NewzIntel.com

Category: CTF

  • MIL-OSI Security: Orlando Man Indicted for Making Online Threats Against the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey

    Source: US FBI

    Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the  unsealing of an indictment charging Salvatore Russotto (58, Orlando) with threatening to injure and kill the victim, the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Alina Habba, and with retaliating against a federal law enforcement officer by threat. If convicted on both counts, Russotto faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. 

    According to the indictment, on May 19, 2025, Russotto made a threat to injure and kill the victim in a series of postings from an online account belonging to him. Specifically, Russotto stated, among other things, “A slow painful death for HABBA,” “Eliminate HABBA. 86 Traitor. Death penalty for all traitors,” “I HOPE YOU DIE A PAINFUL DEATH,” a true threat of violence.

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Newark, Jersey and Tampa, Florida Field Offices – and the United States Marshals Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kara Wick.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: PENSACOLA MAN INCARCERATED FOR NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING & FIREARM POSSESSION

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

    PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Marcus Devon Rayford, 42, of Pensacola, Florida was sentenced to 60 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and cocaine, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

    U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I applaud the substantial efforts of our state and federal law enforcement partners to investigate, arrest, and help bring this drug trafficker to justice. These offenses are not victimless crimes; the victims are the members of our community who experience the addiction and violence that too often follows from drug traffickers flooding our streets with this poison. President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi promised to Take Back America with the aggressive pursuit of drug traffickers victimizing our communities, and that is exactly what my office will continue to do.”

    In January 2024, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives initiated a criminal investigation into an armed drug trafficking organization in Pensacola, Florida. The investigation revealed that Marcus Rayford was a key member within the organization with law enforcement observing him distributing firearms and narcotics on numerous occasions.  In December 2024, state and federal law enforcement executed a search warrant at Marcus Rayford’s residence and located five firearms, cocaine base, cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana, and heroin. 

    These sentences were the result of a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Escambia County Sherriff’s Office, Pensacola Police Department, Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey M. Tharp prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Foreign National Indicted in Wire Fraud Scheme

    Source: US FBI

    Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Ken-ichi Larroza Hatakama (36, Philippines), with wire fraud. If convicted, Hatakama faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Hatakama that the United States intends to forfeit $562,569.37, which are alleged to be the proceeds of the offense.

    According to the indictment, Hatakama, a citizen and national of the Philippines, worked remotely assisting Victim Company (“VC”) with their computer coding. While working on VC’s computer coding, Hatakama embedded malicious code into VC’s computer coding, causing payments intended for VC’s partners to be rerouted to dozens of fraudulent PayPal accounts he controlled. Through this scheme, Hatakama stole over $500,000 from VC.

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Noah P. Dorman.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Eureka Chiropractor Sentenced to 20 Months in Prison and Ordered to Repay More than $2.3 Million for Defrauding Medicare

    Source: US FBI

    PEORIA, Ill. – Carrie Musselman, 48, of Eureka, Illinois, was sentenced on June 24, 2025, to 20 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $2.3 million dollars in restitution following her convictions on multiple charges related to her scheme to defraud Medicare and twelve other insurance companies. A jury found Musselman guilty of one count of healthcare fraud and five counts of wire fraud after a 13-day trial in February 2025.

    At the sentencing hearing before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm, the government presented evidence that Musselman, a chiropractor in Eureka, engaged in a multi-year fraud to steal more than $2.5 million from Medicare and other insurance companies. As part of the scheme, Musselman submitted fraudulent insurance claims which indicated that services had been performed by medical doctors when they were actually performed by mid-level providers. That resulted in automatic pay increases for Musselman to which she was not entitled.

    Musselman also made claims that falsely asserted patients had received services that were never provided. These claims included purportedly providing patients with allergy injections when no such injections were given. Instead, patients were sent home with oral drops that had not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, were considered “experimental,” and had not been proven to be effective.

    And Musselman misrepresented services that were provided, again resulting in her receipt of payments to which she was not entitled. One of Musselman’s most highly reimbursed services, the placement of an electroacupuncture device, which she falsely billed as a surgically implanted neurostimulator, would not have qualified for any payment but for her deception.

    Also at the hearing, Judge Mihm found that Musselman had committed perjury in her testimony. In doing so, the judge noted that Musselman’s statements lacked credibility. He stated that Musselman was well aware of the fraud she was committing and that she had directed and encouraged the fraud. 

    “This case should serve as a warning to anyone who would commit fraud against health insurance,” said Acting United States Attorney Gregory M. Gilmore. “We will seek out fraud, waste, and abuse and prosecute those who engage in it. Providers who take advantage of the trust placed in them to line their own pockets abandon their ethical responsibilities and raise health insurance costs for vulnerable patients.”

    “The submission of false claims undermines the integrity of our federal healthcare system,” said Linda T. Hanley, Special Agent in Charge with the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “We remain committed to holding healthcare providers accountable for complying with Medicare regulations so that enrollees can continue to rely on the program and receive the care they deserve.”

    “Bad actors in healthcare, such as Dr. Musselman, think they can cover up fraud through clouded paperwork and technical healthcare jargon all while they commit illegal acts such as false claims, fraudulent services, and in this case, services not even rendered,” said Christopher J.S. Johnson, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Springfield Field Office. “This sentencing and ordered restitution are a testament to the FBI’s commitment to working these types of cases. It doesn’t matter how clouded the paperwork, or how many files there are to go through, if there is a victim, then there will be an agent investigating it.”

    The case investigation was conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Douglas F. McMeyer, Bryan D. Freres, and Grace J. Hitzeman represented the government at trial.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Requires Divestitures and Licensing Commitments in HPE’s Acquisition of Juniper Networks

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    WASHINGTON — Achieving a result otherwise unavailable through litigation, earlier today the Justice Department advised the court it had reached a settlement with HPE and Juniper that allows their merger to continue. This novel approach by the Justice Department reflects a commitment to solving unique challenges in mergers. Under the leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi the laws of this country will be zealously enforced.

    “Thank you to the hardworking men and women of the Antitrust Division for their work on this case.” — Gail Slater, Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Divison

    “This marks another key legal victory from the Department of Justice’s Antitrust division. Our attorneys will continue fighting and winning to defend the American people and consumers.” — Department of Justice Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle

    The settlement requires HPE to divest its Instant On business and mandates that the merged firm license critical Juniper software to independent competitors. HPE must divest its global “Instant On” campus and branch WLAN business, including all assets, intellectual property, R&D personnel, and customer relationships, to a DOJ-approved buyer within 180 days. The agreement also ensures that key software assets will be available to rivals looking to compete with the merged company. The parties must hold an auction to license Juniper’s AI Ops for Mist source code—an important component in modern WLAN systems. The license will be perpetual, non-exclusive, and include optional transitional support and personnel transfers to facilitate competition.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: National Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in 324 Defendants Charged in Connection with Over $14.6 Billion in Alleged Fraud

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Largest Justice Department Health Care Fraud Takedown in History
    More than Doubles Prior Record of $6 Billion

    The Justice Department today announced the results of its 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, which resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants, including 96 doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other licensed medical professionals, in 50 federal districts and 12 State Attorneys General’s Offices across the United States, for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes involving over $14.6 billion in intended loss. The Takedown involved federal and state law enforcement agencies across the country and represents an unprecedented effort to combat health care fraud schemes that exploit patients and taxpayers.

    Demonstrating the significant return on investment that results from health care fraud enforcement efforts, the government seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency, and other assets as part of the coordinated enforcement efforts. As part of the whole-of-government approach to combating health care fraud announced today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) also announced that it successfully prevented over $4 billion from being paid in response to false and fraudulent claims and that it suspended or revoked the billing privileges of 205 providers in the months leading up to the Takedown. Civil charges against 20 defendants for $14.2 million in alleged fraud, as well as civil settlements with 106 defendants totaling $34.3 million, were also announced as part of the Takedown.

    Today’s Takedown was led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and its core partners from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The cases were investigated by agents from HHS-OIG, FBI, DEA, and other federal and state law enforcement agencies. The cases are being prosecuted by Health Care Fraud Strike Force teams from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, 50 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide, and 12 State Attorneys General Offices.

    “This record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown delivers justice to criminal actors who prey upon our most vulnerable citizens and steal from hardworking American taxpayers,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Make no mistake – this administration will not tolerate criminals who line their pockets with taxpayer dollars while endangering the health and safety of our communities.”

    “As part of making healthcare accessible and affordable to all Americans, HHS will aggressively work with our law enforcement partners to eliminate the pervasive health care fraud that bedeviled this agency under the former administration and drove up costs,” said Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of the Department of Health and Human Services.

    “The Criminal Division is intensely committed to rooting out health care fraud schemes and prosecuting the criminals who perpetrate them because these schemes: (1) often result in physical patient harm through medically unnecessary treatments or failure to provide the correct treatments; (2) contribute to our nationwide opioid epidemic and exacerbate controlled substance addiction; and (3) do all of that while stealing money hardworking Americans contribute to pay for the care of their elders and other vulnerable citizens,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Division’s Health Care Fraud Unit and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices stand united with our law enforcement partners in this fight, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect the integrity of our health care programs for the American people.”

    “The scale of today’s Takedown is unprecedented, and so is the harm we’re confronting. Individuals who attempt to steal from the federal health care system and put vulnerable patients at risk will be held accountable,” said Acting Inspector General Juliet T. Hodgkins of HHS-OIG. “Our agents at HHS-OIG work relentlessly to detect, investigate, and dismantle these fraud schemes. We are proud to stand with our law enforcement partners in protecting taxpayer dollars and safeguarding patient care.”

    “Health care fraud drains critical resources from programs intended to help people who truly need medical care,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to pursuing those who exploit the system for personal gain. With more than $13 billion in fraud uncovered, this is the largest takedown for this initiative to date. Together, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold those accountable who steal from the American people and undermine our health care systems.”

    Transnational Criminal Organizations

    29 defendants were charged for their roles in transnational criminal organizations alleged to have submitted over $12 billion in fraudulent claims to America’s health insurance programs.

    For instance, a nationwide investigation known as Operation Gold Rush resulted in the largest loss amount ever charged in a health care fraud case brought by the Department. These charges were announced in the Eastern District of New York, the Northern District of Illinois, the Central District of California, the Middle District of Florida, and the District of New Jersey against 19 defendants. Twelve of these defendants have been arrested, including four defendants who were apprehended in Estonia as a result of international cooperation with Estonian law enforcement and seven defendants who were arrested at U.S. airports and the U.S. border with Mexico, cutting off their intended escape routes as they attempted to avoid capture.

    The organization allegedly used a network of foreign straw owners, including individuals sent into the United States from abroad, who, acting at the direction of others using encrypted messaging and assumed identities from overseas, strategically bought dozens of medical supply companies located across the United States. They then rapidly submitted $10.6 billion in fraudulent health care claims to Medicare for urinary catheters and other durable medical equipment by exploiting the stolen identities of over one million Americans spanning all 50 states and using their confidential medical information to submit the fraudulent claims. As alleged, the organization exploited the U.S. financial system by laundering the fraudulent proceeds and deploying a range of tactics to circumvent anti-money laundering controls to transfer funds into cryptocurrency and shell companies located abroad. The arrests announced today also include a banker who facilitated the money laundering of fraud proceeds on behalf of the organization through a U.S.-based bank.

    The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team and its partners detected the anomalous billing through proactive data analytics, and HHS-OIG and CMS successfully prevented the organization from receiving all but approximately $41 million of the approximately $4.45 billion that was scheduled to be paid by Medicare. HHS and CMS intend to seek to return the $4.41 billion in escrow to the Medicare trust fund for needed medical care. The scheme nonetheless resulted in payments of approximately $900 million from Medicare supplemental insurers. To date, law enforcement has seized approximately $27.7 million in fraud proceeds as part of Operation Gold Rush.

    In another action involving foreign influence, charges were filed in the Northern District of Illinois against five defendants, including two owners and executives of Pakistani marketing organizations, in connection with a $703 million scheme in which Medicare beneficiaries’ identification numbers and other confidential health information were allegedly obtained through theft and deceptive marketing. The defendants allegedly used artificial intelligence to create fake recordings of Medicare beneficiaries purportedly consenting to receive certain products. According to court documents, the beneficiaries’ confidential information was then illegally sold to laboratories and durable medical equipment companies, which used this unlawfully obtained and fraudulently generated data to submit false claims to Medicare. Certain defendants controlled dozens of nominee-owned durable medical equipment companies and laboratories that allegedly submitted fraudulent claims for products and services the beneficiaries did not request, need, or receive. Certain defendants also allegedly conspired to conceal and launder the fraud proceeds from bank accounts they controlled in the United States to bank accounts overseas. In total, the defendants caused approximately $703 million in alleged fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, which paid approximately $418 million on those claims. The government seized approximately $44.7 million from various bank accounts related to this case.

    Finally, a defendant based in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates who owned a billing company allegedly orchestrated a scheme to prey upon vulnerable individuals in need of addiction treatment by conspiring with treatment center owners to fraudulently bill Arizona Medicaid approximately $650 million for substance abuse treatment services. According to court documents, some of the services billed were never provided, while other services were provided at a level that was so substandard that it failed to serve any treatment purpose. As part of the conspiracy, treatment center owners allegedly paid illegal kickbacks in exchange for the referral of patients recruited from the homeless population and Native American reservations. The defendant received at least $25 million of ill-gotten Arizona Medicaid funds as a result of the conspiracy and is charged with a money laundering offense for his alleged use of those funds to purchase a $2.9 million home located on a golf estate in Dubai.

