Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
HOT SPRINGS – A Pearcy man was sentenced yesterday to a total of 175 months in prison on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, one count of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm, as well as violations of his term of supervised release from a previous conviction. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Hot Springs. According to court documents, on July 22, 2024, a Trooper with the Arkansas State Police attempted to make a traffic stop on Michael Fryar in Garland County. After the Trooper initiated his lights, Fryar fled in his vehicle and a pursuit ensued. After a short pursuit Fryar abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot into a wooded area. The Trooper pursued on foot and had to deploy his taser to get Fryar apprehended. At the time of the offense, Fryar was in possession of a loaded firearm with a round in the chamber and a distribution amount of methamphetamine. Fryar has an extensive criminal history and was on federal supervised release at the time of the offense. The Arkansas State Police, 18th East Drug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case for the United States. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Carlton Shoemaker, 51, of Pensacola, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for three counts of possessing with the intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charge.
Shoemaker appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida on July 22, 2025.
If convicted on all counts, Shoemaker faces up to life imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Since January, the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), recorded over 4,000 individuals deliberately killed – a 24 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024.
“The capital city was for all intents and purposes paralysed by gangs and isolated due to the ongoing suspension of international commercial flights into the international airport,” Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for the Americas at the department of political affairs (DPPA), told ambassadors in the Security Council on Wednesday.
Having visited the country recently, he warned that, gangs have only “strengthened their foothold”, which now affects all communes of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and beyond, “pushing the situation closer to the brink.”
He called on the international community to act decisively and urgently or the “total collapse of state presence in the capital could become a very real scenario”.
Gang control expands
Ghada Fathi Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), echoed that warning.
“As gang control expands, the state’s capacity to govern is rapidly shrinking, with social, economic and security implications,” she told ambassadors, briefing remotely from Vienna.
“This erosion of state legitimacy has cascading effects,” she said, with legal commerce becoming paralysed as gangs control major trade routes, such conditions worsening “already dire levels of food insecurity and humanitarian need,” she added.
Rise of ‘vigilante’ groups
Amidst increasing public frustration with the limited protection capacity of the state, “vigilante” or self-defence groups are now gaining in popular appeal.
Although some are motivated by the urgent need to protect their communities, many operate outside existing legal frameworks, in some cases, engaging in extrajudicial actions and colluding with gangs.
The rise of these actors is pushing demand for guns and military-grade weapons, “fuelling illicit arms markets and raising the risk of licit weapons being diverted to criminal elements,” Ms. Waly said.
Human trafficking
Meanwhile, the broader deterioration of the security and economic situation in the capital and the rest of the country continues to fuel a sharper escalation in human rights violations.
Despite persistent under-reporting of sexual violence due to fear of reprisals, social stigma and lack of trust in institutions, BINUH reported an increase in sexual violence committed by gangs in the past three months.
In May, Haitian police raided a medical facility in Pétion-Ville suspected of being involved in illicit organ trade, as allegations of trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal are now arising.
As the situation in Haiti remains desperate, “there is not a moment to lose,” Mr. Jenča urged.
A Miami man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by concealing millions of dollars in assets and income in undisclosed Swiss bank accounts and claiming to the IRS that those assets were not his and instead belonged to foreign nationals.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: between 1985 and 2020, Dan Rotta, a dual Brazilian and U.S. citizen, hid more than $20 million in assets in dozens of secret Swiss accounts at five different Swiss banks, including UBS, Credit Suisse, Bank Bonhôte, and Bank Julius Baer. The accounts were held in his own name, in the names of sham structures, and, in one instance, a pseudonym. Over the years, Rotta earned tens of millions of dollars of income from these assets that he did not report on his tax returns and used to fund his lavish lifestyle. He caused a substantial tax loss to the IRS.
Rotta employed increasingly elaborate schemes to keep his accounts hidden. Over the years, he kept his accounts open, in part, by falsely representing that he was not a U.S. citizen, leveraging his Brazilian citizenship to claim he was a Brazilian citizen residing in Brazil.
Starting in 2008, after it was reported publicly that UBS and its bankers were under criminal investigation for helping U.S. taxpayers evade their taxes, Rotta closed his UBS account and moved his funds to Credit Suisse and Bank Bonhôte.
In 2011, after the IRS obtained records related to one of Rotta’s Swiss accounts, he nominally changed the documentation of his accounts at Credit Suisse and Bank Bonhôte to make it appear that his co-conspirator, a Brazilian national and resident, owned the assets in the accounts. Despite the change, Rotta continued to control the assets and transferred millions of dollars out of those accounts for his use.
Shortly after Rotta changed the account documentation, the IRS audited him. During the audit, Rotta falsely denied that he owned the assets in the foreign financial accounts and, instead, claimed that the millions of dollars he withdrew from the accounts were non-taxable loans from foreign nationals. Rotta provided the IRS with fake promissory notes and false affidavits from the foreign nationals to corroborate his claims. During the audit, Rotta continued to use the funds in his foreign accounts to fund his lifestyle in the United States, but to conceal his use of the funds from the IRS, he often routed transfers from his foreign accounts through nominee accounts and attorney trust fund accounts in the United States.
The IRS did not believe Rotta’s story and assessed millions of dollars of additional taxes as well as penalties and interest against him. Rotta sought to reverse the assessments by filing a false petition in U.S. Tax Court. In that petition, Rotta, through his attorney, falsely denied having any foreign accounts and attached fictitious loan documents. Furthermore, the nominee account owners traveled to the United States to retell the false loan story to IRS attorneys.
In 2017, after Rotta presented the false evidence that the purported loans had been repaid, the IRS reversed the deficiencies and agreed that he owed no additional tax. Unbeknownst to the IRS, however, the “loan repayments” were fake: the funds that Rotta purportedly repaid went back into accounts that he controlled shortly after the IRS dismissed the suit. Also, as part of the conspiracy, Rotta had his U.S.-based attorneys create sham trust structures that he used to transfer his assets to the United States without alerting the IRS. On paper, it appeared that Rotta’s co-conspirator funded the trusts for Rotta’s benefit. In reality, Rotta funded the trusts with transfers from his Swiss accounts.
In 2019, Rotta became aware that the IRS would receive additional account records from Switzerland that contradicted the false claims that he had previously made. In an attempt to avoid criminal liability, Rotta applied to participate in the IRS’s voluntary disclosure practice. Under that practice, taxpayers who failed to comply with their tax and reporting obligations could make timely, accurate, and complete disclosures of their conduct, which might offer a path to resolve their non-compliance and limit their criminal exposure. Rotta made false statements in his submission, including falsely claiming that the assets in the Swiss accounts mostly belonged to others, and that any funds provided to him were non-taxable gifts. Rotta also falsely claimed that the nominee account owner gifted Rotta money because that nominee had no children to benefit from the funds. In fact, that nominee had two children.
