NewzIntel.com

Category: CTF

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sextortion: A Growing Threat Targeting Minors

    Source: US FBI

    Offenders Deceive and Manipulate Victims to Create Sexually Explicit Material for Extortion Purposes

    LITTLE ROCK, AR—The FBI wants to warn parents, educators, caregivers, and children about the dangers of online activity that may lead to the solicitation and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual acts.

    Sextortion involves an offender coercing a minor to create and send sexually explicit images or video. An offender gets sexually explicit material from the child and then threatens to release that compromising material unless the victim produces more. These offenders are seeking sexual gratification.

    Financially motivated sextortion is a criminal act that involves an offender coercing a minor to create and send sexually explicit material. Offenders threaten to release that compromising material unless they receive payment, which is often requested in gift cards, mobile payment services, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. These offenders are motivated by financial gain, not necessarily just sexual gratification.

    Victims are typically males between the ages of 14 to 17, but any child can become a victim. For financially motivated sextortion, offenders are usually located outside the United States and primarily in West African countries such as Nigeria and Ivory Coast, or Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines.

    These crimes can lead victims to self-harm and have led to suicide. From October 2021 to March 2023, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations received over 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion of minors. The sextortion involved at least 12,600 victims—primarily boys—and led to at least 20 suicides.

    In the six-month period from October 2022 to March 2023, the FBI observed at least a 20% increase in reporting of financially motivated sextortion incidents involving minor victims compared to the same time period the previous year.

    “The exploitation of children is a reprehensible crime and will not be tolerated by the FBI,” said Special Agent in Charge Alicia Corder of the FBI’s Little Rock Field Office. “Our office will continue to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to protect Arkansas children from sextortion and hold these predators accountable.”

    If you or someone you know believes that they are a victim of sextortion or financially motivated sextortion, immediately report the activity to law enforcement. You can report it to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or visiting tips.fbi.gov.

    For more information on sextortion and financial sextortion, visit the FBI’s resources on the threats at: https://www.fbi.gov/sextortion and https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/sextortion/financially-motivated-sextortion.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Jury Finds Registered Sex Offender From Michigan Guilty of Interstate Travel to Engage in Illicit Sexual Activity With a Minor; Sexual Exploitation of a Minor; and Receipt of Child Pornography

    Source: US FBI

          LITTLE ROCK—A registered sex offender from Michigan has been convicted of committing multiple sex offenses in Arkansas at the conclusion of a three-day trial. On Wednesday, a federal jury found Jeremy Robert Ward, 33, of Marine City, Mich., guilty on all nine counts for which he was indicted: one count of interstate travel with the purpose of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity with a minor, six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of travel with the purpose to engage in illicit sexual activity with a minor.

          The jury returned their verdict after deliberating for approximately 90 minutes. United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker presided over the trial and will sentence Ward at a later date. One of Ward’s charges carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison.

          “This defendant, who is already a convicted sex offender, continued this abhorrent behavior by acting on his desire to have sex with a minor. He used social media to seek out the victim and took advantage of her innocence,” said Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “This verdict the jury reached sends a clear message that Arkansas juries will not hesitate to convict sex offenders for this type of conduct. If you seek to have sex with children, you will be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent under federal law.”

          Ward was previously convicted in 2013 in Michigan of three counts possession of child sexually abusive material and one count of accosting a child for an immoral purpose. He is a registered sex offender in Michigan.

          Ward met the 12-year-old minor victim online in September 2022 when he added her to his Snapchat account. He exchanged messages with the victim for approximately three weeks before traveling to Arkansas from his home in Michigan to meet her. On October 15, 2022, he met her face-to-face when he drove up to her in his pickup truck while she was riding her bike near her neighborhood in Bryant. During her encounter with Ward, the victim began surreptitiously recording a portion of her exchange with him. On the video, Ward told her, “I was hoping to take you home” and “I just wish she [her mom] would let you go, especially since I drove all the way down here.” Ward also told the minor victim that she must “think I’m gonna kidnap you or something,” to which she replied, “You probably are about to at this point.” He later asked if she knew of any “private spots,” in an attempt to find a more secluded place to be with her.

          Around the same time, using an application on her cell phone, her father noticed she was outside of the established boundary where she was permitted to be. Her parents went to her location, and her father found the minor victim laying in the grass with Ward, whose pants were around his ankles. Ward then fled into the woods.

          The minor victim testified at trial that while she was in the field with Ward, he attempted to commit sexual acts with her. Subsequent investigation revealed that the victim and Ward communicated through video messages, some of which Ward recorded on his phone. The recorded video messages were recovered from Ward’s phone and included video and still images of the nude minor victim in the shower.

          “Each year thousands of children are targeted and victimized by child predators. Mr. Ward’s heinous crimes highlight the prevalent threat Arkansas youth and families face,” said Special Agent in Charge Alicia D. Corder of FBI’s Little Rock Field Office. “This case is yet another example of FBI Little Rock’s commitment to working with our partners to target individuals who seek to exploit the most vulnerable members of our community.”

          The statutory penalty for sexual exploitation of a minor ranges from not less than 25 years to not more than 50 years. The statutory penalty for traveling with the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with a minor is not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life imprisonment. The statutory penalty for receipt of child pornography is not less than 15 years and not more than 40 years imprisonment. The statutory penalty for of travel with the purpose to engage in illicit sexual activity with a minor is not more than 30 years imprisonment. All offenses of conviction include a potential penalty of not more than a $250,000 fine and not less than five years to life of supervised release.

          The investigation was conducted by the FBI, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Bryant and Amanda Fields.

    # # #

    Additional information about the office of the

    United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

    https://www.justice.gov/edar

    X (formerly known as Twitter):

    @EDARNEWS 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Yellville Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Online Sexual Enticement of a Minor

    Source: US FBI

    Fayetteville – Isaac James Melder, age 42, of Yellville was sentenced on February 13, 2024, to 360 months in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty of communicating with a minor through the internet to entice the minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.  The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.

    According to court documents, in May of 2022, a fourteen-year-old female was reported missing after failing to get on the afternoon school bus.  An extensive search involving multiple law enforcement agencies began, during which officers discovered that Melder and the victim had communicated via the internet using an Xbox.  The messages revealed the two had planned to run away and live in a cave in the Marion County wilderness. The investigation further revealed that Melder had groomed both the victim and her family by providing groceries, money, alcohol, and marijuana and referred to the victim as his wife.

    On June 22, 2022, an informant led law enforcement to the cave where Melder and the victim had lived since their May disappearance.  Melder was immediately taken into state custody.

    Melder was indicted by a Grand Jury in the Western District in April of 2023 and entered a plea of guilty in July 2023.

    U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.

    Mountain Home Police Department, Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas State Police, Flippin Police Department, Arkansas Department of Correction, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Harrison Police Department, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Arkansas State Parks, the 14th Judicial District Drug Task Force, investigated or assisted in the search in the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Still prosecuted the case for the United States.

    This case was prosecuted 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 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.

    Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lancaster, Texas, Man Found Guilty of Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

    Source: US FBI

          LITTLE ROCK—After a two-day trial, a Texas man has been convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On Tuesday, a federal jury found Kaeron Washington, 33, Lancaster, Texas, guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm, the sole count in the Indictment. Washington has previous convictions for aggravated robbery and drug possession.

          After deliberating less than two hours, the jury returned a verdict of guilty. United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky presided over the trial and will sentence Washington at a later date. The defendant faces a maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment.

          On February 18, 2022, physical surveillance was conducted at 7212 Geyer Springs Road, Little Rock, Arkansas. Law enforcement observed a group of individuals parked in front of a closed business on Geyer Springs at approximately 9:00 p.m. The occupants of the vehicle were observed smoking and passing items back and forth between vehicles for approximately 30 minutes. As investigators approached the vehicle, they activated their emergency lights and could smell an overwhelming odor of marijuana coming from the vehicles.

          Contact was made with Kaeron Washington, the driver of a white Mercedes. As investigators approached the vehicle, Washington was observed opening the driver’s door of the vehicle and throwing an item towards the rear of the vehicle. A bag of suspected marijuana was later located in the area. The passenger in Washington’s vehicle advised law enforcement officials that he had a gun at his feet. After the passenger was taken out of Washington’s vehicle, law enforcement seized the gun that was observed on the floorboard. An officer observed a small bag of suspected marijuana in the seat when the passenger exited the vehicle. During a further search of Washington’s vehicle, officers located a Glock pistol in the center console next to the driver’s seat.

          The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Little Rock Police Department, and the GET Rock Task Force.

    # # #

    Additional information about the office of the

    United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

    https://www.justice.gov/edar

    X (formerly known as Twitter):

    @USAO_EDAR 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Little Rock Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison After Fleeing Police, Illegal Possession of Fentanyl

    Source: US FBI

          LITTLE ROCK—Andre Pride will spend the next 151 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.