    Fraudulent Wound Care

    Charges were filed in the District of Arizona and the District of Nevada against seven defendants, including five medical professionals, in connection with approximately $1.1 billion in fraudulent claims to Medicare and other health care benefit programs for amniotic wound allografts. As alleged, certain defendants targeted vulnerable elderly patients, many of whom were receiving hospice care, and applied medically unnecessary amniotic allografts to these patients’ wounds. Many of the allografts allegedly were applied without coordination with the patients’ treating physicians, without proper treatment for infection, to superficial wounds that did not need this treatment, and to areas that far exceeded the size of the wound. Certain defendants allegedly received millions in illegal kickbacks from the fraudulent billing scheme.

    “Today’s unprecedented enforcement action demonstrates that CMS and our federal partners are united in our mission to protect the integrity of Medicare and Medicaid by crushing waste, fraud, and abuse,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “Every dollar we prevent from going to fraudsters is a dollar that stays in the system to serve legitimate beneficiaries. Through advanced data analytics, real-time monitoring, and swift administrative action, CMS is leading the fight to protect Medicare, Medicaid, and the trust Americans place in these vital programs. We’re not waiting for fraud to happen—we’re stopping it before it starts.”

    Prescription Opioid Trafficking

    74 defendants, including 44 licensed medical professionals, were charged across 58 cases in connection with the alleged illegal diversion of over 15 million pills of prescription opioids and other controlled substances. For example, five defendants associated with one Texas pharmacy were charged with the unlawful distribution of over 3 million opioid pills. As alleged, the defendants conspired to distribute massive quantities of oxycodone, hydrocodone, and carisoprodol, which were subsequently trafficked by street-level drug dealers, generating large profits for the defendants. This coordinated action is a continuation of the Health Care Fraud Unit’s systematic approach to stopping drug trafficking organizations and their pharmaceutical wholesale suppliers, which together have fueled an epidemic of prescription opioid abuse for nearly a decade.

    DEA also announced today that in the last six months, DEA charged 93 administrative cases seeking the revocation of pharmacies, medical practitioners, and companies authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances.

    “Health care fraud isn’t just theft — it’s trafficking in trust. Today’s announcement shows that when doctors become drug dealers and treatment centers become profit-driven fraud rings, DEA will act,” said Acting Administrator Robert Murphy of the DEA. “We’re targeting the entire ecosystem of fraud — from pill mills in Texas to kickback clinics exploiting Native communities. If you abuse your medical license to push poison or pad your pockets, we will hold you accountable.”

    Telemedicine and Genetic Testing Fraud

    In today’s Takedown, 49 defendants were charged in connection with the submission of over $1.17 billion in allegedly fraudulent claims to Medicare resulting from telemedicine and genetic testing fraud schemes. For example, in the Southern District of Florida, prosecutors charged an owner of telemedicine and durable medical equipment companies with a $46 million scheme in which Medicare beneficiaries were allegedly targeted through deceptive telemarketing campaigns and then fraudulent claims were submitted to Medicare for durable medical equipment and genetic tests for these beneficiaries. The Department continues to focus on eliminating health care fraud schemes that depend on telemedicine, including schemes involving fraudulent claims for genetic testing, durable medical equipment, and COVID-19 tests.

    Other Health Care Fraud Schemes

    The other cases announced today charge an additional 170 defendants with various other health care fraud schemes involving over $1.84 billion in allegedly false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies for diagnostic testing, medical visits, and treatments that were medically unnecessary, provided in connection with kickbacks and bribes, or never provided at all. For example, in the Western District of Tennessee, prosecutors charged three defendants, including business owners and a pharmacist, with a $28.7 million scheme to defraud the Federal Employees’ Compensation Fund by allegedly billing for medications for injured United States Postal Service employees that were never prescribed by a licensed practitioner and largely were not dispensed as claimed. And in the Western District of Washington and the Northern District of California, prosecutors charged medical providers with allegedly stealing fentanyl and hydrocodone, respectively, that was meant for the providers’ patients, including child patients in need of anesthesia.

    “VA’s Integrated Veteran Care Programs provide critical community-based health care to our nation’s disabled veterans and their dependents,” said Acting Inspector General David Case of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG). “Robust oversight of VA’s health care system is one of VA-OIG’s highest priorities. VA-OIG is committed to holding accountable those who defraud government benefits programs intended to care for our nation’s heroes.”

    Breaking Down Silos in the Fight Against Health Care Fraud

    In connection with the coordinated nationwide law enforcement operation, the Department is announcing that it is working closely with HHS-OIG, FBI, and other agencies to create a Health Care Fraud Data Fusion Center to bring together experts from the Department’s Criminal Division, Fraud Section, Health Care Fraud Unit Data Analytics Team; HHS-OIG; FBI; and other agencies to leverage cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics to identify emerging health care fraud schemes. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team was established in 2018 to enhance the Unit’s ability to detect, investigate, and prosecute complex health care fraud schemes. Joining forces with data analysts from HHS-OIG, FBI, and other partners will increase efficiency, detection, and rapid prosecution of emerging health care fraud schemes. It will also implement the President’s Executive Order Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos (Exec. Order No. 14243, 3 C.F.R. 294 (2025)) by reducing duplicative data teams, increasing operational efficiency through a whole-of-government approach, and leveraging cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other agency resources.

    Principal Assistant Deputy Chief Jacob Foster, Assistant Deputy Chief Rebecca Yuan, Trial Attorney Miriam L. Glaser Dauermann, and Data Analyst Elizabeth Nolte, all of the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, led and coordinated this year’s Takedown. The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Columbia, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Middle District of Georgia, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Maine, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Northern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nevada, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Western District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, District of North Dakota, Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, District of South Carolina, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Washington, and Northern District of West Virginia; and State Attorneys General’s Offices for California, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team used cutting-edge data analytics to identify and support the investigations that led to these charges.

    In addition to FBI, HHS-OIG, DEA, and CMS, HSI, VA-OIG, IRS Criminal Investigation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Department of Labor, United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies participated in the operation. The Medicaid Fraud Control Units of California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin also participated in the investigation of many of the federal and state cases announced today.

    The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Forces. Prior to the charges announced as part of today’s nationwide Takedown and since its inception in March 2007, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force, which operates in 27 districts, charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively billed Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurers more than $27 billion.

    The following materials related to today’s announcement are available on the Health Care Fraud Unit’s website through these links:

    •  Graphics and Resources

    •  Case Descriptions

    •  Court Documents

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: National Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in 324 Defendants Charged in Connection with Over $14.6 Billion in Alleged Fraud

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Largest Justice Department Health Care Fraud Takedown in History
    More than Doubles Prior Record of $6 Billion

    The Justice Department today announced the results of its 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, which resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants, including 96 doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other licensed medical professionals, in 50 federal districts and 12 State Attorneys General’s Offices across the United States, for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes involving over $14.6 billion in intended loss. The Takedown involved federal and state law enforcement agencies across the country and represents an unprecedented effort to combat health care fraud schemes that exploit patients and taxpayers.

    Demonstrating the significant return on investment that results from health care fraud enforcement efforts, the government seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency, and other assets as part of the coordinated enforcement efforts. As part of the whole-of-government approach to combating health care fraud announced today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) also announced that it successfully prevented over $4 billion from being paid in response to false and fraudulent claims and that it suspended or revoked the billing privileges of 205 providers in the months leading up to the Takedown. Civil charges against 20 defendants for $14.2 million in alleged fraud, as well as civil settlements with 106 defendants totaling $34.3 million, were also announced as part of the Takedown.

    Today’s Takedown was led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and its core partners from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The cases were investigated by agents from HHS-OIG, FBI, DEA, and other federal and state law enforcement agencies. The cases are being prosecuted by Health Care Fraud Strike Force teams from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, 50 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide, and 12 State Attorneys General Offices.

    “This record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown delivers justice to criminal actors who prey upon our most vulnerable citizens and steal from hardworking American taxpayers,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Make no mistake – this administration will not tolerate criminals who line their pockets with taxpayer dollars while endangering the health and safety of our communities.”

    “As part of making healthcare accessible and affordable to all Americans, HHS will aggressively work with our law enforcement partners to eliminate the pervasive health care fraud that bedeviled this agency under the former administration and drove up costs,” said Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of the Department of Health and Human Services.

    “The Criminal Division is intensely committed to rooting out health care fraud schemes and prosecuting the criminals who perpetrate them because these schemes: (1) often result in physical patient harm through medically unnecessary treatments or failure to provide the correct treatments; (2) contribute to our nationwide opioid epidemic and exacerbate controlled substance addiction; and (3) do all of that while stealing money hardworking Americans contribute to pay for the care of their elders and other vulnerable citizens,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Division’s Health Care Fraud Unit and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices stand united with our law enforcement partners in this fight, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect the integrity of our health care programs for the American people.”

    “The scale of today’s Takedown is unprecedented, and so is the harm we’re confronting. Individuals who attempt to steal from the federal health care system and put vulnerable patients at risk will be held accountable,” said Acting Inspector General Juliet T. Hodgkins of HHS-OIG. “Our agents at HHS-OIG work relentlessly to detect, investigate, and dismantle these fraud schemes. We are proud to stand with our law enforcement partners in protecting taxpayer dollars and safeguarding patient care.”

    “Health care fraud drains critical resources from programs intended to help people who truly need medical care,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to pursuing those who exploit the system for personal gain. With more than $13 billion in fraud uncovered, this is the largest takedown for this initiative to date. Together, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold those accountable who steal from the American people and undermine our health care systems.”

    Transnational Criminal Organizations

    29 defendants were charged for their roles in transnational criminal organizations alleged to have submitted over $12 billion in fraudulent claims to America’s health insurance programs.

    For instance, a nationwide investigation known as Operation Gold Rush resulted in the largest loss amount ever charged in a health care fraud case brought by the Department. These charges were announced in the Eastern District of New York, the Northern District of Illinois, the Central District of California, the Middle District of Florida, and the District of New Jersey against 19 defendants. Twelve of these defendants have been arrested, including four defendants who were apprehended in Estonia as a result of international cooperation with Estonian law enforcement and seven defendants who were arrested at U.S. airports and the U.S. border with Mexico, cutting off their intended escape routes as they attempted to avoid capture.

    The organization allegedly used a network of foreign straw owners, including individuals sent into the United States from abroad, who, acting at the direction of others using encrypted messaging and assumed identities from overseas, strategically bought dozens of medical supply companies located across the United States. They then rapidly submitted $10.6 billion in fraudulent health care claims to Medicare for urinary catheters and other durable medical equipment by exploiting the stolen identities of over one million Americans spanning all 50 states and using their confidential medical information to submit the fraudulent claims. As alleged, the organization exploited the U.S. financial system by laundering the fraudulent proceeds and deploying a range of tactics to circumvent anti-money laundering controls to transfer funds into cryptocurrency and shell companies located abroad. The arrests announced today also include a banker who facilitated the money laundering of fraud proceeds on behalf of the organization through a U.S.-based bank.

    The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team and its partners detected the anomalous billing through proactive data analytics, and HHS-OIG and CMS successfully prevented the organization from receiving all but approximately $41 million of the approximately $4.45 billion that was scheduled to be paid by Medicare. HHS and CMS intend to seek to return the $4.41 billion in escrow to the Medicare trust fund for needed medical care. The scheme nonetheless resulted in payments of approximately $900 million from Medicare supplemental insurers. To date, law enforcement has seized approximately $27.7 million in fraud proceeds as part of Operation Gold Rush.

    In another action involving foreign influence, charges were filed in the Northern District of Illinois against five defendants, including two owners and executives of Pakistani marketing organizations, in connection with a $703 million scheme in which Medicare beneficiaries’ identification numbers and other confidential health information were allegedly obtained through theft and deceptive marketing. The defendants allegedly used artificial intelligence to create fake recordings of Medicare beneficiaries purportedly consenting to receive certain products. According to court documents, the beneficiaries’ confidential information was then illegally sold to laboratories and durable medical equipment companies, which used this unlawfully obtained and fraudulently generated data to submit false claims to Medicare. Certain defendants controlled dozens of nominee-owned durable medical equipment companies and laboratories that allegedly submitted fraudulent claims for products and services the beneficiaries did not request, need, or receive. Certain defendants also allegedly conspired to conceal and launder the fraud proceeds from bank accounts they controlled in the United States to bank accounts overseas. In total, the defendants caused approximately $703 million in alleged fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, which paid approximately $418 million on those claims. The government seized approximately $44.7 million from various bank accounts related to this case.

    Finally, a defendant based in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates who owned a billing company allegedly orchestrated a scheme to prey upon vulnerable individuals in need of addiction treatment by conspiring with treatment center owners to fraudulently bill Arizona Medicaid approximately $650 million for substance abuse treatment services. According to court documents, some of the services billed were never provided, while other services were provided at a level that was so substandard that it failed to serve any treatment purpose. As part of the conspiracy, treatment center owners allegedly paid illegal kickbacks in exchange for the referral of patients recruited from the homeless population and Native American reservations. The defendant received at least $25 million of ill-gotten Arizona Medicaid funds as a result of the conspiracy and is charged with a money laundering offense for his alleged use of those funds to purchase a $2.9 million home located on a golf estate in Dubai.

