NewzIntel.com

Category: Crime

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bridgeville Resident Pleads Guilty to Production of Material Depicting Child Sexual Abuse

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on April 25, 2025, to one count of production and attempted production of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    Matthew Trax, 25, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy.

    In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on or about November 30, 2023, Trax employed, used, and enticed a 14-year-old female to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purposes of producing a visual depiction of such conduct, knowing that the visual depiction would be transported in and affect interstate commerce or created using a means and facility of interstate commerce. Specifically, Trax sent the minor nine images and one video of himself engaged in sexual intercourse with the minor, which Trax had recorded on his phone.

    Judge Hardy scheduled Trax’s sentencing for August 21, 2025. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

    Trax remains detained pending sentencing.

    Assistant United States Attorney Nicole A. Stockey is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Mt. Lebanon Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Trax.

    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 (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Bethlehem Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Drug Distribution, Firearms Offenses

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    Search of Residence Located Cocaine, Submachine Gun With Obliterated Serial Number, Extended Magazine, and Suppressor

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Matthew Romig, 38, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Joseph F. Leeson Jr. last week to 57 months’ imprisonment, six years of supervised release, and a $900 special assessment for drug and gun offenses.

    Romig was charged by indictment in October 2024 with five counts of distribution of a controlled substance, one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school or playground, one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, and one count of possession of an unregistered machine gun. He pleaded guilty to all the charges against him in January.

    As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, Romig repeatedly sold cocaine in Bethlehem and often did so within a few hundred feet of a community playground near his residence.

    On July 26, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at that residence, located on the 600 block of Hayes Street. In Romig’s vehicle, law enforcement recovered approximately $760 and more than three grams of cocaine. Inside Romig’s residence, authorities recovered approximately eight grams of cocaine, as well as a .45 caliber Military Armament Corp select-fire machine pistol model MAC-10, an extended magazine, and a suppressor. The MAC-10, which was unregistered, had an obliterated serial number and was switched to full-automatic mode.

    In 2005, Romig was convicted of robbery in the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas and sentenced to 14 to 36 months’ imprisonment for the offense, a second-grade felony. As a result, he was not permitted to legally possess a firearm.

    “Matthew Romig endangered his community, selling cocaine and arming himself with a deadly weapon,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “He wasn’t allowed to have any firearm, let alone a submachine gun set to full automatic, with extended magazine and suppressor. It’s critical to get dangerous drugs off the street and illegal guns out of criminals’ hands, to crack down on violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer.”

    “Matthew Romig was selling drugs near a playground and armed with a fully automatic MAC-10 .45 submachine gun,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “This criminal is going to federal prison, where he will no longer endanger this community. Together with our state and local partners, and the United States Attorney’s Office, we continue to make Pennsylvania’s communities safer from such dangerous criminals.”

    The case was investigated by the ATF, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, and the Bethlehem Police Department as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca Kulik and Robert Schopf. 

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Polis Signs State Budget that Balances Fiscal Responsibility with Important Investments in Education and Public Safety

    Source: US State of Colorado

    DENVER – Today, Governor Polis signed SB25-206, the 2025-2026 State Budget into law, prioritizing fiscal responsibility while increasing funding for education and public safety, and other major priorities like health care, economic development, and higher education.

    “Despite the challenging budget environment facing our state, I’m proud of our work to deliver a balanced budget that prioritizes the issues that matter most to Coloradans. This collaborative process led to a budget that invests in education and public safety, while ensuring we protect reserves that help our state during uncertain economic times. I want to thank Mark Ferrandino, Director of our Office of State Planning and Budgeting, and the JBC members who worked so hard to pass this budget,” said Governor Jared Polis.

    Fee Decreases: To help save Coloradans money, this budget reduces vehicle registration fees for two years by $3.70 for each vehicle.

    Education: After fully funding Colorado’s schools in last year’s budget, this year Colorado is building on that work with an additional $150 million in FY 2025–26 to jumpstart the new, student-centered school finance formula. This budget also includes an additional $13.1 million to support special education funding across the state.

    Public Safety: This budget provides $15 million ongoing for critical public safety communication infrastructure, supporting over 1,000 local, regional, state, tribal, and federal public safety entities. This budget also sets aside $10 million to address youth delinquency, specifically $3.3 million for grants from the Division of Criminal Justice to prevent at-risk youth from entering the criminal justice system. The budget also provides $2.4 million to invest in community corrections placement, increasing capacity. Additionally, this budget implements Colorado’s Proposition KK, designating $30.0M in spending authority to crime victims’ services, $8 million for mental health services, and $1 million for school safety. This budget also sets aside funding to ensure that the families of fallen officers get the support they need after losing their loved one.

    Fiscal Responsibility: This budget maintains Colorado’s fiscal reserves, helping the state weather the increased uncertainty due to federal funding freezes and tariffs.

    Read the full transmittal letter.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Salvadoran National Guilty of Illegal Re-Entry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JOSE ALFREDO JIMENEZ-CENTENO (“JIMENEZ-CENTENO”),age 72, a citizen of El Salvador, pleaded guilty on April 22, 2025 to illegal reentry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).

    According to the indictment, JIMENEZ-CENTENO reentered the United States after he was previously deported on August 20, 1996. JIMENEZ-CENTENO faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years, a maximum fine of up to $250,000, a maximum term of supervised release of up to one year, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.  He also faces a sentencing enhancement of 20 years because of a prior felony conviction.

    The case was investigated by the United States Customs and Border Protection.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachal Cassagne and Jon Maestri of the General Crimes Unit are in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Orleans Parish Man Guilty of Bank Robbery

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that on April 8, 2025, JUAN K. SIMPSON (“SIMPSON”), age 30, a resident of New Orleans,  pled guilty to bank robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a).  Sentencing is set for July 8, 2025, before  U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion.

    SIMPSON faces up to twenty (20) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00,  up to three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

    According to court documents, on November 25, 2024, SIMPSON robbed a Capital One Bank location, in New Orleans.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Three Prison Guards Plead Guilty to Violation of Rights Under Color of Law

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

    Brandon Montanari, Rohail Kahn, and Michael Williams Assaulted an Inmate at Mid-State Correctional Facility

    SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Brandon Montanari, age 34, Rohail Kahn, age 28, and Michael Williams, age 38, have each pled guilty to depriving an inmate at Mid-State Correctional Facility of his rights under color of law. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

    In pleading guilty, Montanari, Kahn, and Williams admitted to assaulting an inmate at Mid-State Correctional Facility in April 2023, including punching and kicking him without cause, causing bodily injury. Each defendant admitted further that he agreed with the others to lie about the assault during an internal investigation.