          Chief Judge Baker sentenced Pride to 151 months imprisonment and three years’ supervised release to follow his prison sentence. Pride faced a maximum sentence of not more than 20 years imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.

          On July 19, 2022, Pride, 36, of Little Rock, was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. On May 5, 2023, Pride pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

          On June 13, 2019, Pride was driving a Can-Am motorcycle and while law enforcement officers were attempting to make contact with him, Pride rammed their vehicle and fled. While fleeing, Pride observed two marked law enforcement vehicles and quickly turned around. After turning around, Pride rammed another law enforcement vehicle and fled on foot. While fleeing, Pride removed a baggie of fentanyl from his pocket tore open the bag and attempted to spread the fentanyl in the yard of an unknown residence. Following the arrest of Pride, law enforcement officers retrieved 30 grams of fentanyl from the yard.

          The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    # # #

    Additional information about the office of the

    United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

    https://www.justice.gov/edar

    X (formerly known as Twitter):

    @USAO_EDAR 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Drug Trafficking Results in Over a Dozen People Arrested on Federal Charges

    Source: US FBI

    Several Defendants Face Federal Drug, Gun, and Money Laundering Charges In Large Scale Drug Operation

          JONESBORO—Fifteen people were arrested Tuesday morning as part of a sweeping law enforcement operation that targeted associates of a drug organization responsible for the distribution of methamphetamine in the Northeast Arkansas area. Law enforcement officers previously arrested one person on Monday and served arrest warrants on an additional three people already in custody.

          The investigation began in August 2022 to combat a significant drug distribution organization operating in the Northeast Arkansas area. Numerous indictments, which were returned by a Grand Jury on April 2, 2024, and unsealed today, named several defendants who are charged with various drug, money laundering, and firearm offenses. Law enforcement officers arrested 15 individuals and served an arrest warrant Tuesday on two defendants already in federal custody and one in state custody.

          Prior to today’s arrests, the investigation had resulted in the seizure of 45 pounds of methamphetamine, 10 pounds of marijuana, one pound of cocaine, six firearms, various ammunition, and $125,000 in drug proceeds. During arrest operations on Tuesday, agents recovered additional methamphetamine, three firearms (one of which was defaced), ammunition, and approximately an additional $28,000 in suspected drug proceeds.

          “So many lives and communities have been destroyed by drugs and with today’s arrests, fifteen drug dealers have been taken off the streets,” said Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “Where drugs are present, so are firearms and violence. Working with our federal, state, and local partners to keep our citizens safe from the violence that too often accompanies drug trafficking, will help to create safer communities for citizens in the Eastern District of Arkansas.”

          “Today’s arrests demonstrate how the FBI has zero tolerance for criminals who pollute our communities with dangerous narcotics,” Special Agent in Charge Alicia D. Corder, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Little Rock Field Office. “This was a collaborative effort between the FBI, Jonesboro Police Department, Craighead County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas State Police, and several others. We will continue to work together to keep Arkansans safe and bring dangerous criminals to justice.”

          The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, 2nd Judicial District Drug Task Force, Jonesboro Police Department, Craighead County Sheriff’s Office, Crittenden County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas State Police, Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Poinsett County Sheriff’s Office, and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

          The charges in today’s unsealed indictments include conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; conspiracy to money launder, money laundering, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

          The minimum penalty for the drug charges is not less than 10 years’ imprisonment and a $10,000,000 fine. The minimum penalty for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime is not less than five years in prison and up to life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

          This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

          The defendants arrested today will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Benecia B. Moore on April 18, 2024, for plea and arraignment. Defendants who were already in custody will have arraignments scheduled later. Trial dates will be announced at plea and arraignment. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin O’Leary. The defendants charged and in custody include:

    Cesar Cortez-Rocha, 51, Misson, Texas

    Amado Barranco, Jr. aka “Myo”, 55, McAllen, Texas

    Bobby Franklin Barber, 60, Jonesboro

    Misty Dawn Barber, 38, Jonesboro

    Jamie Lynn Patterson, 40, Jonesboro

    *Amie Dawn Eggers, 39, Jonesboro (already in federal custody on other charges)

    Carey Wayne Peden, 46, Little Rock

    Vance Allen Brown, 56, Hot Springs

    *Sir Edward Lee Qualls aka “Buddy”, 35, Earle (already in federal custody on related charges)

    Reginald Bogan aka “Smooth”, 37, Jonesboro

    **Melissa Bradley, 33, Jonesboro (already in custody on state charges)

    Jerry Crump, 55, Jonesboro

    Sandi Stanfill, 59, Paragould

    Delisha Pugh, 25, Earle

    Jennifer Jones, 37, Brookland

    William Jones, 28, Harrisburg

    Marcus McIntyre, 42, Memphis, Tennessee

    Harthoner Goforth, 38, Paragould

    Shauna Rutledge, 37, Hughes

    * already in federal custody

    ** in state custody

          An indictment contains only allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    # # #

    This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the

    United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

    https://www.justice.gov/edar

    X (formerly known as Twitter):

    @USAO_EDAR 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Grand Jury Charges Cincinnati Man with Crimes Related to $6.5 Million Fraud Scheme

    Source: US FBI

    CINCINNATI – A local man was indicted on charges alleging he defrauded victims out of more than $6.5 million through an online laundry and dry-cleaning pickup and delivery business.

    Benjamin Cantey, 41, of Cincinnati, was charged in a six-count indictment that was unsealed yesterday.

    According to the indictment, in 2019, Cantey started Carbon IQ Inc., doing business as Rumby, as a Delaware corporation that he operated out of Cincinnati. Rumby was a venture-backed startup that purported to provide an e-commerce platform for pickup and delivery of laundry and dry cleaning. Cantey sought to raise investment money as the founder and CEO of the company.

    It is alleged that from 2020 through 2022, Cantey defrauded investors and potential investors of money and property. Cantey allegedly lied about his business experience and prior business success to recruit investors. He also allegedly communicated false information that overstated Rumby’s revenue, profits, bank balance, growth and potential growth. He allegedly sent false presentation decks to victims.

    For example, Cantey claimed that Rumby ended May 2022 with a $1.5 million bank balance when in reality the account had a negative balance of approximately -$53,000.

    The defendant allegedly spent $850,000 in investor money to help purchase a 5,000-square-feet, $1.7 million home on Garden Place in Cincinnati.

    Cantey is charged with four counts of wire fraud and two counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew C. Singer is representing the United States in this case.

    An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Former Arkansas Sheriff’s Deputies Plead Guilty to Federal Civil Rights Violations for Violently Assaulting a Man They Arrested

    Source: US FBI

    Two former Crawford County, Arkansas, sheriff’s deputies, Levi White, 34, and Zackary King, 28, pleaded guilty to federal civil rights offenses for using unlawful force on a man they arrested.

    “The defendants swore an oath to uphold the law, then violated that oath and abused their power by assaulting a person who was pinned to the ground and not resisting,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “These defendants will now face the serious consequences that result from their unlawful actions. The Justice Department will continue to protect the right of every person in this country to be free of excessive force by law enforcement officers.”  

    “The videos from this incident are a shocking display of the violent deprivation of civil rights committed by these officers,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes for the Western District of Arkansas. “No person in police custody should ever feel threatened or should ever experience violence at the hands of those who are sworn to protect the public. We will continue to vigorously pursue justice in cases involving the violation of civil rights in the Western District of Arkansas.”

    “The violent and abusive actions of these two men, who were sworn to serve and protect our community, are unacceptable,” said Assistant Director Michael D. Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “Law enforcement officers hold positions with significant authority and influence, and their credibility in the eyes of the American people depends on their ability to maintain integrity. These guilty pleas serve as a reminder that the FBI will continue to hold accountable those who take advantage of their positions and will always fight to protect the civil rights of all Americans.”

    “Disgraceful actions, like those of the two Crawford County sheriff’s deputies, negatively impact all members of Arkansas law enforcement,” said Special Agent in Charge Alicia D. Corder of the FBI Little Rock Field Office. “A gun and a badge do not give someone the right to ignore the Constitution. The FBI’s ArkTrust Task Force will continue to work to restore the public’s trust in law enforcement by investigating officers who violate the civil rights of citizens in our community.”

    According to court documents, White, King and a third officer approached a man identified as R.W. in a gas station parking lot on Aug. 21, 2022, during their investigation into a person threatening a store attendant. R.W. lunged at White and tackled him, then all three officers quickly subdued R.W. and pinned him to the ground. After R.W. was pinned to the ground and no longer fighting the officers, King kicked R.W. in the back and struck R.W. once in the midsection with his fist. At approximately the same time, White punched R.W. at least nine times in the head, then lifted R.W.’s head and slammed it into the pavement. The third officer did not strike R.W. R.W. suffered head injuries from the assault.