    Fraudulent Wound Care

    Charges were filed in the District of Arizona and the District of Nevada against seven defendants, including five medical professionals, in connection with approximately $1.1 billion in fraudulent claims to Medicare and other health care benefit programs for amniotic wound allografts. As alleged, certain defendants targeted vulnerable elderly patients, many of whom were receiving hospice care, and applied medically unnecessary amniotic allografts to these patients’ wounds. Many of the allografts allegedly were applied without coordination with the patients’ treating physicians, without proper treatment for infection, to superficial wounds that did not need this treatment, and to areas that far exceeded the size of the wound. Certain defendants allegedly received millions in illegal kickbacks from the fraudulent billing scheme.

    “Today’s unprecedented enforcement action demonstrates that CMS and our federal partners are united in our mission to protect the integrity of Medicare and Medicaid by crushing waste, fraud, and abuse,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “Every dollar we prevent from going to fraudsters is a dollar that stays in the system to serve legitimate beneficiaries. Through advanced data analytics, real-time monitoring, and swift administrative action, CMS is leading the fight to protect Medicare, Medicaid, and the trust Americans place in these vital programs. We’re not waiting for fraud to happen—we’re stopping it before it starts.”

    Prescription Opioid Trafficking

    74 defendants, including 44 licensed medical professionals, were charged across 58 cases in connection with the alleged illegal diversion of over 15 million pills of prescription opioids and other controlled substances. For example, five defendants associated with one Texas pharmacy were charged with the unlawful distribution of over 3 million opioid pills. As alleged, the defendants conspired to distribute massive quantities of oxycodone, hydrocodone, and carisoprodol, which were subsequently trafficked by street-level drug dealers, generating large profits for the defendants. This coordinated action is a continuation of the Health Care Fraud Unit’s systematic approach to stopping drug trafficking organizations and their pharmaceutical wholesale suppliers, which together have fueled an epidemic of prescription opioid abuse for nearly a decade.

    DEA also announced today that in the last six months, DEA charged 93 administrative cases seeking the revocation of pharmacies, medical practitioners, and companies authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances.

    “Health care fraud isn’t just theft — it’s trafficking in trust. Today’s announcement shows that when doctors become drug dealers and treatment centers become profit-driven fraud rings, DEA will act,” said Acting Administrator Robert Murphy of the DEA. “We’re targeting the entire ecosystem of fraud — from pill mills in Texas to kickback clinics exploiting Native communities. If you abuse your medical license to push poison or pad your pockets, we will hold you accountable.”

    Telemedicine and Genetic Testing Fraud

    In today’s Takedown, 49 defendants were charged in connection with the submission of over $1.17 billion in allegedly fraudulent claims to Medicare resulting from telemedicine and genetic testing fraud schemes. For example, in the Southern District of Florida, prosecutors charged an owner of telemedicine and durable medical equipment companies with a $46 million scheme in which Medicare beneficiaries were allegedly targeted through deceptive telemarketing campaigns and then fraudulent claims were submitted to Medicare for durable medical equipment and genetic tests for these beneficiaries. The Department continues to focus on eliminating health care fraud schemes that depend on telemedicine, including schemes involving fraudulent claims for genetic testing, durable medical equipment, and COVID-19 tests.

    Other Health Care Fraud Schemes

    The other cases announced today charge an additional 170 defendants with various other health care fraud schemes involving over $1.84 billion in allegedly false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies for diagnostic testing, medical visits, and treatments that were medically unnecessary, provided in connection with kickbacks and bribes, or never provided at all. For example, in the Western District of Tennessee, prosecutors charged three defendants, including business owners and a pharmacist, with a $28.7 million scheme to defraud the Federal Employees’ Compensation Fund by allegedly billing for medications for injured United States Postal Service employees that were never prescribed by a licensed practitioner and largely were not dispensed as claimed. And in the Western District of Washington and the Northern District of California, prosecutors charged medical providers with allegedly stealing fentanyl and hydrocodone, respectively, that was meant for the providers’ patients, including child patients in need of anesthesia.

    “VA’s Integrated Veteran Care Programs provide critical community-based health care to our nation’s disabled veterans and their dependents,” said Acting Inspector General David Case of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG). “Robust oversight of VA’s health care system is one of VA-OIG’s highest priorities. VA-OIG is committed to holding accountable those who defraud government benefits programs intended to care for our nation’s heroes.”

    Breaking Down Silos in the Fight Against Health Care Fraud

    In connection with the coordinated nationwide law enforcement operation, the Department is announcing that it is working closely with HHS-OIG, FBI, and other agencies to create a Health Care Fraud Data Fusion Center to bring together experts from the Department’s Criminal Division, Fraud Section, Health Care Fraud Unit Data Analytics Team; HHS-OIG; FBI; and other agencies to leverage cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics to identify emerging health care fraud schemes. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team was established in 2018 to enhance the Unit’s ability to detect, investigate, and prosecute complex health care fraud schemes. Joining forces with data analysts from HHS-OIG, FBI, and other partners will increase efficiency, detection, and rapid prosecution of emerging health care fraud schemes. It will also implement the President’s Executive Order Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos (Exec. Order No. 14243, 3 C.F.R. 294 (2025)) by reducing duplicative data teams, increasing operational efficiency through a whole-of-government approach, and leveraging cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other agency resources.

    Principal Assistant Deputy Chief Jacob Foster, Assistant Deputy Chief Rebecca Yuan, Trial Attorney Miriam L. Glaser Dauermann, and Data Analyst Elizabeth Nolte, all of the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, led and coordinated this year’s Takedown. The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Columbia, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Middle District of Georgia, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Maine, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Northern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nevada, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Western District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, District of North Dakota, Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, District of South Carolina, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Washington, and Northern District of West Virginia; and State Attorneys General’s Offices for California, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team used cutting-edge data analytics to identify and support the investigations that led to these charges.

    In addition to FBI, HHS-OIG, DEA, and CMS, HSI, VA-OIG, IRS Criminal Investigation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Department of Labor, United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies participated in the operation. The Medicaid Fraud Control Units of California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin also participated in the investigation of many of the federal and state cases announced today.

    The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Forces. Prior to the charges announced as part of today’s nationwide Takedown and since its inception in March 2007, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force, which operates in 27 districts, charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively billed Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurers more than $27 billion.

    The following materials related to today’s announcement are available on the Health Care Fraud Unit’s website through these links:

    •  Graphics and Resources

    •  Case Descriptions

    •  Court Documents

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Head of the Criminal Division Matthew R. Galeotti Announces Results of Health Care Fraud Takedown

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Good morning.

    Thank you all for joining us today as we announce the largest coordinated health care fraud takedown in the history of the Department of Justice.

    Today marks a decisive moment in our fight to protect American taxpayers from fraudsters and to defend the integrity of our nation’s health care system.

    We are announcing charges against 324 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud schemes involving approximately $14.6 billion in false claims submitted to Medicare, Medicaid, and other health care programs.

    In a takedown this large, I can’t possibly describe all of the work that went into dismantling each scheme, but there are four key points that bear emphasizing.

    First, let me be clear about what these health care fraud schemes mean for every hardworking American family: These criminals didn’t just steal someone else’s money — they stole from you.  Every fraudulent claim, every fake billing, every kickback scheme represents money taken directly from the pockets of American taxpayers, who fund these essential programs through their hard work and sacrifice. And when criminals defraud these programs, they’re not just committing theft — they’re driving up our national deficit and threatening the long-term viability of health care for seniors, disabled Americans, and our most vulnerable citizens.

    This enforcement action involves the seizure of cash, as well as luxury vehicles and properties, returning real money to American taxpayers and to our government health care programs.

    Second, we are seeing a disturbing trend of transnational criminal organizations engaging in increasingly sophisticated and complex criminal schemes that defraud the American health care system.

    As part of this takedown, we’ve identified and charged defendants operating from Russia, Eastern Europe, Pakistan, and other foreign countries who have infiltrated our health care system to steal American taxpayer dollars.

    As one example, we dismantled a scheme involving a sophisticated operation run from Russia and Eastern Europe that strategically bought dozens of medical supply companies in the United States and submitted more than 10 billion dollars in fraudulent health care claims to Medicare. To make matters worse, these perpetrators used the stolen identities of more than one million Americans, spanning all 50 states, to submit these false claims.

    But I’m pleased to report that federal agents intercepted and arrested key members of that organization at U.S. airports and at the U.S.-Mexico border, cutting off their intended escape routes.

    The days of transnational criminal organizations using American health care programs as their personal piggy banks are over.

    Third, this takedown resulted in criminal charges against 74 defendants, including medical professionals, who fueled America’s deadly opioid epidemic for personal profit. These are not isolated instances of poor judgment. These are calculated schemes designed to exploit Americans struggling with addiction while enriching the very people who were duty-bound to help them heal.

    We charged pill mill operators who prescribed unnecessary opioids.  We dismantled networks of corrupt pharmacies that existed solely to distribute drugs to addicts and dealers, feeding the addiction crisis that has devastated so many American communities.

    This is not health care; it is a staggering breach of trust.  And under my leadership, the Criminal Division will prosecute these criminals as aggressively as we would prosecute any drug dealer — because that’s exactly what they are.

    Fourth, many of the defendants charged as part of this takedown specifically targeted some of our most vulnerable citizens: elderly Americans in nursing homes, individuals with disabilities, those battling serious illnesses, and more.  For example, our prosecutors charged seven defendants, including five medical professionals, in connection with approximately $1 billion in fraudulent claims to Medicare and other health care benefit programs for performing medically unnecessary skin grafts on dying patients as they were seeking to spend their final days with dignity and grace.

    That conduct is exactly as callous and disturbing as it sounds. Patients and their families trusted these providers with their lives.  Instead of receiving care, they became victims of elaborate criminal schemes.

    Today’s takedown marks a historic day. In addition to the tireless work of our Fraud Section’s Health Care Fraud Unit, this extraordinary effort would not have been possible without the law enforcement agencies with me here today: Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

    And of course, countless other partners across the federal, state, and local law enforcement community and dozens of United States Attorneys’ Offices. Thank you to all who made today possible.

    Despite these historic achievements, we aren’t resting on our laurels. We’re making advancements to stay ahead of criminals and their illicit schemes.

    That is why, today, I am also announcing that we are working with our partners at FBI, HHS-OIG, and other federal agencies to create a Health Care Fraud Data Fusion Center to revolutionize how we detect, investigate, and prosecute health care fraud.  These efforts will be led by the Criminal Division, specifically, the Fraud Section’s Health Care Fraud Unit and comprised of data specialists from the Unit’s Data Analytics Team. The Fusion Center will break down information silos, using coordinated data analysis to enable our investigative teams to quickly identify and dismantle emerging fraud schemes.

    This takedown represents the largest health care fraud takedown in American history.

    But it’s not the end—it’s the beginning of a new era of aggressive prosecution and data-driven prevention.

    Thank you.

    I will now turn it over to Acting Inspector General Juliet T. Hodgkins, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Head of the Criminal Division Matthew R. Galeotti Announces Results of Health Care Fraud Takedown

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Good morning.

    Thank you all for joining us today as we announce the largest coordinated health care fraud takedown in the history of the Department of Justice.

    Today marks a decisive moment in our fight to protect American taxpayers from fraudsters and to defend the integrity of our nation’s health care system.

    We are announcing charges against 324 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud schemes involving approximately $14.6 billion in false claims submitted to Medicare, Medicaid, and other health care programs.

    In a takedown this large, I can’t possibly describe all of the work that went into dismantling each scheme, but there are four key points that bear emphasizing.

    First, let me be clear about what these health care fraud schemes mean for every hardworking American family: These criminals didn’t just steal someone else’s money — they stole from you.  Every fraudulent claim, every fake billing, every kickback scheme represents money taken directly from the pockets of American taxpayers, who fund these essential programs through their hard work and sacrifice. And when criminals defraud these programs, they’re not just committing theft — they’re driving up our national deficit and threatening the long-term viability of health care for seniors, disabled Americans, and our most vulnerable citizens.

    This enforcement action involves the seizure of cash, as well as luxury vehicles and properties, returning real money to American taxpayers and to our government health care programs.

    Second, we are seeing a disturbing trend of transnational criminal organizations engaging in increasingly sophisticated and complex criminal schemes that defraud the American health care system.

    As part of this takedown, we’ve identified and charged defendants operating from Russia, Eastern Europe, Pakistan, and other foreign countries who have infiltrated our health care system to steal American taxpayer dollars.

    As one example, we dismantled a scheme involving a sophisticated operation run from Russia and Eastern Europe that strategically bought dozens of medical supply companies in the United States and submitted more than 10 billion dollars in fraudulent health care claims to Medicare. To make matters worse, these perpetrators used the stolen identities of more than one million Americans, spanning all 50 states, to submit these false claims.

    But I’m pleased to report that federal agents intercepted and arrested key members of that organization at U.S. airports and at the U.S.-Mexico border, cutting off their intended escape routes.

    The days of transnational criminal organizations using American health care programs as their personal piggy banks are over.

    Third, this takedown resulted in criminal charges against 74 defendants, including medical professionals, who fueled America’s deadly opioid epidemic for personal profit. These are not isolated instances of poor judgment. These are calculated schemes designed to exploit Americans struggling with addiction while enriching the very people who were duty-bound to help them heal.