    At the sentencings scheduled for late July and August, each defendant faces a maximum imprisonment term of 10 years, a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to three years, and a maximum fine of $250,000.

    FBI is investigating the case with assistance from the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Office of Special Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael F. Perry and Michael D. Gadarian are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: MTA’s Efforts to Combat Fare Evasion

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today shared the latest progress on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) multifaceted plan to combat fare evasion and improve fare collection across the subway, on buses and commuter railroads, and toll collection on bridges and tunnels. As a result of increased ridership and efforts to combat fare evasion, fare revenue is up 67 percent compared to 2021. Over the last two years, the MTA has implemented a series of strategic measures to reduce fare evasion centered around equity, education, enforcement and environment. With 40 percent of the MTA’s operating budget coming from fare and tolls, fare compliance directly impacts the MTA’s ability to run the system — every paid fare keeps the trains and buses running and supports a better transit system. With support from multiple anti-fare evasion strategies, total fare revenue is trending up, reaching $5 billion for 2024 and increased by $322 million from 2023.

    “These numbers show that our comprehensive strategy to combat fare and toll evasion is working and system users and taxpayers are benefitting,” Governor Hochul said. “We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal — including increased enforcement efforts and new infrastructure — to prevent fare evasion, hold perpetrators accountable and keep these numbers trending in the right direction.”

    MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “For the last two years, we’ve been attacking fare and toll evasion from all angles – hardening the system against fare beaters, simplifying fare payment, raising awareness about discounted fares and, yes, doing more enforcement. Now those efforts are yielding positive results that will grow even more with the new modern fare gates that are coming.”

    NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said, “The strategies to improve fare collection are working. We are glad to see these efforts begin to pay off and expect to see further improvement as we expand on these initiatives and work with NYPD to keep up enforcement.”

    MTA Long Island Rail Road President Rob Free, “Between the new onboard invoice policy and the preboarding validation programs, the LIRR is seeing tremendous improvements in fare collection — customers are also seeing and appreciating our efforts to combat fare evasion. The new policy requires individuals to provide a valid ID in order to be issued an invoice, which could not be possible without the incredible support from the MTAPD, whose greater presence on trains have also had a positive impact on customers’ feelings of safety.”

    MTA Metro-North Railroad President Justin Vonashek, “Train crews have done great work enforcing fare payment on Metro-North. With the new onboard invoice policy and support from the MTAPD, the tone around fare compliance has been reinforced — emphasizing the requirement of a valid ticket to ride. And with more signage reminding customers to purchase and activate tickets before boarding, customers are building a better habit of boarding with a fare.”

    MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Catherine Sheridan said, “Toll revenue is a significant source of financial support for mass transit and the interagency task force launched last year has amplified our toll collection efforts — and continues to grow, now including the Westchester and Nassau County police departments. This unprecedented coordination has resulted in region-wide success and sends a clear message to motorists who try to evade the tolls — don’t risk losing your car, just pay the toll.”

    Improving the System
    The MTA is setting new ridership and service records. The subway has reached its best Customer Journey Time Performance (CJTP) in subway history, at 86 percent; buses are traveling up to 20 percent faster in Manhattan since the launch of the Congestion Relief Zone program; and the commuter railroads are operating with record level on-time performance with Metro-North achieving a 99 percent on-time performance for March, and the LIRR, 96 percent.

    In an effort to bring back more riders, the MTA focused on adding and improving service, while investing in subway safety. In 2023 — with support from Governor Hochul and State legislature — the MTA began a series of phased service enhancements across 12 subway lines, which is now complemented by service increases on eight express bus routes that went into effect March 30; more enhancements are slated to come June 29 across 16 local bus routes.

    With more service and more riders, major crime on the subways is down 11 percent this year. This follows significant efforts to create a safer environment with more police in the system, including two officers on every train overnight, cameras in every subway car, installation of LED lighting at every station and expanding the Subway Co-Response Outreach Teams (SCOUT) to address cases of severe mental illness in the system.

    Simplifying the System

    Subway and Buses
    The MTA has focused on making the system easier to use by simplifying the payment process and saving customers the guess work on what fare product is the most cost efficient for them. 67 percent of subway and bus riders are now using the tap-and-go contactless fare payment.

    Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad
    The popular TrainTime app, with a 4.9 app store rating, makes it easy for customers to check travel times, buy commuter rail tickets, learn of real-time service updates, chat with a live representative and much more. Ninety-three percent of customers use the app to look up schedules and/or purchase tickets, resulting in 71 percent of all railroad revenue coming from tickets purchased in the app.

    Bridges and Tunnels
    Open road tolling has completely transformed tolling operations and dramatically improved toll collection since its implementation in 2017. Without the backups at toll plazas, this transition has greatly reduced collisions and improved traffic flow.

    Recently, on April 15, 2025, the MTA, New York State Thruway Authority, and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey launched a new and improved E-ZPass website and app, providing a more streamlined and user-friendly platform to view accounts and pay tolls. And as part of the launch of the Congestion Relief Zone program, customers now have the choice to pay per trip or automatically replenish their account, which was the standard for E-ZPass accounts.

    Fortifying the System

    Improvements to the Fare Environment
    The MTA has taken several steps to tackle evasion tactics across the subways and buses to create a stronger, more resilient system against fare evasion, including turnstile modifications, installations of delayed egress on emergency exits and the deployment of gate guards. Ninety percent of all turnstiles have been reconfigured to prevent backcocking — a form of fare evasion where subway riders attempt to pass through a turnstile by pulling it back just enough to squeeze through without paying — and more than 200 stations are assigned gate guards. Stations with gate guards have seen a 36 percent reduction in fare evasion.

    At gates with delayed egress, there was a 10 percent drop in total fare evasion. Currently operational at more than 70 stations, the MTA is on track to expand delayed egress to 150 stations by the end of the year.

    At stations where turnstile sleeves and fins were installed, there was a 60 percent decrease in turnstile jumping.

    Bus Eagle Team Enforcement
    The MTA has stepped up EAGLE Team deployment using a data-driven approach to optimize deployment of the EAGLE Team to bus stops and times of day with the highest concentration of fare evaders. The agency’s civilian bus fare inspection team, supported by the NYPD, enforces bus fare payment at 140 locations every week and has resulted in a 36 percent decrease in fare evasion at those stops.