    Sentencing hearings will be scheduled at a later date. White faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. King faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $100,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The FBI Little Rock Field Office and ARKTrust Task Force investigated the case.

    Special Litigation Counsel Michael J. Songer and Trial Attorneys Lia Rettammel and Anna Gotfryd of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dustin Roberts and Devon Still for the Western District of Arkansas are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Little Rock Honors Dr. Mehmet Ulupinar with National Award

    Source: US FBI

    On Friday, April 19, 2024, FBI Director Christopher Wray presented Dr. Mehmet Ulupinar with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for his service to the citizens of Little Rock through his work as president of the board for the Arkansas Culture and Dialog Center (ACDC). ACDC is a nonprofit organization that aims to promote the understanding of diverse cultures through its unique services it offers to the community.

    The FBI established the DCLA in 1990 to publicly acknowledge the achievements of those working to make a difference in their communities through the promotion of education and the prevention of crime and violence. Each year, one person or organization from each of the FBI’s 56 field offices is chosen to receive this prestigious award.

    “Our success as both a law enforcement and an intelligence agency hinges on our ability to foster and maintain genuine partnerships with people in all communities,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “People like this year’s Leadership Award recipients not only identify what others need, but they are willing to roll up their sleeves and provide services. They are building bridges and relationships while putting in the work to have hard conversations and find common purpose. They do it out of kindness and compassion with a sincere belief that justice—in its many forms—requires all of us to do the right thing in the right way.”

    Dr. Ulupinar tirelessly works to foster relationships between diverse communities and law enforcement in Arkansas by providing easily accessible educational, social, and cultural services at ACDC. Dr. Ulupinar assists the FBI in pushing key safety concerns to minority youth and adults throughout Central Arkansas through trainings and networking events with the goal of creating a more safe and connected community.

    “I am extremely humbled to be one of the 2023 FBI DCLA recipients,” said Mehmet Ulupinar. “As an immigrant to this country, I am fascinated by the words of the Pledge of Allegiance, specifically where we recite “with liberty and justice for all.” What a powerful commitment that is! It prompts me to think about what I can do for my neighbors, for my community, and for other human beings to preserve and exercise liberty and justice for all. The answer I found to this question is to get involved, serve, and be a part of the solution.”

    “Dr. Ulupinar is a treasured asset to our community,” said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge Alicia D. Corder. “His passion for fostering prosperous relationships between law enforcement and minority groups in Arkansas is deeply appreciated by myself and many others. FBI Little Rock is proud to partner with community leaders like Dr. Ulupinar.”

    Director Wray hosted the 2023 DCLA winners in a special ceremony at FBI Headquarters on April 19, emphasizing the importance of community partnerships in keeping our shared communities safe. These partnerships—as exemplified by the breadth of the work by the DCLA recipients—have led to a host of crime prevention programs that protect the most vulnerable in our communities, educate families and businesses about cyber threats, and work to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods.

    FBI Little Rock congratulates Dr. Mehmet Ulupinar and thanks him for working diligently to better our community.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Grand Jury Indicts Local Doctor on False Statements, Writings Charges Related to 1989 Rape

    Source: US FBI

    Court documents detail 2 additional alleged victims; law enforcement continues to seek information in Ohio, Colorado & Kansas

    DAYTON, Ohio – A federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment today against a Sycamore Township man whose DNA implicated him in a 1989 rape.

    Frederick Louis Tanzer, 66, is charged with four counts of making false statements to an agency or officer of the United States and two counts of making or using a false document or writing. Each count is punishable by up to five years in prison. These federal crimes are prosecutable even if an underlying offense has passed the statute of limitations.

    Tanzer has been in custody since his arrest on Dec. 11 and will remain in custody pending trial.

    According to court documents, Tanzer’s DNA was confirmed by a forensic laboratory as a match to the DNA the rapist had left at the 1989 crime scene, where the victim was violently raped over the course of five and a half hours in her condominium on Creighton Place in Cincinnati after arriving home from work.

    It is alleged that Tanzer made several materially false statements to federal investigators when approached about the rape last week, including denying having seen or interacted with the victim on the date she was raped.

    Tanzer is a medical doctor who has lived and practiced medicine in Ohio, Kansas and Colorado.

    According to a recent filing relating to detention, during a search warrant executed on Dec. 11 at Tanzer’s home, investigators located restraints, a gag, a black hat and zip ties together in Tanzer’s dresser.

    The same filing also detailed that two additional victims have been identified who were repeatedly drugged and raped by Tanzer, including as recently as two and a half years ago in Kansas. The document includes information about Tanzer drugging the women in order to have sex with them without their consent and about Tanzer using a burner phone to engage with sex workers when he traveled for work for weeks or months at a time.

    Federal law enforcement officials ask the public to consider the circumstances of the rapes, and the locations where Tanzer has lived, and to contact the FBI with any similar information at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cincinnati Division; and Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa A. Theetge announced the arrest. The IRS-Criminal Investigation Cincinnati Field Office assisted in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly K. Rossi and Julie D. Garcia are representing the United States in this case.

    An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Woman Pleads Guilty to Transporting Stolen Human Body Parts Out of the State of Arkansas

    Source: US FBI

          LITTLE ROCK— Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced today that a former employee of a mortuary services provider has pleaded guilty to transporting stolen body parts across state lines and conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Candace Chapman Scott, 37, of Little Rock, entered this guilty plea today before United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.

          Judge Miller will sentence Scott at a later date. Transporting stolen property across state lines is punishable by not more than 10 years’ imprisonment, not less than three years’ supervised release, and a fine of not more than $250,000. The maximum penalty faced by Scott for mail fraud is not more than 20 years’ imprisonment, not less than three years’ supervised release, and a fine of not more than $250,000.

          The investigation revealed that Scott, while an employee at a mortuary services provider between October 2021 through approximately July 15, 2022, stole human body parts and fetal remains. Scott would then sell the stolen human body parts and fetal remains, arranging for them to be transported across a state line to the purchaser.

          Scott was indicted on April 5, 2023, and charged with six counts of wire fraud, four counts of mail fraud, and two counts of interstate transportation of stolen property.   In exchange for her guilty plea, the remaining charges were dismissed.

          The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

          If you have information relating to this case or think you may have been impacted by this case, you may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office by email at USAARE-SubmitInfo@usdoj.gov.

    # # #

    Additional information about the office of the

    United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

    https://www.justice.gov/edar

    X (formerly known as Twitter):

    @USAO_EDAR 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Columbus Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Robbing Postal Carrier at Gunpoint

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – Anthony J. “A.J.” Williams, 20, of Columbus, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 84 months and one day in prison for crimes related to armed robberies of United States postal carriers. 

    “Today’s sentencing shows our continued commitment to holding accountable individuals who break the law in relation to mail theft,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Our investigations and prosecutions will be vigorous, and the end results will be significant. Williams’s seven-year prison sentence is just one example of that.”

    According to court documents, on Nov. 9, 2022, Williams committed an armed robbery of a USPS letter carrier who was delivering mail on Michigan Ave. in Columbus. The postal carrier was delivering mail to an apartment complex’s “cluster box” at the time.

    After borrowing a Glock19 from one co-conspirator and being driven by another co-conspirator, Williams approached the mail carrier and brandished the handgun directly at the victim. Williams demanded the victim’s postal keys and then yanked the postal keys off of the carrier’s belt.

    Williams sent photos of the stolen key to another co-conspirator who was orchestrating the robbery.

    The defendant also worked with that same co-conspirator to plan a postal robbery for Christmas Eve 2022 and repeatedly “fished” for stolen mail with stolen postal keys.

    Williams was indicted by a federal grand jury and arrested in January 2024. He pleaded guilty in July 2024 to brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, committing aggravated robbery of United States property and conspiring to commit an offense against the United States.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Pittsburgh Division; announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton is representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Columbus Man Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Prison for Cyberstalking, Sextorting Young Gay Men He Targeted on Dating Apps

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – Omoruyi O. Uwadiae, 29, of Columbus, was sentenced in federal court here today to 51 months in prison for harassing, cyberstalking, extorting and stealing the identities of victims in multiple states including Ohio, Colorado and Washington.

    For several months in 2019, Uwadiae committed crimes targeting gay and bisexual men.

    According to court documents, Uwadiae obtained sexually explicit photographs and videos from potential victims and then used the content to threaten them. Uwadiae threatened to distribute the explicit material widely on the internet and specifically to victims’ friends, family members, employers and others.

    The defendant demanded money from some victims. From others, he demanded they meet him, have sex with him, or make damaging admissions such as admissions that they were racist. On multiple occasions, Uwadiae carried through with his threats. He sent sexually explicit photographs and videos to the victims’ friends, family members (including at least one victim’s mother, at least one victim’s brother, and at least one victim’s sister), employers and acquaintances, and also posted sexually explicit photographs and videos widely on the internet.

