 care and better COVID-19 outcomes.

    Another question is how health officials’ positions on COVID-19 vaccines affect public perception. Makary and Prasad noted that COVID-19 vaccination campaigns may have actually eroded public trust in vaccination. But some vaccine experts have expressed concerns that limiting COVID-19 vaccine access might further fuel vaccine hesitancy because any barrier to vaccine access can reduce uptake and hinder efforts to achieve widespread immunity.

    What conditions count as risk factors?

    The New England Journal of Medicine article includes a lengthy list of conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 and notes that about 100 million to 200 million people will fall into this category and will thus be eligible to get the vaccine.

    Pregnancy is included. Some items on the list, however, are unclear. For example, the list includes asthma, but the data that asthma is a risk factor for severe COVID-19 is scant.

    Also on the list is physical inactivity, which likely applies to a vast swath of Americans and is difficult to define. Studies have found links between regular physical activity and reduced risk of severe COVID-19 infection, but it’s unclear how health care providers will define and measure physical inactivity when assessing a patient’s eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines.

    Most importantly, the list leaves out an important group – caregivers and household members of people at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 infection. This omission leaves high-risk people more vulnerable to exposure to COVID-19 from healthy people they regularly interact with. Multiple countries the new framework refers to do include this group.

    Why is the FDA requiring new clinical trials?

    According to the FDA, the benefits of multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccines for healthy adults are currently unproven. It’s true that studies beyond the fourth vaccine dose are scarce. However, multiple studies have demonstrated that the vaccine is effective at preventing the risk of severe COVID-19 infection, hospitalization and death in low-risk adults and children. Receiving multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccines has also been shown to reduce the risk of long COVID.

    The FDA is moving to risk-based access for COVID-19 vaccines.

    The FDA is requiring vaccine manufactures to conduct additional large randomized clinical trials to further evaluate the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 boosters for healthy adults and children. These trials will primarily test whether the vaccines prevent symptomatic infections, and secondarily whether they prevent hospitalization and death. Such trials are more complex, costly and time-consuming than the more common approach of testing for immunological response.

    This requirement will likely delay both the timeliness and the availability of COVID-19 vaccine boosters and slow public health decision-making.

    Will low-risk people be able to get a COVID-19 shot?

    Not automatically. Under the new FDA framework, healthy adults who wish to receive the fall COVID-19 vaccine will face obstacles. Health care providers can administer vaccines “off-label”, but insurance coverage is widely based on FDA recommendations. The new, narrower FDA approval will likely reduce both access to COVID-19 vaccines for the general public and insurance coverage for COVID-19 vaccines.

    The FDA’s focus on individual risks and benefits may overlook broader public health benefits. Communities with higher vaccination rates have fewer opportunities to spread the virus.

    What about vaccines for children?

    High-risk children age 6 months and older who have conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 are still eligible for the vaccine under the new framework. As of now, healthy children age 6 months and older without underlying medical conditions will not have routine access to COVID-19 vaccines until further clinical trial data is available.

    Existing vaccines already on the market will remain available, but it is unclear how long they will stay authorized and how the change will affect childhood vaccination overall.

    Libby Richards has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the American Nurses Foundation, and the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute

    – ref. FDA will approve COVID-19 vaccine only for older adults and high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules – https://theconversation.com/fda-will-approve-covid-19-vaccine-only-for-older-adults-and-high-risk-groups-a-public-health-expert-explains-the-new-rules-257226

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: More funding to cut court case backlogs

    Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets

    Court case backlogs will be further reduced through extra funding to improve court timeliness and access to justice, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Courts Minister Nicole McKee say.

    “Justice delayed is justice denied. Waiting months or years for a case to be resolved only adds to the frustration and trauma for victims and, indeed, all court participants,” Mr Goldsmith says.

    “While there has been progress, it’s really important that we keep things moving. This funding will to do exactly that.”

    Budget 2025 will provide New Zealand’s courts with $246 million of additional funding over the next four years.

    “This funding will support the ongoing operation of specialist courts, tribunals, the District Court, senior courts, the Coroners Court, and the legal aid system.”

    “This Government is supporting the courts to be more efficient and minimise delays, to ensure everyone can navigate the process smoothly and have trust and confidence in the system,” Mrs McKee says.

    “An efficient court system that delivers timely justice is an important part of the Government’s plan to restore law and order. Through Budget 2025 we are making sure we keep our foot on the pedal.”

    In the year ending 31 March 2025, cases disposed of within expected timeframes has stabilised at 81 per cent, after almost a decade of declining timeliness.  

    Backlog cases have decreased by 9 per cent to 7,067, while active cases decreased by 3 per cent to 37,920, with a reduction of 1,074 cases on hand.

    Disposals of district court jury trials are at historically high levels, reflecting the approach of applying additional resources to reduce the post-Covid backlog of trials in Auckland courts. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Backing for food banks extended

    Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets

    The Government will back community-based food banks for a further year as New Zealand recovers from a cost-of-living crisis, Minister for Social Development and Employment Louise Upston says.
    “The $15 million in support announced today will be managed by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), the New Zealand Food Network and partner agencies – meaning help for people who continue to need it.
    “This will support the work of the Food Network, regional food hubs and community food providers, as they jointly distribute more than 4.5 million meals a month.
    “Existing funding for the Food Secure Communities Programme was a Covid response measure and never intended to be permanent. It would have expired at the end of June 2024, but we know demand remains high, mainly driven by the cost of living.
    “That’s why continuing support for food security remains important, with the Treasury expecting the pace of economic recovery to be slower than previously forecast.
    “Our $15 million investment in the community food sector for 2025/26 will support and maintain: 

    national and regional food distribution infrastructure to distribute purchased and rescued bulk food to community providers at low or no cost and during emergencies and disruptive events ($7.9 million)
    food security initiatives which increase community food resilience and self-sufficiency ($1 million)
    food providers and hubs to purchase and/or distribute food through foodbanks and community centres to meet the increased demand for food support ($6 million)

    “This investment in food security also complements other Government initiatives supporting families and children, such as FamilyBoost. It also aligns with Government targets to increase student attendance and achievement. Addressing food insecurity also contributes to wider priorities on health, employment, and tackling violence and crime.
    “Because it’s also important for the Government to know whether social investment and community initiatives are working, this funding includes $100,000 for MSD to better understand the programme’s impact while wider decisions are made about the future of food security programmes,” Louise Upston says.
     

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: City of Miami Police Officer Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Relief Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – Yesterday, Tramaine Liptrot, 43, a police officer with the City of Miami Police Department (MPD) who has been relieved of duty, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with fraudulent applications for two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling over $200,000. Liptrot entered his guilty plea in Miami before U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom.

    According to the facts admitted at the change of plea hearing, Liptrot, along with being an MPD Police Officer, was the owner and President of Liptrots Tax Services L.L.C (Liptrots Tax). With the assistance of an associate, Liptrot fraudulently obtained two PPP loans in the name of Liptrots Tax.

    On June 22, 2020, working with the associate, Liptrot caused the submission of a false and fraudulent PPP loan application on behalf of Liptrots Tax, falsely claiming that Liptrots Tax had an average monthly payroll of $36,700 for four employees, and a fraudulent IRS Form 944 in support thereof, falsely claiming that Liptrots Tax paid its employees $440,397 during 2019. As a result of this fraudulent PPP application, Liptrots Tax obtained approximately $91,750 in PPP loan proceeds from an SBA approved PPP lender.

    On March 3, 2021, again working with the associate, Liptrot caused the submission of a false and fraudulent second-draw PPP loan application on behalf of Liptrots Tax, falsely claiming that Liptrots Tax had an average monthly payroll of $43,369, and including as part of the application process, a fraudulent IRS Form 944, falsely claiming that Liptrots Tax paid $496,428 in wages and other compensation in 2020. As a result of this fraudulent second-draw PPP application, Liptrots Tax obtained approximately $108,422 in PPP loan proceeds from a different SBA approved PPP lender. 

    Liptrot is scheduled for sentencing on August 6, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., where he faces a possible maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, acting Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of FBI Miami and Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Eastern Region, announced the guilty plea.

    FBI Miami’s Area Corruption Task Force, which includes task force officers from the City of Miami Police Department’s Internal Affairs Section, and SBA-OIG investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm is prosecuting the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabrielle Raemy Charest-Turken is handling asset forfeiture.