    Paid boardings increased seven percent at EAGLE intervention stops, and the overall rate of bus fare evasion has fallen for three consecutive quarters.

    Commuter Railroads
    On the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad, a new onboard invoice policy was adopted to better enforce fare payment. In the event that a customer does not have a valid ticket for travel, they are required to provide a valid ID to be issued an invoice. If an ID is not provided, the customer is advised to exit the train or police will be requested, which then results in a summons, or if a repeat offender, arrest. Since implementation in June of 2024, there have been 66 percent fewer invoices issued on the Long Island Rail Road. For the entire year of 2024, there were 295 percent more issuances of summonses and 140 percent more arrests than the previous year.

    On Metro-North, there have been 31 percent fewer invoices since the new policy went into effect and 162 percent more summonses were issued for 2024, along with 50 percent more arrests.

    Gating — or pre-boarding ticket inspections — on the commuter railroads are now a permanent program. Key findings from the pilot program reveal that the program is well received by passengers with overall positive feedback and improvements in customer behavior, with a majority of riders having their tickets out and ready to show to a crewmember. Metro-North implements gating programs mainly for special events, and the LIRR is now performing daily weekday ticket checks at Penn Station.

    Bridges & Tunnels
    Toll revenue recovery has increased 44 percent since 2021. These results were greatly assisted by last year’s launch of the largest city-state interagency task force focused on removing cars with fraudulent, obscured, or altered license plates, and persistent toll violators, as well as a legislative package on toll enforcement signed into law by Governor Hochul in last year’s enacted budget. Since the launch of the task force in March 2024, law enforcement agencies have collectively issued more than 45,000 summonses, towed over 4,400 vehicles and made 1,025 arrests.

    Looking Forward
    The MTA continues to advocate for stronger consequences for transit crimes, and with the support of the NYPD, public safety. The MTA’s first ever Criminal Justice Advocate is working with District Attorneys to prosecute theft of service, which is critical for effective fare collection enforcement, and other transit crimes.

    Building on the foundation the MTA has set to tackle fare evasion, the agency will look forward to continuing progress through:

    • Piloting a proof of payment system on buses in 2026. This concept will be made possible by the full transition to the tap-and-go payment system, which is slated for the end of the year.
    • Refreshed railroad ticketing policies
    • Completing physical turnstile modifications. By the summer of 2025, all turnstiles will be reconfigured to prevent backcocking.

    Modern Fare Gates
    The MTA has shortlisted Conduent, Cubic, Scheidt & Bachmann, and STraffic as potential vendors to provide modern fare gates for the subway system. Later this fall, the MTA will start testing gates from these vendors in select stations, before making final determinations on which gate types will be qualified.

    Each of the four vendors will be installed at five locations, for a total of 20 stations including:

    • Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr.
    • 14 St-Union Square
    • 42 St-Port Authority Bus Terminal
    • Delancey St-Essex St.
    • Nostrand Av.
    • Crown Heights-Utica Av.
    • Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av
    • Forest Hills-71 Av.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Police appeal over stabbing in Southwark

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward after a man was assaulted in a public park.

    Around 21:40hrs on Friday, 11 April, officers attended Newington Gardens, Southwark, alongside the London Ambulance Service following reports that a man had been stabbed. A 19-year-old was taken to hospital for treatment, where his injuries were assessed as non-life changing.

    Police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident – or who has relevant CCTV or dashcam footage if they were around Newington Gardens at the time – to call 101, quoting CAD 7827/11APR. To remain 100 per cent anonymous, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

    A man has been charged with wounding with intent and appeared in court.

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Tennessee Man Sentenced to Over Eight Years for Selling Methamphetamine and Firearms

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    A Tennessee man was sentenced yesterday to eight years and five months in prison for selling methamphetamine, unlawfully possessing a firearm, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.

    According to court documents, Jamaal Derrell Maxwell, 30, of Memphis, sold methamphetamine pills and firearms to a confidential informant and an ATF undercover agent. Beginning Feb. 2, 2024, and continuing until April 3, 2024, the defendant sold more than 500 pills containing methamphetamine and four firearms. The firearms included two semi-automatic rifles, one assault-style rifle, and one shotgun. Maxwell, a felon at the time he sold the firearms, was prohibited from possessing any firearm. In 2022, Maxwell was convicted in the State of Oklahoma for inducing an adult teenager to become a prostitute.

    Because Maxwell sold firearms while simultaneously trafficking drugs, he was also guilty of possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

    Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Interim U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr. for the Western District of Tennessee made the announcement.

    The ATF investigated the case.

    Trial Attorneys Marcus Johnson and Amanda Kotula of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neal Oldham and Wendy Cornejo for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Memphis, Tennessee and surrounding areas. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute the violent offenders and prevent further violence. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tennessee Man Sentenced to Over Eight Years for Selling Methamphetamine and Firearms

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    A Tennessee man was sentenced yesterday to eight years and five months in prison for selling methamphetamine, unlawfully possessing a firearm, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.

    According to court documents, Jamaal Derrell Maxwell, 30, of Memphis, sold methamphetamine pills and firearms to a confidential informant and an ATF undercover agent. Beginning Feb. 2, 2024, and continuing until April 3, 2024, the defendant sold more than 500 pills containing methamphetamine and four firearms. The firearms included two semi-automatic rifles, one assault-style rifle, and one shotgun. Maxwell, a felon at the time he sold the firearms, was prohibited from possessing any firearm. In 2022, Maxwell was convicted in the State of Oklahoma for inducing an adult teenager to become a prostitute.

    Because Maxwell sold firearms while simultaneously trafficking drugs, he was also guilty of possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

    Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Interim U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr. for the Western District of Tennessee made the announcement.

    The ATF investigated the case.

    Trial Attorneys Marcus Johnson and Amanda Kotula of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neal Oldham and Wendy Cornejo for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Memphis, Tennessee and surrounding areas. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute the violent offenders and prevent further violence. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Leader of Federal Pandemic Fraud Unemployment Scheme Sentenced

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Brown Was One of 17 Defendants to Steal $341,205 Combined in Pandemic Relief Money

    ABINGDON, Va. – Josef Ludwig Brown, one of the leaders of a 17 defendant conspiracy to defraud the United States, commit program fraud, and commit mail fraud in connection with a scheme to file fraudulent claims for pandemic unemployment benefits was sentenced last week to 35 months in federal prison.

    Brown previously pled guilty to one count of conspiring to defraud the United States in connection with emergency benefits. Additionally, Brown was ordered to pay $119,660 in restitution.