    Multiple victims had not publicly disclosed their sexual orientation, which Uwadiae’s actions disclosed, contrary to their wishes. The defendant also used victims’ identifications to create false accounts on social media and post the victims’ personal information and explicit images online.

    Uwadiae targeted young gay men on Grindr and other online sites. He would obtain their sexually explicit photographs and videos consensually and then use them to extort. In some cases, he posted their nude images on Male General and other websites without their consent and then demanded money or other things of value to take down the images. Male General is a blog marketed to gay men containing, among other things, boards where users can post images and text.

    For example, one victim was a student at The Ohio State University who communicated with Uwadiae on Grindr. Uwadiae ultimately demanded that the victim either pay him $200 or have sex with him. When the victim did not comply, Uwadiae created false social media accounts using true photos of the victim, stating, “this guy is gay, see pics for evidence.” The victim had not disclosed his sexual orientation to his family and had told Uwadiae he was concerned that his family would react negatively if they learned he was bisexual.

    Another victim was a minor at the time of Uwadiae’s crimes. When he and Uwadiae first communicated, he told Uwadiae that he was 18 years old, when in fact he was 17.  After Uwadiae began distributing explicit images of the victim, members of the victim’s family told Uwadiae that he was 17, and Uwadiae ultimately acknowledged that fact.  Even after Uwadiae knew the victim was a minor, he continued to distribute sexually explicit images of the victim, sending them to the victim’s mother and others, and also creating a publicly viewable Facebook page with the explicit images.

    Uwadiae was charged in the Southern District of Ohio in April by a bill of information and pleaded guilty in May to 22 total counts, including cyberstalking, making interstate communications with the intent to extort and seven count of unlawfully using a means of identification.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and Senior Litigation Counsel Heather A. Hill are representing the United States in this case, which was investigated by the FBI.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Law Enforcement Seeks Information Related to 1989 Rape

    Source: US FBI

    DAYTON, Ohio – A Sycamore Township man was arrested by federal agents today and charged with making false statements related to a 1989 rape. Officials ask anyone with information regarding this or any other similar rape to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

    It is alleged that Frederick Louis Tanzer, 66, knowingly made a false statement to FBI agents. His home on Kenwood Road and vehicles were searched today, and Tanzer appeared in federal court in Dayton following his arrest.

    According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Tanzer was recently identified as the prime suspect in the cold-case rape. In recent months, agents collected DNA evidence from a Starbucks cup that Tanzer discarded at a local BMV. The DNA extracted from Tanzer’s coffee cup was confirmed by a forensic laboratory as a match to the DNA the rapist had left at the 1989 crime scene.

    It is alleged that Tanzer made several materially false statements to federal investigators when approached today, including denying having seen or interacted with the victim on the date she was raped.

    Tanzer is a medical doctor who has lived and practiced medicine in Ohio, Kansas and Colorado.

    The affidavit details that on Aug. 1, 1989, the victim was violently raped in her condominium on Creighton Place in Cincinnati after arriving home from work.

    Federal law enforcement officials ask the public to consider these circumstances of the rape and to contact the FBI with any similar information:

    • When the victim arrived home, she noticed an odor that smelled to her like brewed tea or burnt marijuana.
    • The rapist was dressed from head to toe in black Lycra, including black gloves and a face mask. He had a black gym bag with him.
    • The assailant held a knife to the victim’s throat.
    • The rapist used white surgical tape from the gym bag to wrap around the victim’s eyes and head. He used stockings and panty hose from the victim’s dresser to bind her hands and feet to the headboard and footboard of her bed.
    • The rapist cut or tore the victim’s clothing and used Vaseline.
    • The rapist assaulted the victim vaginally, orally and anally. In between bouts of sexual conduct, the assailant used a cloth to wipe the victim’s mouth and genital areas.
    • The rapist said nothing during the entire encounter. He occasionally took breaks from sexually assaulting the victim while the victim remained tied to her bed.
    • The rapist listened to and erased answering machine messages. He looked through papers in the victim’s living room and rummaged through her purse. He unplugged and/or disconnected telephones.
    • On the handset of the telephone in the bedroom, the rapist taped a piece of newspaper that had been cut from the paper on the couch in the victim’s living room and wrote, “No police or I’ll be back Mis [sic] [name of victim’s employer]”
    • The victim described the rapist as white, with dark brown hair, approximately six feet tall with a thin or athletic build.
    • The assault took place over the course of more than five and a half hours.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cincinnati Division; and Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa A. Theetge announced the arrest. The IRS-Criminal Investigation Cincinnati Field Office assisted in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly K. Rossi and Julie D. Garcia are representing the United States in this case.

    A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Large IT businesses view Novosibirsk State University as a key university for training specialists in this industry for Siberia

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    A strategic session with the participation of representatives of one of the largest Russian IT holdings, the T1 Group of Companies, was held at Novosibirsk State University. Following the meeting, the parties expressed mutual interest in deepening cooperation and announced the start of work on roadmaps for the implementation of joint projects in the educational and technological tracks.

    Opening the meeting, the rector of NSU, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Fedoruk noted:

    — Cooperation with T1 is developing rapidly. This distinguishes the holding from many other companies wishing to become our industrial partners. We hope that further joint work will bring tangible and mutually beneficial results.

    According to Mikhail Knigin, head of the Integration domain of the holding, T1 plans to build systematic work on training personnel specifically in the Novosibirsk region:

    — We work all over the country, Siberia is an important region for us, and we want to see NSU as a flagship university here. Already now, about 80 NSU graduates work in our companies — the growth of this number will become one of the metrics of the partnership’s effectiveness.

    Ksenia Rumbest, Director of the Corporate Training and Talent Development Department and Head of the T1 Digital Academy, spoke about the practice of training young specialists. One of the largest projects was the T1 IT Camp, where about 1,000 participants were trained last year. The best 150 were invited to the in-person stage of the program, and some of them then became employees of the holding’s companies.

    This year, according to her, it is planned to launch regional camps based at universities. The introduction of the “open schools” format was also discussed – five-week intensive courses to develop professional competencies. About 40% of graduates of such schools get jobs at T1, the rest go to other leading Russian and international IT companies.

    “We are ready to offer these courses to the university as additional education, and also invite students for internships during the academic year,” Rumbest emphasized.

    Cooperation between NSU and the holding can develop not only in the educational, but also in the scientific and technological sphere. The session presented the project “SPHERE” – a domestic platform for managing the full cycle of software development, including tools for project management, code analysis, testing, monitoring and automation of business processes.

    An additional area of interaction may be joint work in the field of artificial intelligence. The AI Center, which develops technologies for the digitalization of the urban environment, has been operating at NSU for the second year. The head of the center, Alexander Lyulko, spoke about developments in creating platforms for managing urban infrastructure, creating intelligent systems for monitoring the environmental situation, as well as AI solutions for transport, medicine and construction. The latest projects have attracted the greatest interest from representatives of the holding.

    Reference:

     

    T1 is one of the leaders of the domestic IT market with more than 30 years of history. The holding includes companies providing a full range of IT services: from software development and system integration to cloud solutions, big data analysis, artificial intelligence, information security and industrial outsourcing. Key areas of work include digital transformation of businesses and government agencies. The company has more than 26 thousand employees, revenue for 2024 is 249.6 billion rubles.

    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 Russia: China launches first digital platform dedicated to tropical biodiversity

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    KUNMING, May 23 (Xinhua) — China launched the country’s first digital platform dedicated to tropical biodiversity on Thursday to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity.

    The biodiversity platform, hosted by the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), offers global access to more than 90,000 species records.

    Xishuangbanna in southwest China’s Yunnan Province is one of the country’s areas where an intact tropical ecosystem has been preserved. It is home to a sixth of the country’s plant species and a quarter of its animal species.

    The new platform contains more than 90,000 records covering 5,236 animal species, 9,779 plant species and 607 fungi species.

    The platform was jointly launched by the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden and the Ecology and Environment Bureau of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture. In order to promote the integration of scientific research, biology popularization and nature conservation, it will continue to expand functions such as intelligent biological image recognition, artificial intelligence-based science popularization, etc. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: FRO – First Quarter 2025 Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FRONTLINE PLC REPORTS RESULTS FOR THE FIRST QUARTER ENDED MARCH 31, 2025

    Frontline plc (the “Company”, “Frontline,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), today reported unaudited results for the three months ended March 31, 2025:

    Highlights 

    • Profit of $33.3 million, or $0.15 per share for the first quarter of 2025.
    • Adjusted profit of $40.4 million, or $0.18 per share for the first quarter of 2025.
    • Declared a cash dividend of $0.18 per share for the first quarter of 2025.
    • Reported revenues of $427.9 million for the first quarter of 2025.
    • Achieved average daily spot time charter equivalent earnings (“TCEs”)1 for VLCCs, Suezmax tankers and LR2/Aframax tankers in the first quarter of $37,200, $31,200 and $22,300 per day, respectively.
    • Entered into three senior secured credit facilities in February 2025 for a total amount of up to $239.0 million to refinance the outstanding debt on three VLCCs and one Suezmax tanker maturing in 2025 and, in addition, provide revolving credit capacity in a total amount of up to $91.9 million.
    • Entered into one senior secured term loan facility in April 2025 in an amount of up to $1,286.5 million to refinance the outstanding debt on 24 VLCCs approximately three and a half years prior to maturity to reduce the margin.

