NewzIntel.com

Category: Crime

  • MIL-OSI Security: Omaha Woman Sentenced for Purchasing Firearms for Convicted Felon

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

    Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that Stephanie Kessel, 41, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on April 16, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for making a false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Kessel to three years of probation

    On July 28, 2023, Kessel met with an individual cooperating with law enforcement in the parking lot of Cabela’s in La Vista, Nebraska. The cooperator told Kessel that the cooperator was a convicted felon and the cooperator could not buy firearms legally. After hearing about the cooperator’s criminal history, Kessel walked into Cabela’s and purchased two Taurus 9mm handguns. After the sale, she walked back out to the parking lot and sold the guns to the cooperator for $1,000. To purchase the handguns, Kessel filled out a mandatory ATF firearms purchase form indicating that she was the actual transferee/buyer of the firearms even though the firearms were actually purchased by the cooperator.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Omaha Police Department.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Alien and Convicted Drug Dealer Sentenced to More Than Three Years in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    INDIANAPOLIS— Juan Morales, 49, of Mexico, has been sentenced to 37 months in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to illegal reentry of a removed alien after deportation.  

    According to court documents, on November 6, 2024, Morales was convicted of operating a motor vehicle without ever receiving a license. Further investigation revealed that Morales had been removed from the United States on two separate occasions in 2007 and 2018.

    Morales has a lengthy criminal history, including two previous federal convictions for illegal reentry, as well as two convictions in Indiana and Illinois for dealing cocaine and methamphetamine.

    “While in the United States unlawfully for a third time, this defendant has repeatedly broken the law, demonstrating time and time again a fundamental lack of respect for this country,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Our office is committed to working with ICE and our other law enforcement partners to ensure criminal defendants like Mr. Morales cannot continue to pose danger to our communities.”

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young

    Acting U.S. Attorney Childress thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany J. Preston and Samantha Spiro, who prosecuted this case.

    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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN)

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Ethiopian Man Sentenced to Armed Robbery of a Gulfport Supermarket

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Gulfport, MS – An Ethiopian national was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for armed robbery of a local supermarket in Gulfport.

    According to court documents, Milki Ibrahim walked into the supermarket on February 23, 2024, pulled out a black handgun and said, “Give me the money or I will shoot y’all right now.” The employee behind the cash register complied and gave Ibrahim $1200. Ibrahim threatened to come back and kill the people in the store if they went to the police.

    Employees of the store were able to positively identify Ibrahim as the armed robber. A subsequent review of Ibrahim’s cellphone showed he took pictures of himself wearing the same clothes that were worn during the robbery just one day prior. Those same clothes were found in the defendant’s residence along with a firearm that matched the description to the one used in the robbery.

    In December 2024, Ibrahim pled guilty to the charge.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.

    The case was investigated by the FBI and the Gulfport Police Department.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Smith is prosecuting the case.

    For non- HSTF cases pursuant to Op. TBA

    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).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Honduran Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Reentry by a Removed Alien

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    GULFPORT, MS – A Honduran man pleaded guilty on April 16, 2025, to Unlawful Reentry into the United States by a Deported or Removed Alien.  According to court documents, Denis Ramon Flores Ortez, age 40, of Honduras pleaded guilty to this federal felony offense in U.S. District Court in Gulfport.

    Flores Ortez is scheduled to be sentenced on August 19, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Federal law also provides for Flores Ortez to face Homeland Security removal proceedings after serving any sentence of imprisonment.

    On February 3, 2025, the U.S. Border Patrol encountered Flores Ortez, at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center in Gulfport.  As a result of official records checks, Flores Ortez was found to be an illegal alien from Honduras who had been lawfully removed from the United States.

    Flores Ortez illegally entered the U.S. in 2004, and was afforded the privilege of a voluntary departure in lieu of removal. In 2010, Flores Ortez illegally reentered the U.S. and was apprehended by Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) after his arrest in Jackson County.  A removal order was issued against him, and he was physically removed from the U.S.  Thereafter, he unlawfully reentered the U.S. after removal and was arrested in Gulfport, MS, in 2025.

    Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, Patrick A. Lemon, praised the work of Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Border Patrol.  Lemon and Eric P. DeLaune, Special Agent-in-Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Adam M. Calderon, Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the Border Patrol’s New Orleans Sector, made the announcement.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America 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). 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Houston Statement on Law Enforcement Activity

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

    FBI Houston is on location in the 13000 block of Milan Drive in south Houston responding to an agent-involved shooting. Preliminary information at this time is that on Thursday, April 17, at approximately 5:30 p.m., an FBI Houston agent was at the intersection of Milan Drive and East Anderson Road conducting authorized law enforcement activity when a woman armed with a machete threatened him. In response, the agent fired his weapon. The woman was taken to a local hospital. The agent was not physically harmed. The scene is currently being processed by the FBI’s Evidence Response Team who will be on-site for several hours. Per FBI policy, FBI’s Inspection Division will conduct an independent and objective investigation of the incident. To protect the investigation’s integrity, no more details will be released at this time.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Judge Finds Alexandria Man Guilty of Child Pornography Offenses

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

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal judge convicted an Alexandria man, who worked for the Department of Commerce, yesterday on charges of receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Rafferty Daniel Kelly, 40, worked for the Patent and Trademark Office. In March 2022, a federal CSAM investigation involving an Internet-based, peer-to-peer file sharing service led federal agents to execute a search warrant at Kelly’s home where they seized multiple devices. A review of those devices revealed that over a period of at least two years Kelly had downloaded and stored over 50,000 of images of CSAM and child erotica, including images of infants and prepubescent children. Kelly also possessed a handbook on how to groom children.

    At the end of the bench trial, U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff found Kelly guilty of one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Kelly is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24 and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Sean Ryan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, made the announcement after Judge Nachmanoff returned the verdict.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa K. Strobbe for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz for the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation & Obscenity Section are prosecuting the case.

    This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.

    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 U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-246.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Thirty-Year Prison Sentence for Convicted Killer

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

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Farmington man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the brutal killing of a man on the Navajo Nation in 2020.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    According to court documents, between February 6, 2020, and February 14, 2020, Tyran Begay, 40, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, helped confine and torture John Doe alongside Camille Damon and Ronald Belone by binding and beating the victim, and leaving his body exposed to frigid weather in a remote area near Smith Lake, New Mexico.

    Upon his release from prison, Begay will be subject to five years of supervised release.

    Damon and Belone remain in custody pending trial, which has yet been scheduled.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco and Meg P. Tomlinson are prosecuting the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: 30th Anniversary of Oklahoma City Bombing

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

    By the time it was over, the Bureau had conducted more than 28,000 interviews, followed some 43,000 investigative leads, amassed three-and-a-half tons of evidence, and reviewed nearly a billion pieces of information.

    “The FBI’s investigation of the Oklahoma City bombing was a Herculean effort of enormous breadth,” Louis Freeh, FBI Director at the time of the bombing, has said. “From the moment the bomb exploded, the FBI devoted every conceivable resource to investigating and solving this act of terrorism. 

    “I am proud of our investigators and support teams who, with their colleagues, worked around the clock to solve this terrible crime. The investigation and prosecution of this case was a success story, a significant accomplishment.”

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Aliquippa Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Cocaine Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to five years of imprisonment on his conviction for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on James Louis Peronis, 61, on April 15, 2025.

    According to information presented to the Court, beginning in May 2021, Peronis was the subject of a joint investigation by local, state, and federal law enforcement related to cocaine trafficking. During the investigation, law enforcement determined that Peronis would obtain kilogram quantities of cocaine in Ohio and then distribute the cocaine in Pennsylvania. On July 1, 2021, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Peronis as he entered the Western District of Pennsylvania from Ohio. During the traffic stop, law enforcement conducted a consensual search of the vehicle, which resulted in the seizure of nearly two kilograms of cocaine.

    Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

    Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program of Beaver County for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Peronis.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: PENSACOLA MAN CHARGED IN FEDERAL INDICTMENT FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Austin James McCastler II, 35, was indicted by a federal grand jury this week charging him with two counts of distribution of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and marijuana, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, attempted prevention of the government’s authority to take property during an authorized search and seizure, attempted murder and assault of a Special Agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and discharging a firearm during a violent crime. Michelle Spaven, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.

    McCastler is scheduled for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Hope Thai Cannon on April 22, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in Pensacola, Florida. If convicted, McCastler faces up to life imprisonment.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Pensacola Police Department, and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case. Assistant United States Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Jessica S. Etherton are prosecuting the case.

    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 available 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.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Funding Shortfalls Adversely Affect Key Judiciary Programs

    Source: United States Courts

    A shortfall in this year’s congressional appropriations is significantly impacting the Judiciary’s ability to ensure security at courthouses at a time of rising threats to federal judges and impairing efforts to provide critical legal defense services to people who can’t afford to hire lawyers.

    Those concerns were outlined in an April 10 letter (PDF) to appropriators in Congress by Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr., Judicial Conference secretary, and Judge Amy J. St. Eve, chair of the Conference’s Budget Committee.

    The continuing resolution enacted in March provides the Judicial Branch with $8.6 billion, $391 million less than the Judicial Conference had requested. The branch had requested exceptions to the governmentwide funding freeze imposed by the resolution, but the requests were excluded in the final legislation. As a result, many of the Judiciary’s accounts are frozen for a second consecutive year, leaving them operating at fiscal year 2023 levels.

    One of them is the $750 million Court Security program.

    “We have significant concerns about our ability to properly secure federal courthouses given current resource levels,” Conrad and St. Eve wrote. “Consecutive years of flat security funding comes at a time when threats against federal judges and courthouses are escalating, making this situation unsustainable in the current environment.”