    Previously sentenced as part of the conspiracy were: Christopher Webb, 20 months; Russell Stiltner, 24 months; Jessica  Lester, 19 months; Cara Camille Bailey, 19 months; Justin Meadows, 18 months; Terrence Vilacha, 18 months; Joseph Hass, 27 months; Brian Addair, 24 months; and Stephanie Amber Barton, Clinton Michael Altizer, Jeramy Blake Farmer,  and Hayleigh McKenzie Wolfe were each sentenced to 12 months and 1 day.

    Jonathan Webb, the individual charged with recruiting others to file fraudulent claims, mostly inmates at local jails, was sentenced to 48 months was ordered to pay $150,218 in restitution.

    All defendants were also ordered to pay restitution to the Virginia Employment Commission for the amount of their individual fraudulent claims.

    According to court documents, between March 2020 and September 2021, Josef Brown, Jonathan Webb, and Crystal Shaw developed a scheme to file fraudulent claims and recertifications for pandemic unemployment befits via the Virginia Employment Commission website. The scheme involved the collection of personal identification information (PII) of inmates housed at SWVRJA-Haysi and Abingdon, as well as personal friends and acquaintances of Brown, Webb, and Shaw. The conspirators used that information to file fraudulent claims and recertifications for pandemic unemployment benefits for incarcerated individuals and others who were ineligible for the benefits.

    In all, the defendants stole $341,205 in pandemic relief to which they were not entitled.

    As part of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Task Force, this investigation was conducted by the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General were charged with identifying major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending. According to the United States Department of Labor, Virginia paid approximately $1.1 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021.

    Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee, Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced the sentences.

    Agencies that assisted with this investigation included the Dickenson County Sheriff’s Office, the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority, the FBI, U.S. Department of Labor, and the Virginia Employment Commission.

    Special Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Danielle Stone are prosecuting the case for the United States.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Essex County Man Sentenced to Multiple Life Sentences in Prison for Murder and Other Crimes Committed in His Role as Leader of Sprawling Drug Trafficking Organization

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County man was sentenced to four life sentences on April 23, 2025 for ordering and committing three murders and for his role in a large-scale narcotics enterprise, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

    Michael Healy, 44, of Montclair, New Jersey, was convicted by a federal jury in April 2024 of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiring to murder a federal witness, three counts of murder in aid of racketeering, and related firearms offenses following a four-week trial before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court. 

    “Michael Healy orchestrated three murders in order to silence the victims in this case.  When Healy believed that someone in his drug trafficking enterprise was cooperating with law enforcement, he demonstrated that he was willing to go to the greatest lengths possible – to commit multiple acts of murder – to protect his profitable enterprise.  This sentence will prevent Healy from harming any other members of our community and will send a message that attacks on the justice system will not be tolerated.”

    – U.S. Attorney Alina Habba

    “Healy spent much of his life building an illegal drug trafficking enterprise, fueled by greed and violence,” FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence Reilly said.  “He used his power to destroy communities through the distribution of poisonous narcotics and murdered those who he perceived as a threat to his empire. Now, he will spend the rest of his life in federal prison, where his power and money won’t matter.”

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial:

    In February 2018, Healy found out that one of his conspirators in the drug trafficking enterprise (DTE) was cooperating with law enforcement by providing information about the drug enterprise. Healy ordered members of the Bloods in East Orange to kill the informant, referenced in the Indictment as ‘A.S.” On Feb. 3, 2018, outside the informant’s residence in Bloomfield, New Jersey, Healy’s conspirators shot and killed a bystander, referenced in the Indictment as “Victim-1,” believing the bystander was the informant. Realizing they killed the wrong person, Healy ordered the Bloods to finish the job, and on March 12, 2018, in Bloomfield, the conspirators killed the informant while he was walking his dog in the area of his residence. On April 6, 2018, believing that another member of the enterprise – identified in the indictment as “J.C.” – might also pose a risk to the Enterprise, Healy himself shot and killed “J.C.” in Newark.

    Healy’s DTE operated in and around Newark beginning in approximately 2012. Between 2003 and 2012, Healy became a member of the Tree Top PIRU set of the Bloods street gang in Maryland. In and around 2012, Healy formed and led the Healy DTE, a large and sophisticated drug distribution organization that obtained, transported and distributed large amounts of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and marijuana. Healy used his leadership status in the Tree Top PIRU Bloods to assist him with obtaining suppliers, recruiting and controlling enterprise members, and otherwise conducting the Healy DTE’s operations.

    The Healy DTE transported multi-kilogram quantities of controlled substances from California to New Jersey by various means, including private aircraft, vehicles with hidden secret compartments, and the U.S. Postal Service. The Healy DTE then processed and repackaged the controlled substances at various “stash houses” in New Jersey. The Healy DTE distributed some of the controlled substances in New Jersey, including through Bloods gang members in East Orange.

    The Court sentenced Healy to four life sentences plus 360 months’ imprisonment. On Counts One (Racketeering Conspiracy), Six (Murder of a Federal Witness), and Twelve (Drug Trafficking Conspiracy), Healy was sentenced to life in prison, each term ordered to run concurrent to each other and consecutive to the prison sentences imposed on the remaining counts.  On Counts Two (Murder in Aid of Racketeering for the murder of Victim-1), Five (Murder in Aid of Racketeering for the murder of A.S.), and Nine (Murder in Aid of Racketeering for the murder of J.C.), the Court imposed life sentences on each count to run consecutively.  On Counts Three, Seven, and Ten (each charging Discharge of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence), the Court imposed consecutive 10-year sentences for a total of 360 months, ordered to run consecutively to the sentences imposed on all other counts.

    Thomas Zimmerman, Tyquan Daniels, and Ali Hill – all members of the Brick City Brims subset of the Bloods street gang in East Orange – previously pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy for their respective roles in the murders of Victim-1 and A.S.  Zimmerman was sentenced to a 37-year term of imprisonment; Daniels was sentenced to a 35-year term of imprisonment; and Hill was sentenced to a 25-year term of imprisonment.  In addition, on February 22, 2024, Leevander Wade pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy for his roles in all three murders, and was sentenced to a term of 36 years and 8 months’ imprisonment.

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Newark FBI Joint Organized Crime Task Force, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence Reilly; the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda; the Essex County Prosecutors Office, under the direction of Theodore N. Stephens, II; the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of William A. Daniel, the East Orange Police Department, under the direction of Phyllis L. Bindi; the Montclair Police Department, under the direction of Todd M. Conforti, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, Intelligence and Investigative Division, under the direction of Secretary Robert Green; the Ohio State Highway Patrol, under the direction of Colonel Charles A. Jones.