    Lars H. Barstad, Chief Executive Officer of Frontline Management AS, commented:

    “The first quarter of 2025 came in line with the previous quarter, somewhat muted relative to the economic and political backdrop during the period. In times of uncertainty, it’s comforting to operate in an industry that maintains business as usual, transporting oil and products around the world at a steady pace. Utilization on the larger ships has improved during the quarter and with continued pressure and enforcement on sanctioned trades, we have seen healthy developments in activity across the segments that Frontline deploys. Fleet growth remains slow, and ordering has again stalled, continuing to support the long-term fundamental story for tankers, where Frontline is ideally positioned with its cost-focused business model and spot-exposed, modern fleet.”

    Inger M. Klemp, Chief Financial Officer of Frontline Management AS, added:

    “Through our refinancings in 2025, we have further strengthened our strong liquidity, leaving the Company with no meaningful debt maturities until 2030, and further reduced our borrowing costs and cash breakeven rates. We continue to focus on maintaining our competitive cost structure, breakeven levels and solid balance sheet to ensure that we are well positioned to generate significant cash flow and create value for our shareholders.”

    Average daily TCEs and estimated cash breakeven rates

    ($ per day) Spot TCE Spot TCE currently contracted % Covered Estimated average daily cash breakeven rates for the next 12 months
      Q1 2025 Q4 2024 2024 Q2 2025  
    VLCC 37,200 35,900 43,400 56,400 68% 29,700
    Suezmax 31,200 33,300 41,400 44,900 69% 24,300 
    LR2 / Aframax 22,300 26,100 42,300 36,100 66% 23,300

    We expect the spot TCEs for the full second quarter of 2025 to be lower than the spot TCEs currently contracted, due to the impact of ballast days during the second quarter of 2025. See Appendix 1 for further details.

    The Board of Directors
    Frontline plc
    Limassol, Cyprus
    May 22, 2025

    Ola Lorentzon – Chairman and Director
    John Fredriksen – Director
    James O’Shaughnessy – Director
    Steen Jakobsen – Director
    Cato Stonex – Director
    Ørjan Svanevik – Director
    Dr. Maria Papakokkinou – Director

    Questions should be directed to:

    Lars H. Barstad: Chief Executive Officer, Frontline Management AS
    +47 23 11 40 00

    Inger M. Klemp: Chief Financial Officer, Frontline Management AS
    +47 23 11 40 00

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Matters discussed in this report may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements, which include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts.

    Frontline plc and its subsidiaries, or the Company, desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. This report and any other written or oral statements made by us or on our behalf may include forward-looking statements, which reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance and are not intended to give any assurance as to future results. When used in this document, the words “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “project,” “plan,” “potential,” “will,” “may,” “should,” “expect” and similar expressions, terms or phrases may identify forward-looking statements.

    The forward-looking statements in this report are based upon various assumptions, including without limitation, management’s examination of historical operating trends, data contained in our records and data available from third parties. Although we believe that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond our control, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    In addition to these important factors and matters discussed elsewhere herein, important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include:

    • the strength of world economies;
    • fluctuations in currencies and interest rates, including inflationary pressures and central bank policies intended to combat overall inflation and high interest rates and foreign exchange rates;
    • the impact that any discontinuance, modification or other reform or the establishment of alternative reference rates have on the Company’s floating interest rate debt instruments;
    • general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter hire rates and vessel values;
    • changes in the supply and demand for vessels comparable to ours and the number of newbuildings under construction;
    • the highly cyclical nature of the industry that we operate in;
    • the loss of a large customer or significant business relationship;
    • changes in worldwide oil production and consumption and storage;
    • changes in the Company’s operating expenses, including bunker prices, dry docking, crew costs and insurance costs;
    • planned, pending or recent acquisitions, business strategy and expected capital spending or operating expenses, including dry docking, surveys and upgrades;
    • risks associated with any future vessel construction;
    • our expectations regarding the availability of vessel acquisitions and our ability to complete vessel acquisition transactions as planned;
    • our ability to successfully compete for and enter into new time charters or other employment arrangements for our existing vessels after our current time charters expire and our ability to earn income in the spot market;
    • availability of financing and refinancing, our ability to obtain financing and comply with the restrictions and other covenants in our financing arrangements;
    • availability of skilled crew members and other employees and the related labor costs;
    • work stoppages or other labor disruptions by our employees or the employees of other companies in related industries;
    • compliance with governmental, tax, environmental and safety regulation, any non-compliance with U.S. or European Union regulations;
    • the impact of increasing scrutiny and changing expectations from investors, lenders and other market participants with respect to our Environmental, Social and Governance policies;
    • Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 or other applicable regulations relating to bribery;
    • general economic conditions and conditions in the oil industry;
    • effects of new products and new technology in our industry, including the potential for technological innovation to reduce the value of our vessels and charter income derived therefrom;
    • new environmental regulations and restrictions, whether at a global level stipulated by the International Maritime Organization, and/or imposed by regional or national authorities such as the European Union or individual countries;
    • vessel breakdowns and instances of off-hire;
    • the impact of an interruption in or failure of our information technology and communications systems, including the impact of cyber-attacks upon our ability to operate;
    • risks associated with potential cybersecurity or other privacy threats and data security breaches;
    • potential conflicts of interest involving members of our Board of Directors and senior management;
    • the failure of counter parties to fully perform their contracts with us;
    • changes in credit risk with respect to our counterparties on contracts;
    • our dependence on key personnel and our ability to attract, retain and motivate key employees;
    • adequacy of insurance coverage;
    • our ability to obtain indemnities from customers;
    • changes in laws, treaties or regulations;
    • the volatility of the price of our ordinary shares;
    • our incorporation under the laws of Cyprus and the different rights to relief that may be available compared to other countries, including the United States;
    • changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities;
    • government requisition of our vessels during a period of war or emergency;
    • potential liability from pending or future litigation and potential costs due to environmental damage and vessel collisions;
    • the arrest of our vessels by maritime claimants;
    • general domestic and international political conditions or events, including “trade wars”;
    • any further changes in U.S. trade policy that could trigger retaliatory actions by the affected countries;
    • potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents, environmental factors, political events, public health threats, international hostilities including the war between Russia and Ukraine and possible cessation of such war, the conflict between Israel and Hamas and related conflicts in the Middle East, the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, acts by terrorists or acts of piracy on ocean-going vessels;
    • the impact of restriction on trade, including the imposition of tariffs, port fees and other import restrictions by the United States on its trading partners and the imposition of retaliatory tariffs by China and the EU on the United States, and potential further protectionist measures and/or further retaliatory actions by others, including the imposition of tariffs or penalties on vessels calling in key export and import ports such as the United States, EU and/or China;
    • the length and severity of epidemics and pandemics and their impact on the demand for seaborne transportation of crude oil and refined products;
    • the impact of port or canal congestion;
    • business disruptions due to adverse weather, natural disasters or other disasters outside our control; and
    • other important factors described from time to time in the reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    We caution readers of this report not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. These forward-looking statements are no guarantee of our future performance, and actual results and future developments may vary materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

    This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

    1 This press release describes Time Charter Equivalent earnings and related per day amounts and spot TCE currently contracted, which are not measures prepared in accordance with IFRS (“non-GAAP”). See Appendix 1 for a full description of the measures and reconciliation to the nearest IFRS measure.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • Death toll in Australia floods rises to four, tens of thousands stranded

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The body of a man was found in a car trapped in floodwaters in Australia’s southeast on Friday, raising the death toll to four, after three days of incessant rain cut off entire towns, swept away livestock and destroyed homes.

    Police said the man was found near Coffs Harbour, around 550 km (342 miles) north of Sydney. The search continued for a person missing since the deluge began early this week.

    Around 50,000 people are still isolated, emergency services personnel said, while residents returning to their flooded homes were warned to watch out for dangers.

    “Floodwaters have contaminants, there can be vermin, snakes … so you need to assess those risks. Electricity can also pose a danger as well,” state Emergency Services Deputy Commissioner Damien Johnston said during a media briefing.

    Television videos showed submerged intersections and street signs, cars up to their windshields in water, after fast-rising waters burst river banks in the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state.