    We charged pill mill operators who prescribed unnecessary opioids.  We dismantled networks of corrupt pharmacies that existed solely to distribute drugs to addicts and dealers, feeding the addiction crisis that has devastated so many American communities.

    This is not health care; it is a staggering breach of trust.  And under my leadership, the Criminal Division will prosecute these criminals as aggressively as we would prosecute any drug dealer — because that’s exactly what they are.

    Fourth, many of the defendants charged as part of this takedown specifically targeted some of our most vulnerable citizens: elderly Americans in nursing homes, individuals with disabilities, those battling serious illnesses, and more.  For example, our prosecutors charged seven defendants, including five medical professionals, in connection with approximately $1 billion in fraudulent claims to Medicare and other health care benefit programs for performing medically unnecessary skin grafts on dying patients as they were seeking to spend their final days with dignity and grace.

    That conduct is exactly as callous and disturbing as it sounds. Patients and their families trusted these providers with their lives.  Instead of receiving care, they became victims of elaborate criminal schemes.

    Today’s takedown marks a historic day. In addition to the tireless work of our Fraud Section’s Health Care Fraud Unit, this extraordinary effort would not have been possible without the law enforcement agencies with me here today: Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

    And of course, countless other partners across the federal, state, and local law enforcement community and dozens of United States Attorneys’ Offices. Thank you to all who made today possible.

    Despite these historic achievements, we aren’t resting on our laurels. We’re making advancements to stay ahead of criminals and their illicit schemes.

    That is why, today, I am also announcing that we are working with our partners at FBI, HHS-OIG, and other federal agencies to create a Health Care Fraud Data Fusion Center to revolutionize how we detect, investigate, and prosecute health care fraud.  These efforts will be led by the Criminal Division, specifically, the Fraud Section’s Health Care Fraud Unit and comprised of data specialists from the Unit’s Data Analytics Team. The Fusion Center will break down information silos, using coordinated data analysis to enable our investigative teams to quickly identify and dismantle emerging fraud schemes.

    This takedown represents the largest health care fraud takedown in American history.

    But it’s not the end—it’s the beginning of a new era of aggressive prosecution and data-driven prevention.

    Thank you.

    I will now turn it over to Acting Inspector General Juliet T. Hodgkins, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: The Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Sanctuary City Policies In Los Angeles, California

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Today, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and the Los Angeles City Council over policies that Los Angeles enacted shortly after President Donald J. Trump’s reelection to interfere with the federal government’s enforcement of its immigration laws.

    Not only are Los Angeles’s “sanctuary city” policies illegal under federal law, but, as alleged in the complaint, Los Angeles’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities contributed to the recent lawlessness, rioting, looting, and vandalism that was so severe that it required the federal government to deploy the California National Guard and the United States Marines to quell the chaos.

    “Sanctuary policies were the driving cause of the violence, chaos, and attacks on law enforcement that Americans recently witnessed in Los Angeles,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Jurisdictions like Los Angeles that flout federal law by prioritizing illegal aliens over American citizens are undermining law enforcement at every level – it ends under President Trump.”

    “Today’s lawsuit holds the City of Los Angeles accountable for deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration law,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “The United States Constitution’s Supremacy Clause prohibits the City from picking and choosing which federal laws will be enforced and which will not. By assisting removable aliens in evading federal law enforcement, the City’s unlawful and discriminatory ordinance has contributed to a lawless and unsafe environment that this lawsuit will help end.”

    On her first day in office, Attorney General Bondi instructed the Department’s Civil Division to identify state and local laws, policies, and practices that facilitate violations of federal immigration laws or impede lawful federal immigration operations, and, where appropriate, to take legal action to challenge such laws, policies, and practices. Today’s lawsuit is the latest in a series of lawsuits brought by the Civil Division targeting illegal sanctuary city policies across the country, including in New York and New Jersey.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Announces Coordinated, Nationwide Actions to Combat North Korean Remote Information Technology Workers’ Illicit Revenue Generation Schemes

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Law Enforcement Actions Across 16 States Result in Charges, Arrest, and Seizures of 29 Financial Accounts, 21 Fraudulent Websites, and Approximately 200 Computers

    The Justice Department announced today coordinated actions against the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (DPRK) government’s schemes to fund its regime through remote information technology (IT) work for U.S. companies. These actions include two indictments, an arrest, searches of 29 known or suspected “laptop farms” across 16 states, and the seizure of 29 financial accounts used to launder illicit funds and 21 fraudulent websites.

    According to court documents, the schemes involve North Korean individuals fraudulently obtaining employment with U.S. companies as remote IT workers, using stolen and fake identities. The North Korean actors were assisted by individuals in the United States, China, United Arab Emirates, and Taiwan, and successfully obtained employment with more than 100 U.S. companies.

    As alleged in court documents, certain U.S.-based individuals enabled one of the schemes by creating front companies and fraudulent websites to promote the bona fides of the remote IT workers, and hosted laptop farms where the remote North Korean IT workers could remote access into U.S. victim company-provided laptop computers. Once employed, the North Korean IT workers received regular salary payments, and they gained access to, and in some cases stole, sensitive employer information such as export controlled U.S. military technology and virtual currency. In another scheme, North Korean IT workers used false or fraudulently obtained identities to gain employment with an Atlanta, Georgia-based blockchain research and development company and stole virtual currency worth approximately over $900,000.

    “These schemes target and steal from U.S. companies and are designed to evade sanctions and fund the North Korean regime’s illicit programs, including its weapons programs,” said Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg of the Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department, along with our law enforcement, private sector, and international partners, will persistently pursue and dismantle these cyber-enabled revenue generation networks.”

    “North Korean IT workers defraud American companies and steal the identities of private citizens, all in support of the North Korean regime,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of FBI’s Cyber Division. “That is why the FBI and our partners continue to work together to disrupt infrastructure, seize revenue, indict overseas IT workers, and arrest their enablers in the United States. Let the actions announced today serve as a warning: if you host laptop farms for the benefit of North Korean actors, law enforcement will be waiting for you.”

    “North Korea remains intent on funding its weapons programs by defrauding U.S. companies and exploiting American victims of identity theft, but the FBI is equally intent on disrupting this massive campaign and bringing its perpetrators to justice,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI Counterintelligence Division. “North Korean IT workers posing as U.S. citizens fraudulently obtained employment with American businesses so they could funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to North Korea’s authoritarian regime. The FBI will do everything in our power to defend the homeland and protect Americans from being victimized by the North Korean government, and we ask all U.S. companies that employ remote workers to remain vigilant to this sophisticated threat.”

    Zhenxing Wang, et al. Indictment, Seizure Warrants, and Arrest – District of Massachusetts

    Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts and the National Security Division announced the arrest of U.S. national Zhenxing “Danny” Wang of New Jersey pursuant to a five-count indictment. The indictment describes a multi-year fraud scheme by Wang and his co-conspirators to obtain remote IT work with U.S. companies that generated more than $5 million in revenue. The indictment also charges Chinese nationals Jing Bin Huang (靖斌 黄), Baoyu Zhou (周宝玉), Tong Yuze (佟雨泽), Yongzhe Xu (徐勇哲 andيونجزهي أكسو), Ziyou Yuan (زيو) and Zhenbang Zhou (周震邦), and Taiwanese nationals Mengting Liu (劉 孟婷) and Enchia Liu (刘恩) for their roles in the scheme. 

    “The threat posed by DPRK operatives is both real and immediate. Thousands of North Korean cyber operatives have been trained and deployed by the regime to blend into the global digital workforce and systematically target U.S. companies,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “We will continue to work relentlessly to protect U.S. businesses and ensure they are not inadvertently fueling the DPRK’s unlawful and dangerous ambitions.”

    According to the indictment, from approximately 2021 until October 2024, the defendants and other co-conspirators compromised the identities of more than 80 U.S. persons to obtain remote jobs at more than 100 U.S. companies, including many Fortune 500 companies, and caused U.S. victim companies to incur legal fees, computer network remediation costs, and other damages and losses of at least $3 million. Overseas IT workers were assisted by Kejia Wang, Zhenxing Wang, and at least four other identified U.S. facilitators. Kejia Wang, for example, communicated with overseas co-conspirators and IT workers, and traveled to Shenyang and Dandong, China, including in 2023, to meet with them about the scheme. To deceive U.S. companies into believing the IT workers were located in the United States, Kejia Wang, Zhenxing Wang, and the other U.S. facilitators received and/or hosted laptops belonging to U.S. companies at their residences, and enabled overseas IT workers to access the laptops remotely by, among other things, connecting the laptops to hardware devices designed to allow for remote access (referred to as keyboard-video-mouse or “KVM” switches).

    Kejia Wang and Zhenxing Wang also created shell companies with corresponding websites and financial accounts, including Hopana Tech LLC, Tony WKJ LLC, and Independent Lab LLC, to make it appear as though the overseas IT workers were affiliated with legitimate U.S. businesses. Kejia Wang and Zhenxing Wang established these and other financial accounts to receive money from victimized U.S. companies, much of which was subsequently transferred to overseas co‑conspirators. In exchange for their services, Kejia Wang, Zhenxing Wang, and the four other U.S. facilitators received a total of at least $696,000 from the IT workers.

    IT workers employed under this scheme also gained access to sensitive employer data and source code, including International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) data from a California-based defense contractor that develops artificial intelligence-powered equipment and technologies. Specifically, between on or about Jan. 19, 2024, and on or about April 2, 2024, an overseas co-conspirator remotely accessed without authorization the company’s laptop and computer files  containing technical data and other information. The stolen data included information marked as being controlled under the ITAR.

    Simultaneously with today’s announcement, the FBI and Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) seized 17 web domains used in furtherance of the charged scheme and further seized 29 financial accounts, holding tens of thousands of dollars in funds, used to launder revenue for the North Korean regime through the remote IT work scheme.

    Previously, in October 2024, as part of this investigation, federal law enforcement executed searches at eight locations across three states that resulted in the recovery of more than 70 laptops and remote access devices, such as KVMs. Simultaneously with that action, the FBI seized four web domains associated with Kejia Wang’s and Zhenxing Wang’s shell companies used to facilitate North Korean IT work.

    The FBI Las Vegas Field Office, DCIS San Diego Resident Agency, and Homeland Security Investigations San Diego Field Office are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Casey for the District of Massachusetts and Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia, Jr. of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case, with significant assistance from Legal Assistants Daniel Boucher and Margaret Coppes. Valuable assistance was also provided by Mark A. Murphy of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, and Southern District of California.

    Kim Kwang Jin et al. Indictment – Northern District of Georgia

    Today, the Northern District of Georgia unsealed a five-count wire fraud and money laundering indictment charging four North Korean nationals, Kim Kwang Jin (김관진), Kang Tae Bok (강태복), Jong Pong Ju (정봉주) and Chang Nam Il (창남일), with a scheme to steal virtual currency from two companies, valued at over $900,000 at the time of the thefts, and to launder proceeds of those thefts. The defendants remain at large and wanted by the FBI.

    “The defendants used fake and stolen personal identities to conceal their North Korean nationality, pose as remote IT workers, and exploit their victims’ trust to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia. “This indictment highlights the unique threat North Korea poses to companies that hire remote IT workers and underscores our resolve to prosecute any actor, in the United States or abroad, who steals from Georgia businesses.”

    According to the indictment, the defendants traveled to the United Arab Emirates on North Korean travel documents and worked as a co-located team. In approximately December 2020 and May 2021, respectively, Kim Kwang Jin (using victim P.S.’s stolen identity) and Jong Pong Ju (using the alias “Bryan Cho”) were hired by a blockchain research and development company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and a virtual token company based in Serbia. Both defendants concealed their North Korean identities from their employers by providing false identification documents containing a mix of stolen and fraudulent identity information. Neither company would have hired Kim Kwang Jin and Jong Pong Ju had they known that they were North Korean citizens. Later, on a recommendation from Jong Pong Ju, the Serbian company hired “Peter Xiao,” who in fact was Chang Nam Il.

    After gaining their employers’ trust, Kim Kwang Jin and Jong Pong Ju were assigned projects that provided them access to their employers’ virtual currency assets. In February 2022, Jong Pong Ju used that access to steal virtual currency worth approximately $175,000 at the time of the theft, sending it to a virtual currency address he controlled. In March 2022, Kim Kwang Jin stole virtual currency worth approximately $740,000 at the time of theft by modifying the source code of two of his employer’s smart contracts, then sending it to a virtual currency address he controlled.

    To launder the funds after the thefts, Kim Kwang Jin and Jong Pong Ju “mixed” the stolen funds using the virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash and then transferred the funds to virtual currency exchange accounts controlled by defendants Kang Tae Bok and Chang Nam Il but held in the name of aliases. These accounts were opened using fraudulent Malaysian identification documents.

    The FBI Atlanta Field Office is investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samir Kaushal and Alex Sistla for the Northern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Jacques Singer-Emery of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case.

    21 Searches of Known or Suspected U.S.-based Laptop Farms – Multi-District

    Between June 10 and June 17, 2025, the FBI executed searches of 21 premises across 14 states hosting known and suspected laptop farms. These actions, coordinated by the FBI Denver Field Office, related to investigations of North Korean remote IT worker schemes being conducted by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices of the District of Colorado, Eastern District of Missouri, and Northern District of Texas. In total, the FBI seized approximately 137 laptops.

    Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of Connecticut, the Eastern District of Michigan, the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the Middle District of Florida, the Northern District of Georgia, the Northern District of Illinois, the Northern District of Indiana, the District of Oregon, the Southern District of Florida, the Southern District of Ohio, the Western District of New York, and the Western District of Pennsylvania.

    ***

    The Department’s actions to combat these schemes are the latest in a series of law enforcement actions under a joint National Security Division and FBI Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions effort, the DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative. This effort prioritizes targeting and disrupting the DPRK’s illicit revenue generation schemes and its U.S.-based enablers. The Department previously announced other actions pursuant to the initiative, including in January 2025 and prior, as well as the filing of a civil forfeiture complaint in early June 2025 for over $7.74 million tied to an illegal employment scheme.

    As the FBI has described in Public Service Announcements published in May 2024 and January 2025, North Korean remote IT workers posing as legitimate remote IT workers have committed data extortion and exfiltrated the proprietary and sensitive data from U.S. companies. DPRK IT worker schemes typically involve the use of stolen identities, alias emails, social media, online cross-border payment platforms, and online job site accounts, as well as false websites, proxy computers, and witting and unwitting third parties located in the U.S. and elsewhere.

    Other public advisories about the threats, red flag indicators, and potential mitigation measures for these schemes include a May 2022 advisory released by the FBI, Department of the Treasury, and Department of State; a July 2023 advisory from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and guidance issued in October 2023 by the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). As described the May 2022 advisory, North Korean IT workers have been known individually to earn up to $300,000 annually, generating hundreds of millions of dollars collectively each year, on behalf of designated entities, such as the North Korean Ministry of Defense and others directly involved in the DPRK’s weapons programs.

    The U.S. Department of State has offered potential rewards for up to $5 million in support of international efforts to disrupt the DPRK’s illicit financial activities, including for cybercrimes, money laundering, and sanctions evasion.

    The details in the above-described court documents are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Department of Justice Announces the Opening of Nominations to Honor the Honorable: The Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Policing

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    WASHINGTON – United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced today that the Department of Justice is now accepting nominations to Honor the Honorable: The Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Policing. This award represents the Department of Justice’s reaffirmed commitment to uplifting the valor and exceptional contributions to policing of our great nation’s law enforcement personnel. It is the mission of the Department of Justice to recognize individuals in law enforcement who exhibit remarkable courage, innovation, and outstanding performance in making America safe again.

    The Attorney General’s Honor the Honorable Award recognizes individual or teams of rank-and-file officers from state, local, Tribal or territorial law enforcement agencies for exceptional efforts in policing. The awarded officers, deputies and troopers will have demonstrated exceptional service in one of three areas: criminal investigations, field operations or exemplary community involvement. Within each category, an award will be given to law enforcement agencies serving small, medium and large jurisdictions. Those agency sizes are defined as:

    • Small: agencies serving populations of fewer than 50,000;
    • Medium: agencies serving populations of 50,000 to 250,000;
    • Large: agencies serving populations of more than 250,000.

    By acknowledging and rewarding these efforts, the Department strives to advance and reaffirm its dedication to policing and to promote proactive law enforcement methods that support public safety within our nation’s communities. Through this Award, the Attorney General recognizes that the nation’s law enforcement agencies, officers, deputies and troopers continue to work tirelessly to make American communities safe places to live and work again.

    The deadline for nominations is July 14, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. EDT. More information and the application for nominees can be found at: https://www.justice.gov/ag/policing-award

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Canadian Man Arrested and Detained for Role in Deadly Alien Smuggling Conspiracy at the U.S.’s Northern Border

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Note: View the indictment here and detention letter here.

    WASHINGTON — A dual Canadian American citizen was arrested on Sunday, June 15, for his role in a deadly human smuggling conspiracy that left a family of four, including two children under the age of three, dead in the St. Lawrence River. Oakes was arrested as he attempted to enter the United States via the Massena, New York, Port of Entry.

    Timothy Oakes, 34, from the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation (AMIR), Canada, was previously arraigned on numerous human smuggling offenses in the Northern District of New York District Court and had his detention hearing earlier today and will remain detained. Oakes was indicted on April 9 for conspiring with others to engage in alien smuggling, four counts of alien smuggling for profit, and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. United States based co-conspirators Dakota Montour, 31, and Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 43, both of Akwesasne-Mohawk, New York, and Janet Terrance, 45, of Hogansburg, New York, entered guilty pleas on Jan. 23, Oct. 8, 2024, and March 6, respectively.

    “As alleged, Oakes and his co-conspirators profited from a human smuggling operation with a singular, cold-hearted aim: making money by bringing illegal aliens into the United States, regardless of the danger to human life involved,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their greed resulted in the deaths of a mother, a father, and two small children, as well as one of the defendants’ own brothers. The Criminal Division will continue to disrupt and dismantle these organizations and bring justice to smugglers whose actions result in senseless deaths.”

    “This case shows the terrible perils of illegally crossing the border,” said U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III for the Northern District of New York. “Four family members died because a smuggling network put them in harm’s way. My office is proud to partner with Joint Task Force Alpha to continue to combat dangerous human smuggling and trafficking organizations that operate on our northern border.”

    “Oakes’ arrest comes as part of our nearly two-year long investigation into a transnational criminal organization responsible for the large-scale smuggling of aliens from Canada into the United States,” said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Buffalo Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan. “ICE HSI leverages its full range of authorities to combat and dismantle the heinous networks of greedy criminals who illicitly sell dangerous, sometimes fatal, passage through our nation’s northern border. We are extremely grateful for a multitude of law enforcement agency partners on the Border Enforcement Security Taskforce who join us in this fight to bring smugglers to justice.”

    “Two toddler aged children and their parents were the tragic victims of an alien smuggling attempt gone horribly wrong,” said Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Swanton Sector. “Their deaths were a direct result of callous smugglers who exploited the vulnerable. Due to unrelenting perseverance and investigative efforts by multiple law enforcement agencies, those responsible will be held accountable. Our pursuit of justice persists until justice is served.”

    According to court documents, Oakes was a key facilitator in a human smuggling organization (HSO) that smuggled aliens from Canada into northern New York. Oakes, working with the HSO, routinely smuggled aliens into the United States by piloting boats across the St. Lawrence River. Additionally, Oakes used his home as a staging area for aliens before the HSO smuggled them into the United States. Oakes earned approximately $1,000 for every alien whom he smuggled across the St. Lawrence River into the United States.

    In March 2023, Oakes housed a Romanian family of four, together with other aliens, for about 24 hours. He then transported the family and a boat to a public boat launch. His brother, Casey Oakes, attempted to use the boat to smuggle the Romanian family into the United States, but the boat capsized, killing all four members of the family, as well as Casey Oakes.    

    Terrance, Montour, and Sharrow admitted in their plea agreements that in late March 2023, they were employed to illegally transport a Romanian family of four — a mother, father, one-year-old boy, and two-year-old girl — from Canada into New York. Specifically, Montour admitted that he was aware of the dangerous weather conditions on the day of the tragedy — high winds, freezing temperatures, and limited visibility — yet another co-conspirator still loaded the family of four into the small boat to attempt to cross the St. Lawrence River.

    HSI Massena engaged in an extensive years-long investigation of the case, with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, New York State Police, Canada Border Services Agency, Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service, St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department, Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Québec, St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Cornwall Police Service. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant support with foreign legal assistance requests.

    The defendant’s vehicle with light blue boat in tow on March 29, 2023, at 9:29 p.m., consistent with the boat found in the river during recovery efforts.

    The investigation is a result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been elevated and expanded by the Attorney General with a mandate to target cartels and other transnational criminal organizations and eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating within the Americas that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the border, including the Northern District of New York. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 380 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 340 U.S. convictions; more than 290 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

    The investigation is being conducted under the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a joint partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI. The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence and prosecutorial resources. ECT coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.

    Trial Attorney Jenna E. Reed of the Criminal Division’s HRSP and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Stitt for the Northern District of New York are prosecuting the case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Durable Medical Equipment Owner Sentenced to 12 Years for $61 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    A Florida man was sentenced today to 12 years in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiring to defraud Medicare with false reimbursement claims for durable medical equipment (DME). He was also ordered to pay $21,195,540.18 in restitution and forfeiture in the amount of $2,514,040.

    According to court documents, Peter Roussonicolos, 64, of Port Saint Lucie, Florida, owned and operated five DME suppliers as a silent partner. Roussonicolos hid his involvement in the companies from Medicare because he had one or more felony convictions, making him ineligible to enroll with the government program. To further conceal his involvement, he recruited and paid co-conspirators to serve as nominee owners of the DME suppliers and caused others to falsify Medicare enrollment forms, bank records, and other documents to conceal the true ownership and control of the DME suppliers. He also knew that a co-conspirator paid kickbacks and bribes to patient recruiters in exchange for beneficiary referrals. As part of the scheme, the DME companies submitted approximately $61.5 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary DME that was ineligible for reimbursement and were paid approximately $26.7 million of these claims.

    “Through lies and deceit, the defendant and his co-conspirators orchestrated a $61 million fraud on Medicare,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendant’s fraud drained critical government resources that could have been used to help vulnerable Americans. Today’s sentencing demonstrates the Department’s steadfast commitment to protecting taxpayer dollars and ensuring accountability for those who seek to defraud our health care programs.”

    “Today’s sentence underscores HHS-OIG’s firm commitment to thoroughly investigating individuals who engage in illegal kickback schemes to prescribe medically unnecessary durable medical equipment for their own personal financial gain,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We remain steadfast in our mission to protect the integrity of Medicare and other federal healthcare programs as well as the people served by those programs.”

    “This defendant and his co-conspirators orchestrated an elaborate scheme to steal millions from Medicare through kickbacks and sham billing,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Today’s sentencing demonstrates that those who exploit our healthcare system for personal gain will be held accountable. The FBI is committed to working with our partners to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure the integrity of healthcare programs.”

    In November 2024, Roussonicolos pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud.

    The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.

    Trial Attorney Jennifer Burns and Assistant Chiefs Jamie de Boer and Emily Gurskis of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case. Trial Attorneys Joanna Bowman and Lindita Ciko Torza of the Special Matters Unit assisted in the prosecution.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Marshals, Hyattsville PD Arrest Double-Shooting, Robbery Suspect

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Washington, DC – The U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, along with the Hyattsville Police Department, arrested on Friday a suspect involved in a high-profile double shooting and robbery that injured two people in November 2024.

    Devin Demetrius Spivey, 21, was taken into custody at about 6:30 a.m. at a home in the 9100 block of Cherry Lane in Laurel, Maryland.

    Spivey faces 18 charges, including two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, armed robbery, and stalking.

    The double shooting and robbery happened Nov. 5, 2024, in the 2500 block of Kirkwood Place. Spivey is one of five suspects wanted for targeting a man and woman who were coming back from dinner. The victims survived their injuries.

    “The arrest of Devin Spivey by members of the Marshals Service Task Force is a perfect example of what a team of dedicated federal and local law enforcement officers can accomplish together,” says Clinton J. Fuchs, United States Marshal for the District of Maryland. 

    “This arrest is a crucial step toward justice for the victims and safety for our community,” said Chief Jarod Towers. “Our officers worked tirelessly alongside our law enforcement partners to identify and apprehend the suspect. We hope this provides some relief to the victims and everyone involved.”

    “This was a senseless act of violence, and our office will continue to work to hold these violent offenders accountable,” says Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson. “We want to thank the City of Hyattsville Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, as well as the Prince George’s County Police Department, the attorneys and investigators, and our federal partners for their work on this case.”

    This remains an active investigation. Anyone with any information about the shooting is encouraged to call the Hyattsville PD at (301) 985-5060 or send tips via the U.S. Marshals Tip App.

    The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force focuses resources and efforts on the enhancement of public safety and the reduction of violence within the National Capital Region through the identification, investigation, and apprehension of fugitives wanted for egregious crimes against the community, while ensuring the equal application of Justice, Integrity, and Service for all.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Ten Members and Associates of Violent Car-Theft Ring Indicted on Racketeering, Carjacking, Robbery, and Firearm Charges

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    A superseding indictment was unsealed today charging Montez Moore, 20, Duane Benson, 20, Aniya Sheperd, 20, Brandon Irons, 19, Allen Brown, 23, Markaveon Jackson, 19, Raynell Moore, 22, Lavatrice McCully-Collins, 24, Peontay Roddy, 21, and Noah Hornburg, 23 — all of St. Louis, Missouri — with crimes including racketeering conspiracy, carjacking, robbery, and firearm charges related to their participation in “the Strikers,” a violent, interstate stolen car ring.

    According to court documents, between September 2023 and March 2024, the Strikers engaged in car dealership burglaries, illegal interstate vehicle sales and thefts, shootings, carjacking, robbery, and other criminal acts throughout Missouri and Illinois.

    “As alleged, the Strikers enterprise stole approximately 50 vehicles and inflicted nearly $3 million in losses while carrying out a violent crime spree across Missouri and Illinois,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their reckless actions endangered communities and dealt a serious blow to local businesses. This kind of brazen, lawless conduct will not be tolerated, and the Justice Department is committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners to protect the public and hold those responsible fully accountable.”

    “Thanks to the Justice Department’s Violent Crime Initiative, we were able to expand an existing indictment to hold more members of the Strikers responsible for a litany of violent crimes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Drake for the Eastern District of Missouri. “As we said when we announced St. Louis’ inclusion in the VCI last year, we are targeting and dismantling the criminal organizations that are disproportionately driving violent crime in St. Louis.”