    The government is represented by Senior Trial Counsel Robert L. Frazer and Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha C. Fasanello.

                                                               ###

    Defense counsel: Stephen Turano and Thomas Ambrosio

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Taliban Commander Haji Najibullah Pleads Guilty to Hostage Taking and Providing Material Support for Acts of Terrorism Resulting in Death

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

    Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Christopher G. Raia, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today that HAJI NAJIBULLAH, a/k/a “Najibullah Naim,” a/k/a “Abu Tayeb,” a/k/a “Atiqullah,” a/k/a “Nesar Ahmad Mohammad,” pled guilty to hostage taking and providing material support for acts of terrorism resulting in death in connection with NAJIBULLAH’s role in the hostage taking of an American journalist and two Afghan nationals in Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2008 and 2009, and his leadership of Taliban fighters who carried out attacks on U.S. servicemembers in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2009, resulting in the deaths of American soldiers.  NAJIBULLAH pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla.

    U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said: “Haji Najibullah was a Taliban commander who committed acts of terrorism against U.S. servicemembers and civilians in Afghanistan. His vicious acts of terrorism included taking hostage multiple civilians and providing material support for attacks that resulted in the deaths of brave Americans.  Najibullah committed his crimes in Afghanistan over 15 years ago, and now faces justice in an American courtroom.  Today’s guilty plea serves as an emphatic reminder that this Office, and our law enforcement partners, will aggressively pursue those who harm Americans through acts of terror, no matter where in the world they may be, and no matter how long it may take to achieve justice for their victims.  I thank the career prosecutors of this Office, and our dedicated partners, for their work in holding Najibullah accountable for his heinous crimes.”

    FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said: “For years, the FBI New York JTTF and our law enforcement partners tirelessly sought justice for the hostage taking of civilians, and also for the deaths of United States service members at the hands of Taliban fighters under Najibullah’s command.  These terrorist attacks demonstrated utter disregard for humanity, and Najibullah finally admitted to his role in these premature deaths of our citizens.  Today’s plea emphasizes the FBI New York JTTF’s unwavering resolve to disrupting all acts of terrorism and ensuring any individual who targets our country will be held accountable.”

    As alleged in the charging instruments, court filings, and statements in the public record:

    Between approximately 1996 and 2001, the Taliban controlled Afghanistan and harbored and supported terrorists, including terrorists involved in perpetrating the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S.  After losing power in approximately October 2001 as a result of the U.S. and NATO-led invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban engaged in a deadly insurgency campaign to regain control of the country.  Beginning in the early 2000s, as part of that campaign of violence, the Taliban conducted numerous suicide bombings, targeted killings, assassinations, improvised explosive device (“IED”) attacks, paramilitary ambushes, and hostage takings against the then-government of Afghanistan, U.S. military forces and their NATO and Afghan partners, and American civilians in Afghanistan.

    Between in or around 2007 and 2009, NAJIBULLAH served as a Taliban commander in Afghanistan’s Wardak Province, which borders Kabul.  During that time, Taliban fighters under NAJIBULLAH’s command carried out deadly attacks against American and NATO troops and their Afghan allies, using, among other things, suicide bombers, automatic weapons, IEDs, and rocket-propelled grenades (“RPGs”) and other anti-tank weapons and explosives, including against U.S. military helicopters. 

    For example, on or about June 26, 2008, Taliban fighters under NAJIBULLAH’s command ambushed and attacked a U.S. military convoy in the vicinity of Wardak Province, Afghanistan, with IEDs, RPGs, and automatic weapons, killing three U.S. Army servicemembers: Sergeants First Class Matthew L. Hilton and Joseph A. McKay, and Sergeant Mark Palmateer, and their Afghan interpreter. Several other servicemembers were also injured in the attack.  

    In or about November 2007 and September 2008, NAJIBULLAH participated in two videorecorded interviews with a French reporter in Afghanistan.  NAJIBULLAH and fighters under his command discussed how they targeted American and French troops—including a specific attack they conducted against French troops in or around August 2008.  They also identified a particular location where they had used IEDs and anti-tank weaponry to destroy American military vehicles.  During the interview, NAJIBULLAH further demonstrated how to operate a rocket-propelled grenade launcher to shoot troops guarding checkpoints and boasted that fighters under his command were ready to fight the “holy war,” including that they were “ready to be suicide bombers” and “put on a belt and blow themselves up if we ask them.”  In September 2008, in the French reporter’s presence, NAJIBULLAH and fighters under his command attacked and destroyed an Afghan National Police outpost using automatic weapons and rockets.

    On or about November 10, 2008, NAJIBULLAH and other Taliban fighters took hostage an American journalist (“U.S. Hostage-1”) and two Afghan nationals who were assisting U.S. Hostage-1 (together with U.S. Hostage-1, the “Hostages”) at gunpoint in Afghanistan.  Shortly thereafter, NAJIBULLAH and his co-conspirators forced the Hostages to hike across the border from Afghanistan to Pakistan, where NAJIBULLAH and his co-conspirators detained the Hostages.  For the next approximately seven months, NAJIBULLAH and his co-conspirators held the Hostages captive in Pakistan.  NAJIBULLAH and his co-conspirators forced the Hostages to make numerous calls and videos seeking help, in an attempt to compel ransom payments and the release of Taliban prisoners by the U.S. Government.

    *                *                 *

    NAJIBULLAH, 49, pled guilty to providing material support for acts of terrorism resulting in death, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and to hostage taking, which also carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.  

    The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

    Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding efforts of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the New York City Police Department.  He also thanked the New York and New Jersey Port Authority Police, the Department of Defense, and the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division for their assistance with this investigation, as well as the Ukrainian authorities and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs for their assistance in the arrest and extradition of the defendant.

    This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg, Jacob H. Gutwillig, and David J. Robles are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Jennifer Burke of the Counterterrorism Section.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Michael S Barr: Deepfakes and the AI arms race in bank cybersecurity

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today about artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity. In the past, a skilled forger could pass a bad check by replicating a person’s signature. Now, advances in AI can do much more damage by replicating a person’s entire identity. This technology-known as deepfakes-has the potential to supercharge identity fraud. I’ve recently spoken about the importance of recognizing both the benefits and the risks of generative AI (Gen AI). Today, I’d like to focus more on the darker side of the technology-specifically how Gen AI has the potential to enable deepfake technology, and what we should be doing now to defend against this risk in finance.