    In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred.  EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.

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

    On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.

    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.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-20155.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Solar Alliance announces major stride towards profitability and files audited financial results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO and KNOXVILLE, Tenn., May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Solar Alliance Energy Inc. (‘Solar Alliance’ or the ‘Company’) (TSX-V: SOLR, OTC: SAENF), a leading solar energy solutions provider focused on the commercial and utility solar sectors, has filed its audited financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2024 (the “Financial Statements”) and related Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”). The Financial Statements and related MD&A are available under the Company’s profile.at  www.sedarplus.ca

    While Revenues in 2024 fell, from the record level of 2023, gross profits improved, and losses fell substantially as the Company approached breakeven.

    “Solar Alliance continues to see strong interest in renewable energy and strong demand for commercial solar projects. In recent years, the Company has honed its skill and laid down a track record in delivering C&I (commercial and industrial) and smaller utility projects. In the course of 2024, Solar Alliance completed 3MW from multiple smaller 100kW to 500kW projects. The Company has now moved toward a business development strategy targeting larger commercial projects in the 1MW to 5MW range, which the board believes we can deliver profitably, to support robust future growth. In recent years, overhead was decreased as we pursued a more focussed strategy. We now have the platform in place to target larger projects and we will selectively add resources to build on that and exploit the opportunities we have identified,”. said Solar Alliance CEO, Brian Timmons.

    We are well down the path to build a stable, growing company that is well positioned to take advantage of the broader shift to renewable energy. In this context, we closely monitor developments as they relate to the energy industry. We are encouraged to see an appreciation that the availability of competitively priced energy is a key factor underpinning future US economic growth. In the face of burgeoning energy demand over the next two decades the key market drivers that affect our business remain in place.

    Key financial highlights for 2024

    • Revenue decreased year-over-year to $5,446,757 (2023, $7,473,937) for the year ended December 31, 2024, as the Company focused on completion of a number of projects begun in 2023.
    • Cost of sales of $3,873,917 (2023, $6,399,169) resulting in a gross profit of $1,572,840 (2023, $1,074,768).
    • Net cash used in operating activities $1,830,685 (2023 – Net cash used by operating activities, $51,500)
    • Net Cash provided (absorbed) by financing activities $845,000 (2023 – ($127,500))
    • Net loss of $684,134 (2023 loss $1,811,861).
    • Total expenses of $2,869,308 (2023 – $3,037,881), reduction of 5.5%.
    • Salaries and benefits of $1,367,439 (2023 – $1,343,363), a 2% increase.
    • Short-term loans and notes payable of $227,621 in 2024 (2023 – $137,500).

    Key business highlights and outlook

    Large project focus momentum. The Company continues to benefit from repeat customers while focusing on new customers’ opportunities for solar system sales and installations. Recent policy developments in our area of operations, and growing interest in community solar is increasing the number of opportunities in our target market.

    Small and medium-sized project growth continues. This remains a target niche as a base flow of business. An important component for small and rural businesses wanting to reduce utility costs are the Rural Energy for America Program (“REAP”) grants and loans disbursed by the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”).  This market segment would be impinged upon by changes in the USDA REAP scheme, although recently the administration did provide guidance enabling our customers’ grant applications to move forward. These projects are in addition to the sales funnel of larger projects the Company continues to pursue.

    Regional focus and Building on our expertise. Solar Alliance’s strategy is to design, engineer and install, operate and manage, and in due course, participate in ownership of commercial solar systems ranging in size from one to five megawatts. Demonstrated success in the region and improved processes create opportunities for further sales and development opportunities.

    Restatement of Comparative Period as at December 31, 2023

    The Company announces that certain items in the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023 have been restated to correct certain classification errors in such financial statements. Please refer to Note 22 of the audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024 for a fulsome description of adjustments and restatements for the year ended December 31, 2023.

    Brian Timmons, CEO

    About Solar Alliance Energy Inc. (www.solaralliance.com)

    Solar Alliance is an energy solutions provider focused on the commercial, utility and community solar sectors. Our experienced team of solar professionals reduces or eliminates customers’ vulnerability to rising energy costs, offers an environmentally friendly source of electricity generation, and provides affordable, turnkey clean energy solutions. Solar Alliance’s strategy is to ultimately build, own and operate our own solar assets while also generating stable revenue through the sale and installation of solar projects to commercial and utility community customers.

    Statements in this news release, other than purely historical information, including statements relating to the Company’s future plans and objectives or expected results, constitute Forward-looking statements.

    The words “would”, “will”, “expected” and “estimated” or other similar words and phrases are intended to identify forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Company’s business development strategy, that the Company will be targeting larger commercial projects and the belief that the Company may deliver larger commercial projects profitably. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different than those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include but are not limited to: the ability to complete the Company’s projects on schedule or at all, uncertainties related to the ability to raise sufficient capital; changes in economic conditions or financial markets; litigation, legislative or other judicial, regulatory, legislative and political competitive developments; technological or operational difficulties; the ability to maintain revenue growth; the ability to execute on the Company’s strategies; the ability to complete the Company’s current and backlog of solar projects; the ability to grow the Company’s market share; the high growth rate of the US solar industry; the ability to convert the backlog of projects into revenue; the expected timing of the construction and completion of the 1500 kW Kentucky solar projects; the targeting of larger customers; the ability to predict and counteract the effects, should they re-emerge, of COVID-19 on the business of the Company, including but not limited to the effects of COVID-19, on the construction sector, capital market conditions, restriction on labour and international travel and supply chains; potential corporate growth opportunities and the ability to execute on the key objectives in 2025. Consequently, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.

    “Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.”

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Libby Richards, Professor of Nursing, Purdue University

    Older adults will continue to receive yearly COVID-19 shots, but lower-risk groups will not, says the FDA. dusanpetkovic via iStock / Getty Images Plus

    On May 20, 2025, the Food and Drug Administration announced a new stance on who should receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

    The agency said it would approve new versions of the vaccine only for adults 65 years of age and older as well as for people with one or more risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes. These risk factors include medical conditions such as asthma, cancer, chronic kidney disease, heart disease and diabetes.

    However, healthy younger adults and children who fall outside of these groups may not be eligible to receive the COVID-19 shot this fall. Vaccine manufacturers will have to conduct clinical trials to demonstrate that the vaccine benefits low-risk groups.

    FDA Commissioner Martin Makary and the agency’s head of vaccines, Vinay Prasad, described the new framework in an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine and in a public webcast.

    The Conversation U.S. asked Libby Richards, a nursing professor involved in public health promotion, to explain why the changes were made and what they mean for the general public.

    Why did the FDA diverge from past practice?

    Until the May 20 announcement, getting a yearly COVID-19 vaccine was recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older, regardless of their health risk.

    According to Makary and Prasad, the Food and Drug Administration is moving away from these universal recommendations and instead taking a risk-based approach based on its interpretation of public health trends – specifically, the declining COVID-19 booster uptake, a lack of strong evidence that repeated boosters improve health outcomes for healthy people and the fact that natural immunity from past COVID-19 infections is widespread.

    The FDA states it wants to ensure the vaccine is backed by solid clinical trial data, especially for low-risk groups.

    Was this a controversial decision or a clear consensus?

    The FDA’s decision to adopt a risk-based framework for the COVID-19 vaccine aligns with the expected recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, an advisory group of vaccine experts offering expert guidance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine policy, which is scheduled to meet in June 2025. But while this advisory committee was also expected to recommend allowing low-risk people to get annual COVID-19 vaccines if they want to, the FDA’s policy will likely make that difficult.

    Although the FDA states that its new policy aims to promote greater transparency and evidenced-based decision-making, the change is controversial – in part because it circumvents the usual process for evaluating vaccine recommendations. The FDA is enacting this policy change by limiting its approval of the vaccine to high-risk groups, and it is doing so without any new data supporting its decision. Usually, however, the FDA broadly approves a vaccine based on whether it is safe and effective, and decisions on who should be eligible to receive it are left to the CDC, which receives research-based guidance from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

    Change is coming to COVID-19 vaccine policy.
    Rock Obst, CC BY-SA

    Additionally, FDA officials point to Canada, Australia and some European countries that limit vaccine recommendations to older adults and other high-risk people as a model for its revised framework. But vaccine strategies vary widely, and this more conservative approach has not necessarily proven superior. Also, those countries have universal health care systems and have a track record of more equitable access to COVID-19 care and better COVID-19 outcomes.