    “This was a violent, organized crime operation that spanned across state lines, left a trail of stolen vehicles and cost millions of dollars in losses,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “This case demonstrates the power of the RICO statute to dismantle interstate criminal enterprises and reflects the FBI’s unwavering commitment to pursuing those who use violence and intimidation to profit from crime.”

    In a single burglary, defendants and others burglarized a dealership in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and stole seven high-end vehicles worth approximately $855,000.

    To hide their identities during the burglaries, the defendants would wear gloves, dark clothing, and masks. In one incident, defendants Hornburg, Moore, and Irons led police on a high-speed chase, driving on a public street reaching speeds over 110 mph. In another incident, after police seized one of the stolen cars, defendants Shepard, Benson, and others broke into the police impound lot and stole the car back.     

    After stealing the vehicles, the defendants allegedly concealed their stolen nature or location by attaching stolen out-of-state dealer plates and covering or removing vehicle identification numbers. The stolen vehicles would then be used in other crimes or sold through social media advertising. The Strikers would often advertise a sales price at such a discount that prospective buyers should have suspected the vehicles were stolen. In one Instagram posting, defendants offered for sale a 2019 Infiniti q70 for $3000, a 2016 Mercedes Benz GLE 400 for $1500, and a 2014 BMW 528i for $2500.

    In one alleged carjacking and robbery, defendants Benson and Moore pulled up to a BP gas station in a stolen blue 2017 BMW 330i that had been taken from a dealership in Springfield, Illinois. They briefly waited for a lottery machine technician to walk out of the store and as captured on store surveillance, ambushed him at gunpoint, robbed him, and highjacked his white Silverado pickup.

    A screenshot showing a January 2024 robbery and carjacking in Cool Valley, Missouri

    If convicted, each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison for the racketeering conspiracy. Defendants Moore and Benson face up to an additional 30 years in prison if convicted of carjacking, robbery and use of a firearm in connection thereof. Defendant Aniya Shephard faces up to an additional 10 years in prison if convicted of possessing a machinegun.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the St. Louis County Police Department are investigating the case.

    Trial Attorney Jared A. Hernandez of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj for the Eastern District of Missouri are prosecuting the case.

    This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative in St. Louis conducted in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Missouri and local, state, and federal law enforcement. The joint effort addresses violent crime by employing, where appropriate, federal laws to prosecute gang members and their associates in St. Louis.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Chicago-Area Return Preparer Pleads Guilty to Tax Offenses

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    Defendant Filed False Tax Returns for Others and Himself Causing Nearly $1M in Loss to IRS

    An Illinois man who operated a tax return preparation business pleaded guilty yesterday to preparing and filing false individual income tax returns for clients and for himself.

    The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Byron Taylor, of Homewood, owned and operated We Are Taxes, a tax preparation business in Dolton, Illinois. Taylor claimed his business had over 25 years of experience preparing tax returns and boasted that “Everyone Gets a Check!” For many years, Taylor prepared and filed with the IRS false individual income tax returns for clients. On those returns, Taylor included false deductions including medical and dental expenses, gifts to charity, state and local real estate taxes, and unreimbursed employee expenses. Taylor also included false business losses. The false information resulted in Taylor’s clients claiming refunds that they were otherwise not entitled to receive. For tax years 2015 through 2020, Taylor prepared and filed at least 54 false tax returns for clients.

    In addition, Taylor filed or attempted to file false individual income tax returns for himself for tax years 2017 through 2021. On these returns, Taylor substantially underreported income received by We Are Taxes or failed to report the business entirely.

    Finally, Taylor filed multiple false Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications for several businesses he claimed he owned and operated. The loan applications falsely claimed, for example, that these entities had earned certain amounts of gross income and that such income had been reported to the IRS. In fact, the businesses had not received that income, and Taylor had not filed tax returns reporting these businesses to the IRS. Four of the applications were approved. After he received the PPP loans, Taylor used portions of the funds on personal expenditures, including gambling expenses.

    In total, Taylor caused a tax loss to the IRS of $914,745.

    Taylor is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 4. He faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for the false return he prepared and filed on behalf of a client, and a maximum penalty of three years in prison for the false return he filed for himself. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

    Assistant Chief Matthew J. Kluge and Trial Attorney Boris Bourget of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Chicago Man Convicted of Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISIS

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    A Chicago man was convicted today of conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) by using social media to encourage attacks on ISIS’s enemies and recruit new ISIS members.

    According to court documents, Ashraf Al Safoo, 41, was a leader of Khattab Media Foundation, a sophisticated online organization that swore allegiance to ISIS and created and disseminated threats and ISIS propaganda on social media and other online platforms. Al Safoo and other members of Khattab created and posted pro-ISIS videos, articles, essays, and infographics at the direction of, and in coordination with, ISIS. Much of Khattab’s propaganda promoted violent jihad on behalf of the terrorist group.

    In one posting, Al Safoo encouraged Khattab members to post pro-ISIS information “to cause confusion and spread terror within the hearts of those who disbelieved.” In another posting, Al Safoo wrote, “Work hard, brothers, edit the issue into short clips, take the pictures out of it and publish the efforts of your brothers in the pages of the apostates. Participate in the war, and spread terror, the [Islamic] State does not want you to watch it only, rather, it incites you, and if you are unable to, use it to incite others.”

    Many of Khattab’s postings included images of violence, celebrations of terrorist attacks and mass shootings in the United States, and encouragement for “lone wolf” attacks in western countries.

    Al Safoo was arrested in Chicago in 2018. After a bench trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago, U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey found Al Safoo guilty of one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, one count of conspiracy to transmit threats in interstate commerce, one count of conspiracy to intentionally access a protected computer without authorization, four counts of intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization, and four counts of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

    The convictions carry a maximum penalty of 130 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 9. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois, and Assistant Director Donald M. Holstead of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division made the announcement.

    The FBI Chicago Field Office is investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melody Wells, Barry Jonas, and Thomas P. Peabody for the Northern District of Illinois, and Trial Attorney Andrew J. Dixon of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Banking: RBI appoints Shri Kesavan Ramachandran as new Executive Director

    Source: Reserve Bank of India

    The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed Shri Kesavan Ramachandran as Executive Director (ED) with effect from July 01, 2025.

    Prior to being promoted as ED, Shri Kesavan Ramachandran was serving as Principal Chief General Manager in Risk Monitoring Department.

    Shri Kesavan Ramachandran has experience of over three decades in areas relating to currency management, Banking and Non-Banking supervision, training and administration. He also served as Principal of the Reserve Bank Staff College during his career. He served as, RBI’s nominee on the Board of Canara Bank for over five years and on the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board of ICAI for two years.

    As Executive Director, Shri Kesavan Ramachandran will look after Department of Regulation (Prudential Regulation Division).

    Shri Kesavan Ramachandran is a post-graduate with an MBA in Banking and Finance and holds a diploma in International Financial Reporting from ACCA, UK. He is also a Certified Associate of the IIBF.

    (Puneet Pancholy)  
    Chief General Manager

    Press Release: 2025-2026/639

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  • MIL-OSI USA: USGS Coastal Storm Monitoring Data Inform Department of Defense Infrastructure Risk Assessments

    Source: US Geological Survey

    The Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) makes detailed predictions of storm-induced coastal flooding, erosion, and cliff failures over large geographic scales. CoSMoS was developed for hindcast studies, operational applications and future climate scenarios to provide emergency responders and coastal planners with critical storm-hazards information that can be used to increase public safety…

    Learn More

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Citizens see improvements in justice systems in the EU, finds report

    Source: European Union 2

    The latest EU Justice Scoreboard reveals that citizens in most EU countries perceive judicial independence as having improved or remained stable compared to 2024. The report records progress in digitalising justice systems, shortening legal proceedings and improving access to justice for all.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Georgia Men Plead Guilty to Federal Drug Crimes

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

    HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Today, Reginald Bernard Daniely Jr., also known as “Yo,” 34, and Jacquis Christopher Moody, also known as “Jo,” 30, both of Macon, Georgia, each pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute quantities of fentanyl and cocaine base, also known as “crack.”

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 20, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a Huntington apartment where Daniely and Moody had been staying. Officers seized approximately 13.814 grams of a mixture containing heroin and fentanyl, approximately 38.827 grams of crack, and two firearms during the search. As part of their guilty pleas, Daniely and Moody each admitted to possessing the seized controlled substances. Daniely and Moody each further admitted to possessing the two seized firearms.

    Daniely and Moody are scheduled to be sentenced on October 14, 2025, and each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

    Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Huntington Police Department.

    United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is prosecuting the case.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-17.

    ###

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Colorado Man Conspiring to Distribute Meth and Fentanyl in Iowa Pleads Guilty in Federal Court

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

    A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and illegally possessed a firearm pled guilty June 27, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.

    Ryan Miller, 40, originally from Colorado, but most recently residing in Pilot Mound, Iowa, was convicted of one count of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.  Miller was previously convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in 2017, this conviction prohibits him from possessing a firearm. 

    At the plea hearing, Miller admitted that from January 2024 through April 27, 2024, he and others conspired to distribute at least a half pound of methamphetamine and more than 1700 pills of fentanyl.  On April 21, 2024, Miller, along with two others were headed to Colorado to pick up more methamphetamine and to sell fentanyl pills.  They attempted to elude law enforcement in a high-speed vehicle chase during which Miller threw two pop cans containing fentanyl pills from the vehicle.  Miller’s two co-defendants made “false” 911 calls to law enforcement in an attempt to distract law enforcement and avoid capture.  Later the same date, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Miller’s residence and seized a small amount of methamphetamine, psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana, and a loaded .22 caliber Beretta handgun.

    Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Miller remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Miller faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $8,250,000 fine, and at least eight years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Ida and Sac County Sheriff’s Offices, the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Iowa DCI Laboratory  

    Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

    The case file number is 24-4042.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Installment Loans for Bad Credit Announced as Key Feature in Honest Loans in 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Houston, TX, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Access guaranteed installment loans for bad credit through Honest Loans—no credit check, flexible terms, and fast approvals from direct lenders in 2025. Get the emergency funds you need, securely and stress-free.

    Honest Loans has introduced a groundbreaking solution for individuals facing financial stress by launching guaranteed installment loans for bad credit—a core offering in 2025. This initiative aims to connect borrowers with direct lenders who offer flexible, fast, and secure installment loans, even for those with poor or limited credit histories.

    Meeting the Rising Demand for Guaranteed Installment Loans in 2025

    As more Americans face unexpected financial burdens—including inflation, medical expenses, and urgent bills—the need for accessible and fast financial solutions has grown significantly. In response, installment loans for bad credit have emerged as a preferred option, offering structured repayment terms and no hard credit checks.

    Unlike traditional payday loans, installment loans provide longer repayment periods, fixed interest rates, and manageable payments, making them more sustainable for borrowers. Honest Loans answers this demand by streamlining access to licensed direct lenders offering these loans with guaranteed approval.

    Why Borrowers Are Choosing Honest Loans in 2025

    Honest Loans’ installment loan platform stands out by offering a seamless and transparent digital experience. Borrowers gain access to a broad network of trusted lenders who specialize in bad credit financing, all without needing to step into a storefront or complete burdensome paperwork.

    Key Benefits of Honest Loans’ Installment Loans for Bad Credit:

    • Guaranteed Approval: Even applicants with poor credit are matched with lenders offering high approval rates.
    • No Hard Credit Check: Applications avoid traditional credit pulls that can negatively impact credit scores.
    • Flexible Repayment Terms: Borrowers choose from various loan sizes and durations based on their needs.
    • Same-Day Processing: In many cases, funds are deposited as soon as the same business day.
    • Licensed Direct Lenders Only: All partners are verified, ensuring a safe and compliant borrowing experience.

    >> SECURE YOUR INSTALLMENT LOAN TODAY << 

    How It Works: Quick, Secure, and Transparent

    Honest Loans simplifies the process of getting installment loans by leveraging technology to reduce friction and boost approval speed. Here’s how it works:

    1. Online Application: Applicants complete a secure digital form with basic personal and income details.
    2. Instant Matching: Honest Loans uses advanced algorithms to pair users with suitable direct lenders instantly.
    3. Loan Check & Offer: Borrowers review terms like interest rates, repayment schedules, and loan amounts before committing.
    4. Electronic Transfer: Once accepted, funds are usually deposited directly into the borrower’s bank account within hours.

    >> CHECK OUT INSTALLMENT LOAN OPTIONS FOR BAD CREDIT <<

    2025: The Shift Toward Digital Installment Lending

    The landscape of short-term lending is evolving. Traditional payday loans—often criticized for high fees and short repayment windows—are being replaced by installment options that are more borrower-friendly. Honest Loans is at the forefront of this shift, offering a mobile-first, paperless experience.

    Borrowers can enjoy faster processing, often receiving decisions within minutes. They benefit from transparent loan terms—APR, repayment schedules, and fees are clearly disclosed upfront. With access to a large network of lenders, applicants can compare multiple offers to find the one that fits their situation. And most importantly, the entire process is available online—no need for in-person visits.

    Technology & Privacy First

    Honest Loans uses secure servers and end-to-end encryption to protect personal and financial data. All partners operate under strict compliance guidelines, ensuring secure sharing and responsible lending practices.