    Escalating Threat of Gen-AI Facilitated Cybercrime

    Cybercrime is on the rise, and cybercriminals are increasingly turning to Gen AI to facilitate their crimes. Criminal tactics are becoming more sophisticated and available to a broader range of criminals. Estimates of direct and indirect costs of cyber incidents range from 1 to 10 percent of global GDP. Deepfake attacks have seen a twentyfold increase over the last three years.

    Cybercrime with deepfakes involves the same cat and mouse game common to sophisticated criminal activity. Both cybercriminals and financial institutions are constantly trying to outdo each other. Criminals develop new attack methods, and companies respond with better defenses. Here, the same technological innovations that enable the bad actors can also help those fighting cybercrime. However, there is an asymmetry-the fraudsters can cast a wide net of approaches and target a wide number of victims, and they only need a small number to be successful. Their marginal cost is generally low, and individual failures matter little. Conversely, companies must undergo a rigorous review and testing process to mount effective cyber defenses and will thus be slower in developing their defenses. A single failure is very costly. As we consider this issue from a policy perspective, we need to take steps to make attacks less likely by raising the cost of the attack to the cybercriminals and lowering the costs of defense to financial institutions and law enforcement.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Security: California Resident Sentenced to 100 Months in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

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

    NEWARK, N.J. – A California resident was sentenced to 100 months in prison for possessing fentanyl for distribution, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

    Timothy Alan Blank, 55, of Los Angeles, California, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

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

    On March 6, 2024, Blank, transported approximately five kilograms of fentanyl in his personal vehicle from the Los Angeles, California area across the United States into the District of New Jersey.  On March 8, 2024, Blank’s vehicle was stopped by law enforcement agents in Fort Lee, New Jersey when agents discovered the five kilograms of fentanyl inside the trunk area of the vehicle. Following his arrest, Blank admitted to law enforcement agents his intent to distribute the fentanyl inside of the District of New Jersey.

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Padin sentenced Blank to three years of supervised release.

    U.S. Attorney Alina Habba credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, the Fort Lee Police Department, and the FBI Los Angeles Field Office, with the investigation that led to the sentencing.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vincent D. Romano of the Criminal Division in Newark.

                                                                           ###

    Defense counsel: Claressa L. Lowe

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Jacksonville Man Sentenced To More Than 11 Years For Drug Trafficking Charge

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Zevion La’Quawn Collins (31, Jacksonville) to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of pure or actual methamphetamine. The court also ordered Collins to forfeit $4,970 in cash, which are traceable proceeds of the offense, a loaded Glock .40 caliber pistol and all ammunition seized with the firearm, which were used to facilitate the conspiracy.  Collins pleaded guilty on January 7, 2025.

    According to court documents, between April 2023 and the time of his arrest on June 17, 2024, Collins distributed methamphetamine in Jacksonville. During this time, federal agents observed Collins conduct multiple drug transactions, including on 6 separate occasions, where Collins sold one to two ounces of pure methamphetamine per transaction. On June 17, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Collins’s stash house in Jacksonville and arrested him on federal drug charges. From this residence, agents seized approximately $4,970 in cash and a loaded Glock .40 caliber pistol.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by former Assistant United States Attorney Aakash Singh and Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Lasry.

    This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Video: WATCH: White House North Lawn Lined with 100 Mugshots of Deported Criminal Illegal Aliens

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    White House North Lawn Lined with 100 Mugshots of Deported Criminal Illegal Aliens

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTKCzOwCA6Y

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Armed Drug Store Robber Sentenced to 25 years in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RALEIGH, N.C. – A felon involved in several Raleigh drug store robberies was sentenced on April 16, 2025, to 25 years in prison for Hobbs Act Robbery and Brandishing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence.  Marvin Rashaad Cummings, 34, pled guilty to the charges on December 4, 2024.

    According to court documents and other information presented in court, the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) responded to a robbery at a CVS store on New Bern Avenue on December 29, 2022. Witnesses reported that a black male wearing a gray hoodie and a black mask approached the register to buy a pack of gum. The man showed the store clerk a black handgun and demanded all of the money in the register. The suspect then led the clerk upstairs to the store’s safe and stole a large sum of money from the safe that had a tracker attached to it.  RPD tracked the money to a red sedan parked near the CVS.  Cummings was in the driver’s seat wearing clothing that matched the description of the robbery suspect and was in possession of a mask and handgun that matched the description given by witnesses.  

    Cummings admitted to participating in six robberies in the Raleigh and Knightdale areas over the prior month and using a real handgun during the commission of the crimes. Cummings has prior convictions for Hobbs Act robbery, conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, bank robbery, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

    The conviction is a result of the ongoing Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) initiative which is a collaborative effort with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime. VCAP involves focused and strategic enforcement, and interagency coordination and intelligence-led policing.

    Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Raleigh Police Department, and the Knightdale Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Newby and Sarah E. Nokes prosecuted the case.

    Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-00319.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: 50 years later, Vietnam’s environment still bears the scars of war – and signals a dark future for Gaza and Ukraine

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Pamela McElwee, Professor of Human Ecology, Rutgers University

    During the Vietnam War, the U.S. bombed and defoliated vast areas of forest and protective mangroves. AP Photo

    When the Vietnam War finally ended on April 30, 1975, it left behind a landscape scarred with environmental damage. Vast stretches of coastal mangroves, once housing rich stocks of fish and birds, lay in ruins. Forests that had boasted hundreds of species were reduced to dried-out fragments, overgrown with invasive grasses.

    The term “ecocide” had been coined in the late 1960s to describe the U.S. military’s use of herbicides like Agent Orange and incendiary weapons like napalm to battle guerrilla forces that used jungles and marshes for cover.

    Fifty years later, Vietnam’s degraded ecosystems and dioxin-contaminated soils and waters still reflect the long-term ecological consequences of the war. Efforts to restore these damaged landscapes and even to assess the long-term harm have been limited.

    As an environmental scientist and anthropologist who has worked in Vietnam since the 1990s, I find the neglect and slow recovery efforts deeply troubling. Although the war spurred new international treaties aimed at protecting the environment during wartime, these efforts failed to compel post-war restoration for Vietnam. Current conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East show these laws and treaties still aren’t effective.