    Currently, 67 judges involved in high profile cases are receiving enhanced online security screening services provided by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and the U.S. Marshals Service, which is also operating at reduced staffing levels as a result of the funding freeze. In some instances, the Marshals Service has had to take “extraordinary measures” to ensure the safety of judges, the letter said.

    The Judiciary’s Defender Services program was also significantly underfunded for fiscal year 2025. It received $1.45 billion, $129 million below the necessary level. A hiring freeze already in place was extended until at least the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. And the Judiciary will have to defer a projected $92 million in payments to private defense attorneys, who are appointed by the courts under the Criminal Justice Act to represent defendants who can’t afford to retain counsel.

    “These are payments for constitutionally required legal work that has already been performed but that will be left unpaid for months simply because we cannot afford to make the payments,” Conrad and St. Eve wrote, noting that some attorneys may decline to accept future appointments as a result.

    A shortage of qualified defense attorneys willing to take cases could create “unlawful delays in the constitutional right of defendants to a speedy and fair trial,” they said. 

    The freeze is also having an adverse impact on maintaining necessary staff levels in probation and pretrial services, as well as in clerks of court offices. 

    “Some clerks of court offices report they cannot sufficiently staff public counters to assist individuals seeking court information or help with filing,” the judges said, also predicting that “probation offices will have to focus limited supervision resources on the most violent, high-risk offenders, leaving low-to-mid risk offenders with less supervision, increasing the risk of offenders committing new crimes.”

    As the Judiciary prepares to submit its budget request for fiscal year 2026, Conrad and St. Eve emphasized the need for congressional appropriators to provide adequate funding to help the Judiciary mitigate some of the adverse impacts of the recent appropriations shortfalls. Their letter was sent to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate appropriations committees and subcommittees with jurisdiction over Judiciary funding.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican Man Charged with Bringing Aliens to the United States

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on April 17, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Benjamin Gutierrez-Morales, 28, of Sonora, Mexico, with illegally bringing aliens to the United States.

    Gutierrez-Morales’s arraignment will occur on April 21, 2025, at 1:00 PM in Burlington, Vermont.

    According to court records, Gutierrez-Morales met two aliens north of the United States-Canada international border on April 5, 2025. He led those two aliens on foot south across the border. Law enforcement caught all three aliens near Lost Nation Road in Berkshire, Vermont. The two aliens who Gutierrez-Morales brought to the United States both pleaded guilty to illegally entering the United States on April 7, 2025.

    The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Gutierrez-Morales is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Gutierrez-Morales faces up to 10 years of imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

    Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol.  

    The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Joshua L. Banker. Gutierrez-Morales is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Emily Kenyon.

    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).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Crime is nonpartisan and the blame game on crime in cities is wrong – on both sides

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Justin de Benedictis-Kessner, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

    Neither party – Democrats nor Republicans – is doing a better job at fixing crime. Carl Ballou – iStock/Getty Images Plus

    Following George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis in 2020, the U.S. has undergone a national reckoning over crime prevention and police reform.

    Across the country, calls went out from activists to rethink the scope and role of the police. Some on the left vowed to “defund” the police. Others on the right promised to instead “back the blue” and maintain or increase police funding.

    This rhetorical tug-of-war unfolded while many cities across the country grappled with spiking crime rates during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Blaming crime on Democratic city leaders was a centerpiece of Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. He repeatedly made claims about crime spikes in recent years without evidence or context.

    More recently, Republican congressional leaders have called several Democratic mayors from across the country to testify before Congress about their sanctuary city policies that are aimed at protecting noncitizens from deportation. These congressional politicians have asserted that these Democratic mayors – Brandon Johnson of Chicago, Mike Johnston of Denver, Michelle Wu of Boston, and Eric Adams of New York – have “created a public safety nightmare” in their cities by allowing immigrants without legal authorization to stay there.

    Journalists and politicians on both sides of the aisle have claimed that local election results over the past four years in places like San Francisco and Los Angeles reflect a widespread frustration with Democratic policies on crime in cities.

    Under this argument, Democratic city leaders need to change their approach on crime to satisfy voters. It’s become a political axiom of sorts that policies championed largely by Democratic city leaders over the past half decade have resulted in rising crime levels.

    As researchers of politics and public policy, we wanted to figure out if that was true.

    A New York Times headline from June 8, 2022, linking crime rates and the Democratic Party.
    The New York Times

    Neither party does a better job

    As any student of introductory statistics learns, correlation doesn’t imply causation. Looking at increases or decreases in crime rates in Republican or Democratic cities and claiming either party is to blame would be making exactly this error: confusing correlation with causation.

    We put to the test the argument that one side or the other is better at fighting crime in our research published in January 2025. By employing three decades of data on mayoral elections from across the country, we were able to disentangle city leaders’ partisanship from other features of cities.

    Contrary to much of the political rhetoric and media coverage aimed at most Americans, our results show that neither party is doing a better job at actually causing crime to decrease.

    In Dallas, Mayor Eric Johnson has claimed that Democratic leaders aren’t taking public safety seriously and that the Democratic Party is “with the criminals.” Johnson switched from being a Democrat to a Republican in 2023 and attributes his decision at least partially to this partisan difference on crime and policing and the seriousness with which he takes this policy issue.

    But our research shows that Johnson’s and others’ claims about Democratic cities becoming more dangerous just aren’t true: Mayors from the Democratic Party aren’t making cities any more – or less – dangerous than mayors from the Republican Party.

    Nor, it turns out, is there any support for claims by some progressive Democrats that they would reduce the role – and enormous budgets – of police departments in cities across the country.

    When we examined the number of sworn police officers in cities and how much money those cities spend on the police, Democratic and Republican mayors alike have had surprisingly little influence on police department budgets or sizes.

    In other words, Democrats aren’t cutting police budgets, nor are Republicans increasing police budgets. Most cities have increased police budgets in the past few years, possibly due to pressure from police unions.

    Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson speaks during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024.
    Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

    ‘Crime is nonpartisan’

    It turns out that campaign promises from both sides of the partisan aisle about crime and policing have little bearing on what’s happening on the ground in most cities and police departments across the country.

    Neither party is doing a better job at reducing crime. Nor is either party actually addressing the ballooning financial cost of local police forces in the U.S., nor the long-term reputational costs from police misconduct for trust in the police and government more broadly.

    As others have said: crime is nonpartisan.

    Crime has decreased across the U.S. during the past three decades overall, and the isolated cities where crime has increased recently can reverse these temporary trends.

    Partisan blame narratives do little to actually lower crime and make neighborhoods safer, though.

    There are real evidence-backed policies that reduce crime – such as youth jobs programs in Chicago and Boston. Other policies reduce racial disparities in the criminal justice system – such as alternative 911 response programs that use unarmed behavioral health workers to respond to some types of emergencies.

    These policies and interventions might not be as slogan-worthy as “defund the police” or “back the blue.” Nor is implementing these policies as politically convenient as blaming sanctuary city mayors. But research shows that they work and can move cities toward the shared goal of improved public safety for their residents.

    Justin de Benedictis-Kessner has previously received funding from the Bloomberg Center for Cities, the MIT Election Data + Science Lab, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and the Boston Area Research Initiative.

    Christopher S. Warshaw receives funding from the MIT Election Data + Science Lab, the Russell Sage Foundation, and Democracy Fund.

    – ref. Crime is nonpartisan and the blame game on crime in cities is wrong – on both sides – https://theconversation.com/crime-is-nonpartisan-and-the-blame-game-on-crime-in-cities-is-wrong-on-both-sides-252218

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Angel Moms Patty Morin and Tammy Nobles Share Personal Accounts of Illegal Alien Crime

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Angel Moms Patty Morin and Tammy Nobles Share Personal Accounts of Illegal Alien Crime

    lass=”text-align-center”>”Border policies that prioritized criminal illegal aliens over American citizens

    President Trump and I are putting the safety of Americans first

    ” – Secretary Kristi Noem
    WASHINGTON – Today, Angel Moms Patty Morin and Tammy Nobles shared their personal accounts of illegal alien crime

    Patty Morin’s daughter, Rachel, was brutally murdered by an illegal alien from El Salvador who was found guilty this week

    Tammy Noble’s daughter, Kayla, was murdered by a MS-13 gang member from El Salvador

    Watch the full interview here

    Patty Morin and Tammy Nobles highlighted that many illegal aliens in the country are brutal criminals that are public safety threats who should not be loose on American streets

    PATTY MORIN: “There is also a majority amongst them that are criminals from other countries that have no regard for life at all

    And I wanted people to understand just how brutal that they are and how they can just take a life without even giving it a second thought

    And that this is a safety issue, and it is I believe, a national security issue, having all these criminals in our country

    ”
    TAMMY NOBLES: “It comes from the love of my child and to make sure that no one else will suffer the way that Kayla did

    Also, what she went through, she was sleeping in her bed, he broke into her room and strangled her

    Everything is caught on voicemail

    He beat her and raped her after he killed her

    ”
    Neither Patty Morin or Tammy Nobles have heard from Democrats about the tragic and brutal murders of their young daughters

    PATTY MORIN: “I’ve heard no response from any Democrats

    I’ve received some threatening phone calls, but I received no response from anybody

    They’re ignoring it

    It’s kind of like a little toddler, if I don’t look at you, you can’t see me

    Or if I don’t look at that, I didn’t do that kind of thing

    They are ignoring it

    ”
    TAMMY NOBLES: “They never reached out to me even after Kayla was murdered and we found it was a 16-year-old known MS-13 gang member

    The Democratic Party has never looked at her pictures when I testified in Congress

    They never looked at her photos or said her name

    And they always say the same thing, ‘Oh the Republicans are using you as a political stunt or I’m sorry, for your condolences

    ’ That’s all they had to offer

    They did not offer any solutions on the ongoing problem

    ”
    American leaders should be protecting American citizens

    It’s common sense

    PATTY MORIN: “We should be protecting life, we should be protecting American citizens, that’s why you’re elected, that’s why we pay taxes

    They are so out of touch with the American people, it boggles my mind

    ”
    BOTTOM LINE: President Trump and Secretary Noem stand with the victims of illegal alien crime and are putting the safety of American citizens first

    ###
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 100 days after the fires: California and Los Angeles rebuild, recover, and rise together

    Source: US State of California 2

    Apr 17, 2025

    What you need to know: Governor Newsom has made the recovery of Los Angeles his highest priority – directing a whole-of-government response to support communities and survivors.