    Eligibility Requirements

    To qualify for an installment loan with Honest Loans, applicants must meet the following criteria:

    • Be at least 18 years old
    • Have a valid checking or savings account
    • Provide proof of income
    • Be a U.S. resident

    These minimal requirements help expand access to those traditionally underserved by the financial system.

    Final Thoughts

    Honest Loans is reshaping emergency lending in 2025 by making installment loans for bad credit accessible, transparent, and safe. Whether you’re facing an urgent expense or simply want a smarter borrowing option, Honest Loans offers a proven digital path to relief.

    With a strong lender network, guaranteed approval, and fast online processing, borrowers can rely on Honest Loans to deliver emergency cash with long-term repayment options—all without the stress of credit denials or surprise fees.

    FAQs About Installment Loans for Bad Credit

    What is the easiest type of loan to get approved for with bad credit?
    The easiest loans to get approved for are installment loans or no credit check personal loans from direct lenders. These loans typically feature quick application processes and high approval rates, especially when accessed through platforms like Honest Loans.

    How can I borrow $500 immediately with bad credit?
    To access $500 fast, consider applying for a guaranteed installment loan through Honest Loans. With no hard credit check and same-day approvals, funds may be deposited into your account within hours—making it a reliable option for urgent needs.

    Is it possible to get $1000 today without good credit?
    Yes. Honest Loans connects borrowers to a wide network of licensed lenders offering bad credit installment loans. If eligible, you can receive up to $1000 or more via electronic transfer, often on the same business day.

    What is a hardship loan and who qualifies?
    A hardship loan is designed for individuals facing financial strain from unexpected events like job loss, medical bills, or emergencies. These loans often offer more flexible repayment terms. Honest Loans can help match you with lenders offering installment loans that fit your situation, even with bad credit.

    Contact Information

    Company: Honest Loans
    Email: support@onlineloannetwork.com
    Phone: 888-718-9134
    Address: Springates Building, Lower Government Road, Charlestown, Saint Kitts and Nevis

    Disclaimer and Affiliate Disclosure

    This content is intended for informational and commercial purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal, or professional advice. It does not constitute an endorsement of any specific loan provider.

    While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the information presented, no guarantees are made regarding its completeness, accuracy, or timeliness. Readers are advised to conduct independent research and consult qualified professionals—such as licensed financial advisors or legal experts—prior to making any financial decisions.

    Please note the following:

    • Loan products and services mentioned may not be suitable for everyone.
    • Terms, conditions, and eligibility criteria vary by lender and location.
    • Approval is not guaranteed and may depend on various factors, including income, creditworthiness, residency status, identity verification, and compliance with applicable laws.

    This article may contain affiliate links. If you press on a link and apply for or purchase a product or service, the publisher and its partners may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. This compensation does not affect the content’s objectivity or the impartiality of any recommendations. All opinions are general in nature and do not reflect the views of any specific lender unless clearly stated.

    By engaging with this content, you acknowledge that the publisher, its authors, affiliates, and third-party partners are not liable for any errors, omissions, outdated information, or financial outcomes resulting from use of the material. This includes—but is not limited to—loan denials, disputes, or issues arising from contractual agreements with lenders.

    References to companies such as “Honest Loans” are for informational comparison only and do not imply any formal endorsement, partnership, or legal relationship. For questions about specific loan offerings, please contact the respective lender directly using official contact details.

    All trademarks, service marks, and brand names mentioned remain the property of their respective owners.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Installment Loans for Bad Credit Announced as Key Feature in Honest Loans in 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Houston, TX, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Access guaranteed installment loans for bad credit through Honest Loans—no credit check, flexible terms, and fast approvals from direct lenders in 2025. Get the emergency funds you need, securely and stress-free.

    Honest Loans has introduced a groundbreaking solution for individuals facing financial stress by launching guaranteed installment loans for bad credit—a core offering in 2025. This initiative aims to connect borrowers with direct lenders who offer flexible, fast, and secure installment loans, even for those with poor or limited credit histories.

    Meeting the Rising Demand for Guaranteed Installment Loans in 2025

    As more Americans face unexpected financial burdens—including inflation, medical expenses, and urgent bills—the need for accessible and fast financial solutions has grown significantly. In response, installment loans for bad credit have emerged as a preferred option, offering structured repayment terms and no hard credit checks.

    Unlike traditional payday loans, installment loans provide longer repayment periods, fixed interest rates, and manageable payments, making them more sustainable for borrowers. Honest Loans answers this demand by streamlining access to licensed direct lenders offering these loans with guaranteed approval.

    Why Borrowers Are Choosing Honest Loans in 2025

    Honest Loans’ installment loan platform stands out by offering a seamless and transparent digital experience. Borrowers gain access to a broad network of trusted lenders who specialize in bad credit financing, all without needing to step into a storefront or complete burdensome paperwork.

    Key Benefits of Honest Loans’ Installment Loans for Bad Credit:

    • Guaranteed Approval: Even applicants with poor credit are matched with lenders offering high approval rates.
    • No Hard Credit Check: Applications avoid traditional credit pulls that can negatively impact credit scores.
    • Flexible Repayment Terms: Borrowers choose from various loan sizes and durations based on their needs.
    • Same-Day Processing: In many cases, funds are deposited as soon as the same business day.
    • Licensed Direct Lenders Only: All partners are verified, ensuring a safe and compliant borrowing experience.

    >> SECURE YOUR INSTALLMENT LOAN TODAY << 

    How It Works: Quick, Secure, and Transparent

    Honest Loans simplifies the process of getting installment loans by leveraging technology to reduce friction and boost approval speed. Here’s how it works:

    1. Online Application: Applicants complete a secure digital form with basic personal and income details.
    2. Instant Matching: Honest Loans uses advanced algorithms to pair users with suitable direct lenders instantly.
    3. Loan Check & Offer: Borrowers review terms like interest rates, repayment schedules, and loan amounts before committing.
    4. Electronic Transfer: Once accepted, funds are usually deposited directly into the borrower’s bank account within hours.

    >> CHECK OUT INSTALLMENT LOAN OPTIONS FOR BAD CREDIT <<

    2025: The Shift Toward Digital Installment Lending

    The landscape of short-term lending is evolving. Traditional payday loans—often criticized for high fees and short repayment windows—are being replaced by installment options that are more borrower-friendly. Honest Loans is at the forefront of this shift, offering a mobile-first, paperless experience.

    Borrowers can enjoy faster processing, often receiving decisions within minutes. They benefit from transparent loan terms—APR, repayment schedules, and fees are clearly disclosed upfront. With access to a large network of lenders, applicants can compare multiple offers to find the one that fits their situation. And most importantly, the entire process is available online—no need for in-person visits.

    Technology & Privacy First

    Honest Loans uses secure servers and end-to-end encryption to protect personal and financial data. All partners operate under strict compliance guidelines, ensuring secure sharing and responsible lending practices.

    Eligibility Requirements

    To qualify for an installment loan with Honest Loans, applicants must meet the following criteria:

    • Be at least 18 years old
    • Have a valid checking or savings account
    • Provide proof of income
    • Be a U.S. resident

    These minimal requirements help expand access to those traditionally underserved by the financial system.

    Final Thoughts

    Honest Loans is reshaping emergency lending in 2025 by making installment loans for bad credit accessible, transparent, and safe. Whether you’re facing an urgent expense or simply want a smarter borrowing option, Honest Loans offers a proven digital path to relief.

    With a strong lender network, guaranteed approval, and fast online processing, borrowers can rely on Honest Loans to deliver emergency cash with long-term repayment options—all without the stress of credit denials or surprise fees.

    FAQs About Installment Loans for Bad Credit

    What is the easiest type of loan to get approved for with bad credit?
    The easiest loans to get approved for are installment loans or no credit check personal loans from direct lenders. These loans typically feature quick application processes and high approval rates, especially when accessed through platforms like Honest Loans.

    How can I borrow $500 immediately with bad credit?
    To access $500 fast, consider applying for a guaranteed installment loan through Honest Loans. With no hard credit check and same-day approvals, funds may be deposited into your account within hours—making it a reliable option for urgent needs.

    Is it possible to get $1000 today without good credit?
    Yes. Honest Loans connects borrowers to a wide network of licensed lenders offering bad credit installment loans. If eligible, you can receive up to $1000 or more via electronic transfer, often on the same business day.

    What is a hardship loan and who qualifies?
    A hardship loan is designed for individuals facing financial strain from unexpected events like job loss, medical bills, or emergencies. These loans often offer more flexible repayment terms. Honest Loans can help match you with lenders offering installment loans that fit your situation, even with bad credit.

    Contact Information

    Company: Honest Loans
    Email: support@onlineloannetwork.com
    Phone: 888-718-9134
    Address: Springates Building, Lower Government Road, Charlestown, Saint Kitts and Nevis

    Disclaimer and Affiliate Disclosure

    This content is intended for informational and commercial purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal, or professional advice. It does not constitute an endorsement of any specific loan provider.

    While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the information presented, no guarantees are made regarding its completeness, accuracy, or timeliness. Readers are advised to conduct independent research and consult qualified professionals—such as licensed financial advisors or legal experts—prior to making any financial decisions.

    Please note the following:

    • Loan products and services mentioned may not be suitable for everyone.
    • Terms, conditions, and eligibility criteria vary by lender and location.
    • Approval is not guaranteed and may depend on various factors, including income, creditworthiness, residency status, identity verification, and compliance with applicable laws.

    This article may contain affiliate links. If you press on a link and apply for or purchase a product or service, the publisher and its partners may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. This compensation does not affect the content’s objectivity or the impartiality of any recommendations. All opinions are general in nature and do not reflect the views of any specific lender unless clearly stated.

    By engaging with this content, you acknowledge that the publisher, its authors, affiliates, and third-party partners are not liable for any errors, omissions, outdated information, or financial outcomes resulting from use of the material. This includes—but is not limited to—loan denials, disputes, or issues arising from contractual agreements with lenders.

    References to companies such as “Honest Loans” are for informational comparison only and do not imply any formal endorsement, partnership, or legal relationship. For questions about specific loan offerings, please contact the respective lender directly using official contact details.

    All trademarks, service marks, and brand names mentioned remain the property of their respective owners.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Combined General Meeting of July 22, 2025 Conditions for Obtaining the Preparatory Documents

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    COMBINED GENERAL MEETING
    OF JULY 22, 2025

    CONDITIONS FOR OBTAINING THE PREPARATORY DOCUMENTS

    Bernin (Grenoble), France, on July 1, 2025 – Soitec (Euronext Paris) reminds that the Company’s shareholders are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting to be held on Tuesday July 22, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. (Paris time), in the Auditorium of the VERSO conference Center located at 52 rue de la Victoire, 75009 Paris, France.

    The preliminary meeting notice serving as convening notice as provided for in Article R. 225-73 of the French Commercial Code, including the agenda and the draft resolutions to be submitted to the shareholders’ vote during this Annual General Meeting as well as the information on how to attend and vote at the Annual General Meeting, has been published in the French legal gazette (Bulletin des Annonces Légales Obligatoires (BALO)) of June 13, 2025, bulletin No 71.

    The convening notice for this Annual General Meeting will be published in the French legal gazette “Les Affiches de Grenoble et du Dauphiné” on July 4, 2025.

    All the documents related to this Annual General Meeting are available on the Company’s website (www.soitec.com), in the section Investors/Shareholders & Analysts/Shareholders’ General Meetings/ 2025 Annual General Meeting, in accordance with laws and regulations in force.

    In accordance with article R. 225-88 of the French Commercial Code, shareholders may also obtain the documents provided for in articles R. 225-81 and R. 225-83 of the French Commercial Code, on written request made no later than five days before the date of the General Meeting, i.e. no later than Thursday July 17, 2025. This request shall be sent to the Company’s registered office by post, to the attention of the General Secretary, “AG 22 juillet 2025” Parc Technologique des Fontaines – Chemin des Franques – 38190 Bernin – France, or by e-mail to the following address: shareholders-gm@soitec.com. Requests from bearer shareholders must be accompanied by a shareholding certificate delivered by their financial intermediary mentioned in Article L. 211-3 of the French Monetary and Financial Code.
        
    Shareholders are invited to consult regularly the section dedicated to the 2025 Annual General Meeting on the Company’s website.

    This General Meeting will be broadcast live on Soitec’s website and will also be available for replay.

    # # #

     

    Agenda

    First-quarter 2025-2026 revenue: July 22, 2025, after market close.

    # # #

    About Soitec

    Soitec (Euronext – Tech 40 Paris), a world leader in innovative semiconductor materials, has for more than 30 years developed cutting-edge products that combine technological performance and energy efficiency. From its global headquarters in France, Soitec is expanding internationally with its unique solutions. The company occupies a key position in the semiconductor value chain, serving three strategic markets: mobile communications, automotive and industry, and smart devices. Soitec draws on the talent and diversity of its 2,300 employees, of 50 different nationalities, across its sites in Europe, the United States and Asia. More than 4,100 patents have been registered by Soitec.

    Soitec, SmartSiC™ and Smart Cut™ are registered trademarks of Soitec.

    For more information: https://www.soitec.com/en/

    # # #

                             

    Investor Relations: Media contacts:

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: eXp Realty selects Cloze’s AI-powered real estate platform for CRM of Choice program

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WELLESLEY, Mass., July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cloze, the AI-powered real estate platform for sphere selling, today announced its inclusion in eXp Realty’s new CRM of Choice program. Beginning today, eXp Realty agents across the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico will be able to select Cloze as their preferred CRM — at no additional cost — as part of their monthly tech package.