    Agent Orange and daisy cutters

    The U.S. first sent ground troops to Vietnam in March 1965 to support South Vietnam against revolutionary forces and North Vietnamese troops, but the war had been going on for years before then. To fight an elusive enemy operating clandestinely at night and from hideouts deep in swamps and jungles, the U.S. military turned to environmental modification technologies.

    The most well-known of these was Operation Ranch Hand, which sprayed at least 19 million gallons (75 million liters) of herbicides over approximately 6.4 million acres (2.6 million hectares), of South Vietnam. The chemicals fell on forests, and also on rivers, rice paddies and villages, exposing civilians and troops. More than half of that spraying involved the dioxin-contaminated defoliant Agent Orange.

    A U.S. Air Force C-123 flies low along a South Vietnamese highway spraying defoliants on dense jungle growth beside the road to eliminate ambush sites during the Vietnam War.
    AP Photo/Department of Defense

    Herbicides were used to strip the leaf cover from forests, increase visibility along transportation routes and destroy crops suspected of supplying guerrilla forces.

    As news of the damage from these tactics made it back to the U.S., scientists raised concerns about the campaign’s environmental impacts to President Lyndon Johnson, calling for a review of whether the U.S. was intentionally using chemical weapons. American military leaders’ position was that herbicides did not constitute chemical weapons under the Geneva Protocol, which the U.S. had yet to ratify.

    Scientific organizations also initiated studies within Vietnam during the war, finding widespread destruction of mangroves, economic losses of rubber and timber plantations, and harm to lakes and waterways.

    A photo at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, historically known as Saigon, shows the damage at Cần Giờ mangrove forest. The mangrove forest was destroyed by herbicides, bombs and plows.
    Gary Todd/Flickr

    In 1969, evidence linked a chemical in Agent Orange, 2,4,5-T, to birth defects and stillbirths in mice because it contained TCDD, a particularly harmful dioxin. That led to a ban on domestic use and suspension of Agent Orange use by the military in April 1970, with the last mission flown in early 1971.

    Incendiary weapons and the clearing of forests also ravaged rich ecosystems in Vietnam.

    The U.S. Forest Service tested large-scale incineration of jungles by igniting barrels of fuel oil dropped from planes. Particularly feared by civilians was the use of napalm bombs, with more than 400,000 tons of the thickened petroleum used during the war. After these infernos, invasive grasses often took over in hardened, infertile soils.

    Fires from napalm and other incendiary weapons cleared stretches of forest, in some cases scorching the soil so badly that nothing would regrow.
    AP Photo

    “Rome Plows,” massive bulldozers with an armor-fortified cutting blade, could clear 1,000 acres a day. Enormous concussive bombs, known as “daisy cutters”, flattened forests and set off shock waves killing everything within a 3,000-foot (900-meter) radius, down to earthworms in the soil.

    The U.S. also engaged in weather modification through Project Popeye, a secret program from 1967 to 1972 that seeded clouds with silver iodide to prolong the monsoon season in an attempt to cut the flow of fighters and supplies coming down the Ho Chi Minh Trail from North Vietnam. Congress eventually passed a bipartisan resolution in 1973 urging an international treaty to prohibit the use of weather modification as a weapon of war. That treaty came into effect in 1978.

    The U.S. military contended that all these tactics were operationally successful as a trade of trees for American lives.

    Despite Congress’ concerns, there was little scrutiny of the environmental impacts of U.S. military operations and technologies. Research sites were hard to access, and there was no regular environmental monitoring.

    Recovery efforts have been slow

    After the fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese troops on April 30, 1975, the U.S. imposed a trade and economic embargo on all of Vietnam, leaving the country both war-damaged and cash-strapped.

    Vietnamese scientists told me they cobbled together small-scale studies. One found a dramatic drop in bird and mammal diversity in forests. In the A Lưới valley of central Vietnam, 80% of forests subjected to herbicides had not recovered by the early 1980s. Biologists found only 24 bird and five mammal species in those areas, far below normal in unsprayed forests.

    Only a handful of ecosystem restoration projects were attempted, hampered by shoestring budgets. The most notable began in 1978, when foresters began hand-replanting mangroves at the mouth of the Saigon River in Cần Giờ forest, an area that had been completely denuded.

    Mangroves have been replanted in the Cần Giờ Biosphere Reserve near Ho Chi Minh City, but their restoration took decades.
    Tho Nau/Flickr, CC BY

    In inland areas, widespread tree-planting programs in the late 1980s and 1990s finally took root, but they focused on planting exotic trees like acacia, which did not restore the original diversity of the natural forests.

    Chemical cleanup is still underway

    For years, the U.S. also denied responsibility for Agent Orange cleanup, despite the recognition of dioxin-associated illnesses among U.S. veterans and testing that revealed continuing dioxin exposure among potentially tens of thousands of Vietnamese.

    The first remediation agreement between the two countries only occurred in 2006, after persistent advocacy by veterans, scientists and nongovernmental organizations led Congress to appropriate US$3 million for the remediation of the Da Nang airport.

    That project, completed in 2018, treated 150,000 cubic meters of dioxin-laden soil at an eventual cost of over $115 million, paid mostly by the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID. The cleanup required lakes to be drained and contaminated soil, which had seeped more than 9 feet (3 meters) deeper than expected, to be piled and heated to break down the dioxin molecules.

    Large amounts of Agent Orange had been stored at the Da Nang airport during the war and contaminated the soil with dioxin. The cleanup project, including heating contaminated soil to high temperatures, was completed in 2018.
    Richard Nyberg/USAID

    Another major hot spot is the heavily contaminated Biên Hoà airbase, where local residents continue to ingest high levels of dioxin through fish, chicken and ducks.

    Agent Orange barrels were stored at the base, which leaked large amounts of the toxin into soil and water, where it continues to accumulate in animal tissue as it moves up the food chain. Remediation began in 2019; however, further work is at risk with the Trump administration’s near elimination of USAID, leaving it unclear if there will be any American experts in Vietnam in charge of administering this complex project.

    Laws to prevent future ‘ecocide’ are complicated

    While Agent Orange’s health effects have understandably drawn scrutiny, its long-term ecological consequences have not been well studied.

    Current-day scientists have far more options than those 50 years ago, including satellite imagery, which is being used in Ukraine to identify fires, flooding and pollution. However, these tools cannot replace on-the-ground monitoring, which often is restricted or dangerous during wartime.

    The legal situation is similarly complex.

    In 1977, the Geneva Conventions governing conduct during wartime were revised to prohibit “widespread, long term, and severe damage to the natural environment.” A 1980 protocol restricted incendiary weapons. Yet oil fires set by Iraq during the Gulf War in 1991, and recent environmental damage in the Gaza Strip, Ukraine and Syria indicate the limits of relying on treaties when there are no strong mechanisms to ensure compliance.

    Remediation work to remove dioxin contamination was just getting started at the former Biên Hoà Air Base in Vietnam when USAID’s staff was dismantled in 2025.
    USAID Vietnam, CC BY-NC

    An international campaign currently underway calls for an amendment to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to add ecocide as a fifth prosecutable crime alongside genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression.

    Some countries have adopted their own ecocide laws. Vietnam was the first to legally state in its penal code that “Ecocide, destroying the natural environment, whether committed in time of peace or war, constitutes a crime against humanity.” Yet the law has resulted in no prosecutions, despite several large pollution cases.

    Both Russia and Ukraine also have ecocide laws, but these have not prevented harm or held anyone accountable for damage during the ongoing conflict.

    Lessons for the future

    The Vietnam War is a reminder that failure to address ecological consequences, both during war and after, will have long-term effects. What remains in short supply is the political will to ensure that these impacts are neither ignored nor repeated.

    Pamela McElwee receives funding from the Carnegie Corporation, National Science Foundation, and National Endowment for the Humanities.

    – ref. 50 years later, Vietnam’s environment still bears the scars of war – and signals a dark future for Gaza and Ukraine – https://theconversation.com/50-years-later-vietnams-environment-still-bears-the-scars-of-war-and-signals-a-dark-future-for-gaza-and-ukraine-254971

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Closure Order secured on residential property used for serious criminality

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    This application followed the execution of a drugs warrant at the property by West Midlands Police on Friday 14 February when a firearm and ammunition were recovered alongside a quantity of suspected class A controlled drugs and other weapons involving a considerable number of additional officers and resources from across the area.

    The Police were met with a hostile and violent response and a critical incident was declared. A number of people were arrested and remain on police bail pending further investigation.

    Given the impact on the local community and clear evidence of serious criminality conducted at the property, Wolverhampton Homes Anti-Social Behaviour Team worked closely with West Midlands Police and applied for a Closure Order to close the premises immediately under the ASB, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to prevent further criminality and potential disorder taking place.

    A Closure Order forbids any persons, including all residents of the property to enter the property for an initial period of 3 months and can be extended on application to the Court. Any breach of the order is an offence which, on conviction, can result in a fine or imprisonment.

    The City Council’s Homeless Team is supporting the displaced residents to secure alternative accommodation.

    Councillor Obaida Ahmed, Cabinet member for Digital and Community said: “Such criminality and disorder is incredibly harmful to communities and will not be tolerated. The council, police and Wolverhampton Homes will not hesitate to take robust action in these circumstances to protect the local community.

    “Tackling ASB is one of the key priorities for the Safter Wolverhampton Partnership – giving confidence to residents that we are willing to take action and empowering them to report issues that are impacting individuals, communities and businesses.”

    Inspector Chris Turner, who covers policing across the local area, said: “We are committed to reducing anti-social and criminal behaviour across the neighbourhood and we understand the distress and disruption such issues can cause people living locally.

    “We always urge people to get in touch if they have concerns or information about criminal activity, as we will always seek to act on the information we receive.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 04/28/2025, 13:40 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the security RU000A0JWLU4 (RZhD-42 region) were changed.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    04/28/2025

    13:40

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC) on 28.04.2025, 13-40 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 95.79) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 1031.78 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 10.0%) of the security RU000A0JWLU4 (RZhD-42 region) were changed.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //VVV. MOEX.K.M.M.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 04/28/2025, 13:43 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the VTBR (VTB JSC) security were changed.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    04/28/2025

    13:43

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC), on 28.04.2025, 13-43 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 97.97) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 105.262555 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 21.25%) of the VTBR security (VTB JSC) were changed.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //VVV. MEEX.K.MO/N89849

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 04/28/2025, 13:47 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the VTBR (VTB JSC) security were changed.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    04/28/2025

    13:47

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC), on 28.04.2025, 13-47 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 101.66) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 108.95217 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 25.5%) of the VTBR security (VTB JSC) were changed.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //VVV. MOEX.K.MO/N89852

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 04/28/2025, 13:50 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the VTBR (VTB JSC) security were changed.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    04/28/2025

    13:50

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC), on 28.04.2025, 13-50 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 105.35) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 112.641785 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 29.75%) of the VTBR security (VTB JSC) were changed.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //VVV. MOEX.K.MO/N89854

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 04/28/2025, 13:53 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the VTBR (VTB JSC) security were changed.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    04/28/2025

    13:53

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC) on 28.04.2025, 13-53 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 109.04) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 116.3314 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 34.0%) of the VTBR security (VTB JSC) were changed.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //VVV. MOEX.K.MO/N89855

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 04/28/2025, 13:58 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the VTBR (VTB JSC) security were changed.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    04/28/2025

    13:58

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC), on 28.04.2025, 13-58 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 112.73) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 120.021015 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 38.25%) of the VTBR security (VTB JSC) were changed.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //VVV. MEEX.K.M.M.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 04/28/2025, 10:23 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the security RU000A108UR9 (RESOLiBP26) were changed.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    04/28/2025

    10:23

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC) on 28.04.2025, 10-23 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 128.61) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 1463.84 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 37.5%) of the security RU000A108UR9 (RESOLiBP26) were changed.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //VVV. MOEX.K.MO/N89833

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 04/28/2025, 10:55 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the security RU000A1098W8 (DOM 1P-18R) were changed.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    04/28/2025

    10:55

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC) on 28.04.2025, 10-55 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 103.33) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 1214.01 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 10.0%) of the security RU000A1098W8 (DOM 1P-18R) were changed.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //VVV. MOEX.K.MO/N89836

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 04/28/2025, 11:01 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for security RU000A0JT403 (VEB.RF 18) were changed.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    04/28/2025

    11:01

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC) on 28.04.2025, 11-01 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 102.39) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 1072.83 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 8.75%) of the security RU000A0JT403 (VEB.RF 18) were changed.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //VVV. MEEX.K.MO/N89838

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 04/28/2025, 11:08 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the security RU000A1098W8 (DOM 1P-18R) were changed.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    04/28/2025

    11:08

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC) on 28.04.2025, 11-08 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 105.28) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 1236.08 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 12.0%) of the security RU000A1098W8 (DOM 1P-18R) were changed.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //VVV. MEEX.K.M.M.

    MIL OSI Russia News –