    LOS ANGELES – On the 100 day milestone since the Eaton and Palisades fires ignited, California mourns the loss of those who died, the communities that were forever changed and celebrates the heroic efforts of first responders and those working tirelessly everyday to rebuild these communities stronger and more resilient. 

    “My job is to make sure Californians who felt helpless after the fires are able to have hope again. Our work is far from over — but 100 days since the fires first broke out in early January, California remains united and together will rebuild, recover and rise.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Since the first day these firestorms ignited, Governor Newsom has been on the ground leading an all-in state response. 

    The Governor deployed resources before the fires broke out – growing to over 16,000 boots on the ground at the peak of the state’s response. And in the hours that followed, Governor Newsom launched historic recovery and rebuilding efforts to help Los Angeles get back on its feet, faster. 

    Even before the fires were out, Governor Newsom worked closely with outgoing President Joesph Biden to secure a presidential major disaster declaration and then coordinated with the Trump Administration to ensure full-throated federal support for Los Angeles. 

    That work has paid dividends as California is on-track to deliver the fastest major disaster cleanup in American history. The current pace of debris and hazardous waste removal is months ahead of the cleanup timeline for the Camp, Woolsey, Hill fires in 2019 and Tubbs Fire in 2017/18, which at the time were themselves the fastest of their kind. 

    That work has paid dividends as California is on-track to deliver the fastest major disaster cleanup in American history. The current pace of debris and hazardous waste removal is months ahead of the cleanup timeline for the Camp, Woolsey, Hill fires in 2019 and Tubbs Fire in 2017/18, which at the time were themselves the fastest of their kind. 

    State and federal officials have worked hand in glove to clear hazardous waste from 9,000 homes in less than 30 day. Currently there are 500 crews of expert heavy equipment operators from the Army Corps of Engineers working around the clock to rapidly clear ash, soot, and fire debris from structures damaged by the Eaton and Palisades fires. 

    More than 2,300 parcels have already been completed and signed off by the county and hundreds more have been cleared of debris and are now just awaiting erosion controls, tree removal, and final inspection.

    By the Numbers 

    • 16,000 first responders and recovery personnel deployed
    • $2.5 billion in Small Business Administration Assistance 
    • $100,000 million in individual assistance disbursed
    • $100,000 million community partnerships through LA Rises
    • 40,000 totals visitors to disaster recovery centers 
    • 9,000 properties cleared of hazardous waste in 30 days
    • 2,300 homes cleared of debris 
    • 12,500 right of entry forms submitted 
    • 8 of 8 schools resumed in person instruction 
    • 8 of 9 water systems reactivated  

    California’s historic recovery and rebuilding efforts 

    • Cutting red tape to help rebuild Los Angeles faster and stronger. Governor Newsom issued an executive order to streamline the rebuilding of homes and businesses destroyed — suspending permitting and review requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the California Coastal Act. The Governor also issued an executive order further cutting red tape by reiterating that permitting requirements under the California Coastal Act are suspended for rebuilding efforts and directing the Coastal Commission not to issue guidance or take any action that interferes with or conflicts with the Governor’s executive orders. The Governor also issued an executive order removing bureaucratic barriers, extending deadlines, and providing critical regulatory relief to help fire survivors rebuild, access essential services, and recover more quickly.
    • Fast-tracking temporary housing and protecting tenants. To help provide necessary shelter for those immediately impacted by the firestorms, the Governor issued an executive order to make it easier to streamline construction of accessory dwelling units, allow for more temporary trailers and other housing, and suspend fees for mobile home parks. Governor Newsom also issued an executive order that prohibits landlords in Los Angeles County from evicting tenants for sharing their rental with survivors displaced by the Los Angeles-area firestorms.
    • Mobilizing debris removal and cleanup. With an eye toward recovery, the Governor directed fast action on debris removal work and mitigating the potential for mudslides and flooding in areas burned. He also signed an executive order to allow expert federal hazmat crews to start cleaning up properties as a key step in getting people back to their properties safely. The Governor also issued an executive order to help mitigate risk of mudslides and flooding and protect communities by hastening efforts to remove debris, bolster flood defenses, and stabilize hillsides in affected areas. 
    • Directing immediate state relief. The Governor signed legislation providing over $2.5 billion to immediately support ongoing emergency response efforts and to jumpstart recovery efforts for Los Angeles. California quickly launched CA.gov/LAfires as a single hub of information and resources to support those impacted and bolsters in-person Disaster Recovery Centers. The Governor also launched LA Rises, a unified recovery initiative that brings together private sector leaders to support rebuilding efforts. Governor Newsom announced that individuals and families directly impacted by the recent fires living in certain zip codes may be eligible to receive Disaster CalFresh food benefits.
    • Getting kids back in the classroom. Governor Newsom signed an executive order to quickly assist displaced students in the Los Angeles area and bolster schools affected by the firestorms.
    • Protecting victims from real estate speculators. The Governor issued an executive order to protect firestorm victims from predatory land speculators making aggressive and unsolicited cash offers to purchase their property.

    Helping businesses and workers get back on their feet. The Governor issued an executive order to support small businesses and workers, by providing relief to help businesses recover quickly by deferring annual licensing fees and waiving other requirements that may impose barriers to recovery.

    Press Releases, Recent News

    Recent news

    Apr 17, 2025

    News Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring April 2025, as Arab American Heritage Month. The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below: PROCLAMATIONThe Arab American community, comprising over 20 nationalities…

    Apr 17, 2025

    News What you need to know: Following Governor Newsom’s state of emergency proclamation to protect communities from catastrophic wildfire, a new online fast-track process now makes it faster to get state-level approvals – in as little as 30 days – for critical forest…

    Apr 17, 2025

    News What you need to know: California’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force recovers nearly 41,000 stolen items valued at $4.4 million, leading to 383 arrests.  SACRAMENTO – Citing ongoing progress to takedown organized retail crime statewide, Governor Gavin Newsom…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom proclaims Arab American Heritage Month

    Source: US State of California 2

    Apr 17, 2025

    Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring April 2025, as Arab American Heritage Month. 

    The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below:

    PROCLAMATION

    The Arab American community, comprising over 20 nationalities and numerous religious groups, is inextricably woven into the fabric of this state – and this month, California joins the nation in celebrating Arab American Heritage Month by highlighting the profound and wide-ranging contributions of the vibrant communities in all facets of our society.

    Nagi Daifullah, a Yemeni migrant and farmworker who served as a strike captain during the United Farm Workers’ 1973 grape strike, was known for his ability to transcend ethnic and linguistic barriers among workers. Last year, in Tulare County, work began on Nagi Daifullah Unity Park, commemorating his prominence in the history of the labor movement.

    Daifullah’s legacy is reflective of the impact Arab American communities have had on California – changing the course of history by unifying different communities in pursuit of a better world. California is fortunate to have the largest Arab American population in the country, with thriving communities in Los Angeles, San Diego, the Bay Area, and other parts of the state that trace their heritage across the Middle East and North Africa. In 2022, Anaheim officially recognized the district of Little Arabia, making it the first officially recognized Arab American enclave in the country. 

    As we celebrate these many achievements and contributions, we must also recognize the pervasive discrimination and xenophobia the Arab American community faces and has faced – with many suffering in silence, fearing to speak out. This is unacceptable. Our state is leading the charge to protect those under attack for who they are, how they look, or what they believe.

    This urgent work is ongoing with partners throughout the state, including efforts to bolster security at places of worship and cultural centers, make available community-based services to support victims of hate, provide anonymous reporting options for victims and witnesses of hate acts, and other resources to further safety and inclusion for all Californians.

    Whether they’ve called America home for many generations or arrived more recently, Arab Americans have enriched communities across the country and made an indelible impact. During Arab American Heritage Month, we honor the past, present, and future of this community in our California story and rededicate ourselves to ensuring the safety and belonging of Arab Americans across our state. 

    NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim April 2025, as “Arab American Heritage Month.”

    IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 3rd day of April 2025.

    GAVIN NEWSOM
    Governor of California

    ATTEST:
    SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
    Secretary of State

    Press Releases, Proclamations

    Recent news

    Apr 17, 2025

    News What you need to know: Following Governor Newsom’s state of emergency proclamation to protect communities from catastrophic wildfire, a new online fast-track process now makes it faster to get state-level approvals – in as little as 30 days – for critical forest…

    Apr 17, 2025

    News What you need to know: California’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force recovers nearly 41,000 stolen items valued at $4.4 million, leading to 383 arrests.  SACRAMENTO – Citing ongoing progress to takedown organized retail crime statewide, Governor Gavin Newsom…

    Apr 16, 2025

    News What you need to know: California today filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s authority to unilaterally enact tariffs, which have created economic chaos, driven up prices, and harmed the state, families, and businesses. SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “BioTech-2025”: Scientists Discuss Innovations in Biotechnology

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The 2nd All-Russian scientific and practical conference with international participation “BioTech-2025” was held at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

    Guests from Kazan, Ulan-Ude, Tambov, Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad and the Republic of Belarus gathered at the Higher School of Biotechnology and Food Production of the Institute of Biomedical Systems and Biotechnology. An excursion to the SPbPU History Museum was organized for them.