In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith for the Southern District of Florida ordered Rotta to serve three years of supervised release. The court will determine restitution at a later date.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, and Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C. Field Office made the announcement.
Special Agents from IRS-CI’s International Tax & Financial Crimes specialty group, a team based out of Washington, D.C., and dedicated to uncovering international tax crimes, investigated the case.
Senior Litigation Counsels Sean Beaty and Mark Daly, Trial Attorney William Montague, and former Trial Attorney Patrick Elwell of the Tax Division, as well as Senior Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Clark for the Southern District of Florida, prosecuted the case.
A Miami man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by concealing millions of dollars in assets and income in undisclosed Swiss bank accounts and claiming to the IRS that those assets were not his and instead belonged to foreign nationals.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: between 1985 and 2020, Dan Rotta, a dual Brazilian and U.S. citizen, hid more than $20 million in assets in dozens of secret Swiss accounts at five different Swiss banks, including UBS, Credit Suisse, Bank Bonhôte, and Bank Julius Baer. The accounts were held in his own name, in the names of sham structures, and, in one instance, a pseudonym. Over the years, Rotta earned tens of millions of dollars of income from these assets that he did not report on his tax returns and used to fund his lavish lifestyle. He caused a substantial tax loss to the IRS.
Rotta employed increasingly elaborate schemes to keep his accounts hidden. Over the years, he kept his accounts open, in part, by falsely representing that he was not a U.S. citizen, leveraging his Brazilian citizenship to claim he was a Brazilian citizen residing in Brazil.
Starting in 2008, after it was reported publicly that UBS and its bankers were under criminal investigation for helping U.S. taxpayers evade their taxes, Rotta closed his UBS account and moved his funds to Credit Suisse and Bank Bonhôte.
In 2011, after the IRS obtained records related to one of Rotta’s Swiss accounts, he nominally changed the documentation of his accounts at Credit Suisse and Bank Bonhôte to make it appear that his co-conspirator, a Brazilian national and resident, owned the assets in the accounts. Despite the change, Rotta continued to control the assets and transferred millions of dollars out of those accounts for his use.
Shortly after Rotta changed the account documentation, the IRS audited him. During the audit, Rotta falsely denied that he owned the assets in the foreign financial accounts and, instead, claimed that the millions of dollars he withdrew from the accounts were non-taxable loans from foreign nationals. Rotta provided the IRS with fake promissory notes and false affidavits from the foreign nationals to corroborate his claims. During the audit, Rotta continued to use the funds in his foreign accounts to fund his lifestyle in the United States, but to conceal his use of the funds from the IRS, he often routed transfers from his foreign accounts through nominee accounts and attorney trust fund accounts in the United States.
The IRS did not believe Rotta’s story and assessed millions of dollars of additional taxes as well as penalties and interest against him. Rotta sought to reverse the assessments by filing a false petition in U.S. Tax Court. In that petition, Rotta, through his attorney, falsely denied having any foreign accounts and attached fictitious loan documents. Furthermore, the nominee account owners traveled to the United States to retell the false loan story to IRS attorneys.
In 2017, after Rotta presented the false evidence that the purported loans had been repaid, the IRS reversed the deficiencies and agreed that he owed no additional tax. Unbeknownst to the IRS, however, the “loan repayments” were fake: the funds that Rotta purportedly repaid went back into accounts that he controlled shortly after the IRS dismissed the suit. Also, as part of the conspiracy, Rotta had his U.S.-based attorneys create sham trust structures that he used to transfer his assets to the United States without alerting the IRS. On paper, it appeared that Rotta’s co-conspirator funded the trusts for Rotta’s benefit. In reality, Rotta funded the trusts with transfers from his Swiss accounts.
In 2019, Rotta became aware that the IRS would receive additional account records from Switzerland that contradicted the false claims that he had previously made. In an attempt to avoid criminal liability, Rotta applied to participate in the IRS’s voluntary disclosure practice. Under that practice, taxpayers who failed to comply with their tax and reporting obligations could make timely, accurate, and complete disclosures of their conduct, which might offer a path to resolve their non-compliance and limit their criminal exposure. Rotta made false statements in his submission, including falsely claiming that the assets in the Swiss accounts mostly belonged to others, and that any funds provided to him were non-taxable gifts. Rotta also falsely claimed that the nominee account owner gifted Rotta money because that nominee had no children to benefit from the funds. In fact, that nominee had two children.
In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith for the Southern District of Florida ordered Rotta to serve three years of supervised release. The court will determine restitution at a later date.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, and Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C. Field Office made the announcement.
Special Agents from IRS-CI’s International Tax & Financial Crimes specialty group, a team based out of Washington, D.C., and dedicated to uncovering international tax crimes, investigated the case.
Senior Litigation Counsels Sean Beaty and Mark Daly, Trial Attorney William Montague, and former Trial Attorney Patrick Elwell of the Tax Division, as well as Senior Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Clark for the Southern District of Florida, prosecuted the case.
In the village of Nagigi, Fiji, the ocean isn’t just a resource – it’s part of the community’s identity. But in recent years, villagers have seen the sea behave differently. Tides are pushing inland. Once abundant, fish are now harder to find. Sandy beaches and coconut trees have been washed away.
Like many coastal communities, including those across the Pacific Islands region, this village is now under real pressure from climate change and declining fish stocks. Methods of fishing are no longer guaranteed, while extreme weather and coastal erosion threaten homes and land. As one villager told us:
we can’t find fish easily, not compared to previous times […] some fish species we used to see before are no longer around.
When stories like this get publicity, they’re often framed as a story of loss. Pacific Islanders can be portrayed as passive victims of climate change.
But Nagigi’s experience isn’t just about vulnerability. As our new research shows, it’s about the actions people are taking to cope with the changes already here. In response to falling fish numbers and to diversify livelihoods, women leaders launched a new aquaculture project, and they have replanted mangroves to slow the advance of the sea.
Adaptation is uneven. Many people don’t want to or can’t leave their homes. But as climate change intensifies, change will be unavoidable. Nagigi’s experience points to the importance of communities working collectively to respond to threats.
Unwelcome change is here
The communities we focus on, Nagigi village (population 630) and Bia-I-Cake settlement (population 60), are located on Savusavu Bay in Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second largest island. Fishing and marine resources are central to their livelihoods and food security.