    Another question is how health officials’ positions on COVID-19 vaccines affect public perception. Makary and Prasad noted that COVID-19 vaccination campaigns may have actually eroded public trust in vaccination. But some vaccine experts have expressed concerns that limiting COVID-19 vaccine access might further fuel vaccine hesitancy because any barrier to vaccine access can reduce uptake and hinder efforts to achieve widespread immunity.

    What conditions count as risk factors?

    The New England Journal of Medicine article includes a lengthy list of conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 and notes that about 100 million to 200 million people will fall into this category and will thus be eligible to get the vaccine.

    Pregnancy is included. Some items on the list, however, are unclear. For example, the list includes asthma, but the data that asthma is a risk factor for severe COVID-19 is scant.

    Also on the list is physical inactivity, which likely applies to a vast swath of Americans and is difficult to define. Studies have found links between regular physical activity and reduced risk of severe COVID-19 infection, but it’s unclear how health care providers will define and measure physical inactivity when assessing a patient’s eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines.

    Most importantly, the list leaves out an important group – caregivers and household members of people at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 infection. This omission leaves high-risk people more vulnerable to exposure to COVID-19 from healthy people they regularly interact with. Multiple countries the new framework refers to do include this group.

    Why is the FDA requiring new clinical trials?

    According to the FDA, the benefits of multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccines for healthy adults are currently unproven. It’s true that studies beyond the fourth vaccine dose are scarce. However, multiple studies have demonstrated that the vaccine is effective at preventing the risk of severe COVID-19 infection, hospitalization and death in low-risk adults and children. Receiving multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccines has also been shown to reduce the risk of long COVID.

    The FDA is moving to risk-based access for COVID-19 vaccines.

    The FDA is requiring vaccine manufactures to conduct additional large randomized clinical trials to further evaluate the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 boosters for healthy adults and children. These trials will primarily test whether the vaccines prevent symptomatic infections, and secondarily whether they prevent hospitalization and death. Such trials are more complex, costly and time-consuming than the more common approach of testing for immunological response.

    This requirement will likely delay both the timeliness and the availability of COVID-19 vaccine boosters and slow public health decision-making.

    Will low-risk people be able to get a COVID-19 shot?

    Not automatically. Under the new FDA framework, healthy adults who wish to receive the fall COVID-19 vaccine will face obstacles. Health care providers can administer vaccines “off-label”, but insurance coverage is widely based on FDA recommendations. The new, narrower FDA approval will likely reduce both access to COVID-19 vaccines for the general public and insurance coverage for COVID-19 vaccines.

    The FDA’s focus on individual risks and benefits may overlook broader public health benefits. Communities with higher vaccination rates have fewer opportunities to spread the virus.

    What about vaccines for children?

    High-risk children age 6 months and older who have conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 are still eligible for the vaccine under the new framework. As of now, healthy children age 6 months and older without underlying medical conditions will not have routine access to COVID-19 vaccines until further clinical trial data is available.

    Existing vaccines already on the market will remain available, but it is unclear how long they will stay authorized and how the change will affect childhood vaccination overall.

    Libby Richards has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the American Nurses Foundation, and the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute

    – ref. FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules – https://theconversation.com/fda-limits-access-to-covid-19-vaccine-to-older-adults-and-other-high-risk-groups-a-public-health-expert-explains-the-new-rules-257226

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Consultation launched on proposed changes to transport for post-16 SEND students

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Fees for post-16 SEND travel were due to be introduced in 2020 following consultation but halted due to the outbreak of the Covid pandemic.

    Fresh consultation is now being held on the introduction of a charging policy which will require a contribution towards the cost of post-16 SEND travel.

    This would bring the council in line with the approach taken by neighbouring authorities.

    The proposed charges would apply to students moving into post-16 SEND education from September 2025 and those already in post-16 SEND education.

    Any payments would be spread over 3 terms with a reduction for low income families.

    Councillor Qaiser Azeem, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “We are one of the few remaining councils to offer free transport for this age group. Most authorities charge a contribution due to there being no legal requirement to provide post 16 transport.

    “We remain committed to ensuring young people lead independent healthy lives, feel safe and secure and achieve their full potential.

    “While in an ideal world we would not need to consider introducing charges, the proposals to introduce a contribution towards the cost of post-16 SEND travel, align with, or are less than, neighbouring authorities.

    “We would of course work closely with families affected to support them should these changes be introduced.

    “It is important we hear from parents, carers, students, schools and the wider community as part of this consultation, so please take this opportunity to have your say.”

    In line with legislation there is no transport charge for pupils aged 5 to 16 or for adult learners aged 19 to 25.

    The consultation is now live and runs until 13 June. Take part at Consultation on Post 16 SEND Transport Charges – City of Wolverhampton Council – Citizen Space.
     

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: ‘Shine your light’: responding to challenges facing the charity sector

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    ‘Shine your light’: responding to challenges facing the charity sector

    Charity Commission Chief Executive David Holdsworth delivers keynote speech at Charity Times’ Annual Conference 2025.

    Thank you Srabani and good morning everyone / bore da pawb.

    It’s a privilege to be speaking to at this conference for the first time as the Commission’s CEO, after rejoining the organisation last summer.

    I probably don’t need to explain to this audience why I returned to work with the charity sector.

    Current operating environment and challenges 

    The Charity Commission stands at a unique vantage point, where the perspectives of charities, government, the public and donors meet.

    From this position, we see three trends.

    First, an incredibly challenging economic environment for the sector.

    Like other sectors, charities face inflationary pressures and rising operational costs.

    But charities are also dealing with increased demands for their services.

    The cumulative impact of these trends on charities is, in some cases, extremely challenging.

    Second, charities, like other organisations, are contending with rapid technological and social change.

    Some tech innovations, notably in the space of AI, offer tools that can help charities do more with less and increase their impact.

    But looking ahead, these technologies potentially challenge the very role of organisations and institutions in the traditional sense.

    Notably when coupled with changing attitudes, especially among younger people, whose allegiances are increasingly to causes, not ‘bricks and mortar’ or brands and institutions and where technology platforms offer alternatives of direct giving to those in need.  

    Thirdly – global conflicts, geo political shifts and instability. The shocking invasion of Ukraine and conflicts in the middle east have seen demands on and need of charity increase significantly. Whilst at the same time the once seemingly immovable, solid post war geo political system is shifting, creating uncertainty and instability. This makes responding to increased global need more difficult and challenging to navigate.

    Impact and Potential

    Despite those challenges the sector has never been more important – and let’s be clear what charities achieve for society is astonishing, both in terms of scale and impact.

    Based on Annual Returns submitted to the Commission for 2023’s accounts, the sector had an annual income of over £96 billion – up around 7% on the previous year.

    We registered just over 5,000 new charities last year, having assessed a record 9,840 applications – a 9% increase on the previous year.

    And there are around 700,000 trustees who collectively steward the sector though good times and bad, and whose work often goes unrecognised and uncelebrated – though we at the Commission are all too aware of their service and contribution.

    But numbers alone don’t tell of the human impact of charity. Of the positive difference charities make in transforming or enriching communities, our environment, our wildlife, heritage, culture as well as saving and improving countless individual lives.

    It is that impact that charities, their amazing trustees, volunteers and employees have – that we must not lose sight of – nor let the challenges shroud.

    There are so many examples to tell.

    Like the Felix Project which had a landmark year, providing 38 million meals through its network of 1,264 community organisations and schools by growing its network of collaborations. Building on that success it has launched its Multibank, which has seen 1.46 million non-food essential items distributed to try and ensure no Londoner in need goes without.

    Welsh Women’s Aid and its partners helped 739 survivors access refuge-based support. That is life-saving intervention happening every day, across the country – offering not just physical shelter but a sense of home and safety when people need it most.

    That the osprey – that magnificent bird of prey – which was once driven to near extinction in the UK – is now thriving, with over 250 nesting pairs living in Britain today, is thanks to charities.

    And it is thanks to charity that, on average, two lives are saved at sea every single day by RNLI volunteers.  

    Also I know from my last CEO role at the Animal and Plant Health Agency, thanks to animal welfare charities’ campaigning work over decades, the UK now has one of the most advanced legal frameworks protecting animal health and welfare.

    These a just a few examples of what has been made possible by the charity sector.

    Potential and Opportunity

    So whilst I don’t underestimate for one moment the challenges charities face – and which I have seen first hand on my many visits – I would urge you not to let those challenges dim nor shroud the huge impact you are having, everyday.

    I also firmly believe that as Albert Einstein once said:

    in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

    Arguably, the bigger the challenge, the greater the opportunity. Ideas previously rejected as too radical; innovation that once felt too big; conversations which felt too challenging can suddenly feel possible – and necessary.

    Take for example, the city I call home, Liverpool. Which is incidentally also the Commission’s main home, where most of our staff are based.

    I grew up in Liverpool in the 1980s. It was a time when the city felt like it had lost its way, with ever increasing challenges and ever dwindling opportunity and resources.

    Today my home city is transformed. And that transformation happened through collaboration – a combination of philanthropic investments, national and local government investment, alongside renewed community action notably in the arts, culture and tourism which acted as catalysts for wider renewal.

    Each individual project mattered, but what made for game-changing transformation was the cumulative impact of collaborative and complementary efforts from a number of actors. And that is true across the sector today.

    Take for example, Fareshare. Working collaboratively, supporting other charities in their network, they’ve helped distribute 92% more food over the last year, and made their budgets go 78% further.

    This resulted in them distributing a whopping 135 million meals, reaching nearly 1 million people.

    If you’ll allow me to return once more to my hometown.

    In late 2024, Zoe’s Place, a hospice in Liverpool which provides care to children, faced an uncertain future. The community of Liverpool, supported by business leaders and politicians, as well as a fellow charity the Institute of our Lady of Mercy, fellow hospice Claire’s Place and regional media collectively rallied to save Zoe’s Place, with the Commission playing a key facilitating role.

    Now, ownership has been transferred to the newly registered Liverpool Zoe’s Place. The charity’s trustees have also finalised plans to build the charity’s new home, securing the continuation of the former charity’s legacy.

    The hospice had been helping families through the unimaginable since 1995 – to see that vital service disappear would have been gutting for the community, and a huge blow to the families who rely on the organisation’s support.

    Instead, by reawakening their community’s passion and pride in the service, the charity will now continue to provide that support for years to come.

    In addition to this kind of public appeal, forging new corporate partnerships is another option being explored by many charities. Indeed, the Charities Aid Foundation estimates that UK businesses contribute around £4 billion to the sector.

    Take one example – a mere stone’s throw from here: national homelessness charity, Shelter.

    The organisation has partnered with clothing brand, Lucy and Yak. Last year they held a successful pop-up shop in Kings Cross, and now, they’ve launched donation boxes in several Lucy and Yak shops across the country encouraging customers to donate clothing.

    Shelter has responded to competition facing charity shops with the rise of preloved selling platforms in an agile and innovative way. Through this partnership, they’ve added a funding stream to their ‘bow’ and potentially reached new supporters.

    But I appreciate that public appeals and new corporate partnerships won’t work for everyone.  

    As a result of the Covid pandemic, many charities needed to re-evaluate their financial resilience and ability to weather further storms – many had dipped into their reserves, while others had little to fall back on.

    With the same desire to ensure services do not come to an end, some charities with similar goals turned to mergers – combining resources to create something more sustainable.

    For example, Community Integrated Care, one of the largest social care providers in the UK, merged with Inspire, a social care provider based in Scotland, in 2023. The charities saw how funding shortfalls, economic pressures and workforce shortages were impacting social care more broadly and chose to secure their future together rather than struggle through apart. And it paid off.

    Community Integrated Care’s income increased by £22 million in the year after the merger, and the charities reported publicly that the merger was a good strategic fit. These charities found strength in unity while continuing to provide that sense of belonging their beneficiaries depend on.

    Mergers are not the answer for all – and I don’t underestimate the work that can be involved in navigating a successful transition. But where you decide a merger is the best way forward, the Commission is on hand.

    Conclusion: strength in collaboration

    I’ve touched upon a few examples today to evidence my underlying confidence in this sector’s collective power. Just as no home is built by a single pair of hands, no lasting social change comes from isolated efforts.

    Our dear late Queen, Elizabeth II, once said:

    On our own, we cannot end wars or wipe out injustice, but the cumulative impact of thousands of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagine.

    In the year of the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe and Victory in Japan we should remember those words and that out of darkness can come something brighter and better than before.

    From the darkness of tyranny, fascism and unfathomable loss came a renewed determination for peace, democracy and equality. That which charities had long fought for then came forward in the form of the NHS, welfare state, expansion of access to higher education, and workers’ rights.

    While the challenges facing society may be less existential, I believe this sector can again play a transformational role across communities, across government, local and national, with businesses and philanthropists to once again tackle our biggest issues with joint purpose.

    There is no greater charity sector in the world than here and my message is clear.

    Keep shining a light, charities.

    Shine a light on your charitable purpose.

    Shine a light of hope, and of refuge to those in need.

    Shine a light on your innovation and impact.

    And always remember that you not only stand on the shoulders of giants, but you too are now building that better brighter future for the next generation.

    Thank you. I look forward to hearing your thoughts, and taking your questions.

    Updates to this page

    Published 21 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: ‘Shine a light’: responding to challenges facing the charity sector

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Speech

    ‘Shine a light’: responding to challenges facing the charity sector

    Charity Commission Chief Executive David Holdsworth delivers keynote speech at Charity Times’ Annual Conference 2025.

    Thank you Srabani and good morning everyone / bore da pawb.

    It’s a privilege to be speaking to at this conference for the first time as the Commission’s CEO, after rejoining the organisation last summer.

    I probably don’t need to explain to this audience why I returned to work with the charity sector.

    Current operating environment and challenges 

    The Charity Commission stands at a unique vantage point, where the perspectives of charities, government, the public and donors meet.

    From this position, we see three trends.

    First, an incredibly challenging economic environment for the sector.

    Like other sectors, charities face inflationary pressures and rising operational costs.

    But charities are also dealing with increased demands for their services.

    The cumulative impact of these trends on charities is, in some cases, extremely challenging.

    Second, charities, like other organisations, are contending with rapid technological and social change.

    Some tech innovations, notably in the space of AI, offer tools that can help charities do more with less and increase their impact.

    But looking ahead, these technologies potentially challenge the very role of organisations and institutions in the traditional sense.

    Notably when coupled with changing attitudes, especially among younger people, whose allegiances are increasingly to causes, not ‘bricks and mortar’ or brands and institutions and where technology platforms offer alternatives of direct giving to those in need.  

    Thirdly – global conflicts, geo political shifts and instability. The shocking invasion of Ukraine and conflicts in the middle east have seen demands on and need of charity increase significantly. Whilst at the same time the once seemingly immovable, solid post war geo political system is shifting, creating uncertainty and instability. This makes responding to increased global need more difficult and challenging to navigate.

    Impact and Potential

    Despite those challenges the sector has never been more important – and let’s be clear what charities achieve for society is astonishing, both in terms of scale and impact.

    Based on Annual Returns submitted to the Commission for 2023’s accounts, the sector had an annual income of over £96 billion – up around 7% on the previous year.

    We registered just over 5,000 new charities last year, having assessed a record 9,840 applications – a 9% increase on the previous year.

    And there are around 700,000 trustees who collectively steward the sector though good times and bad, and whose work often goes unrecognised and uncelebrated – though we at the Commission are all too aware of their service and contribution.

    But numbers alone don’t tell of the human impact of charity. Of the positive difference charities make in transforming or enriching communities, our environment, our wildlife, heritage, culture as well as saving and improving countless individual lives.

    It is that impact that charities, their amazing trustees, volunteers and employees have – that we must not lose sight of – nor let the challenges shroud.

    There are so many examples to tell.

    Like the Felix Project which had a landmark year, providing 38 million meals through its network of 1,264 community organisations and schools by growing its network of collaborations. Building on that success it has launched its Multibank, which has seen 1.46 million non-food essential items distributed to try and ensure no Londoner in need goes without.

    Welsh Women’s Aid and its partners helped 739 survivors access refuge-based support. That is life-saving intervention happening every day, across the country – offering not just physical shelter but a sense of home and safety when people need it most.

    That the osprey – that magnificent bird of prey – which was once driven to near extinction in the UK – is now thriving, with over 250 nesting pairs living in Britain today, is thanks to charities.

    And it is thanks to charity that, on average, two lives are saved at sea every single day by RNLI volunteers.  

    Also I know from my last CEO role at the Animal and Plant Health Agency, thanks to animal welfare charities’ campaigning work over decades, the UK now has one of the most advanced legal frameworks protecting animal health and welfare.

    These a just a few examples of what has been made possible by the charity sector.

    Potential and Opportunity

    So whilst I don’t underestimate for one moment the challenges charities face – and which I have seen first hand on my many visits – I would urge you not to let those challenges dim nor shroud the huge impact you are having, everyday.

    I also firmly believe that as Albert Einstein once said:

    in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

    Arguably, the bigger the challenge, the greater the opportunity. Ideas previously rejected as too radical; innovation that once felt too big; conversations which felt too challenging can suddenly feel possible – and necessary.

    Take for example, the city I call home, Liverpool. Which is incidentally also the Commission’s main home, where most of our staff are based.

    I grew up in Liverpool in the 1980s. It was a time when the city felt like it had lost its way, with ever increasing challenges and ever dwindling opportunity and resources.

    Today my home city is transformed. And that transformation happened through collaboration – a combination of philanthropic investments, national and local government investment, alongside renewed community action notably in the arts, culture and tourism which acted as catalysts for wider renewal.

    Each individual project mattered, but what made for game-changing transformation was the cumulative impact of collaborative and complementary efforts from a number of actors. And that is true across the sector today.

    Take for example, Fareshare. Working collaboratively, supporting other charities in their network, they’ve helped distribute 92% more food over the last year, and made their budgets go 78% further.

    This resulted in them distributing a whopping 135 million meals, reaching nearly 1 million people.

    If you’ll allow me to return once more to my hometown.

    In late 2024, Zoe’s Place, a hospice in Liverpool which provides care to children, faced an uncertain future. The community of Liverpool, supported by business leaders and politicians, as well as a fellow charity the Institute of our Lady of Mercy, fellow hospice Claire’s Place and regional media collectively rallied to save Zoe’s Place, with the Commission playing a key facilitating role.

    Now, ownership has been transferred to the newly registered Liverpool Zoe’s Place. The charity’s trustees have also finalised plans to build the charity’s new home, securing the continuation of the former charity’s legacy.

    The hospice had been helping families through the unimaginable since 1995 – to see that vital service disappear would have been gutting for the community, and a huge blow to the families who rely on the organisation’s support.

    Instead, by reawakening their community’s passion and pride in the service, the charity will now continue to provide that support for years to come.

    In addition to this kind of public appeal, forging new corporate partnerships is another option being explored by many charities. Indeed, the Charities Aid Foundation estimates that UK businesses contribute around £4 billion to the sector.

    Take one example – a mere stone’s throw from here: national homelessness charity, Shelter.

    The organisation has partnered with clothing brand, Lucy and Yak. Last year they held a successful pop-up shop in Kings Cross, and now, they’ve launched donation boxes in several Lucy and Yak shops across the country encouraging customers to donate clothing.

    Shelter has responded to competition facing charity shops with the rise of preloved selling platforms in an agile and innovative way. Through this partnership, they’ve added a funding stream to their ‘bow’ and potentially reached new supporters.

    But I appreciate that public appeals and new corporate partnerships won’t work for everyone.  

    As a result of the Covid pandemic, many charities needed to re-evaluate their financial resilience and ability to weather further storms – many had dipped into their reserves, while others had little to fall back on.

    With the same desire to ensure services do not come to an end, some charities with similar goals turned to mergers – combining resources to create something more sustainable.

    For example, Community Integrated Care, one of the largest social care providers in the UK, merged with Inspire, a social care provider based in Scotland, in 2023. The charities saw how funding shortfalls, economic pressures and workforce shortages were impacting social care more broadly and chose to secure their future together rather than struggle through apart. And it paid off.

    Community Integrated Care’s income increased by £22 million in the year after the merger, and the charities reported publicly that the merger was a good strategic fit. These charities found strength in unity while continuing to provide that sense of belonging their beneficiaries depend on.

    Mergers are not the answer for all – and I don’t underestimate the work that can be involved in navigating a successful transition. But where you decide a merger is the best way forward, the Commission is on hand.

    Conclusion: strength in collaboration

    I’ve touched upon a few examples today to evidence my underlying confidence in this sector’s collective power. Just as no home is built by a single pair of hands, no lasting social change comes from isolated efforts.

    Our dear late Queen, Elizabeth II, once said:

    On our own, we cannot end wars or wipe out injustice, but the cumulative impact of thousands of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagine.

    In the year of the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe and Victory in Japan we should remember those words and that out of darkness can come something brighter and better than before.

    From the darkness of tyranny, fascism and unfathomable loss came a renewed determination for peace, democracy and equality. That which charities had long fought for then came forward in the form of the NHS, welfare state, expansion of access to higher education, and workers’ rights.

    While the challenges facing society may be less existential, I believe this sector can again play a transformational role across communities, across government, local and national, with businesses and philanthropists to once again tackle our biggest issues with joint purpose.

    There is no greater charity sector in the world than here and my message is clear.

    Keep shining a light, charities.

    Shine a light on your charitable purpose.

    Shine a light of hope, and of refuge to those in need.

    Shine a light on your innovation and impact.

    And always remember that you not only stand on the shoulders of giants, but you too are now building that better brighter future for the next generation.

    Thank you. I look forward to hearing your thoughts, and taking your questions.

    Updates to this page

    Published 21 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • WHO members adopt global pandemic accord, but US absence casts doubts

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Members of the World Health Organization adopted an agreement on Tuesday intended to improve preparedness for future pandemics following the disjointed global response to COVID-19, but the absence of the U.S. cast doubt on the treaty’s effectiveness.

    After three years of negotiations, the legally binding pact was adopted by the World Health Assembly in Geneva. WHO member countries welcomed its passing with applause.

    The pact was touted as a victory for members of the global health agency at a time when multilateral organisations like the WHO have been battered by sharp cuts in U.S. foreign funding.

    “The agreement is a victory for public health, science and multilateral action. It will ensure we, collectively, can better protect the world from future pandemic threats,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

    The pact aims to ensure that drugs, therapeutics and vaccines are globally accessible when the next pandemic hits. It requires participating manufacturers to allocate a target of 20% of their vaccines, medicines and tests to the WHO during a pandemic to ensure poorer countries have access.

    However, U.S. negotiators left discussions about the accord after President Donald Trump began a 12-month process of withdrawing the U.S. – by far the WHO’s largest financial backer – from the agency when he took office in January.

    Given this, the U.S., which poured billions of dollars into vaccine development during the COVID pandemic, would not be bound by the pact. And WHO member states would not face penalties if they failed to implement it.

    U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. slammed the World Health Organization in a video address to the Assembly, saying it had failed to learn from the lessons of the pandemic with the new agreement.

    “It has doubled down with the pandemic agreement which will lock in all of the dysfunction of the WHO pandemic response… We’re not going to participate in that,” he said.

    LATE CHALLENGE

    The deal was reached after Slovakia called for a vote on Monday, as its COVID-19 vaccine–sceptic prime minister demanded that his country challenge the adoption of the agreement.

    One hundred and twenty-four countries voted in favour, no countries voted against, while 11 countries, including Poland, Israel, Italy, Russia, Slovakia and Iran, abstained.

    Some health experts welcomed the treaty as a step towards greater fairness in global health after poorer nations were left short of vaccines and diagnostics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “It contains critical provisions, especially in research and development, that — if implemented — could shift the global pandemic response toward greater equity,” Michelle Childs, Policy Advocacy Director at Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, told Reuters.

    Others said the agreement did not meet initial ambitions and that, without strong implementation frameworks, it risked falling short in a future pandemic.

    “It is an empty shell… It’s difficult to say that it’s a treaty with firm obligation where there is a strong commitment… It’s a good starting point. But it will have to be developed,” said Gian Luca Burci, an academic adviser at the Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute, an independent research and education organisation.

    Helen Clark the co-Chair of The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, described the accord as a foundation to build from.

    “Many gaps remain in finance, equitable access to medical countermeasures and in understanding evolving risks,” she added.

    The pact will not go into effect until an annex on sharing of pathogenic information is agreed. Negotiations on this would start in July with the aim of delivering the annex to the World Health Assembly for adoption, WHO said. A Western diplomatic source suggested it may take up to two years to be agreed.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI Security: Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Money Laundering Schemes

    Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Zaven Yeghiazaryan, 44, of Newtown, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty before the Honorable Gerald J. Pappert to 13 counts of an indictment charging him with conspiracy, health care fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with his execution of a variety of schemes.

    The charges arose from the defendant’s commission of fraud offenses targeting, among others, government programs, including through the use of shell companies and false identities, between January 2020 and April 2024. The defendant’s fraud offenses targeted two government programs which offered relief during the Covid-19 pandemic: the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program. In addition, the defendant admitted that he participated in a scheme to defraud the Medicaid program.

    Based upon his guilty pleas to the 13 counts, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 230 years in prison, a three-year period of supervised release, and a $3,250,000 fine, restitution of $334,905 and forfeiture. Sentencing is scheduled for September 4, 2025.

    The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, the United States Department of Labor, the United States Department of Transportation – Office of the Inspector General and the State Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mary E. Crawley and Special Assistant United States Attorney Megan Curran. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI China: China urges US to stop politicizing COVID-19 origins tracing

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    A spokesperson for the Chinese Mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva on Tuesday urged the United States to end its politicization of COVID-19 origins tracing and stop exerting pressure on international organizations.

    In response to the groundless remarks made by the U.S. delegation at the ongoing 78th World Health Assembly (WHA), the spokesperson said it is astonishing that the United States — a country that once announced its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) — is now baselessly attacking countries that have consistently stepped up support for the organization. The United States has evidently lost its basic sense of right and wrong. China has always offered selfless support, instead of so-called undue influence, to the WHO, the spokesperson said in a statement.

    The spokesperson stressed that since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has shared information and the genetic sequence of the virus with the international community at the earliest possible time. It has also provided medical supplies and financial assistance to the WHO and 153 countries, including the United States. This reflects China’s commitment to safeguarding the common good of all humanity.

    China supports scientific origins tracing led by the WHO and has invited WHO expert teams to China multiple times for joint studies. These efforts resulted in the authoritative scientific conclusion that a lab leak of COVID-19 from China is “extremely unlikely,” demonstrating China’s openness and transparency on the issue, the spokesperson said.

    The spokesperson pointed out that certain countries, in an attempt to cover up their own poor pandemic response, have resorted to smearing others. Such political manipulation of pandemic issues is disgraceful and doomed to fail. The United States still owes the international community a convincing explanation for the concerns raised by various parties about the origins and handling of the pandemic on its own territory.

    China urges the United States to share its early case data with the WHO and be transparent about Fort Detrick and its network of overseas biological laboratories. The United States should stop political manipulation over COVID-19 origins tracing and cease pressuring international organizations, the spokesperson stated. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China urges US to stop politicizing COVID-19 source tracing issue

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    GENEVA, May 20 (Xinhua) — A spokesperson for the Chinese Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva on Tuesday called on the United States to stop political manipulation over the issue of tracing the source of COVID-19 and stop pressuring international organizations.

    As the official representative said in response to the baseless statements of the US delegation at the ongoing 78th session of the World Health Assembly, it is astonishing that the United States, a country that once announced its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), is now making baseless attacks on countries that have consistently increased their contribution to the organization. According to the diplomat, the US has clearly lost its basic understanding of truth and lies. China has always provided selfless support to the WHO, without any so-called undue influence, he emphasized.

    The official representative recalled that since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has shared with the international community information on the epidemiological situation and the genomic sequence of the virus in the shortest possible time. In addition, the Chinese side has provided medical supplies and financial assistance to the WHO and 153 countries, including the United States. All this, as the diplomat emphasized, demonstrates China’s firm commitment to protecting the common well-being of all mankind.

    He noted that in an effort to carefully conceal their ineffective anti-epidemic measures, some countries resort to denigrating others. In his opinion, such attempts to politicize pandemic issues are disgusting and doomed to failure.

    China is calling on the United States to share data on early cases with the WHO and to disclose information about the Fort Detrick facility and the network of U.S. biological laboratories around the world, an official said. The U.S. side should stop political manipulation around the issue of tracing the source of COVID-19 and stop pressuring international organizations, he concluded. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK adopts historic Pandemic Agreement

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    UK adopts historic Pandemic Agreement

    Better protections for British public and NHS thanks to deal adopted at the World Health Assembly in Geneva.

    • New Agreement will protect British public and NHS from future global health threats while preserving UK sovereignty
    • Pandemic Agreement will safeguard lives and UK economy by improving world’s collective ability to prevent, prepare for, detect and respond to global disease threats
    • This follows long negotiation process to ensure agreement is firmly in UK’s national interest

    The British people, our NHS and the economy will be better protected against future global health threats thanks to a new World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement adopted by the UK today.

    The deal marks a significant step forward in stronger domestic and global prevention by improving the way countries around the world work together to detect and combat pandemic threats.

    The UK government has been actively engaged in negotiations to ensure a strong final agreement. The Agreement adopted at the World Health Assembly in Geneva respects national sovereignty while encouraging nations to work together more effectively to address shared global health threats, in turn helping strengthen our national security which is a key part of this government’s Plan for Change. There are no provisions that would give the WHO powers to impose domestic public health decisions on the UK.

    Minister of State for International Development Baroness Chapman said:

    The Pandemic Agreement is a great example of the UK working with our partners to support countries combat disease and strengthen their health systems. Acting together will help us to prevent pandemics, and prepare for and respond to any future pandemic threats.

    Diseases cross borders, and our diplomacy must too, if we are to prevent a repeat of the devastation caused by Covid-19. That’s why this agreement will make the world a healthier and safer place.

    Health Minister Ashley Dalton said:

    COVID-19 showed us the vital importance of international cooperation to save lives. This landmark agreement will help protect British people from future pandemic threats and safeguard our health system, supporting our mission to build an NHS fit for the future.

    Our national interest and the safety and wellbeing of the British public will always be our first priority. This agreement maintains our sovereignty while ensuring the NHS and the UK as a whole will be better prepared for possible future global health emergencies, through stronger early warning systems and faster response capabilities.

    Our world-class life sciences sector will also benefit from increased innovation in vaccines and treatments, boosting growth and improving care for patients across the UK.

    UKHSA Chief Executive Dame Jenny Harries said:

    It is gratifying to see the Pandemic Agreement adopted. It is clear that international co-operation and collaboration must be at the very heart of our pandemic preparedness strategy if it is to be effective, and this agreement is a welcome step towards making the world a safer place from pandemic threats.

    UKHSA has consistently been committed to sharing data and analysis on pathogens with pandemic potential with our international partners, and we will continue to do so as we work to develop the global capacity to respond to emerging threats to public health.

    This is also good news for scientific innovation and the UK’s world-leading life sciences industry, opening the door to enabling high quality vaccines to be delivered faster in the next pandemic.

    The Covid-19 pandemic has had an enduring impact on lives and livelihoods around the world. Thousands of families in the UK lost loved ones, children missed out on pivotal learning and development opportunities, and businesses were forced to close their doors. The estimated cost of the UK government’s COVID-19 measures was over £300 billion.

    The new Pandemic Agreement will help avoid a repeat of this devastation by creating a framework for countries to take action together to better prevent pandemics – by improving disease surveillance so we can detect and respond to new health threats sooner, and by speeding up innovation of life-saving vaccines and treatments.

    The aim is to prevent pandemic threats from emerging in the first place and stopping them in their tracks when they do.

    It will facilitate swifter pathogen and pathogen data sharing so we can act quickly to prevent further spread. It will also enable the UK to develop vaccines, treatments and tests faster, which will help save lives and drive economic growth in our world-leading life sciences sector.

    124 member states agreed to adopt the Pandemic Agreement today, demonstrating strong international commitment to multilateralism and collective action to strengthen global health security.

    The final text represents a strong outcome for the UK. Key wins include: 

    • Commitments on pandemic prevention, including for health, animal, and environmental sectors to collaborate through a “One Health” approach – a major step toward preventing disease spillover from animals to humans;
    • Provisions that will foster innovation, enhance global research and development, and strengthen supply chains;
    • The Pandemic Agreement paves the way for a new and voluntary Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system which should see pharmaceutical companies get faster access to the pathogens and genetic sequences that they need to create new vaccines, treatments and tests to respond to a pandemic. In return, manufacturers who voluntarily sign up to the system – not the government – will share a portion of their production with the WHO to allocate where it is most needed;
    • The PABS system is entirely voluntary for pharmaceutical companies, who may choose to join to gain faster access to pathogen data for innovation. There are no requirements placed on governments to share vaccines or treatments they have purchased.
    • The Pandemic Agreement does not include any provisions that would give the WHO powers to impose domestic public health decisions on the UK. The sovereignty of states is one of the guiding principles of the Agreement.

    Updates to this page

    Published 20 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: £1 billion BioNTech investment sets way for jobs, growth, breakthroughs

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    Press release

    £1 billion BioNTech investment sets way for jobs, growth, breakthroughs

    Covid-19 vaccine pioneers BioNTech commit to up to £1 billion, 10-year investment in the UK.

    • Covid-19 vaccine pioneers BioNTech commit to up to £1 billion, 10-year investment in the UK.
    • New research and AI centres to be established in London as well as Cambridge – demonstrating the benefits of the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor – to develop the next generation of life-changing medicines.
    • Underpinned by up to £129 million of government support, this agreement underscores the government’s commitment to life sciences as a key part of the Plan for Change, driving improvements in healthcare, and delivering economic growth.

    Hundreds of highly skilled jobs will be created, and new research centres will be set up aimed at making new advances in medical science, thanks to a planned investment of up to £1 billion into the UK by world-leading biopharmaceutical company BioNTech announced today (Tuesday 20 May).

    This is one of the biggest investments in the history of UK life sciences, made possible with government backing – all part of plans to support this growth-driving sector as part of the Plan for Change, and our mission to turbo-charge economic growth in every part of the country.

    This historic investment is a testament to the confidence in the UK life sciences – one of the priority sectors of the economy that will form a key part of the forthcoming Industrial Strategy – as a driver of economic growth, job creation, and innovations that could overhaul what’s possible in healthcare. The sector is already thriving, worth £108 billion to the economy and providing more than 300,000 highly skilled jobs across the country. But through measures like our commitment to investing up to £520 million in the sector through the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund, we want to boost UK life sciences to even greater heights, bolstering our ambitions to grow the economy, create jobs, and building on the UK’s position as the second-most attractive destination for international investment.

    BioNTech will invest in the UK over the course of the next 10 years as part of an ambitious plan to significantly expand their presence here. That will see them create two new R&D hubs, the first to be based in Cambridge, as well as an AI hub to be based at BioNTech’s planned UK headquarters in London. These are planned to create more than 400 new highly skilled jobs over the next 10 years, including researchers in clinical and scientific drug development, bioinformatics, and a range of supporting functions. Indirectly, the investment is also likely to create a substantial number of additional jobs in the supply chain.

    BioNTech are the pioneering company behind mRNA vaccines and cancer immunotherapies notably used to tackle COVID-19, and more recently trialled to help patients with cancer.

    According to the Academy of Medical Sciences, every £1 spent on medical research delivers a return of 25p, every year, forever after that, so the long-term economic impact of an investment in research on this scale, speaks for itself. This is the government’s Plan for Change, in action, and shows how our ambitions for the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor are already pulling international investment into the UK.

    BioNTech signed an agreement finalising the investment together with Science Secretary Peter Kyle today. As part of the agreement, the government will contribute up to £129 million in grant funding over a period of 10 years.

    Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:

    This investment will propel the growth-driving life sciences sector to new heights, delivering cutting-edge facilities, building careers in the future-facing jobs we want our children to have, and ultimately unlocking progress in medical science that could save lives.

    This is a clear indication of how we will deliver the government’s Plan for Change: working together with the best and brightest businesses and innovators to unlock their potential, and then reap the benefits for the economy, health and more that their drive and genius can deliver.

    Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:

    This is another testament to confidence in Britain being one of the world’s top investment destinations and a global hub for life sciences. It will create hundreds of high-skilled, well-paid jobs, as we deliver on our promise to put more money in working people’s pockets through our Plan for Change.

    CEO and co-founder of BioNTech, Uğur Şahin, said:

    This agreement marks the next chapter of our successful strategic partnership with the UK government. Together, we have already made a meaningful difference in expanding access to investigational personalized cancer therapies for patients. Now, we are taking the next step to accelerate and broaden our research and development efforts advancing towards our vision to translate science into survival for patients.

    In Cambridge, BioNTech plans to set up a new R&D centre focused on genomics, oncology, structural biology, and regenerative medicine. In London, BioNTech intends to establish its UK headquarters, which will be home to a new AI hub led by InstaDeep Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of BioNTech SE, and a leading global technology company in the field of AI and machine learning. This hub will enable medical research, using AI, including looking into understanding disease causes, drug target selection and predictive analytics.

    Over time, this work could lead to the discovery and development of new therapies, diagnostics and treatments for a range of diseases that currently cause heartbreak for countless patients and their families – all supporting the mission to rebuild the NHS for the long-term, that sits at the heart of the government’s Plan for Change.

    It also builds on the government’s existing strategic partnership with BioNTech, to provide up to 10,000 patients with investigational personalised cancer immunotherapies by 2030. This is already transforming the experience of patients by broadening access to cancer vaccine trials in the UK.

    The government’s support for BioNTech’s investment is a further example of how we are backing the UK’s thriving life sciences sector to even greater success – following on from the announcement of the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund at the Autumn Budget, and strategic collaborations agreed with other innovative life sciences companies. We will say more about our vision for a thriving future for UK life sciences in the forthcoming Life Sciences Sector Plan.

    Steve Bates, CEO of the UK BioIndustry Association, said:

    BioNTech’s investment demonstrates the UK’s position as a top destination for life sciences innovation and underlines why the government is absolutely right to back our sector as a priority for growth.

    BioNTech is not only a pioneer in mRNA science, but also a visionary partner in building a truly unique public-private collaboration with the UK government and NHS – one that sets a benchmark for the world.

    The UK has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to leverage its strong position to attract investment from global investors to create well-paid jobs and scale UK companies, if the upcoming Life Sciences Sector Plan can address long-standing structural challenges in the financing and commercial environment.

    Richard Torbett, Chief Executive of the ABPI, said:

    This investment is a testament to the fantastic skills, research capabilities, and scientific infrastructure we have in the UK. It is also a template for how the UK could unlock further life science sector growth by removing the barriers and roadblocks to investment.

    Big investments like this are years in the making and require both sides to have confidence that the other will deliver on their commitments. Trust is slow to build, but this deal shows it is worth the time and the risk.

    Life science companies are already the largest investors in UK R&D – but much of this comes from a handful of companies with deep UK roots. The UK has an opportunity to capture more of the global science pie if we can improve our competitive offering to the sector.

    DSIT media enquiries

    Email press@dsit.gov.uk

    Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm 020 7215 3000

    Updates to this page

    Published 20 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to World Health Assembly adopting WHO Pandemic Agreement

    Source: United Kingdom – Science Media Centre

    Scientists comment on the World Health Assembly adopting the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Pandemic Agreement.

    Prof Sir Andrew Pollard, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group; and Ashall Professor of Infection and Immunity at the Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford, said:

    “The pandemic agreement is an important endorsement of a globally collegiate approach to tackling the existential threat we face from a future pandemic.  It recognises the particular challenges highlighted by the COVID19 pandemic around equity in access to life saving vaccines and drugs, the geographical boundaries caused by limited global manufacturing capability and nationalism.  The agreement also highlights the importance of international research coordination so that we are better prepared for the next one.  It shows a level of cooperation and coordination that could make the world a safer place, but the real test of such a document is in its execution.  It is heavily dependent on the actions of the world’s major powers today to lay the groundwork in surveillance, strengthening of health systems distributed manufacturing and research, all of which are severely hampered by the current political and economic headwinds.  We will also critically need such cooperation to remain strong in the face of the next life-threatening microbial invasion of national borders, which will challenge even the most resolute political minds.”

     

    Prof Mishal Khan, Professor of Global Public Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said:

    “It’s been a huge challenge to get to this point so the fact that this has now been formally agreed at the World Health Assembly, is very welcome.

    “But in reality we won’t know how useful this agreement is until the next pandemic hits.

    “A key question is around whether countries will voluntarily comply with the terms and, if not, how enforceable is it.  Past experience, for example with the International Health Regulations, suggests that powers to enforce will be limited.

    “The success of this treaty will also depend on each country’s capacity to contribute to potentially valuable elements such as the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System through collecting and sharing high-quality data.

    “It’s concerning that the US will not be bound to the treaty and has not been part of the final discussions, leaving us unsure what its approach to resource and data sharing will be in future disease outbreaks.

    “We must continue to strengthen and support capacity globally to ensure the agreement is equitable and has the best chance of being effective in protecting the world from pandemics.”

     

    Prof Alice Norton, Associate Professor, Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford, said:

    “The adoption of the Pandemic Agreement by the 78th World Health Assembly today is welcome news for global health security.

    “Article 9 on research and development was one of the first to be unanimously agreed by member state negotiators.  This recognises the ability for science to get us out of a pandemic, as was the case for COVID-19, showing that unlike many other natural disasters we can mitigate the risks and impacts of pandemics through science.

    “Respect for human rights, equity, solidarity and science-based evidence are all key principles rightly enshrined in the Agreement.

    “What will be needed now is the political will and sustainable financing so that all countries can make the Agreement a reality.

    “It is a mistake to believe that our recent experience of a pandemic means we are safe for a while.  The threat of epidemic and pandemic diseases that could devastate lives, livelihoods and economies still loom large.

    “Recent global health funding cuts only serve to worsen our preparedness and response capabilities.  After today’s announcement, governments must now step-up and put the Agreement’s principles into practice.”

    Prof Martin Antonio, Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Global Health based at the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, and Co-Director of the LSHTM Centre for Epidemic Preparedness and Response, said:

    “Having all WHO member states (except the US) endorsing the treaty is a big leap forward in the fight against future pandemics.  Crucially it will accelerate appropriate action, for example the commitment we need to enable vaccines to be developed quickly and made globally accessible within the 100 days mission target set by CEPI.

    “This is a global agreement and will only work with global support.  But to make these measures effective, we must also push for investment in regional measures such as the development of ‘pandemic’ manufacturing facilities in Africa in support of diagnostics, vaccines, and other interventions.”

     

    Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, said:

    “Rebecca Solnit once wrote that ‘Perfection is a stick with which to beat the possible.’  Is the Pandemic Agreement perfect?  No.  But no such international agreement can be.

    “Does it represent a huge step forward, in terms of recognising the threat that pandemics pose and as a binding expression of solidarity against this common threat?  Absolutely.  It is now a defining feature of the landscape, under the canopy of which all our efforts going forward will be conducted.

    “Is there a great deal of practical work still to be done to make the world safe from pandemics?  Of course.

    “But this is a moment to celebrate!  And also a moment to rededicate ourselves to the hard work of pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.”

     

    CEPI statement on the adoption of the Pandemic Agreement: 

    CEPI commends the commitment of countries and negotiators to advancing this once-in-a-generation opportunity to make the world a safer place.  By their nature, pandemics can only be effectively tackled through international cooperation and the adoption of the Pandemic Agreement represents an historic step forward in this regard.  It seeks to drive systemic change that will address the inequity that characterized the response to COVID-19 and brings us closer to realizing the 100 Days Mission goal to respond to future pandemic threats with a new vaccine in just three months.  

    CEPI stands ready to support the implementation of the Pandemic Agreement, including: 

    • Requirements for publicly-funded R&D to include equitable access obligations – such as affordable pricing terms, technology transfer, information sharing;
    • Commitments to support sustainable and geographically distributed production facilities with the capability to scale up for rapid response in a health emergency;
    • The establishment of a multilateral pathogen benefits sharing system that supports rapid and efficient sharing of samples and data on pathogens with pandemic potential to expedite R&D for medical countermeasures.  This, together with a global supply chain and logistics network, will help to strengthen research and innovation and support global access to medical countermeasures based on public health need rather than ability to pay.

    While we celebrate today’s achievement, we must also recognise that the Agreement on its own will not deliver the level of pandemic preparedness the world urgently needs.

    It will take sustained investment, enduring political commitment and unprecedented scientific collaboration to create the systemic change needed to protect not just our own generation, but generations to come.  

     

    Dr Daniela Manno, Clinical Assistant Professor, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said:

    “We know pandemics do not respect borders.  COVID-19 demonstrated how quickly infectious diseases can spread and underscored the importance of international cooperation for early detection and response.

    “Adopting this first global agreement on pandemic preparedness and response is a major milestone.  It signals a global commitment to avoiding the fragmented and unequal responses of past crises, and to promoting greater solidarity and equity in future health emergencies.

    “It shows that countries are willing to work together more effectively and more fairly, through timely data sharing, coordinated rapid responses, and fair access to vaccines, diagnostics and treatments.

    “However, while the treaty marks important progress, concerns remain about its strength and enforceability.  For example, the proposal to create a Coordinating Financial Mechanism is a positive step, but it lacks firm commitments to new, long-term funding streams, specifically for low- and middle-income countries.  Without clear financial provisions, LMICs may face increased debt or be forced to divert funding from other essential health services to meet treaty obligations.

    “While the treaty references inclusiveness and community engagement, there needs to be a greater emphasis on integrating local knowledge and enabling community-led decision-making.  This is crucial to avoid top-down approaches that may not reflect the needs and realities of diverse communities, particularly in LMICs.”

     

    Dr Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health, University of Southampton, said:

    “The WHO Pandemic Agreement is quite a triumph for diplomacy, and will rely hugely on cooperations from the member states.  The draft agreement is full of words such as equity, respect and solidarity.  This is where the WHO is very strong, in providing expert guidance from an ethical and practical standpoint that applies across the world.  However, the Organization does not have much of a role in any legal enforcement.

    “The Agreement makes reference to the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005.  Member states have a legal obligation to adhere to the IHR, although it’s not fully clear what would happen if a country chooses not to.

    “For example, the USA are technically still a member of WHO, with a one year notice period for withdrawal put forward by the Trump government.  Given their recent commentary on national and global health, one can imagine they may not comply with regulations both currently in place and proposed here under the Agreement.”

    https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_10-en.pdf

    https://www.who.int/news/item/19-05-2025-member-states-approve-who-pandemic-agreement-in-world-health-assembly-committee–paving-way-for-its-formal-adoption

    https://www.who.int/news/item/20-05-2025-world-health-assembly-adopts-historic-pandemic-agreement-to-make-the-world-more-equitable-and-safer-from-future-pandemics

     

     

    Declared interests

    Prof Sir Andrew Pollard:“Professor Pollard is chair of JCVI which provides independent scientific advice on vaccines to DHSC.  The comment above is given in a personal capacity.”

    Prof Mishal Khan: “No conflicts.”

    Prof Alice Norton: “Professor Alice Norton receives a research grant from the World Health Organization – this does not relate to the Pandemic Agreement.”

    Dr Richard Hatchett: “No conflicts of interest to declare.”

    Dr Michael Head: “No COI from me (and not involved in the Pandemic Treaty in any way).”

    For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Office of the Governor — Travel Release — Gov. Green to Travel To Washington D.C.

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI 
    KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI 

    JOSH GREEN, M.D. 
    GOVERNOR
    KE KIAʻĀINA 

    GOVERNOR GREEN TO TRAVEL TO WASHINGTON D.C.

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    May 19, 2025

    HONOLULU  ̶  Governor Josh Green, M.D., has been invited by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal to testify before the U.S. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations at a hearing on science and federal health agencies. Governor Green will travel to Washington D.C. on Monday, May 19.

    U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut is the ranking member of the committee and extended the invitation, to discuss Governor Green’s experience as a physician and public official in addressing outbreaks of infectious diseases, including during the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations is the chief investigative subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Governor Green will return to Hawai‘i on Friday, May 23, 2025.

    Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke will serve as acting Governor from the afternoon of May 19 until the afternoon of May 23.

     ###

    Media Contacts:  
    Erika Engle
    Press Secretary
    Office of the Governor, State of Hawai‘i
    Office: 808-586-0120
    Email: [email protected] 

    Makana McClellan
    Director of Communications
    Office of the Governor, State of Hawaiʻi
    Cell: 808-265-0083
    Email: [email protected]

    MIL OSI USA News –