    The participants were greeted by the Director of the Institute of Biotechnology and Biotechnology Andrey Vasin, who noted that biotechnology is one of the priority areas of scientific and technological development of the country, therefore the specialty of biotechnologist is very popular among applicants.

    The Chairperson of the Organizing Committee, Director of the Higher School of Biotechnology and Food Production Yulia Bazarnova emphasized that the exchange of experience and knowledge between young specialists will accelerate the development of innovative solutions and technologies, and that such meetings contribute to the birth of new ideas and projects.

    Leading researchers in the field of food security, biomedicine and environmental biotechnology, as well as representatives of the conference partners, the companies Alkor Bio and Partiya Eda, spoke at the plenary session.

    Oksana Pavlova, associate professor of Grodno State University, spoke about the long-term cooperation between Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno. She noted that the long-term experience of interaction confirms the high efficiency in the development of the international educational space and indicates significant potential for further expansion of scientific and pedagogical exchange formats.

    Irina Cheglakova, Head of the Department for the Development of Biologically Active Supplements at Alkor Bio Group of Companies, presented the development prospects for one of the areas of the modern food industry and medicine — the creation and production of dietary supplements. Irina Potoroko, Professor at the South Ural State University, gave a report on food security.

    Several final reports were made by SPbPU scientists. Professor of the Higher School of Social and Economics Marina Karpenko spoke about the various effects of manganese, which is toxic, but at the same time a vital microelement for human health and development. Prospects and methods of using microalgae to solve environmental problems were presented by Professor of the Higher School of Social and Economics Natalia Politaeva. She spoke about a method for obtaining biohydrogen from spent microalgae, which were previously used to purify wastewater from the food industry. According to experts, this approach will simultaneously provide access to renewable environmentally friendly fuel and reduce the impact of industrial wastewater on the environment.

    In conclusion, leading technologists of the Food Party company, graduates of the Higher School of Business and Food Safety Vladimir Gnilitsky and Kristina Bogdanova shared their experience in the development of new dishes and the introduction of the latest methods of processing products to preserve their freshness.

    In addition, meetings of the sections “Food Systems and Nutrition”, “Molecular and Cellular Biotechnology”, “Biotechnology for Plant Growing”, “Methods of Molecular Diagnostics and Environmental Biotechnology” were held.

    The conference moderator, senior lecturer at the Higher School of Business and Public Policy Anna Sevastyanova, emphasized that the event provides a unique opportunity for young scientists to get acquainted with the experience of experienced researchers – professors, associate professors and leading employees of various scientific organizations.

    It was interesting to listen to the reports on various problems related to biotesting of different environments: air, water and soil. After the presentations, it became clear that microalgae are a certain “favorite” in this topic. The use of biotechnology to increase crop yields and product quality also aroused keen interest. I would like to thank the organizers for the opportunity to exchange experiences, – shared 4th year student Andrey Voynov.

    Based on the results of the conference, a collection of materials will be compiled.

    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.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WRAIR-Africa protects force health at Justified Accord ‘25

    Source: United States Army

    From left to right: Col. Gerald Kellar, Maj. John Eads, and Maj. Luis Pow Sang collect waste water from sewers at the Counter Insurgency, Terrorism, and Stability Operations Center during Exercise Justified Accord. (Photo Credit: Courtesy ) VIEW ORIGINAL

    Back to

    U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF)

    NAIROBI, Kenya – The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research – Africa conducted disease surveillance in support of Justified Accord 2025 from Feb. 10–21, in Kenya.

    Justified Accord is U.S. Africa Command’s largest exercise in East Africa. The 2025 iteration involved more than 1,500 participants from 20 countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Somalia, Morocco, Tunisia and the United Kingdom. The exercise is designed to strengthen multinational cooperation as well as regional security.

    WRAIR-Africa supported the exercise by identifying pathogens in the environment and coordinating with medical personnel to ensure appropriate protective measures. The team conducted daily vector surveillance, collecting mosquitos, sandflies and ticks for pathogen testing, as well as analyzing wastewater samples.

    Maj. Eads and his team identify larvae of the Anopheles mosquito, the vector for malaria parasites, near the Justified Accord cantonment area. (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL

    During the exercise, WRAIR-Africa identified nine major pathogen threats including the bacteria that causes Q fever, the bacteria that causes epidemic typhus, jingman tick virus, and norovirus. The findings were shared with Role 1 medical assets and health protection personnel to mitigate risks to participating service members.

    “By telling the force health protection (FHP) and health service support (HSS) personnel that the pathogen is in the environment, you can keep the soldiers safe,” said Maj. John Eads, Chief of Entomology at WRAIR-Africa. “Something like norovirus is a particular threat–that’s the pathogen that takes out cruise ships all the time because of how easily it spreads. Identifying it before it spreads is essential to getting preventative measure in place and keeping service members healthy.”

    Maj. Eads reviews tick specimens collected by the WRAIR-Africa Entomology team. (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL

    WRAIR-Africa’s role in the exercise was essential to protecting force health, but it also provides a second major benefit: an opportunity to learn.

    In addition to surveillance, WRAIR-Africa used the exercise as an opportunity to assess support needs for large-scale combat operations. This included evaluating the effectiveness of tools such as rapid diagnostic tests that don’t require cold-chain storage, which can be limited in austere environments.

    Maj. Luis Pow Sang, Military Chief of Microbiology, performs initial validation and testing of BioFire film array for use in real-time exercise support. (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL

    “Participation in Justified Accord embeds us with the warfighter so we can see where there are gaps,” said Eads. “During and after the exercise, we ask: what products are necessary in large-scale combat operations? It’s an opportunity to determine how WRAIR-Africa can further support force health protection and Health Service Support.”

    Following the exercise, WRAIR-Africa compiled a report to inform future surveillance operations and refine its support strategies for forward-deployed environments.

    About Justified Accord

    Justified Accord is U.S. Africa Command’s largest exercise in East Africa. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), and hosted in Kenya, Djibouti and Rwanda, this year’s exercise will incorporate personnel and units from 23 nations and five observer countries. This multinational exercise builds readiness for the U.S. joint force, prepares regional partners for UN and AU mandated missions, and increases multinational interoperability in support of humanitarian assistance, disaster response and crisis response.

    Justified Accord content can be found on the official Justified Accord DVIDS feature page.

    About SETAF-AF

    SETAF-AF provides U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Army Europe and Africa a dedicated headquarters to synchronize Army activities in Africa and scalable crisis-response options in Africa and Europe.

    Follow SETAF-AF on:

    Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn & DVIDS

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Students of the State University of Management held a seminar for the Day of United Actions in Memory of the Genocide of the Soviet People

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    On April 17, 2025, a seminar dedicated to the Day of United Actions in Memory of the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People by the Nazis and their Collaborators during the Great Patriotic War was held at the Institute of Economics and Finance of the State University of Management.

    This memorable date is celebrated throughout the country on April 19. It was on April 19, 1943 that the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was issued “On measures of punishment for German-fascist villains guilty of murder and torture of the Soviet civilian population and captured Red Army soldiers, for spies, traitors to the homeland from among Soviet citizens and for their accomplices.” This decree became the legal basis for investigative actions to establish the crimes of the Nazis against citizens of the Soviet Union.

    The Extraordinary State Commission for the Establishment and Investigation of the Crimes of the Nazi Invaders collected 250,000 testimonies about the occupiers’ crimes and compiled 56,000 reports on them. It was calculated that the enemy destroyed 1,710 cities and towns, burned more than 70,000 villages, and destroyed about 6 million buildings, thus depriving 25 million people of shelter. The damage to the national economy of the USSR amounted to 679 billion rubles.

    Today it is especially important to preserve the memory of the victims of that war, in order to prevent the development of neo-fascism. For this purpose, the IFE held a thematic seminar in the form of reports by first-year students on the eve of the memorable date. A total of nine reports were made at the seminar.

    The first of them was dedicated to the unofficial symbol of fascist atrocities against the civilian population – the village of Khatyn, burned down along with all its inhabitants. In her report “Khatyn: An Unhealed Wound of the Belarusian Land”, student Alla Korobkova spoke about the terrible events of the spring of 1943. Each time, talking about the tragedy of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War, the students also recalled modern events, because exactly 81 years after the Khatyn tragedy, on March 22, 2024, a terrible terrorist attack occurred in the Crocus City Hall.

    The echo of modern times was also heard in the report by Elizaveta Kotova and Diana Popova, “The Feat of Youth in the Fight against Genocide of the Peoples of the USSR.” In their report, the girls told about the feat of the Young Guard. Krasnodon, where the guys lived and fought the fascists, is still in the frontline zone today. Diana Popova noted after the seminar: “The event dedicated to the victims of genocide makes us think about the heroism and responsibility of the Soviet people. Its unity and endurance should still find a response in the hearts of people and especially the younger generation.”

    Mikhail Semakov Mikhail in his report “Babi Yar Concentration Camp: Symbol of Nazi Terror in the Occupied Territory of the USSR” spoke about the terrible tragedy of 1941, when the Nazis and local collaborators shot about 150 thousand people, with more than 30 thousand people killed in the first two days of mass shootings.