    Debris from the floods, and dead and lost livestock, have washed up on the coast.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had to cancel his planned visit to Taree, one of the worst-hit towns, due to floodwaters.

    “We did try … but that was not possible due to the circumstance, which I’m sure people understand,” Albanese told reporters from the town of Maitland in the Hunter region.

    “But our thoughts are with communities that are cut off at this point in time. And we’re here to basically say, very clearly, and explicitly you’re not alone.”

    Australia has been enduring more extreme weather events that some experts say are happening because of climate change. After droughts and devastating bushfires at the end of last decade, frequent floods have wreaked havoc since early 2021.

    “What once were rare downpours are now becoming the new normal – climate change is rewriting Australia’s weather patterns, one flood at a time,” Davide Faranda, weather researcher at ClimaMeter, said in a statement.

    DISRUPTIONS IN SYDNEY

    A wild weather system that dumped around four months of rain over three days shifted south towards Sydney on Thursday bringing heavy rain overnight, though the weather bureau, in its latest update, said it is expected to ease by Friday evening.

    Water on rail tracks impacted some suburban train lines in Sydney, including its airport line services, while Sydney Airport was forced to shut down two of its three runways for one hour on Friday morning due to strong winds, delaying flights.

    Warragamba Dam, which supplies 80% of Sydney’s water supply and is currently at around 96% of capacity, could spill over, officials said.

    REUTERS

  • UK signs Chagos deal with Mauritius, India welcomes move

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Britain signed a deal on Thursday to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after a London judge overturned a last-minute injunction and cleared the way for an agreement the government says is vital to protect the nation’s security.
     
    The multibillion-dollar deal will allow Britain to retain control of the strategically important U.S.-UK air base on Diego Garcia, the largest island of the archipelago in the Indian Ocean, under a 99-year lease.
     
    India has welcomed the signing of the treaty between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Mauritius on the return of Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, including the strategic island of Diego Garcia. 
     
    “India has consistently supported Mauritius’s legitimate claim over the Chagos Archipelago. This is in keeping with our principled position on decolonization, respect for sovereignty, and the territorial integrity of nations,” said the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement.
     
    “As a steadfast and longstanding partner of Mauritius, India remains committed to working closely with Mauritius and other like-minded countries to strengthen maritime security and regional stability,” the MEA added.
     
    The signing went ahead after a carefully choreographed ceremony was postponed when lawyers representing a British national born in the Chagos Islands were granted an interim injunction at the High Court in the early hours of Thursday.
     
    Judge Martin Chamberlain then lifted that injunction following a hearing, saying Britain’s interests would be “substantially prejudiced” if the injunction were to continue.
     
    The government, which has been criticised by opposition parties for pursuing a deal they say is overly costly and would play into the hands of China, has long said the agreement is essential to secure the future of Diego Garcia.
     
    “The strategic location of this base is of the utmost significance to Britain, from deploying aircraft to defeat terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan to anticipating threats in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer told a news conference.
     
    “By agreeing to this deal now, on our terms, we’re securing strong protections, including from malign influence, that will allow the base to operate well into the next century.”
     
    The signing ends months of wrangling over the deal, the details of which were first announced in October, after the then-Mauritian leader Pravind Jugnauth was replaced by Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, who raised concerns about it.
     
    It was further delayed after the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump in January, with London wanting to give the new administration time to examine the details of the plan. In February, Trump indicated his backing for the deal.
     
    Ramgoolam welcomed the deal, saying it had been a long fight to get to this point.
     
    “With this agreement, we are completing the total process of decolonization,” Ramgoolam said in a televised broadcast, speaking in the local Creole language.
     
    “It’s total recognition of our sovereignty on the Chagos, including Diego Garcia.”
     
    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also welcomed the deal saying it “secures the long-term, stable, and effective operation of the joint U.S.-UK military facility at Diego Garcia”.
     
    LATEST LEGAL CHALLENGE
     
    The injunction was the latest legal challenge to the deal in the last two decades brought by members of the wider Chagossian diaspora, many of whom ended up in Britain after being forcibly removed from the archipelago more than 50 years ago.
     
    It was granted following action by Bertrice Pompe, a British national who was born in Diego Garcia and has criticised the deal for excluding Chagossians.
     
    James Eadie, the government’s lawyer, said the delay was damaging to British interests and “there is jeopardy to our international relations … (including with) our most important security and intelligence partner, the U.S.”
     
    It is one less headache for Starmer, who is under fire from his own governing Labour Party for implementing welfare cuts to try to better balance Britain’s books.
     
    But Starmer’s political opponents were again critical of the accord, arguing it was both costly and by ceding sovereignty, China could further deepen its ties with Mauritius, benefiting Beijing’s influence in the Indian Ocean.
     
    “Labour’s Chagos Surrender Deal is bad for our defence and security interests, bad for British taxpayers and bad for British Chagossians,” Conservative Party foreign affairs spokeswoman Priti Patel said on X.
     
    The financial component of the deal includes 3 billion pounds to be paid by Britain to Mauritius over the 99-year term of the agreement, with an option for a 50-year extension and Britain maintaining the right of first refusal thereafter.
     
    The base’s capabilities are extensive and strategically crucial. Recent operations launched from Diego Garcia include bombing strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in 2024-2025, humanitarian aid deployments to Gaza and, further back, attacks on Taliban and al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan in 2001.
     
    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI Australia: AAD calls for public comment on draft Initial Environmental Evaluation: Australian Antarctic Program Aviation Operations 2025-2030

    Source: Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission

    The Australian Government is committed to leading the way in Antarctic environmental protection. We strive to continuously improve our environmental stewardship and minimise the environmental impacts of our operations. As such, and in accordance with our international obligations under the Antarctic Treaty system, the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) is assessing the environmental impacts of the Australian Antarctic Program’s aviation operations on the Antarctic environment (areas south of 60°S).

    The AAD has prepared a draft Initial Environmental Evaluation (IEE): Australian Antarctic Program Aviation Operations 2025-2030.
    This IEE considers the potential environmental impacts of all Australian flights in the Antarctic Treaty area in support of the Australian Antarctic Program, for the coming five years. This includes intracontinental and intercontinental airplane flights, helicopters, operation of the Wilkins ice runway, airdrops and some remotely-piloted aircraft activities.
    The AAD invites members of the public to submit comments on the draft IEE document. Comments should focus on potential environmental impacts of the proposed activities (south of 60°S) and/or suggest additional, specific ways to reduce the environmental impacts of the proposed activities.
    Please note that this environmental assessment process is unrelated to the recently released Approach to Market for the provision of Antarctic Aviation Services.
    The closing date for public comment is 5:00pm AEST on 13 June, 2025. 
    Please submit comments and/or questions on this draft IEE to the AAD’s Antarctic and Environmental Regulation Section via email: eia@aad.gov.au 
    Or via mail:
    Gillian Slocum
    Director, Antarctic and Environmental Regulation Section
    Policy and Strategy Branch
    Australian Antarctic Division
    GPO Box 3090, Canberra City ACT 2601
    This content was last updated 15 hours ago on 23 May 2025.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Two men before the courts after firearms incident

    Source: New Zealand Police

    Please attribute to Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Darren Pritchard

    Two men have been arrested in Gisborne this afternoon, following an incident involving a firearm earlier today.

    At around 6:30am today Police were called to an address on Colin Street after receiving reports of two vehicles being damaged, and a firearm presented at the occupants of the address.

    Armed Police attended and two men, aged 29 and 50 were taken into custody at the scene.

    A search of a nearby address resulted in Police locating two firearms.

    The incident, which was not gang related was resolved quickly due to a swift Police response, and enquiries into the incident will continue.

    The two men are due to appear in the Gisborne District Court tomorrow, charged with wilful damage, commission of a crime with a firearm and presenting a firearm at a person.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi stresses high-quality cultural-ethical advancement

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Xi stresses high-quality cultural-ethical advancement

    Xinhua | May 23, 2025

    Chinese President Xi Jinping has underscored the importance of promoting high-quality cultural and ethical development to provide robust spiritual support for building a strong nation and achieving national rejuvenation.

    Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a recent instruction on the work concerning promoting cultural-ethical progress.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Eugene Man Pleads Guilty to Three Federal Hate Crimes for Defacing Synagogue

    Source: US FBI

    EUGENE, Ore.—A Eugene man pleaded guilty to three federal hate crimes today for intentionally defacing a Eugene synagogue on multiple occasions.

    Adam Edward Braun, 34, pleaded guilty to two counts of intentionally defacing a synagogue and one count of attempting to deface religious property because it was a place of religious worship for Jewish people.