In 2021 and 2023, we ran group discussions (known as talanoa) and interviews to find out about changes seen and adaptations made.
Nagigi residents have noticed unwelcome changes in recent years. As one woman told us:
sometimes the sea is coming further onto the land, so there’s a lot of sea intrusion into the plantations, flooding even on land where it never used to be
Tides are pushing ashore in Nagigi, threatening infrastructure. Celia McMichael, CC BY-NC-ND
In 2016, the devastating Tropical Cyclone Winston destroyed homes and forced some Nagigi residents to move inland to customary mataqali land owned by their clan.
As one resident said:
our relocation was smooth because […] we just moved to our own land, our mataqali land.
But some residents didn’t have access to this land, while others weren’t willing to move away from the coast. One man told us:
leave us here. I think if I don’t smell or hear the ocean for one day I would be devastated.
Adaptation is happening
One striking aspect of adaptation in Nagigi has been the leadership of women, particularly in the small Bia-I-Cake settlement.
In recent years, the Bia-I-Cake Women’s Cooperative has launched a small-scale aquaculture project to farm tilapia and carp to tackle falling fish stocks in the ocean, tackle rising food insecurity and create new livelihoods.
Women in the cooperative have built fish ponds, learned how to rear fish to a good size and began selling the fish, including by live streaming the sale. The project was supported by a small grant from the United Nations Development Programme and the Women’s Fund Fiji.
Recently, the cooperative’s women have moved into mangrove replanting to slow coastal erosion and built a greenhouse to farm new crops.
As one woman told us, these efforts show women “have the capacity to build a sustainable, secure and thriving community”.
The community’s responses draw on traditional social structures and values, such as respect for Vanua – the Fijian and Pacific concept of how land, sea, people, customs and spiritual beliefs are interconnected – as well as stewardship of natural resources and collective decision-making through clans and elders, both women and men.
Nagigi residents have moved to temporarily close some customary fishing grounds to give fish populations a chance to recover. The village is also considering declaring a locally-managed marine area (known as a tabu). This is a response to climate impacts as well as damage to reefs, pollution and overfishing.
For generations, village residents have protected local ecosystems which in turn support the village. But what is new is how these practices are being strengthened and formalised to respond to new challenges.
A women’s cooperative have built aquaculture ponds to raise and sell fish. Celia McMichael, CC BY-NC-ND
Adaptation is uneven
While adaptation is producing some successes, it is unevenly spread. Not everyone has access to customary land for relocation and not every household can afford to rebuild damaged homes.
What Nagigi teaches us, though, is the importance of local adaptation. Villagers have demonstrated how a community can anticipate risks, respond to change and threats, recover from damage and take advantage of new opportunities.
Small communities are not just passive sites of loss. They are collectives of strength, agency and ingenuity. As adaptation efforts scale up across the Pacific, it is important to recognise and support local initiatives such as those in Nagigi.
Sharing effective adaptation methods can give ideas and hope to other communities under real pressure from climate change and other threats.
Many communities are doing their best to adapt often undertaking community-led adaptation, even despite the limited access Pacific nations have to global climate finance.
Nagigi’s example shows unwelcome climatic and environmental changes are already arriving. But it’s also about finding ways to live well amid uncertainty and escalating risk by using place, tradition and community.
The authors acknowledge the support of the people of Nagigi and Bia-I-Cake, and especially the Bia-I-Cake Women’s Cooperative, for sharing their time and insights.
Celia McMichael receives funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC).
Merewalesi Yee does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council
The General Assembly established the United Nations Board of Auditors in 1946 as an important mechanism to promote accountability and transparency in the United Nations. The Board audits the accounts of the United Nations Organization and its funds and programmes and reports its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly, through the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), and other governing bodies. The Board has three members, who are jointly responsible for the audit.
The Board held its seventy-ninth regular session in New York on 22 and 23 July. The session was chaired by Pierre Moscovici, First President of the French Cour des comptes. Together with Mr. Moscovici, Hou Kai, Auditor-General of the National Audit Office of China, and Vital do Rêgo Filho, President of the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts, collectively discussed findings and audit opinions.
During the session the Board met with the Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General to exchange on cross-cutting issues.
Through its work, the Board provides independent assurance to Member States and other stakeholders regarding proper use of the resources of the United Nations entities. It reports on financial matters, as well as on regularity and performance issues. It plays a significant role in assisting the United Nations to improve its operations and internal control systems. The findings and recommendations of the Board have led to continuous systematic improvements in the functioning of the United Nations.
This year the Board audited the financial statements and reviewed the operations of 18 organizations and submitted the reports to the General Assembly. All the audited entities received unqualified opinions. Key trends and cross-entity issues have been gathered in the Board’s Concise Summary report, which focused specifically on inter-agency cooperation as a way to improve cost effectiveness. The Board further produced three reports for submission to other governing bodies. More detailed information about the Board’s findings can be found in the individual reports published on the Board’s website (http://www.un.org/en/auditors/board/).
ANNEX
List of Board Reports
Reports Submitted to General Assembly
France
1. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 2. United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) 3. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – (UNHCR) 4. Concise summary of findings and conclusions
China
5. United Nations, Vol.1 6. International Trade Centre (ITC) 7. United Nations Office for Projects Services (UNOPS) 8. United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) 9. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 10. United Nations Human Settlement Fund (UN-Habitat)
Brazil
11. United Nations University (UNU) 12. United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) 13. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 14. United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNODC) 15. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) 16. International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) 17. United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund 18. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Reports Submitted to Other Governing Bodies
France
19. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 20. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
A New Jersey construction company owner was sentenced yesterday to 15 months in prison for evading employment tax penalties assessed against him.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Joseph Caravella, of Randolph, owned several masonry companies in New Jersey. From 2008 to 2016, the IRS assessed approximately $650,000 in Trust Fund Recovery penalties against Caravella for causing three masonry businesses that he owned to not pay their federal employment taxes. The timely payment of federal employment taxes is critical to the functioning of the U.S. government because, for example, they are the primary source of funding for Social Security and Medicare. The federal income taxes that are withheld from employees’ wages also account for a significant portion of all federal income taxes collected each year. Congress empowered the IRS to impose a penalty equal to the amount of the unpaid taxes — called a Trust Fund Recovery Penalty — against any responsible individual who fails to ensure that these taxes are paid timely. Caravella pleaded guilty to attempting to evade these Trust Fund Recovery penalties.