    Anna Feshchenko and Anna Evtyukhina in their report drew attention to the living conditions of civilians in the occupied lands: hunger, terror and deprivation. During the discussion of the report, the children recalled the Salaspils children’s concentration camp – a blood factory, where about 3,500 liters of blood were pumped out of children kept in inhumane conditions over three years.

    In addition to stories about the atrocities of the fascists, the children noted the fortitude and heroism of the Soviet people. Thus, Nikolai Stroyev in his report “Resistance and Survival: How Soviet Citizens Fought Genocide During the Great Patriotic War” noted the fact that genocide did not break the Soviet people, but on the contrary, raised them to fight the invaders.

    Dmitry Kamchatov and Diana Mikhailova spoke about the trial of fascist ideologists at the Nuremberg Trials. Diana Mikhailova noted: “The students conveyed important historical information with dignity, awakening deep respect for the past. The event left a strong impression and emphasized the need to preserve the memory of tragic events.”

    The seminar continues the series of events held by the IEF for the 80th anniversary of the Victory. Students noted the importance of the meetings. Dmitry Kamchatov said: “Events of a social and educational nature are in demand more than ever. The very fact of holding such meetings shows the involvement of students in cultural programs. During today’s meeting, speakers and listeners mastered important material on the topic. It is worth noting the active participation of the IEF Directorate in the discussion and coverage of this topic in the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland.”

    Let us recall that last week we celebrated the Day of Liberation of Prisoners of Nazi Concentration Camps.

    The crimes committed by the fascist occupiers have no statute of limitations, and we have no right to forget them.

    #Scientific regiment

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/18/2025

    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.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: High Range Speeding Detected Smithton

    Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

    High Range Speeding Detected Smithton

    Friday, 18 April 2025 – 4:49 pm.

    Police will be proceeding against a 62 year old man from Smithton after he was detected driving his vehicle at 158km/h in a 100 km/h per hour zone. The Range Rover Sport was detected by police at 1:40 pm yesterday as it travelled past South Road at Forest on its approach into Smithton.Subsequently, the vehicle has been clamped for a period of 28 days and the man faces a four-month licence disqualification.Police are seeking for any members of the public who may have witnessed or have dash camera footage of the driving behaviour around that time.Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at crimestopperstas.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Miske Enterprise Member Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy and Role in Kidnapping and Murder of Johnathan Fraser

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson announced that Delia Fabro-Miske, 30, of Honolulu, was sentenced yesterday in federal court by U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson to 84 months of imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release for racketeering conspiracy. Fabro-Miske pled guilty on January 12, 2024, in the middle of jury selection, to conspiring to conduct and participate in the conduct of the affairs of a racketeering enterprise, the “Miske Enterprise,” through racketeering activity that included bank fraud, obstruction of justice, and wire fraud.

    Fabro-Miske admitted that she and codefendant Michael J. Miske committed bank fraud by submitting fraudulent paperwork in order to obtain leases for two vehicles that were used for one of Miske’s businesses. Fabro-Miske also  obstructed a joint investigation into another of Miske’s businesses, Kamaaina Termite and Pest Control (“KTPC”), which was conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (“HDA”). At Miske’s direction, Fabro-Miske submitted to HDA falsified fumigation logs, which claimed that she was the certified applicator of chemicals on hundreds of jobs. In reality, most of the listed jobs were completed by unlicensed applicators. Fabro-Miske also fraudulently obtained Social Security Administration (“SSA”) survivor benefits at Miske’s direction by having her wages at KTPC decreased below the SSA benefits income threshold. At the same time, Miske paid Fabro-Miske in benefits that were not reported to the SSA or Internal Revenue Service.

    Additionally, according to information provided to the Court, in or about 2017, Miske placed Fabro-Miske in charge of his businesses in an attempt to preserve and conceal his assets in anticipation of federal prosecution. In practice, Fabro-Miske carried out Miske’s wishes and acted at his direction. Fabro-Miske assisted in a fraudulent scheme committed through Miske’s businesses, which involved submitting false filings to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs that permitted the businesses to operate under fraudulently obtained and maintained licenses. Miske Enterprise members then falsely represented to customers that Miske’s businesses were properly licensed. Between 2017 and 2020, the businesses generated millions of dollars in income annually. As the head of Miske’s businesses, Fabro-Miske was also responsible for the proper and safe application of pesticides and other chemicals at customers’ homes. Information provided to the Court, however, showed that fumigations were regularly conducted without proper supervision or chemicals. Chief Judge Watson stated that Fabro-Miske’s work at Miske’s businesses “funded any number of crimes that we heard months and months of testimony” about in Miske’s trial, and her assistance “allowed Mr. Miske to run rampant in this community.”

    Finally, the Court determined that Fabro-Miske was also responsible for participating in a conspiracy with other Miske Enterprise members to kidnap and murder 21-year-old Johnathan Fraser. According to information provided to the Court, Caleb Miske – Miske’s son and Fabro-Miske’s husband – and Fraser were driving together when the two were involved in a car crash in November 2015.  Caleb Miske ultimately passed away from his injuries, and Miske blamed Fraser for his son’s death and enlisted several Miske Enterprise members to assist in his plan to murder Fraser. As part of that plan, Miske directed Fabro-Miske to rekindle her friendship with Fraser and his girlfriend and to lure them into living with her at an apartment paid for by Miske. On July 30, 2016, Fabro-Miske took Fraser’s girlfriend on a “spa day” paid for by Miske, ensuring that Fraser would be isolated when he was kidnapped. Fraser was never seen again after that day. Due to Miske’s death in December 2024, Chief Judge Watson explained that “the person most involved in Mr. Fraser’s demise will not ever be sentenced by this Court.” While Chief Judge Watson found that Fabro-Miske did not “directly and personally kill” Fraser and determined her to be a minimal participant in the kidnapping and murder conspiracy, he noted that there was “no doubt” that her actions led to Fraser’s murder and that the circumstances painted a “strong and clear picture” of a conspiracy to commit kidnapping murder in aid of racketeering.

    Fabro-Miske was charged alongside twelve other defendants, all of whom pled guilty except for Miske, who proceeded to trial and was found guilty of racketeering conspiracy, murder, and 11 other felony charges on July 18, 2024. Seven other members and associates of the Miske Enterprise pled guilty to various offenses in related cases. 

    “Delia Fabro-Miske was an integral member of the Miske Enterprise, which terrorized, exploited, and defrauded our community for decades. She participated in Miske’s bank frauds, social security fraud, falsification of fumigation records, and the concealment of Miske’s illegally obtained assets, and was a vital cog in the plot to murder of Johnathan Fraser. Fabro-Miske’s sentence yesterday demonstrates that those who occupy even the lower rungs of Hawaii’s criminal enterprises will pay a steep price when they face justice in federal court,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “The dismantling of the Miske Enterprise represents one of the most significant law enforcement efforts in the history of Hawaii law enforcement, and it would not have been possible without the tremendous and dedicated work of our partners at the Honolulu Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and Environmental Protection Agency, among many others.”

    “Ms. Fabro-Miske was a key member in the Miske Enterprise fraud schemes, actively participating in defrauding the government and taxpayers,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “This sentencing reflects years of collaboration between FBI Honolulu and our law enforcement partners. The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to dismantle violent criminal enterprises, hold their members accountable, and pursue justice for victims.”

    “Our investigators follow the money because criminal organizations profit at the expense of public safety,” said Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office. “Ms. Fabro-Miske’s racketeering conviction is a reminder that, in the end, crime really doesn’t pay.”

    “The sentencing of Ms. Fabro-Miske underscores HSI’s commitment to disrupting and dismantling criminal organizations in Hawaii,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral-DeArmas. “HSI will continue to hold accountable those who significantly harm our communities by breaking federal laws. By bringing justice to the Miske Enterprise, HSI sends the message that we will not tolerate any violent activity on our islands.”

    “By falsifying documents, defendant obstructed EPA and the state’s criminal investigation of a pesticide applicator that illegally applied restricted use pesticides,” said Benjamin Carr, Special Agent in Charge for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division in Hawaii. “Yesterday’s sentencing reflects the seriousness of defendant’s fraudulent conduct and the importance of complying with pesticide reporting requirements so EPA and Hawaii Department of Agriculture can keep our communities safe.”

    This prosecution was 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, intelligencedriven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Honolulu Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, the Cybercrime Lab of the Department of Justice Criminal Division Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center, the Honolulu Fire Department, the Hawaii National Guard, 93rd Civil Support Team, the Office of Investigations–Office of the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Inciong, Michael Nammar, KeAupuni Akina, and Aislinn Affinito prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Leader and Money Launderer for the KDY Drug Trafficking Crew Sentenced to 160 Months in Federal Prison

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

    WASHINGTON – Kenneth Amedola Olugbenga, 29, a leader of and money launderer for the violent Kennedy Street Crew (KDY), was sentenced today to 160 months in federal prison for his role in a massive drug trafficking organization that operated open-air markets in Northwest Washington D.C.

                The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Division, Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office , and ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives – Washington Field Division.

                Olugbenga, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty Sept. 20, 2024, to a two-count Superseding Information, charging him with conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, cocaine base, and marijuana and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. In addition to the 160-month prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell ordered Olugbenga to serve four years of supervised release. Judge Howell also ordered Olugbenga to forfeit $374,598.00 as part of his sentence.