    According to court documents, between September 2023 and January 2024, Braun intentionally defaced Temple Beth Israel, a Jewish synagogue in Eugene, by repeatedly targeting the synagogue with graffiti, some of which used antisemitic symbols and phrases. Braun’s pattern of behavior culminated in the early morning hours of January 14, 2024, when he traveled to Temple Beth Israel with a hammer and prepared to swing at the glass doors of the synagogue. Braun stopped when he saw he was being recorded by a surveillance camera, and then moved to a different area of the property and used spray paint to write “White Power” in large letters on the building’s exterior.

    On January 31, 2024, officers from the Eugene Police Department, with assistance from the FBI, executed a state search warrant on Braun’s Eugene residence. Investigators located multiple pieces of evidence connecting Braun to the attacks on Temple Beth Israel, along with several items and writings belonging to Braun that were consistent with antisemitic beliefs and biases.

    Braun was initially charged by criminal complaint on March 4, 2024. Later, on May 9, 2024, Braun was charged by criminal information with five counts of defacing and attempting to deface religious property because it was a place of religious worship for Jewish people.

    Braun faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison, a $100,000 fine, and one year of supervised release for each count. He will be sentenced on February 18, 2025, before U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. McShane.

    As part of the plea agreement, Braun has agreed to pay restitution in full to the victim.

    This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Eugene Police Department. Gavin W. Bruce, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, and Cameron A. Bell, Trial Attorney for the Civil Rights Division Criminal Section, are prosecuting the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Coos Bay Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Exploiting a Minor

    Source: US FBI

    EUGENE, Ore.—A Coos Bay, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison Wednesday for taking sexually explicit images of a minor.

    Willard Verdell Cowan, 61, was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison followed by a lifetime term of supervised release.

    According to court documents, beginning in early 2021, Cowan offered to talk with a minor who often suffered from panic attacks. Instead, he preyed on the victim’s vulnerability by providing alcohol and marijuana before sexually assaulting the victim. Cowan continued to sexually abuse the victim, at times recording the abuse and soliciting sexually explicit images from the minor, until he was arrested in March 2023.

    On February 16, 2023, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned a two-count indictment charging Cowan with sexually exploiting a child and distributing child pornography.

    On August 21, 2024, Cowan pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting a child.

    This case was investigated by the FBI and Coos County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Jeffrey S. Sweet, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, in coordination with the Coos County District Attorney’s Office.

    Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

    The FBI CETF conducts sexual exploitation investigations, many of them undercover, in coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering and assisting victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation.

    Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Arizona Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation Offenses in Connection with Catfishing Scheme That Targeted Young Boys

    Source: US FBI

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Donald Michael, aka “Baseball Fun,” 47, of Queen Creek, Arizona, entered a plea of guilty before United States District Court Judge Mark A. Kearney yesterday to multiple child pornography offenses.

    Michael was charged by indictment in July of last year with one count of conspiracy to manufacture child pornography, one count of conspiracy to receive and distribute child pornography, one count of distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography, and two counts of receipt of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to all the charges against him.

    The defendant, who served as a baseball coach of minor boys for more than 20 years, engaged in an online child exploitation catfishing scheme for more than 18 months with co-conspirators Andrew Wolf, a former teacher at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (SCH), and Kray Strange, of Carthage, New York, both of whom were previously convicted and sentenced.

    Michael conspired with Wolf and Strange to target minor boys who were Wolf’s current and former students at SCH and to coerce and induce them to produce sexually explicit images and send them to the defendant and his co-conspirators over the internet. They did so by creating multiple fake online profiles where they pretended to be teenaged girls, engaging each of their victims in sexually explicit and graphic chats, and distributing child pornography to the minor boys, in an effort to get them to reciprocate with their own images.

    When the boys refused to continue to engage, Michael and his co-conspirators used blackmail and extortion to manipulate them into continuing to produce images. After Wolf and Strange were arrested and incarcerated, this defendant continued his catfishing scheme by targeting and victimizing minor boys who were Little League World Series players.

    The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14 and faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release, and a maximum possible term of 110 years’ imprisonment and lifetime supervised release. He will also be required to register as a child sex offender under both state and federal law. 

    “Donald Michael and his co-conspirators strategized at length about how to ‘bait’ young boys into taking and sending explicit images of themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “They reveled in the anonymity that the internet provided them to target and catfish their young victims. Unmasking these predators is a priority for my office and the FBI, as we work to protect children everywhere from sexual exploitation.”

    “The sexual exploitation of children remains one of the most devious crimes the men and women of the FBI investigate,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “This serves as a reminder how seriously the FBI and our partners take the online victimization of minors. We will continue to work tirelessly to protect children from abuse and exploitation, and that ensure that those who harm them will be held accountable.”

    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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to 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 projectsafechildhood.gov.

    The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly Harrell and Michelle Rotella.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former CIA Analyst Pleads Guilty to Transmitting Top Secret National Defense Information

    Source: US FBI

    A former CIA analyst pleaded guilty today to retaining and transmitting Top Secret National Defense Information to people who were not entitled to receive it, information which was publicly posted on a social media platform in October 2024.

    According to court documents, Asif William Rahman, 34, of Vienna, was an employee of the CIA since 2016 and had a Top-Secret security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).

    “Mr. Rahman betrayed the trust of the American people by unlawfully sharing classified national defense information he swore an oath to protect,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s guilty plea demonstrates that the Justice Department will spare no effort to swiftly find and aggressively prosecute those who harm the United States by illegally disclosing our national security secrets.”

    “Asif Rahman is pleading guilty in federal court three months to the day that he disclosed top secret American documents in violation of his oath, his responsibility, and the law,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This District, in partnership with federal law enforcement and the intelligence community, exemplified dedication, skill, and speed to bring him to justice expeditiously. Mr. Rahman’s actions placed lives at risk, undermined U.S. foreign relations, and compromised our ability to collect vital intelligence in the future.”

    “With today’s plea, Asif Rahman acknowledges he betrayed the trust of his country by sharing classified information in spite of the risk to the United States and our allies,” said Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “Government employees who are granted security clearances and given access to our nation’s classified information must promise to protect it. Rahman blatantly violated that pledge and took multiple steps to hide his actions. The FBI will use all our resources to investigate and hold accountable those who illegally transmit classified information and endanger the national security interests of our country.”

    “Today’s plea demonstrates the FBI’s resolve to deploy the necessary tools and authorities to identify, locate, and bring to justice a government clearance holder who violated the oath he took to support and defend the U.S. Constitution,” said Assistant Director David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office. “This is a good reminder to all clearance holders that the FBI and our Intelligence Community partners will spare no resource to immediately find and hold accountable those who violate the law and disclose classified information without authorization, no matter where in the world they are located.”

    According to court documents, on Oct. 17, 2024, Rahman accessed and printed two Top Secret documents containing National Defense Information regarding a U.S. foreign ally and its planned actions against a foreign adversary. Rahman removed the documents, photographed them, and transmitted them to individuals he knew were not entitled to receive them. By Oct. 18, 2024, the documents appeared publicly on multiple social media platforms, complete with the classification markings.

    After Oct. 17, 2024, Rahman deleted and edited journal entries and written work product on his personal electronic devices to conceal his personal opinions on U.S. policy and drafted entries to construct a false narrative regarding his activity. Rahman also destroyed multiple electronic devices, including a personal mobile device and an internet router he used to transmit classified information and photographs of classified documents, and discarded the destroyed devices in public trash receptacles in an effort to thwart potential investigations into him and his unlawful conduct.

    Beginning in the spring of 2024 and continuing through November 2024, Rahman repeatedly accessed and printed classified National Defense Information, including documents classified up to the Top Secret level, to take them to his residence. There, Rahman reproduced the documents and, while doing so, altered them in an effort to conceal their source and his activity. Rahman then communicated Top Secret information that he learned in the course of his employment to multiple individuals he knew were not entitled to receive it.

    Rahman was indicted by a grand jury on Nov. 7, 2024, and was arrested by the FBI as he arrived to work on Nov. 12, 2024. He has remained in custody since his arrest.

    Rahman pleaded guilty to two counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information related to the national defense. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15, 2025. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for both counts in the plea agreement. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy A. Edwards Jr. for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Brett Reynolds of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: David K. Porter Named Special Agent in Charge of the Honolulu Field Office

    Source: US FBI

    Director Christopher Wray has named David K. Porter as the special agent in charge of the Honolulu Field Office. Mr. Porter most recently served as the chief of staff for the Deputy Director at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

    Mr. Porter began his career with the FBI as a special agent in 2006, initially assigned to the Pittsburgh Field Office Joint Terrorism Task Force. In 2010, Mr. Porter transferred to the Detroit Field Office, where he investigated counterterrorism matters. In addition to his work as a special agent in the Pittsburgh and Detroit Field Offices, Mr. Porter also served as an operator on the FBI Pittsburgh and Detroit SWAT Teams.

    In 2013, Mr. Porter was promoted to associate division counsel in the Detroit Field Office and later promoted to supervisory special agent of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights programs in 2015.