    According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the typical REALTOR® earned 41% of their business through referrals and repeat clients, with high-performing agents often seeing a much higher percentage. Yet, 88% of the people an agent interacts with never make it into their CRM. Cloze is the only CRM that tracks calls and texts automatically from an agent’s own phone number, enabling the platform to capture an agent’s entire sphere, not just the 12% that are entered into a traditional CRM. With every communication captured in one place, Cloze’s AI keeps contact info fresh and surfaces relationships—so that agents can capitalize on their entire sphere of influence.

    Designed for agents and teams whose growth is powered by real relationships, Cloze offers agents and team leaders tools that deepen client connections, maximize productivity, and drive repeat and referral business. Cloze uses AI to surface the right outreach and follow-ups—so agents get more from their sphere with less effort—thanks to deep integrations with Canva, SkySlope, eXp Access, and more.

    “CRM of Choice represents a new chapter in how we support our agents’ growth at eXp,” said Kendall Bonner, Vice President, Industry Relations and Strategic Partnerships, eXp Realty. “Cloze’s use of AI to personalize automation and recommendations for relationship-driven selling gives agents a smarter way to turn everyday connections into lasting business.”

    A platform designed around how agents work

    At the heart of Cloze is the Cloze Intelligence Engine, which uses AI to automatically build and maintain each agent’s database by capturing real-world activity — emails, calls, texts, and meetings — without requiring manual data entry. The built-in personal assistant then nudges agents to follow up, surfaces action items from conversations, and helps prioritize the relationships that are most likely to drive future deals.

    Cloze is uniquely designed to help agents make the most of their sphere of influence:

    • Stay organized, automatically—Cloze automatically logs calls, texts, emails, and meetings, pulling in full history, even from the past, to discover warm opportunities
    • Focus on what drives Gross Commission Income (GCI)—Cloze AI reminds agents to reconnect and follow-up, surfacing key action items, deadlines, and milestones, including reaching out to past contacts, so agents hit their goals
    • Simplify and scale personal outreach—With one platform for both personal and automated outreach, agents can seamlessly move between 1:1 messages, automated marketing, and mail-merged mass outreach without switching tools
    • Stay productive while on the go—Cloze’s best-in-class mobile experience through both iOS and Android apps offer full functionality so that agents can run every part of their business from anywhere

    Easy, polished marketing—powered by AI and Canva

    Cloze’s Canva integration provides a one-click experience to create polished, eXp-branded materials — flyers, postcards, videos, social posts, and more — pre-filled with listing details. Agents can customize and send materials directly from within Cloze, ensuring brand consistency without the design hassle.

    In addition, Cloze’s real estate-savvy generative AI can ghostwrite listing descriptions, newsletters, agent bios, one-off emails, and multi-step campaigns — all from a single platform.

    Agents and teams who sell to clients that speak different languages can use Cloze’s multi-lingual marketing, which can automatically detect the language of every client to ensure everyone receives marketing materials in their language of choice, automatically.

    Embedded into the eXp ecosystem

    In addition to Canva, Cloze connects with other tools agents already use, such as eXp-supported systems like SkySlope, Dotloop, Slack, DialSafe, and eXp Access, as well as over 100 additional applications, so that agents can be more productive, all while seamlessly capturing all interactions in one place without manual entry.

    Built to support every agent—solo or on a team

    Cloze is designed to adapt to how agents actually work—whether they’re growing a solo business or working as part of a team. Shared communication history, lead routing, and visibility keep teams coordinated and on track, while personal contacts and conversations stay private by default. Agents get the structure they need without giving up control, and team leaders gain the visibility they need to support performance and accountability.

    “Cloze was built from the ground up to support sphere-based selling — and it’s why agents who use Cloze consistently outperform,” said Dan Foody, CEO and Co-Founder of Cloze. “Our new relationship with eXp Realty will bring these capabilities to even more agents across North America.”

    About Cloze

    Cloze is an AI-powered sales and marketing platform that helps real estate brokerages, agents, and teams strengthen relationships, automate outreach, and manage lead routing. Real estate leaders like Windermere, Baird & Warner, Brown Harris Stevens, and Sotheby’s International Realty use Cloze’s open platform to create a sales and marketing hub that future-proofs their tech stack. By integrating deeply with existing tools, Cloze makes it easy to add, change, or update those tools whenever needed. For more information on Cloze, visit cloze.com.

    Media Relations Contact:
    Cloze, Inc.
    Alex Coté
    press@cloze.com

    About eXp World Holdings, Inc.

    eXp World Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPI) (the “Company”) is the holding company for eXp Realty® and SUCCESS® Enterprises. eXp Realty is the largest independent real estate brokerage in the world, with nearly 81,000 agents across 27 countries. As a cloud-based, agent-centric brokerage, eXp Realty provides real estate agents industry-leading commission splits, revenue share, equity ownership opportunities, and a global network that empowers agents to build thriving businesses. For more information about eXp World Holdings, Inc., visit: expworldholdings.com.

    SUCCESS® Enterprises, anchored by SUCCESS® magazine, has been a trusted name in personal and professional development since 1897. As part of the eXp ecosystem, it offers agents access to valuable resources to enhance their skills, grow their businesses, and achieve long-term success. For more information about SUCCESS, visit success.com.

    Media Relations Contact:
    eXp World Holdings, Inc.
    mediarelations@expworldholdings.com

    Investor Relations
    Denise Garcia
    investors@expworldholdings.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: PROACTIS SA – PR ( update on BoD members) 01.07.2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press release

    Evolution of PROACTIS SA Governance

    PARIS, France – (1st July 2025) — Under the terms of the Board of Directors of the company PROACTIS SA (ISIN code : FR0004052561) held on the 25th of June, Mr Andrew REARDON has been appointed as Director in replacement of Mr Monsieur Adrian MCSHANE-CHAPMAN, resigning.
    Shareholders will be asked to approve this appointment at the next Annual General Meeting called to approve the financial statements.

    Andrew Reardon joined the group Proactis in January 2025 as Group Chief Operating Officer. He has considerable experience in the fields of operational leadership, complex transformational change management, large scale project management and revenue growth programs whose leadership skills and management aptitude have been repeatedly tested under the most demanding circumstances.

    As a result of these changes, the Board of Directors of PROACTIS SA is now composed as follows:

    Member Functions Mandate expiry date
    Stephen LINE Chairman of the Board of Directors
    Chief Executive Officer    		 Annual General Meeting to approve the financial statements for the year ending January 31, 2028
    Lucy FOX Director Annual General Meeting to approve the financial statements for the year ending January 31, 2028
    Bonnie MITCHELL Director Annual General Meeting to approve the financial statements for the year ending January 31, 2030
    Andrew REARDON Director Annual General Meeting to approve the financial statements for the year ending January 31, 2028

    Contacts
    Tel: +33 (0)1 53 25 55 00
    E-mail: investorContact@proactis.com

    * * * *

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: ICC Principles for Sustainable Trade and Trade Finance

    Source: International Chamber of Commerce

    Headline: ICC Principles for Sustainable Trade and Trade Finance

    Trade underpins economic growth, connects markets and supports development. But if global trade is to continue delivering these benefits in the long term, and ensure resilient global economies and a healthy planet, it must also support sustainability.  

    Yet, assessing sustainability within international trade and trade finance remains a major challenge. Trade transactions – which connect numerous parties across the globe – remain highly fragmented and complex in nature. This is further compounded by a lack of consistent, standardised definitions across countries for assessing the sustainability of transactions. Without clarity, efforts to promote sustainable trade risks being undermined. Crucially, it also makes it more difficult to align global trade with the goals of the Paris Agreement and mobilise the finance needed to deliver them.  

    The growing interest in environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) provides a beacon of hope for change. Yet, interest alone isn’t enough – clear, consistent definitions on sustainable international trade and trade finance are needed to turn ambition into action.  

    With this in mind, the ICC, together with input and endorsement from major trade banks, have developed the Principles for Sustainable Trade and Trade Finance, providing the clarity and common ground needed to help global trade play its part in delivering on sustainability goals and in meeting the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target.  

    The Sustainable Trade Finance Principles sit under the broader Trade, which provide a frame to assess both the environmental sustainability of a transaction, and how it supports socio-economically sustainable development. 

    The first sustainability framework for the trade finance market

    The ICC Principles for Sustainable Trade 

    The Sustainable Trade Principles, currently in its third iteration (Wave 3), aim to define standards for sustainable trade to accelerate the shift to a more sustainable economy. It provides a framework to assess sustainability of trade across four key components – the ‘use of proceeds’, ‘seller’, ‘buyer’, and ‘distribution’ – against two critical dimensions, namely environmental and socio-economically sustainable development.  

    The ICC Principles for Sustainable Trade include:  

    • High-level principles for banks to utilise and base their internal methodologies on  
    • Guidance on methodology for how the principles can best be utilised in a common framework, with practical advice on assessments across different components  
    • A framework providing nuanced sustainability assessments based on sector-specific evidence  
    • A Sustainable Credential Library to consolidate recognised standards, conventions, and ESG scorers  
    • Clear guidance on acceptable forms of evidence, to ensure the framework is more accessible and less burdensome, including for SMEs  
    • The integration of any regional taxonomies, where appropriate, allowing for greater applicability across diverse markets  
    • The Principles for Sustainable Trade Finance (PSTF), which enhance the Use of Proceeds assessment of the Principles for Sustainable for Trade by setting thresholds and assessments within trade finance to ensure alignment with established frameworks whilst enabling more flexibility in evidencing sustainability  

    The Sustainable Trade Finance Principles 

    Together with industry leaders, ICC further developed the Sustainable Trade Finance Principles, currently in its second iteration (Wave 2). The Principles include a sub-set of principles and guidelines, including:  

    1. The Principles for Green Trade Finance (PGTF)  

    Set of detailed, fully implementable principles that provide a common language and set of processes for banks to utilise when conducting a Use of Proceeds-based assessment for green-labelled Trade Finance products. These principles are closely aligned with the Loan Market Association (LMA) Green Loan Principles (GPLs) but allow assessment based on the purpose of a transaction or its goods in addition to purpose-based evaluations. 

    What has been newly added in the Sustainable Trade Finance Principles (Wave 2)? 

    1. ICC’s Principles for Social Trade Finance (PSoTF) 

    Comprehensive framework for Use of Proceeds-based assessment for socially sustainable-labelled TF products, aligned to the LMA Social Loan Principles.  

    1. ICC’s guidance on Sustainability-linked Trade Finance  

    Tailored advice for sustainability linked assessments in trade finance, aligned to LMA Sustainability-Linked Loan Principles.  

    1. ICC’s guidance on Sustainability-linked Supply Chain Finance  

    Additional clarity on Sustainability-Linked Supply Chain Finance programmes, aligned to LMA SLLPs 

    Previous milestones 

    Principles for Sustainable Trade Finance (2024) 

    ICC developed the first-ever industry taxonomy to define what constitutes a sustainable trade finance transaction — filling a major gap in existing practice within the financial sector. The Standards for Sustainable Trade and Sustainable Trade Finance positioning paper was launched in 2021 as an initial step to developing a tool that is both robust and workable from an industry perspective.  

    Learn more

    Principles

    Principles for Sustainable Trade: Wave 2 (2023) 

    A minimum viable ‘Wave 1’ framework was launched in November 2022 and assessed both the environmental sustainability of a transaction, and how it supports socio-economically sustainable development. In tandem, a pilot scheme was launched in the textiles industry, with participants applying the framework to real transactions to understand what works and what could be improved in future versions of the framework. 

    Learn more

    Principles

    Wave 1 Framework for Sustainable Trade and Sustainable Trade Finance (2022) 

    The Wave 2 Principles were designed with usability in mind, while simultaneously improving reach, applicability, and rigour. Relative to Wave 1, Wave 2 has focused on expanding the scope to include three new sectors, adding rigour through a more granular grading system, allowing easier automation, by incorporating machine-readable sources of evidence and including a “distribution” component. 

    Learn more

    Principles

    Positioning paper on Standards for Sustainable Trade and Trade Finance (2021) 

    Developed in collaboration with BCG and leading trade banks in 2024, ICC provides a consensus set of principles that define sustainable trade finance products, offering clear, transparent, and consistent guidelines to enable banks, corporates and investors to effectively channel capital towards sustainable and inclusive trade finance facilities while mitigating the risks associated with greenwashing. These principles fit within the broader Principles for Sustainable Trade. 

    Learn more

    Positioning paper

    What’s next? 

    Alongside the launch of the Principles, ICC is launching a consultation where participants are invited to pilot and test the principles in their trade finance operation, and provide feedback and contributions.  This collaborative approach collaborative approach will ensure that the principles remain practical, scalable, and reflective of industry needs.  

    Industry professionals may provide their further insights and feedback in the survey link provided.  

    Please  reach out to the ICC team for further details.  

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Development financing conference draws business leaders who manage trillions of dollars | #FFD4

    Source: United Nations (video statements)

    How do you generate more investment in sustainable development? Gather business leaders who help to manage trillions of dollars. Right now, they are engaged in discussions with officials from the United Nations and others concerned with achieving progress for people and the planet. UN expert Krishnan Sharma explains the business forum now underway at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla.

    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AmIwEdx09to

    MIL OSI Video –