                KDY members operated open-air drug markets on an 11-block stretch of Kennedy Street in Northwest Washington, D.C., as well as surrounding streets. Like many drug trafficking organizations (DTOs), KDY armed itself with fire power to facilitate the drug trade defend its territory from rival crews and commit other violent crimes. Olugbenga was arrested in June 2023 as part of a coordinated arrest operation in this case and has remained in federal custody since his arrest.

                According to court documents, and by his own admission, Olugbenga served as an organizer and leader of the Kennedy Street Crew. Olugbenga was one of the originators of KDY’s drug trafficking operation via commercial flights from California. He served as the lead money launderer for the crew, establishing phony companies that included an auto detailing business to project an illusion of legitimacy for the crew’s drug trafficking. From 2019 until the date of his arrest, Olugbenga also used a local casino to launder $1.8 million in illegal proceeds from drug trafficking. In addition, Olugbenga used one of the phony businesses to apply for and receive a forgivable Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) from the Small Business Administration during the COVID-19 pandemic. He used the SBA funds to buy more bulk narcotics.

                Olugbenga took nearly six dozen roundtrip flights to the West Coast over the course of the four-year conspiracy and spent more than $21,000 on one-way airline tickets in one year alone.

                Olugbenga was a bulk supplier of cocaine, both powdered and crack, along with marijuana. He regularly referred customers to other KDY drug trafficking operations when they sought pills or other narcotics that he himself was unable to readily access. He tracked drug expenses and debts within the crew, pooling resources and noting law enforcement seizures over the course of the four-year conspiracy.

                He also engaged in drug activity on KDY turf. Within the open-air drug market in Kennedy Street territory, MPD officers conducted 15 controlled purchases from Olugbenga totaling 52.3 grams of cocaine base.

                On February 20, 2023, in the 500 block of Emerson Street NW, the MPD’s Fourth District Crime Suppression Team observed a Ford Econoline van driving recklessly as it swerved into oncoming traffic to pass a bicyclist. This van was the same vehicle that Olugbenga had been seen using around the open-air drug market on Kennedy Street since the beginning of the investigation. MPD officers attempted to stop the van, chasing it as it fled. The vehicle eventually stopped near the intersection of 7th and Longfellow Streets NW. Olugbenga abandoned the van and fled on foot. The van was subsequently searched, and law enforcement recovered distribution quantities of crack cocaine and marijuana, a loaded Glock handgun, a drug ledger, and a brochure for one of Olugbenga’s shell companies.

                On June 27, 2023, law enforcement arrested Olugbenga and served search warrants at two residences associated with him. At his residence in KDY territory, officers recovered five kilos of marijuana, nearly a kilo of cocaine, and various scales. 

               Of the 17 KDY members charged in connection with the investigation, 16 have now been sentenced. Co-defendant Jovan Williams, aka Chewy, will be sentenced tomorrow, April 18.

               This investigation was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. 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.

               This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, the DEA’s Washington Division, the IRS Criminal Investigation Washington, D.C. Field Office, and ATF’s Washington Field Division.

               The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey and Sitara Witanachchi, of the of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

    KDY DEFENDANTS

    NAME

    AGE

    CHARGES/SENTENCES
    Kenneth Ademola Olugbenga 29 Sentenced March 17, 2025, to 360 Months in Prison after Pleading Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or more of Cocaine Base, and a Detectable Amount of Marijuana; and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense.
    Khali Ahmed Brown, aka “Migo Lee” 24 Sentenced January 16, 2025, to 168 Months after Pleading Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilograms or More of Marijuana and 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl and Oxycodone; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense; and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon.
    Keion Michael Brown 21 Sentenced January 16, 2025, to 147 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilograms or More of Marijuana and Oxycodone and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
    Miasiah Jamal Brown, aka “Michael Jamal Crawford” 23 Sentenced August 16, 2024, to Five Years for Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
    Tristan Miles Ware, aka “Greedy” 24 Sentenced December 13, 2024, to 120 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilos of Marijuana; and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime.
    Jovan Williams, aka “Chewy” and “Choo” 20 Sentencing Scheduled for April 18, 2025. Pleaded Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilograms or More of Marijuana and Armed Carjacking.
    Herman Eric-Bibmin Signou, aka “Herman Signour” 25 Sentenced March 22, 2024, to 40 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 100 Kilograms of More of Marijuana
    Cameron Xavier Reid 28 Sentenced May 31, 2024, to 60 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilograms of More of Marijuana.
    Warren Lawrence Fields, III, aka B-Dub 26 Sentenced May 16, 2024, to 60 Months for Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense and for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.
    Juwan Demetrius Clark, aka “Squirrel” 28 Sentenced January 10, 2025, to 37 Months for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.
    Aaron DeAndre Mercer, aka “Curby,” 34 Sentenced September 13, 2024, to 120 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, Marijuana, and Cocaine Base.
    David Penn, aka “Turtle” 32 Sentenced November 15, 2024, to 220 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana, 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl, and a Mixture of Cocaine Base; and Two Counts of Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense.
    Ronald Lynn Dorsey, aka “Ron G” and “HBGeezy” 31 Sentenced September 13, 2024, to 30 Months for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.
    Antonio Reginald Bailey, aka “Boy Boy,” and “Fellow King” 24 Sentenced February 8, 2024, to 24 Months for Receiving a Firearm While Under Indictment.
    Anthony Trayon Bailey, aka “Fat Ant,” and “Bizzle” 29 Sentenced April 26, 2024, to 15 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilograms or More of Marijuana, 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base.
    Angel Enrique Suncar, aka “Coqui” 31 Sentenced December 12, 2024, to 60 Months for Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime.
    Adebayo Adediji Green 31 Sentenced August 16, 2024, to 60 Months for Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.

                Defendant Cameron Reid is from Falmouth, VA; all remaining defendants are from Washington, D.C.

    Kenneth Olugbenga photographed at the local casino where he laundered illicit drug proceeds.

    Olugbenga frequented the open-air drug market in the Kennedy Street Corridor, often with his panel van or one of several sedans he operated.

     

    At Olugbenga’s residence in KDY territory, officers recovered nearly five kilograms of marijuana, and nearly a kilogram of cocaine.

    23cr202

    ##

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Owner of Money Service Business Faces Federal Charges for Laundering Drug Proceeds

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PORTLAND, Ore.—The owner and operator of La Popular, a money service business with locations in Oregon and Washington, was arraigned in federal court today after she was charged with laundering drug proceeds.

    Brenda Lili Barrera Orantes, 39, a Guatemalan national residing in Beaverton, Oregon, has been charged by criminal complaint with money laundering.

    According to court documents, between 2021 and 2024, Barrera Orantes is alleged to have accepted cash from drug proceeds and wired the funds through La Popular stores in Oregon and Washington. In return, Barrera Orantes charged a ten percent commission. Barrera Orantes is further alleged to have worked with others to divide large sums of money into several smaller transactions and used fictitious sender information to conceal her money laundering activities. Financial records indicate that Barrera Orantes transferred more than $89 million through her La Popular stores, including $18.5 million to regions in Mexico and Honduras that are associated with drug trafficking organizations.

    “This investigation has revealed the pivotal role that money service businesses play in laundering the enormous proceeds of trafficking illegal drugs in our community,” said Katie de Villiers, Chief of the Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Division for the District of Oregon. “The amount of dirty money allegedly flowing through these small businesses and back to Mexico and Honduras is truly staggering. We intend to hold accountable the operators of these businesses who profit by assisting drug trafficking organizations in laundering their proceeds.”

    “Because crime is such a coordinated effort, it is critical that we respond in kind,” said Special Agent in Charge Adam Jobes, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Seattle Field Office. “IRS-CI specializes in fighting illicit financial activity, and we are proud to partner closely with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe.”

    “Money laundering allows drug traffickers to thrive in the shadows, and by severing their cash flow we are striking at the very thing that incentivizes their illicit pursuits,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Murphy. “By stopping those that try to conceal criminal profits, communities are protected from the violence, addiction, and instability caused by the drug trade.”

    “The defendant in this case is suspected of providing financial support to overseas drug organizations under the guise of business transactions,” said FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson. “These are serious allegations that cause significant harm to our communities. We will never tolerate individuals who profit from activities that support a drug epidemic that harms our citizens.”

    On April 16, 2025, investigators executed federal search warrants at Barrera Orantes’ residence and three La Popular stores located in Beaverton, Hillsboro, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. Barrera Orantes was arrested in Beaverton without incident.

    Barrera Orantes made her first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. She was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.

    If convicted, Barrera Orantes faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, five years’ supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the money laundered.

    This case is being investigated by the IRS-CI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), FBI, and the Westside Interagency Narcotics team. It is being prosecuted by Christopher L. Cardani and Julia Jarrett, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

    The Westside Interagency Narcotics team is a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and is composed of members from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Beaverton Police Department, Hillsboro Police Department, FBI, HSI, and the Oregon National Guard. The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.

    A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

    The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

    Since 2018, IRS-CI has maintained a Third Party Money Laundering (3PML) Project. This project focuses on Complicit Money Service Businesses (MSB) working for Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations. The purpose of this project is to develop high-impact 3PML cases for IRS-CI and other agencies across the United States, by utilizing data analytics.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Honduran National Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PORTLAND, Ore.— Juan Jose Varela-Espinoza, 31, a Honduran national residing in Portland, was sentenced Wednesday to 120 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release for possessing nearly 16 pounds of powdered fentanyl, 57,700 fentanyl pills, and a stolen firearm.

    According to court documents, in July 2023, the Multnomah County Dangerous Drug Team (DDT) learned that Varela-Espinoza was distributing thousands of fentanyl pills in Portland.