From around March 2008 through April 2019, Caravella sought to evade the payment of these penalties by placing companies that he controlled in the names of nominee owners and avoiding the use of a bank account in his own name to prevent the IRS from levying the funds. Also during that time, Caravella continued to cause his businesses not to pay employment taxes, resulting in an additional loss of $1.2 million to the IRS.
In total, Carvalla caused a tax loss to the IRS of $1,885,519.39.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Hayter L. Whitman of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Fell for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division today announced that it has filed a response in support of the City of Seattle’s Motion to Terminate the Consent Decree in United States v. City of Seattle. The decree required reforms in the Seattle Police Department’s practices regarding use of force, crisis intervention, stops and detentions, supervision and accountability. With support from the Justice Department, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) achieved sustained substantial compliance.
The Justice Department brought this case pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Division and the Special Litigation Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division jointly investigated and found that the Seattle Police Department (SPD) had engaged in a pattern or practice of unnecessary or excessive force that violated the Constitution and federal law. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington entered the consent decree in 2012.
“We congratulate the Seattle Police Department on its achievement of sustained substantial compliance with this thirteen-year-old consent decree,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This Civil Rights Division will continue to work with police departments across the country to help make America’s communities safe again.”
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington, believes the district court should terminate the consent decree and monitorship, which have been in place for 13 years,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller for the Western District of Washington. “Seattle has been held up as an example of successful police reform and has done recent work on its crowd control policies and accountability systems. We trust it will continue to lead the way on constitutional policing.”
A Colorado man pleaded guilty today to sexually exploiting a minor and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, Wesley Chambers, 34, of Fort Collins, sexually abused a minor for years and recorded the abuse. Law enforcement found more than 200 sexually explicit videos and photographs of the minor on Chambers’ cell phone, and more than 20,000 photographs and 2,500 videos of the sexual abuse and exploitation of other minors.
Chambers pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually exploiting a child and one count of possessing material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. As part of his plea agreement, the defendant also admitted to accessing child pornography on the dark web, including “hurtcore” sites. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 22 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 70 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly for the District of Colorado, Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek of the FBI Denver Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit and the FBI Denver Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alecia L. Riewerts for the District of Colorado are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force will be conducting operations to tackle human trafficking by working to reduce the demand for commercial sexual exploitation
SAN DIEGO –California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Comic-Con International today partnered together to raise awareness of human trafficking and provide resources for the public to assist in the fight to combat human trafficking. Events like Comic-Con, which bring thousands of people together, are a perfect opportunity to raise awareness of human trafficking, a crime that comes in many forms, including sex trafficking, forced labor, and domestic servitude resulting from force, fraud, or coercion. Everyone can play a role in stopping this unlawful activity by being aware of the signs and reporting any suspicious activity, whether you’re living or staying in San Diego, attending Comic-Con, or participating in festivities during Comic-Con weekend.
“Comic-Con is an incredible event that brings people from all over the world together in San Diego to celebrate creativity, art, and community – we’re grateful to Comic-Con International for using their platform in partnership with my office to raise awareness of human trafficking,” said Attorney General RobBonta. “Human trafficking is a terrible crime where perpetrators profit from the control and exploitation of men, women, and children for sex or labor through force, fraud, or coercion. Everyone has a role to play in putting a stop to human trafficking: We urge the public to know the signs — and if you see something, say something. The California Department of Justice’s San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force will be conducting operations during Comic-Con, and the public can help by reporting any suspicious activity they may see. We wish everyone a safe, happy, and creative Comic-Con weekend.”
“Safety of our attendees is always our primary focus,” said David Glanzer, Chief Communications and Strategy Officer for Comic-Con. “We join and applaud the efforts of California Attorney General Rob Bonta in keeping citizens safe, especially during Comic-Con weekend.”
Human trafficking is among the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprises and is estimated to be a $150 billion per year global industry. Human trafficking is not only a crime, but a violation of a person’s human rights and dignity. Perpetrators of human trafficking profit from the control and exploitation of men, women, and children for sex or labor through force, fraud, or coercion. Victims of human trafficking are protected under federal and California law. The California Department of Justice’s San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force (SDHTTF) will be conducting operations to reduce demand for commercial sexual exploitation during Comic-Con. The SDHTTF takes a survivor-oriented approach and works with victim advocate groups that offer a wide range of services for survivors of human trafficking.
Below are some facts and resources about human trafficking for the public to know:
Victims of human trafficking are often hidden in plain sight. Learn the signs and how to report suspected trafficking.
Forced or coerced commercial sex work is still human trafficking. Demand is a driving force in the scope of the problem, and sex buyers may unknowingly contribute to human trafficking by engaging in Solicitation Penal Code 647(b)(2). Solicitation is a crime subject to jail time and monetary penalties.
Forced labor can happen anywhere. This includes hotels, lodgings, and entertainment industries.
If you or someone you know is being forced to engage in any activity and cannot leave, you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 to access help and services.
If you are, or someone else, is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.
SDHTTF is a cooperative effort involving the California Department of Justice, California Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, National City Police Department, San Diego City Attorney’s Office, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, San Diego County Probation Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, San Diego Police Department, Southwest Border High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. In addition to serving as the lead agency on the SDHTTF, the California Department of Justice has two regional Human Trafficking and Sexual Predator Apprehension Teams serving Northern California and Southern California.
General information and resources to support survivors of human trafficking are available here. To access resources for San Diego County, please see SDHTTF’s resource list here.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on July 21, 2025.
William Janis, 25, was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. This sentence was ordered to run consecutively to a state custody sentence Janis is serving for a prior drug conviction.
Janis was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in February 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 28, 2025.
In December 2024, Janis was contacted by law enforcement officers after he was seen yelling outside an apartment complex in Rapid City and trying to gain access inside. Officers learned Janis had an active warrant, and he was subsequently arrested. After being arrested, Janis informed officers he had a firearm in his waistband. Officers located and seized a 9mm pistol. Janis had previously been convicted of a felony, was on parole for a felony drug conviction, and knew he was also prohibited from possessing firearms pursuant to his parole agreement.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Janis was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Jarrel Daniel Rivaz, 35, of Panama City, was found guilty by a federal jury of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and marijuana, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon on Tuesday morning, July 22, 2025. The verdict was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Fulfilling the promise of President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from violent criminals and drug traffickers requires close collaboration between our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners like we saw in this case. I am deeply appreciative of the outstanding work of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF to get this criminal off our streets, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases to keep our communities safe from the predations of drug traffickers like this defendant.”