    Mr. Porter was selected as an assistant section chief to the Cyber Division at FBI Headquarters in 2019. He was detailed full-time to the Counterintelligence Division’s Foreign Influence Task Force, where he led investigative operations, intelligence production, and interagency policy engagement with the National Security Council.

    Mr. Porter returned to Detroit in May 2021 as the crisis response supervisory special agent. In July 2021, he was then selected as an assistant special agent in charge of the Detroit Field Office, with operational responsibility for the Western District of Michigan and oversight of six resident agencies spanning 49 counties.

    Immediately prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Porter served as counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. He also has previous experience practicing law as a corporate litigation attorney, and he served as a high school history teacher. Mr. Porter earned bachelor’s degrees in American history and literature from Calvin University and a juris doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Sacramento Celebrates 2024 Graduates of the FBI National Academy

    Source: US FBI

    Did you know that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began providing standardized, professional training to law enforcement professionals in 1935? Since its founding, the FBI National Academy has trained 55,797 law enforcement professionals from across the globe. This training aims to enhance the administration of justice in police departments and agencies both domestically and abroad, raising law enforcement standards, knowledge, and cooperation worldwide.

    The FBI Sacramento Field Office referred 16 law enforcement professionals to this program in 2024. They represent law enforcement agencies based within the 34-county region the FBI Sacramento Field Office serves. FBI National Academy graduates in 2024 include:

    • Deputy Division Chief Luke Blehm
      California Alcoholic Beverage Control
    • Captain Andrew Beasley
      California Highway Patrol
    • Lieutenant Noah Hawkins
      California Highway Patrol
    • Captain Anthony Horner
      California Highway Patrol
    • Lieutenant Lou Wright
      Folsom Police Department
    • Captain Brandon Pursell, Jr.
      Fresno County Sheriff’s Office
    • Lieutenant Jerardo “Charlie” Chamalbide
      Fresno Police Department.
    • Chief Deputy Erik Levig
      Kern County Sheriff’s Office
    • Captain Ray Reyna
      Modesto Police Department
    • Chief Brandon Gillespie
      Modesto Police Department
    • Chief Investigator Mary Green
      Placer County District Attorney’s Office
    • Lieutenant Mark Lopez
      Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office
    • Captain Vance Chandler
      Sacramento Police Department
    • Chief Rudolfo Alcaraz
      Selma Police Department
    • Lieutenant Craig Collins
      Solano County Sheriff’s Office
    • Octavio Lopez
      Tracy Police Department.

    Following graduation, each officer may join the FBI National Academy Associates, Inc., a dynamic organization of more than 14,000 law enforcement professionals who continue improving the level of competency, cooperation, and integrity among the global law enforcement community.

    Courses during the rigorous, 10-week program include intelligence theory, terrorism and terrorist mindsets, management science, law, behavioral science, law enforcement communication, and forensic science. Students and their respective law enforcement agencies receive tuition, books, equipment, meals, lodging, or travel to and from the training facility at no cost.

    The FBI National Academy program was originally launched as the “FBI Police Training School” in response to the 1930 Wickersham Commission report recommending standardization and professionalization of law enforcement in the United States through centralized training. At the time, courses included scientific aids in crime detection, preparation of reports, and criminal investigation techniques as well as administration and organization. To learn more about the FBI National Academy, visit https://www.fbi.gov/services/training-academy/national-academy.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Sentenced to 40 Months for Participating in International Money Laundering Scheme Involving More Than $3 Million in Fraud Proceeds

    Source: US FBI

    NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – September 9, 2024

    SAN DIEGO – Juan Pablo Prada Bernal of Colombia was sentenced in federal court today to 40 months in prison for participating in an international money laundering conspiracy involving more than $3 million in proceeds obtained through phone scams.

    At today’s hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew G. Schopler also ordered Bernal to pay $327,040.72 in restitution to 27 victims of the offense.

    According to his plea agreement, between June 2018 and March 2020, Bernal was a member of an international conspiracy that laundered large amounts of money. The conspiracy involved two sides: Those responsible for contacting victims by phone and tricking them into sending thousands of dollars to U.S.-based bank accounts, and those responsible for laundering the proceeds through those bank accounts. The money launderers received and transferred the ill-gotten gains to their co-conspirators in Colombia and the United States, and in the process concealed the nature, source, location, ownership and control of the proceeds.

    The money launderers opened bank accounts at various financial institutions using false mailing addresses. Shortly after the accounts were opened, the phone scammers – many of whom lived in Colombia – made unsolicited phone calls to victims in the United States using spoofed phone numbers. This allowed callers to conceal their identity and make it appear as if the calls originated from locations in the United States, such as a police station where the victim lived or had lived in the past.

    During calls with victims, the scammers impersonated federal and local law enforcement officers and made the victims believe they were implicated in a crime. Using this as leverage, the conspirators coerced victims to make large wire transfers or other payments to purportedly resolve their criminal liability. The scammers instructed victims to wire funds to the various bank accounts opened by the money launderers. Once the money was deposited into the accounts, the money launderers quickly moved to withdraw the funds, purchase cashier’s checks to send to other conspirators, and drain the balance of the accounts before the funds could be frozen.

    According to the United States’ sentencing memorandum, Bernal opened bank accounts at 10 different financial institutions to carry out the money laundering scheme. In many instances, Bernal received the fraud proceeds shortly after he opened the bank accounts and drained the balance of the accounts in a matter of days. After banks stopped allowing Bernal to open new accounts, he began to receive and launder cashier’s checks sent from his co-conspirators that were purchased with fraud proceeds obtained from other victims. To carry out this new role, Bernal and his co-conspirators traveled to multiple Moneytree locations in the same day for the purpose of laundering large amounts of fraud proceeds over a short period of time.

    Over the course of approximately two years, Bernal received and laundered fraud proceeds more than 30 times from 27 different victims, including varying amounts of cashier’s checks from 14 of his co-conspirators, totaling an amount of $327,040.72.

    “These scammers are sophisticated and will prey on emotion and fear,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “This defendant turned deceit into profit, so we turned his profit into a conviction.”

    “FBI Los Angeles works closely with our law enforcement partners to combat money laundering in our communities. Mr. Bernal’s sentence should serve as a deterrent to those who seek to prey on innocent victims” said Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI reminds the public to be vigilant and never send money, gift cards, or share personal identifying information with a caller and to verify that the caller is a legitimate business or organization. The public is urged to report these calls to 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.”

    “The U.S. Border Patrol is an all-threats agency, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect our citizens from any and all threats,” said Chief Patrol Agent Patricia McGurk-Daniel. “I couldn’t be prouder of the work done by these agents to secure a significant and successful prosecution.”

    This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick C. Swan.

    DEFENDANT                                   Case Number             23-cr-1483-AGS

    Juan Pablo Prada Bernal                     Age: 24                       Columbia

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Money Laundering Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1956(h)

    Maximum Penalties: Twenty years in prison and a $250,000 fine or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction

    INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

    U.S. Department of Homeland Security

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection

    U.S. Border Patrol

    Federal Bureau of Investigation

    Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force

    U.S. Secret Service

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  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI San Diego Seizes Cryptocurrency Recovery Websites

    Source: US FBI

    SAN DIEGO — Special Agents with the FBI San Diego Field Office have seized websites belonging to three cryptocurrency recovery services. The seizures come as the FBI continues to crack down on an emerging scam tactic aimed at further defrauding cryptocurrency scam victims.

    The web domains were from the following cryptocurrency recovery services: MyChargeBack, Payback LTD, and Claim Justice. These companies claim to provide cryptocurrency tracing and promise the ability to recover lost funds. Representatives of these companies often advertise strong success in recovering victim funds but have no track record in doing so. They often charge significant upfront fees and ask for a commission should funds be recovered. These companies use extensive social media advertising, including false reviews, to convince victims of the legitimacy of their services.

    Potential ways to identify this type of scheme:

    • Recovery scheme fraudsters charge an up-front fee and either cease communication with the victim after receiving an initial deposit or produce an incomplete or inaccurate tracing report. They may also request additional fees to recover funds.
    • Fraudsters may claim affiliation with law enforcement or legal services to appear legitimate.
    • Scammers may reference actual financial institutions and money exchanges to build credibility and further their schemes.

    Tips to avoid becoming a victim:

    • Be wary of advertisements for cryptocurrency recovery services. Research the advertised company and beware if the company uses vague language, has a minimal online presence, and makes promises regarding an ability to recover funds.
    • If an unknown individual contacts you and claims to be able to recover stolen cryptocurrency, do not release any financial or personal identifying information, and do not send money.
    • Law enforcement does not charge victims a fee for investigating crimes. If someone claims an affiliation with the FBI, contact the FBI San Diego Field Office at 858-320-1800 to confirm.

    Individuals who believe they may have been a victim of this type of scheme should file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

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