    On July 25, 2023, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) requested assistance from Multnomah County DDT with locating and arresting Varela-Espinoza on an outstanding felony warrant for distributing dangerous drugs in Colorado. The same day, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant on Varela-Espinoza’s residence and vehicles. Investigators arrested Varela-Espinoza and seized nearly 16 pounds of powdered fentanyl, 57,700 fentanyl pills, $5,042 in cash, a stolen firearm, ammunition, and two pill press machines.

    On August 8, 2023, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging Varela-Espinoza with conspiracy to possess and possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

    On December 10, 2024, Varela-Espinoza pleaded guilty to possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute.

    This case was investigated by the Multnomah County DDT and was prosecuted by Kemp L. Strickland, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

    The Multnomah County DDT is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and is composed of members from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Multnomah County Parole and Probation, Gresham Police Department, the FBI and USMS.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: California Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft in Oregon and Maine

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MEDFORD, Ore.—A Romanian national residing in Garden Grove, California, was sentenced to federal prison today for stealing more than $176,000 by installing Automated Teller Machine (ATM) skimming devices throughout Oregon and Maine.

    Florin George Ionita, 45, was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $176,922 in restitution to his victims.

    According to court documents, between June and August 2023, Ionita installed skimming devices on ATMs and used the devices to steal account information and Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) from customers who conducted transactions at the ATMs. Ionita used the stolen information to produce counterfeit debit cards and withdraw cash from victims’ accounts. Over the course of his scheme, Ionita accessed hundreds of bank accounts and stole more than $176,000 from victims in Oregon and Maine.  

    On August 22, 2023, the Medford Police Department (MPD) received a report of a masked individual installing a skimming device. Investigators received photos of the man and distributed a law enforcement bulletin to identify the unknown individual. The following day, investigators from Kennebunk Police Department in Kennebunk, Maine, identified Ionita and informed MPD investigators of their investigation of Ionita installing skimming devices in Maine. Investigators learned that due to his immigration status, Ionita was required to wear a Global Positioning System (GPS) monitor which confirmed his location at several banks where the ATM skimming devices were installed.

    On November 2, 2023, a federal grand jury in Medford returned a nine-count indictment charging Ionita with bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

    On March 20, 2024, a federal grand jury in the District of Maine returned a fifteen-count indictment charging Ionita with bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

    On December 6, 2024, Ionita pleaded guilty to one count each of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft for his crimes in Oregon, and one count each of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft for his crimes in Maine.

    This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service New England Cyber Fraud Task Force, the Medford Police Department Criminal Investigative Division, the Kennebunk Police Department, and the Freeport Police Department. It is being prosecuted by John C. Brassell, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Carter Lake Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Child Pornography Charge

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

    COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Carter Lake man was sentenced on March 12, 2025, to 84 months in in federal prison for receiving child pornography.

    According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip that an account, later determined to be associated with Jay McCall Schnider, 52, received and uploaded files containing child sexual abuse material between April 2020 and July 2023. Law enforcement seized an electronic device during the execution of a search warrant of Schnider’s Carter Lake residence. A forensic examination of the seized electronic device showed that Schnider used the device to receive images and videos containing child sexual abuse material.

    After completing his term of imprisonment, Schnider will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

    United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Iranian National Indicted for Operating Online Marketplace Offering Fentanyl, Other Drugs, and Money Laundering Services

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CLEVELAND – A federal grand jury has charged Behrouz Parsarad, an Iranian national, for his role as the creator and operator of Nemesis Market, a dark web marketplace designed to enable users to buy and sell illegal drugs and other illicit goods and criminal cyber-services, such as obtaining stolen financial information, fraudulent identification documents, counterfeit currencies, and computer malware.

    According to the indictment, Parsarad, 36, of Tehran, Iran, launched Nemesis Market in or around March 2021. Nemesis Market operated on the dark web, a network that uses The Onion Router (TOR) to encrypt traffic and hide users’ Internet Protocol (IP) address. At its peak, Nemesis Market had over 150,000 users and more than 1,100 vendor accounts registered worldwide. Between 2021 and 2024, Nemesis Market processed more than 400,000 orders, including more than 60,000 orders in 2022 and more than 250,000 orders in 2023. Of these, more than 55,000 orders were categorized as stimulants, which included sub-categories for methamphetamine, cocaine, cocaine base (crack), and other controlled substances. More than 17,000 orders were categorized as opioids, which included sub-categories for fentanyl, heroin, and oxycodone. All of the substances covertly purchased by the government and marketed on Nemesis as “isotonitazene,” “M30s” (purporting to be oxycodone), and “Percs” (purporting to be Percocet) were confirmed by laboratory reports to be mixtures and substances containing fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance and/or acetylfentanyl, heroin, and/or protonitazene, each a Schedule I controlled substance.

    “The allegations in this indictment span over four hundred thousand transactions involving fentanyl, other dangerous drugs, and a wide range of contraband made accessible on the darknet for more than three years,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Through cooperation with German and Lithuanian partners, the alleged administrator of this marketplace has been charged, servers and other infrastructure have been seized, and dangerous drugs and other contraband have been stopped from entering the United States. This case demonstrates the Department’s tireless commitment to protecting U.S. communities from the harms caused by fentanyl and darknet marketplaces and pursuing accountability for those who would endanger our communities no matter where they are located.”

    “Anyone who tries to profit from the sale of illegal drugs – whether it’s on the streets or online – will face consequences. Whether you sell or help others sell these dangerous drugs, you will be held accountable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Carol M. Skutnik for the Northern District of Ohio. “I want to acknowledge the excellent investigative work of our federal agency partners here in Ohio who helped us to bring the charges in this case. Together, we remain committed to keeping our neighborhoods safe and our streets free from illegal narcotics.”

    “This indictment, made possible by the assistance of our German and Lithuanian allies, underscores the importance of global partnerships and international collaboration,” said FBI Cleveland Acting Special Agent in Charge Charles Johnston. “Nemesis Market, through the darknet, was a borderless powerhouse of criminal activity that not only fueled the drug epidemic, but also a multitude of illegal acts with the capacity to harm our citizens and destroy our communities. The FBI stands firm in its commitment to identify and investigate unlawful individuals and dismantle their networks operating with criminal intent.”

    Parsarad is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of controlled substances in the Northern District of Ohio and elsewhere. In addition, Parsarad is also charged with money laundering conspiracy for both using proceeds to promote illegal drug dealing and for offering money laundering services through Nemesis Market by mixing cryptocurrencies used to pay for goods and services to obscure their origins. Nemesis users were not allowed to conduct transactions in official, government-backed currencies.

    On March 20, 2024, U.S. law enforcement, in cooperation with German and Lithuanian authorities, seized Nemesis Market and stemmed the flow of these drugs into the United States and elsewhere. In March 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against Parsarad for his role as the administrator of Nemesis Market. According to OFAC, Nemesis Market facilitated the sale of nearly $30 million worth of drugs between 2021 and 2024.

    If convicted, Parsarad faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum penalty of life.

    The FBI Cleveland Division is investigating the case with assistance from the DEA and IRS-CI. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Cybercrime Liaison Prosecutor to Eurojust provided significant assistance.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Segev Phillips for the Northern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Gaelin Bernstein of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from the U.S. Attorneys Offices for the Northern District of Illinois and District of Massachusetts.

    This case was investigated as part of an FBI-led interagency Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) operation. J-CODE brings together experts from the DEA, the Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, as well as the Department of Defense and the Customs and Border Protection, along with the FBI. The Justice Department appreciates the cooperation and significant assistance provided by law enforcement partners in the British Virgin Islands, Germany, Lithuania, and Türkiye.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pressley Reintroduces Vital Legislation to Address Growing Childhood Trauma Crisis

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    As White House Slashes Essential Federal Programs, Pressley Reintroduces the STRONG Support for Children Act to Invest in Children’s Mental Health and Trauma Recovery

    Bill Text

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) reintroduced the STRONG Support for Children Act. This bill would support communities in addressing childhood trauma through healing-centered, neighborhood-based, gender-responsive, culturally specific, and trauma-informed approaches that acknowledge the impact of systemic racism and inequities over generations.

    “Every child deserves to thrive,” said Rep. Pressley. “The STRONG Support for Children Act would provide critical resources and approach childhood trauma through a reparative, healing-centered, and trauma-informed lens. Children too often carry the weight of trauma throughout their entire lives because these wounds don’t just heal on their own. With this legislation, we will invest in breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and ensure children are supported.”

    With over two-thirds of children experiencing at least one traumatic event by age 16, the urgency to address childhood trauma demands a comprehensive approach. Instead, the Trump Administration has slashed $1 billion from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) through canceled grants and reduced staff by 50%, leaving critical trauma-focused programs—including suicide prevention hotlines, opioid addiction treatment, and crisis stabilization services— to face imminent shutdowns.

    Unaddressed childhood trauma is linked to several leading causes of death in America, including heart disease, lung disease, substance use, and suicide.  Studies show that exposure to poverty, homelessness, food insecurity and malnutrition, discrimination, family separation, and deportation increase the likelihood of negative health outcomes and can lead to complex trauma and toxic stress.

    The Services and Trauma-Informed Research of Outcomes in Neighborhood Grants (STRONG) for Support for Children Act would establish two new grant programs under the Department of Health and Human Services to support local public health departments in addressing trauma and ensure that programming is conveniently located and accessible to all children and families regardless of immigration status, ability to pay, and prior involvement in the criminal legal system. The legislation would prohibit grant recipients from using funds to increase surveillance and policing of vulnerable communities.  