Evidence admitted at trial established that on December 21, 2023, during a search warrant executed at the defendant’s house in Panama City, law enforcement found and seized over 900 grams of cocaine, a large quantity of marijuana, two firearms, and ammunition. One of the firearms was found loaded in a locked shed in the same bag as some of the marijuana. Rivaz had previously been convicted of a felony drug trafficking offense in New York under the name “Gerald Walker.”
Sentencing is scheduled for October 16, 2025, at 10 a.m. in Pensacola before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II. Rivaz faces a minimum mandatory term of 10 years’ imprisonment and a maximum possible sentence of life.
The verdict was the result of a joint investigation by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ward Narramore and Alicia Forbes.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
A Colorado man pleaded guilty today to sexually exploiting a minor and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, Wesley Chambers, 34, of Fort Collins, sexually abused a minor for years and recorded the abuse. Law enforcement found more than 200 sexually explicit videos and photographs of the minor on Chambers’ cell phone, and more than 20,000 photographs and 2,500 videos of the sexual abuse and exploitation of other minors.
Chambers pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually exploiting a child and one count of possessing material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. As part of his plea agreement, the defendant also admitted to accessing child pornography on the dark web, including “hurtcore” sites. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 22 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 70 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly for the District of Colorado, Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek of the FBI Denver Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit and the FBI Denver Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alecia L. Riewerts for the District of Colorado are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A New Jersey construction company owner was sentenced yesterday to 15 months in prison for evading employment tax penalties assessed against him.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Joseph Caravella, of Randolph, owned several masonry companies in New Jersey. From 2008 to 2016, the IRS assessed approximately $650,000 in Trust Fund Recovery penalties against Caravella for causing three masonry businesses that he owned to not pay their federal employment taxes. The timely payment of federal employment taxes is critical to the functioning of the U.S. government because, for example, they are the primary source of funding for Social Security and Medicare. The federal income taxes that are withheld from employees’ wages also account for a significant portion of all federal income taxes collected each year. Congress empowered the IRS to impose a penalty equal to the amount of the unpaid taxes — called a Trust Fund Recovery Penalty — against any responsible individual who fails to ensure that these taxes are paid timely. Caravella pleaded guilty to attempting to evade these Trust Fund Recovery penalties.
From around March 2008 through April 2019, Caravella sought to evade the payment of these penalties by placing companies that he controlled in the names of nominee owners and avoiding the use of a bank account in his own name to prevent the IRS from levying the funds. Also during that time, Caravella continued to cause his businesses not to pay employment taxes, resulting in an additional loss of $1.2 million to the IRS.
In total, Carvalla caused a tax loss to the IRS of $1,885,519.39.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Hayter L. Whitman of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Fell for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division today announced that it has filed a response in support of the City of Seattle’s Motion to Terminate the Consent Decree in United States v. City of Seattle. The decree required reforms in the Seattle Police Department’s practices regarding use of force, crisis intervention, stops and detentions, supervision and accountability. With support from the Justice Department, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) achieved sustained substantial compliance.
The Justice Department brought this case pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Division and the Special Litigation Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division jointly investigated and found that the Seattle Police Department (SPD) had engaged in a pattern or practice of unnecessary or excessive force that violated the Constitution and federal law. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington entered the consent decree in 2012.
“We congratulate the Seattle Police Department on its achievement of sustained substantial compliance with this thirteen-year-old consent decree,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This Civil Rights Division will continue to work with police departments across the country to help make America’s communities safe again.”
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington, believes the district court should terminate the consent decree and monitorship, which have been in place for 13 years,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller for the Western District of Washington. “Seattle has been held up as an example of successful police reform and has done recent work on its crowd control policies and accountability systems. We trust it will continue to lead the way on constitutional policing.”
Headline: Sanctuary City NYC Sees a More Than 400% Spike in ICE Detainers as DHS Prioritizes American People Over Criminal Illegal Aliens
lass=”text-align-center”>Sanctuary politicians forbid local law enforcement from any assistance on immigration matters, even to the point of refusing to assist with criminal arrest warrants WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today U
S
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued 6,025 arrest requests to transfer custody, or detainers, in sanctuary New York City (NYC), since January 20, 2025
To put this into perspective, during the entire Biden Administration, ICE only issued 9,472 detainers in NYC
Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, there has been a more than 400 percent increase in the number of detainers lodged in NYC
Despite the 6,025 arrest detainers lodged, NYC has honored just a handful
In non-sanctuary cities, law enforcement would honor these requests and transfer these criminal illegal aliens to ICE law enforcement to detain and deport them
“In just six months ICE has issued over 6,000 detainers in NYC alone—that’s a more than 400 percent increase in the number of detainers lodged under Biden,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin
“When sanctuary politicians like Mayor Eric Adams ignore ICE detainers, they are protecting criminal illegal aliens at the expense of American citizens
These are barbaric criminals with prior convictions for rape, murder, drug trafficking, and instead of holding them for ICE, sanctuary politicians release them back into your communities
These reckless policies have deadly consequences
Just this week, two illegal aliens who entered our country and were released under President Biden shot and nearly killed a brave off-duty CBP officer
Both criminal illegal aliens had been arrested previously for violent crimes and released by the NYPD
” ICE detainers are legal requests to state or local law enforcement to hold illegal aliens in custody and turn them over to immigration authorities
These individuals often have prior deportation orders, criminal convictions, or pose as national security threats
As ICE officers are arresting and removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens, they are facing a record number of assaults against them
Assaults on ICE law enforcement have increased by 830 percent since Trump took office
This increase in violence is largely driven by anti-ICE rhetoric and further fueled by these sanctuary politicians and their reckless policies
DHS reaffirms our commitment to the American people—it will not be deterred by partisan attacks or activist pressure
ICE will continue placing detainers, enforcing immigration law, and defending public safety—because every American deserves to feel safe in their own neighborhood
Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
WASHINGTON – Today on the floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) recapped the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration hearing he chaired yesterday entitled, “Biden’s Border Betrayal: Criminal Aliens in America” and called out Democrats for refusing to acknowledge that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is rightly moving to deport the more than 291,000 criminal aliens who are under final orders of removal. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here.
“Yesterday, I chaired a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary entitled Biden’s Border Betrayal: Criminal Aliens in America.”
“We were honored to be joined by two Angel moms whose children were murdered by criminal aliens.”
“These families and victims would never have had to suffer such devastating loss were it not for the criminal aliens who never should have been here in the United States in the first place.”
“Our Democratic colleagues claim to be the party of compassion when it comes to immigration, but they would rather society, and the media, and the Congress turn a blind eye to these victims of criminals who entered the country as a result of open-border policies.”
“You would think, listening to some of my Democratic colleagues, that ICE is arresting gardeners, cooks, housekeepers, people who are basically just trying to earn a living, but the truth is there are 291,000 criminal aliens in the United States who are under final orders of removal.”
“That means they’ve exhausted all potential legal remedies to be able to stay here and they have been found not qualified to stay, and they have been ordered removed, but they simply ignored that order by a court.”
“This doesn’t stop our colleagues across the aisle from claiming that illegal aliens detained by ICE are not being given due process.”
“Let me be clear about what the law actually says: Aliens who already have final orders of deportation, who are being detained for the purpose of removal, already had their due process.”
“I would encourage my colleagues on the left to reflect on this before continuing to use the buzzwords ‘due process’ to mislead the American people as they discuss cases that appear sympathetic but where the process that these aliens were entitled to has simply been exhausted, and they lost or they refused to show up in the first place.”
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
July 22, 2025
During his opening, Durbin called out the Trump Administration for neglecting serious threats posed by unauthorized drone use as it focuses federal law enforcement efforts on mass deportation
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Securing the Skies: Law Enforcement, Drones, and Public Safety.” During his opening remarks, Durbin criticized the Trump Administration’s unilateral focus on mass deportation at the expense of addressing serious threats posed by hostile foreign nations, cartels, and other malign actors. Further, Durbin expressed his frustration that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has failed to testify before the Committee on her agency’s unprecedented campaign of mass deportation.
Key Quotes:
“Thanks, Chairman Grassley, for holding this hearing to highlight the need to better combat the threat posed by unmanned aircraft systems, known as drones. As the use of drones continues to increase, these conversations are more important than ever.
“However, I want to first note that while we have witnesses from the Trump Administration, and they are welcome, this Committee has yet to hear from Homeland Security Secretary Noem on this issue and a broad array of other critical issues. Secretary Noem is overseeing an unprecedented campaign of mass deportations. She should answer for the indiscriminate arrests of law-abiding individuals by masked officials, and even the arrest and detention of U.S. citizens, including [a] veteran.”
“Why do I bring this up today? Because this Administration is diverting federal law enforcement away from countering threats to our nation in order to participate in its mass deportation campaign.”
“As we will discuss today, there is a real threat posed by hostile foreign nations, cartels, and other malign actors exploiting drone technology for espionage, cyber-attacks, and drug and weapons trafficking. So, we need to hear from Secretary Noem about why she is shifting the focus of the agency she leads away from these threats to our homeland in order to arrest immigrants with no criminal record [and with] deep roots in our country.”
“The FAA reports that over a million drones are currently registered in the United States for a broad range of commercial and recreational activities—from farming to photography to journalism. Law enforcement and government agencies also use drones for search and rescue, disasters, surveillance of criminal activity, and even traffic enforcement.”
“But, like any technology, drones can also be dangerous. Drone operators can create safety hazards simply by flying into restricted areas, even if they do so by accident. Criminals and foreign adversaries also use drones for cyber-attacks, espionage, and transportation of drugs, weapons, or other contraband—including into prisons and across our borders.”
“For example, if I am sitting at Wrigley Field during a ball game with my grandkids, and I see a drone in the sky, I want to know that drone is safe and is authorized to be there.”
“Currently, the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security are among four federal agencies with drone detection and mitigation authorities. These authorities allow DOJ and DHS to detect, track, monitor, seize, and even destroy drones that pose a credible threat to [places] such as federal courthouses, prisons, and mass gatherings.”
“The challenge we face now is how to update these authorities to enable law enforcement to protect us from nefarious drone activity without endangering civilian air traffic and people or property on the ground and [while] honor[ing] our First and Fourth Amendment. Addressing the threats posed by drones will require carefully tailored authorities with strong safeguards.”
“I hope that today’s hearing will be a step forward to reaching a bipartisan, bicameral agreement.”
Video of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s opening statement is available here for TV Stations.
Washington, D.C. – 7/17/25… Today, Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa and House Financial Services Committee member, introduced the Syria Sanctions Accountability Act, legislation to modernize U.S. sanctions policy for a post-Assad Syria.
“This bill modernizes the existing sanctions regime on Syria, requires assessments on existing sanctions relief provisions, and sets out goals for the Syrian government to meet anti-money laundering and anti-corruption standards. As the Trump Administration is already reviewing sanctions policy, we must ensure they have the tools to do so that reflect the current security environment,” said Chairman Lawler.
The Syria Sanctions Accountability Act:
Directs the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to provide a briefing to Congress on the exceptive relief for the Commercial Bank of Syria.
Instructs U.S. representatives to the IMF and World Bank to support regular economic monitoring in Syria, processes to improve financial connectivity in Syria, and priorities related to anti-money laundering, weapons non-proliferation, and anti-corruption policies in Syria.
Requires a formal assessment from the Export-Import Bank on the appropriateness of current country limitations concerning Syria.
Updates the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act by updating conditions to lift sanctions. This includes requiring the Syrian government to take verifiable steps to combat illicit proliferation of Captagon, ensuring the Syrian government is not engaged in the targeting or extrajudicial detention of religious minorities, and removing references to Russia and Iran that were originally placed in the law due to Assad’s relationship with these adversarial regimes.
“The al-Sharaa Administration certainly has a lot of work to do to reintegrate Syria with the U.S. and our allies. While this job should be difficult given the circumstances, it shouldn’t be impossible,” concluded Chairman Lawler.
Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York’s 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. He was rated the most effective freshman lawmaker in the 118th Congress, 8th overall, surpassing dozens of committee chairs.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to fentanyl and cocaine trafficking, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
DeVaughn Faulk, 28, of the Bon Air neighborhood of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan to conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute quantities of fentanyl and cocaine.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, between March 2024 and July 2024, Faulk participated in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, both Schedule II controlled substances, by functioning as a redistributor of street-level amounts of both substances.
Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for November 12, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, Faulk will remain in custody.
Assistant United States Attorneys Katherine C. Jordan and Kelly M. Locher are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Faulk.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to fentanyl and cocaine trafficking, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
DeVaughn Faulk, 28, of the Bon Air neighborhood of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan to conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute quantities of fentanyl and cocaine.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, between March 2024 and July 2024, Faulk participated in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, both Schedule II controlled substances, by functioning as a redistributor of street-level amounts of both substances.
Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for November 12, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, Faulk will remain in custody.
Assistant United States Attorneys Katherine C. Jordan and Kelly M. Locher are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Faulk.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Home Newsroom Attorney General Labrador Commends Life Sentences for Bryan Kohberger
BOISE — Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador issued the following statement after Ada County District Judge Steven Hippler sentenced Bryan Kohberger to four consecutive fixed life sentences for the 2022 murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. Kohberger also received an additional fixed ten-year sentence for burglary, stemming from his unlawful entry into the students’ home with the intent to kill. The four life sentences imposed by Judge Hippler are for fixed terms and will run consecutively. The Office of the Attorney General supported Latah County’s prosecution for more than two years through a formal cooperation agreement. Under the agreement, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson retained full authority over the case, including plea negotiations, while the State provided legal resources that came in the form of pre-trial litigation conducted by three Deputy Attorneys General: Jeff Nye, Chief of the Criminal Law Division; Ingrid Batey, Lead Deputy Attorney General in the Special Prosecutions Unit; and Madison Gourley, the current Lead Deputy Attorney General who replaced Batey when she became the Senior Chief Deputy in the Canyon County Prosecutor’s office. “Our hearts are with the victims and their families. While no sentence can bring full justice to this kind of evil, today’s sentence ensures that Bryan Kohberger will never see the outside of a prison and will never again harm innocent families,” said Attorney General Labrador. “Under Idaho law, the fixed prison sentences mean Kohberger will never be eligible for parole. I’m especially grateful to Prosecutor Bill Thompson and my Criminal Division Chief, Jeff Nye, whose leadership, judgment, and tireless efforts brought this case to a just conclusion. Their teams served the State of Idaho with distinction, and our families and the public are safer because of their hard work.” The Attorney General’s attorneys focused on key legal briefing and arguments to give Latah County prosecutors the ability to concentrate on discovery and prepare for trial. The Deputy Attorneys General protected the grand jury indictment from dismissal, fended off more than a dozen motions challenging the death penalty, and defended law enforcement’s use of investigative genetic genealogy. The use of investigative genetic genealogy helped first identify Kohberger as a suspect and was the first time it had been used in Idaho. After extensive briefing and argument, Judge Hippler ruled that law enforcement’s use of the technique did not violate Kohberger’s constitutional rights. Kohberger will spend the rest of his life behind bars and will be housed at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, Idaho.
Jayson Fernandez Butay, 30, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb to 25 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse material and possessing child sexual abuse material, Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez announced. Judge Shubb also ordered Butay to pay $118,278 to his victims in restitution.
According to court documents, in April 2019, Butay used Snapchat to correspond with a 15‑year-old girl living in Finland. Butay lied about his identity and convinced her to send him naked images of herself. Once he received these images, Butay threatened to disclose them to his victim’s family and friends unless she sent him sexually explicit videos. In this way, Butay obtained at least one additional sexually explicit video from the victim. Butay also produced child sexual abuse material depicting additional minor victims, including at least one 9-year-old girl who remains unidentified, using common internet applications.
Law enforcement agents subsequently executed federal search warrants at Butay’s residence in Sacramento. Agents seized hundreds of images and videos from Butay’s digital devices that depicted the sexual exploitation of children, including infants.
“This investigation highlights the serious threat sextortionists pose to children who use popular messaging and social media apps,” said FBI Sacramento Field Office Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel. “Online anonymity combined with the natural inexperience of youth creates a dangerous environment that parents must better understand and monitor. The FBI works closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and bring these predators to justice. We urge anyone who has been targeted or victimized to come forward. You are not alone — we will help you.”
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stefanki is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Rueben Paul Phill, 41, of Tracy, charging him with illegal firearms trafficking and two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms, Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez announced.
According to court documents, between Aug. 22, 2023, and Aug. 27, 2024, Phill trafficked firearms with Alejandra Susana Castillo, 34, of Tracy, by purchasing them in Nevada and selling them on the black market in California.
On July 27, 2024, Phill led a law enforcement officer on a high-speed chase in excess of 100 miles per hour. The officer ultimately ended the pursuit for public safety concerns. Two days later, another officer observed the car parked at a gas station. The officer detained Castillo, who was then using the car. During a search of the vehicle, the officer discovered a semi-automatic rifle in the trunk, along with three extended magazines.
In total, more than 30 firearms were traced to this conspiracy. At least three of these firearms have been recovered in connection with suspected firearm-related crimes. One such firearm, for example, was recovered in the possession of a felon in Vallejo on July 25, 2024, only three days after Castillo purchased the firearm in Nevada on July 22, 2024.
Castillo pleaded guilty to illegal firearms trafficking on Jan. 31, 2025, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 1, 2025.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the California Highway Patrol, the Pleasonton Police Department, the Reno Police Department, the Tracy Police Department, and the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Phill faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; Phill is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to combat illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
OAKLAND –California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the launch of a statewide survey to assess how hospital emergency departments are complying with reproductive healthcare laws, particularly when abortion care is the medically necessary emergency treatment.
The survey is being conducted by the California Department of Justice’s Healthcare Rights and Access Section as part of an ongoing effort to identify and address gaps in emergency care across the state. The findings will help determine whether hospitals are meeting their legal obligations under California’s Emergency Services Law (ESL) and will ensure patients are receiving the care they are entitled to without delay or denial.
“Access to emergency abortion care is not optional. It’s the law,” said Attorney General Bonta. “No patient should need to wonder whether they will receive the care they need in a medical emergency. We’re letting the facts and data lead the way to ensure every hospital in California is fulfilling its responsibility to protect patients’ health and dignity.”
California’s Emergency Services Law (ESL)
California’s Emergency Services Law requires every general acute care hospital with an emergency department to treat all patients experiencing a medical emergency regardless of insurance, ethnicity, citizenship, age, preexisting medical condition, immigration status, or ability to pay, among other protected characteristics.
Patients have the right to receive the emergency healthcare needed to determine if they have an emergency medical condition, as well as the emergency healthcare needed to relieve or eliminate that emergency medical condition, provided the hospital has the personnel and facilities to provide such healthcare. Under the law, hospitals must act not only when a person’s life is in danger, but also when a patient is experiencing acute symptoms and, without immediate medical attention, the patient could reasonably be expected to face serious:
Jeopardy to their health
Impairment to bodily functions
Dysfunction to any organ or body part
Despite these clear legal protections, the Department has received alarming reports of hospitals refusing to provide emergency abortion care, including delaying treatment and placing patients at risk of infection, hemorrhage, or permanent harm. This practice fails to meet the standard of care required by California law.
Providence St. Joseph’s Lawsuit Highlights Dangers of Delayed Reproductive Care
In September 2024, Attorney General Bonta filed a lawsuit against Providence St. Joseph Hospital (Providence) alleging it violated multiple California laws due to its refusal to provide emergency abortion care to people experiencing obstetric emergencies. One particular patient, Anna Nusslock, had her water break when she was 15 weeks pregnant with twins on February 23, 2024. Despite the immediate threat to her life and health, and despite the fact her pregnancy was no longer viable, Providence refused to treat her with the necessary abortion or induction. She had to travel to a small critical access hospital called Mad River, 12 miles away, where she was actively hemorrhaging by the time she was on the operating table.
Emergency Reproductive Health Laws
The survey also seeks to ensure that designated hospitals offer Sexual Assault Forensic Exams (SAFE), which are designed to gather evidence of sexual assault and provide healthcare services, including medical and mental health treatment. Victims of sexual assault are entitled to a SAFE exam from a trained medical professional free of charge. Sexual assault victims shall be provided with the option of emergency contraception at no cost. All patients are entitled to obtain a prescription for emergency contraception, where medically appropriate.
Statewide Survey Will Evaluate Hospital Compliance
The survey will reach approximately 333 hospitals across California, gathering detailed information about how emergency departments administer reproductive healthcare and how they respond when abortion care is the required emergency treatment. Results from the survey will inform oversight, guide enforcement efforts, and ensure hospitals are fully complying with the Emergency Services Law.
Today, new board of director appointments were announced in the Crown sector.
“Our government sincerely appreciates the leadership and service that each Crown board provides to their respective corporation,” Crown Investments Corporation Minister Jeremy Harrison said. “Many of the outgoing board members have served for multiple terms in their current role and have helped to lead initiatives that have truly benefited Saskatchewan people.”
Out of a current total of 66 board members, there are:
five individuals who are changing responsibilities by being appointed to a new Crown;
15 individuals who are new to the Crown sector; and
24 individuals who are reappointed in their current Crown Board.
These changes are a result of both board renewal and current expiration of terms.
Board renewal is rooted in sound governance practice, and any outgoing board members’ skills, expertise and knowledge are evaluated for potential reappointments or redeployments to other government boards.
“The oversight role of Saskatchewan’s commercial Crowns directly contributes to the province’s strong economy and a bright future for the people of Saskatchewan,” Harrison siad. “The individuals appointed today have the skills, knowledge and abilities to perform these duties as effectively as past board members have.”
All board members are being asked to serve to carry out the Crown Sector Strategic Priorities, which provide high-level shareholder direction that aligns the Crown sector with the government’s goals and priorities and are as follows:
affordability;
reliability;
economic growth; and
strong financial management.
As part of its oversight role, Crown Investments Corporation is committed to maintaining the highest standards of governance in the activities of its subsidiaries. All board members are subject to Criminal Record Checks and are supported with board training and orientation.
All the new appointments are Saskatchewan residents. A full list of Crown board membership is attached.
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For more information, contact:
Media Relations Crown Investments Corporation Regina Phone: 306-787-7732 Email: Communications@cicorp.sk.ca
Sanctuary politicians forbid local law enforcement from any assistance on immigration matters, even to the point of refusing to assist with criminal arrest warrants
WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued 6,025 arrest requests to transfer custody, or detainers, in sanctuary New York City (NYC), since January 20, 2025. To put this into perspective, during the entire Biden Administration, ICE only issued 9,472 detainers in NYC. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, there has been a more than 400 percent increase in the number of detainers lodged in NYC.
Despite the 6,025 arrest detainers lodged, NYC has honored just a handful. In non-sanctuary cities, law enforcement would honor these requests and transfer these criminal illegal aliens to ICE law enforcement to detain and deport them.
“In just six months ICE has issued over 6,000 detainers in NYC alone—that’s a more than 400 percent increase in the number of detainers lodged under Biden,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “When sanctuary politicians like Mayor Eric Adams ignore ICE detainers, they are protecting criminal illegal aliens at the expense of American citizens. These are barbaric criminals with prior convictions for rape, murder, drug trafficking, and instead of holding them for ICE, sanctuary politicians release them back into your communities. These reckless policies have deadly consequences. Just this week, two illegal aliens who entered our country and were released under President Biden shot and nearly killed a brave off-duty CBP officer. Both criminal illegal aliens had been arrested previously for violent crimes and released by the NYPD.”
ICE detainers are legal requests to state or local law enforcement to hold illegal aliens in custody and turn them over to immigration authorities. These individuals often have prior deportation orders, criminal convictions, or pose as national security threats.
As ICE officers are arresting and removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens, they are facing a record number of assaults against them. Assaults on ICE law enforcement have increased by 830 percent since Trump took office. This increase in violence is largely driven by anti-ICE rhetoric and further fueled by these sanctuary politicians and their reckless policies.
DHS reaffirms our commitment to the American people—it will not be deterred by partisan attacks or activist pressure. ICE will continue placing detainers, enforcing immigration law, and defending public safety—because every American deserves to feel safe in their own neighborhood.
“In a landmark ruling today the ICJ has made clear that failure to take decisive action to protect the climate, through continued fossil fuel production and consumption and granting fossil fuel exploration licences, can be considered as acting ‘wrongfully’. This means the UK has a legal duty to speed up the transition towards a cleaner, greener economy and block any new licences for the extraction of fossil fuels.
“The ruling also made clear that human rights must be at the heart of climate action because climate breakdown affects our rights to health, homes, and livelihoods.
“The court has recognised that rich countries like the UK, responsible for ongoing and historic pollution, have a special responsibility to act, and to offer compensation to countries and communities already suffering from floods, droughts, and rising sea levels.
“Today’s ruling should be the moment we draw a line. Governments that fail to act and polluters that refuse to clean up their act must no longer be allowed to harm communities either at home or across the globe with impunity.”
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) — Over the past five years, China has comprehensively strengthened criminal protection for trade secrets in key sectors such as strategic emerging industries, future industries and industries with traditional advantages, Li Jiantao, director of the Intellectual Property Crime Investigation Department of the Ministry of Public Security, said Wednesday.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), public security organs across China launched a special campaign, investigating 576 criminal cases involving violations of commercial secrets in key sectors, Li Jiantao said at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office.
During the specified period, about 156 thousand criminal cases related to violations of intellectual property rights and the production or sale of counterfeit and low-quality goods were also investigated, the ministry representative added. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