    Joining Rep. Pressley in introducing the STRONG Support for Children Act are Representatives Shri Thanedar, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Rashida Tlaib.

    This legislation is endorsed by the following organizations: Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP); The National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives; Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice; American Academy of Pediatrics; Regina Triplett, MD, MS; and Ujima Inc.

    A copy of the bill text can be found here.

    Throughout her career, Congresswoman Pressley has been a tireless advocate for trauma-conscious policymaking.

    Last week, she reintroduced the Ending PUSHOUT Act and Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act to collectively end the discriminatory treatment of Black and brown students, LGBTQIA+ students, and students with disabilities in schools, and invest in safe, nurturing learning environments for all students.

    In February 2024, Rep. Pressley sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services to address the growing crisis of childhood trauma that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    In March 2023, Rep. Pressley celebrated $250,000 in Community Project Funding she secured for Big Sister Association of Greater Boston (Big Sister) to support its one-to-one mentoring and enrichment programs for girls.

    In March 2021, Rep. Pressley sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to address the nation’s growing trauma crisis and laying out a series of steps the administration should take to confront the far-reaching hurt plaguing our communities and our nation.  In April 2021, she published an op-ed where she reflected on the collective pain experienced by communities in her district over the past year.

    In July 2019, she worked with Chairman Cummings to convene the first-ever Congressional hearings on childhood trauma.  Watch Congresswoman Pressley’s full question line and follow-up questions here and here.

    As a Boston City Councilor, she convened the Council’s first-ever listening-only session to hear directly from those impacted by the trauma of community gun violence.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Polis Signs Bills into Law Supporting Military-Connected Families and Children With Disabilities; Supporting Colorado for All

    Source: US State of Colorado

    DENVER – Today, Governor Polis, joined by Lt. Governor Primavera, signed SB25-073– Military-Connected Children With Disabilities, sponsored by Senators Larry Liston and Janice Marchman, and Representatives Rebecca Keltie and Matthew Martinez. The bill helps ensure that military-connected children with disabilities in Colorado are guaranteed access to their existing education program upon enrollment in a Colorado school, and prior to the start of their first day.

    “In Colorado, we recognize the sacrifices our military families make every day to keep our country safe, and that is why we are committed to ensuring military-connected families and their children, no matter their ability, receive the support needed to thrive. Thank you to the bill sponsors for your work on this important legislation that helps take care of our heroes and their children,” said Governor Polis.

    “Colorado is proud to support military families, and this bill will help ease the burden of school transitions for military-connected children with disabilities,” said Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera. “By providing clarity and continuity, we’re helping ensure these students can stay on track and feel supported from day one at a new school. We are committed to supporting our military-connected children as they help ensure their parents and guardians can focus on the mission.”

    Earlier this week, Lt. Governor Primavera joined military families and children in Aurora to highlight Month of the Military Child, and celebrate Edna and John W. Mosley P-8 as a Purple Star School award recipient, recognizing the school for outstanding support for military-connected students and their families.

    Governor Polis also signed in ceremony HB25-1109 – Gender Identity Certificate of Death, sponsored by Representatives Karen McCormick and Kyle Brown, and Senators Mike Weissman and Katie Wallace. The bill requires that death certificates reflect a person’s preferred gender.

    “In Colorado, we are committed to building a Colorado For All where everyone can thrive, no matter who they are or how they identify. Colorado is, and will continue to be a state that protects and welcomes the LGBTQ community, and I am grateful to be signing a bill that ensures the wishes of our loved ones are respected, even in death,” said Governor Polis.

    Governor Polis signed the following bills into law administratively:

    • HB25-1137 – Adopt a Shelter Pet Account Community Cats, sponsored by Representatives Mandy Lindsay and Elizabeth Velasco, and Senator Faith Winter
    • SB25-188 – Fiscal Year 2025-26 Legislative Appropriation Bill, sponsored by Senators James Coleman and Robert Rodriguez, and Representatives Julie McCluskie and Monica Duran
    • SB25-171 – Sunset Commodity Metals Theft Task Force, sponsored by Senators Nick Hinrichsen, and Representatives Matt Soper and Chad Clifford
    • SB25-060 – Repeated Phone Calls Obstruction of Government Operations, sponsored by Senators Marc Catlin and Dylan Roberts, and Representatives Chad Clifford and Ryan Armagost
    • HB25-1007 – Paratransit Services, sponsored by Representatives Meg Froelich and Alex Valdez, and Senators Faith Winter and Cleave Simpson
    • HB25-1179 – Auto Insurance Coverage Child Restraint System, sponsored by Representatives Yara Zokaie and Lisa Feret, and Senators Lindsey Daugherty and Iman Jodeh
    • HB25-1085 – Public Hospital Boards of Trustees, sponsored by Representatives Meghan Lukens and Dusty Johnson, and Senators Dylan Roberts and Rod Pelton
    • HB25-1059 – Food Waste Reduction in Public Schools, sponsored by Representatives Ron Weinberg and Lisa Feret, and Senators Janice Rich and Janice Marchman
    • HB25-1205 – Implement Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plans, sponsored by Representatives Julie McCluskie and Kyle Brown, and Senators Judy Amabile and Dylan Roberts
    • HB25-1203 – Misbranding Cultivated Meat Products as Meat, sponsored by Representatives Ty Winter and Karen McCormick, and Senators Rod Pelton and Kyle Mullica. Read the signing statement here.
    • SB25-062 – Failure to Appear Charges in Municipal Court, sponsored by Senators Nick Hinrichsen and Mike Weissman, and Representatives Michael Carter and Lindsay Gilchrist. Read the signing statement here.

    Governor Polis vetoed the following bill:

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Iranian National Indicted for Operating Online Marketplace Offering Fentanyl and Money Laundering Services

    Source: US State of California

    A federal grand jury has charged Behrouz Parsarad, an Iranian national, for his role as the founder and operator of Nemesis Market, a dark web marketplace for illegal drugs and criminal cyber-services, such as stolen financial information, fraudulent identification documents, counterfeit currencies, and computer malware.

    According to the indictment, Parsarad, 36, of Tehran, launched Nemesis Market on the dark web in March 2021. At its peak, Nemesis Market had over 150,000 users and more than 1,100 vendor accounts registered worldwide. Between 2021 and 2024, Nemesis Market processed more than 400,000 orders. Of these, more than 55,000 orders were categorized as orders for stimulants, including methamphetamine, cocaine, cocaine base (crack cocaine), and other controlled substances. An additional 17,000 orders were categorized as orders for opioids, including fentanyl, heroin, and oxycodone. Certain substances covertly purchased by the government from Nemesis were confirmed by laboratory reports to be mixtures and substances containing fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, and/or acetylfentanyl, heroin, and/or protonitazene, each a Schedule I controlled substance.

    “The allegations in this indictment span over four hundred thousand transactions involving fentanyl, other dangerous drugs, and a wide range of contraband made accessible on the darknet for more than three years,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Through cooperation with German and Lithuanian partners, the alleged administrator of this marketplace has been charged, servers and other infrastructure have been seized, and dangerous drugs and other contraband have been stopped from entering the United States. This case demonstrates the Department’s tireless commitment to protecting U.S. communities from the harms caused by fentanyl and darknet marketplaces and pursuing accountability for those who would endanger our communities no matter where they are located.”

    “Anyone who tries to profit from the sale of illegal drugs – whether it’s on the streets or online – will face consequences. Whether you sell or help others sell these dangerous drugs, you will be held accountable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Carol M. Skutnik for the Northern District of Ohio. “I want to acknowledge the excellent investigative work of our federal agency partners here in Ohio who helped us to bring the charges in this case. Together, we remain committed to keeping our neighborhoods safe and our streets free from illegal narcotics.”

    “This indictment, made possible by the assistance of our German and Lithuanian allies, underscores the importance of global partnerships and international collaboration,” said FBI Cleveland Acting Special Agent in Charge Charles Johnston. “Nemesis Market, through the darknet, was a borderless powerhouse of criminal activity that not only fueled the drug epidemic, but also a multitude of illegal acts with the capacity to harm our citizens and destroy our communities. The FBI stands firm in its commitment to identify and investigate unlawful individuals and dismantle their networks operating with criminal intent.”

    Parsarad is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of controlled substances in the Northern District of Ohio and elsewhere. In addition, Parsarad is also charged with money laundering conspiracy for both using proceeds to promote illegal drug dealing and for offering money laundering services through Nemesis Market by mixing cryptocurrencies used to pay for goods and services to obscure their origins. Nemesis users were not allowed to conduct transactions in official, government-backed currencies.

    On March 20, 2024, U.S. law enforcement, in cooperation with German and Lithuanian authorities, seized Nemesis Market and blocked the flow of these drugs into the United States and elsewhere. In March 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against Parsarad for his role as the administrator of Nemesis Market. According to OFAC, Nemesis Market facilitated the sale of nearly $30 million worth of drugs between 2021 and 2024.

    If convicted, Parsarad faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum penalty of life.

    The FBI Cleveland Division is investigating the case with assistance from the DEA and IRS-CI. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Cybercrime Liaison Prosecutor to Eurojust provided significant assistance.

    Trial Attorney Gaelin Bernstein of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Segev Phillips for the Northern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from the U.S. Attorneys Offices for the Northern District of Illinois and District of Massachusetts.

    This case was investigated as part of an FBI-led interagency Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) operation. J-CODE brings together experts from the DEA, the Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, as well as the Department of Defense and the Customs and Border Protection, along with the FBI. The Justice Department appreciates the cooperation and significant assistance provided by law enforcement partners in the British Virgin Islands, Germany, Lithuania, and Türkiye.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –