NewzIntel.com

Category: Department of Justice

  • MIL-OSI USA: California Department of Justice Releases Report on Officer-Involved Shooting of Trent Millsap

    Source: US State of California

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta, pursuant to Assembly Bill 1506 (AB 1506), today released a report on Trent Millsap’s death from an officer-involved shooting in Anaheim, California, which occurred on July 15, 2022. The incident involved members of the Westminster Police Department assigned to the multi-agency West County SWAT. The report is part of the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) ongoing efforts to provide transparency and accountability in law enforcement practices. The report provides a detailed analysis of the incident and outlines DOJ’s findings. After a thorough investigation, DOJ concluded that criminal charges were not appropriate in this case.  
     
    “The California Department of Justice remains steadfast in our commitment to working together with all law enforcement partners to ensure an unbiased, transparent, and accountable legal system for every resident of California,” said Attorney General Bonta. “AB 1506 is a critical transparency and accountability tool, and our hope is that this report provides understanding that advances towards a safer California for all. We appreciate the law enforcement personnel who put their lives on the line carrying out this high-risk operation. At the same time, we recognize that loss of life is always a tragedy, and we express our condolences to Mr. Millsap’s family.”      

    On July 15, 2022, West County SWAT was tasked with serving a search and arrest warrant on Mr. Millsap for his suspected involvement in a murder committed two days earlier. West County SWAT went to an apartment unit in Anaheim and tried to get Mr. Millsap to surrender. During the course of the operation, a canine was released into the apartment to gain Mr. Millsap’s compliance. At one point, Millsap abruptly lifted his baggy sweatshirt with his left hand and reached toward his waistband with his right hand in a manner consistent with reaching for a concealed weapon. Two Westminster Police Department detectives immediately shot Mr. Millsap in response. Medical care was provided on scene, and Mr. Millsap was taken to the hospital, where he passed away from the gunshot wounds.

    AB 1506 requires DOJ to investigate all incidents of officer-involved shootings resulting in the death of an unarmed civilian in the state. Based upon a thorough investigation and legal analysis of the facts and circumstances of this incident, DOJ concluded that there is insufficient evidence to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the officers’ use of lethal force was not justified by an actual and reasonable belief of imminent risk of death or serious bodily injury to themselves or others. Therefore, there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution of the officers and no further action will be taken in this case. 
     
    As part of its investigation, DOJ has identified four policy recommendations related to this incident. The first recommendation is that Westminster Police Department and West County SWAT revise their policies to require preparation and distribution of a written operational plan that follows National Tactical Officers Association guidelines whenever practical. In this incident, West County SWAT carried out the high-risk operation without a formal written operational plan due to perceived time constraints.

    The second recommendation is that Westminster Police Department and West County SWAT revise its de-escalation policy to clarify that personnel must use de-escalation techniques when feasible, and that Westminster Police Department and West County SWAT consider further training and instruction regarding the use of de-escalation techniques. The Westminster Police Department’s current de-escalation policy suggests that the use of de-escalation techniques is optional, whereas, current law (Government Code section 7286) mandates de-escalation when feasible.

    The third recommendation is that Cypress Police Department, whose canine was deployed, and West County SWAT further evaluate whether deployment of the canine was appropriate under the circumstances presented. DOJ also recommends that Cypress Police Department and West County SWAT provide further training and instruction regarding the appropriate circumstances for the deployment of a canine to apprehend a suspect.

    The fourth recommendation is that Westminster Police Department clarify its uniform and attire policies to address if and when shorts and casual footwear are permitted during an operation.

    A copy of the report can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Engineer pleads guilty to stealing trade secret technology designed for missile launch detection

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    LOS ANGELES — A Santa Clara County man and former engineer at a Southern California company pleaded guilty July 21 to stealing trade secret technologies developed for use by the United States government to detect nuclear missile launches, track ballistic and hypersonic missiles, and to allow U.S. fighter planes to detect and evade heat-seeking missiles.

    Chenguang Gong, 59, of San Jose, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of trade secrets. He remains free on $1.75 million bond.

    According to his plea agreement, Gong — a dual citizen of the United States and China — transferred more than 3,600 files from a Los Angeles-area research and development company where he worked — identified in court documents as the victim company — to personal storage devices during his brief tenure with the company last year.

    The files Gong transferred include blueprints for sophisticated infrared sensors designed for use in space-based systems to detect nuclear missile launches and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles, as well as blueprints for sensors designed to enable U.S. military aircraft to detect incoming heat-seeking missiles and take countermeasures, including by jamming the missiles’ infrared tracking ability. Some of these files were later found on storage devices seized from Gong’s temporary residence in Thousand Oaks.

    In January 2023, the victim company hired Gong as an application-specific integrated circuit design manager responsible for the design, development and verification of its infrared sensors. Beginning on approximately March 30, 2023, and continuing until his termination on April 26, 2023, Gong transferred thousands of files from his work laptop to three personal storage devices, including more than 1,800 files after he had accepted a job at one of the victim company’s main competitors.

    Many of the files Gong transferred contained proprietary and trade secret information related to the development and design of a readout integrated circuit that allows space-based systems to detect missile launches and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles and a readout integrated circuit that allows aircraft to track incoming threats in low visibility environments.

    Gong also transferred files containing trade secrets relating to the development of “next generation” sensors capable of detecting low observable targets while demonstrating increased survivability in space, as well as the blueprints for the mechanical assemblies used to house and cryogenically cool the victim company’s sensors. This information was among the victim company’s most important trade secrets that are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Many of the files had been marked “[VICTIM COMPANY] PROPRIETARY,” “FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY,” “PROPRIETARY INFORMATION,” and “EXPORT CONTROLLED.”

    Law enforcement also discovered that, between approximately 2014 and 2022, while employed at several major technology companies in the United States, Gong submitted numerous applications to ‘Talent Programs’ administered by the People’s Republic of China government. The PRC government has established these talent programs as a means to identify individuals who have expert skills, abilities, and knowledge of advanced sciences and technologies in order to access and utilize those skills and knowledge in transforming the PRC’s economy, including its military capabilities.

    In 2014, while employed at a U.S. information technology company headquartered in Dallas, Gong sent a business proposal to a contact at a high-tech research institute in China focused on both military and civilian products. In his proposal, translated from Chinese, Gong described a plan to produce high-performance analog-to-digital converters like those produced by his employer.

    In another Talent Program application from September 2020, Gong proposed to develop “low light/night vision” image sensors for use in military night vision goggles and civilian applications. Gong’s proposal included a video presentation that contained the model number of a sensor developed by an international defense, aerospace, and security company where Gong worked from 2015 to 2019.

    Gong travelled to China several times to seek Talent Program funding in order to develop sophisticated analog-to-digital converters. In his Talent Program applications, Gong underscored that the high-performance analog-to-digital converters he proposed to develop in China had military applications, explaining that they “directly determine the accuracy and range of radar systems” and that “[m]issile navigation systems also often use radar front-end systems.” In a 2019 email, translated from Chinese, Gong remarked that he “took a risk” by traveling to China to participate in the Talent Programs “because [he] worked for…an American military industry company” and thought he could “do something” to contribute to China’s “high-end military integrated circuits.”

    According to his plea agreement, the intended economic loss from Gong’s criminal conduct exceeds $3.5 million.

    United States District Judge John F. Walter scheduled a September 29 sentencing hearing, at which time Gong will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

    The FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office through the Counterintelligence Task Force in partnership with the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations is investigating this matter. The FBI’s San Francisco Field Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California also provided substantial assistance.

    Assistant United States Attorneys David C. Lachman of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section and Nisha Chandran of the Major Frauds Section are prosecuting this case, with valuable assistance from Department of Justice Trial Attorney Brendan P. Geary of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

    As a member of the FBI Counterintelligence Task Force, HSI contributes to the whole-of-government efforts to defeat hostile intelligence activities targeting the U.S., to include countering the proliferation of sensitive technology to potential adversaries. This case highlights the partnership between HSI, the FBI and DSS, each leveraging their unique capabilities and authorities, to disrupt insider threats at U.S. technology companies and to safeguard sensitive U.S. technology.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Clifton T. Barrett Takes Oath as U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    GREENSBORO, N.C. – Clifton T. “Cliff” Barrett took the oath of office yesterday to become the United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. The oath was administered by U.S. District Judge William L. Osteen, Jr. at the L. Richardson Preyer Federal Building in Greensboro. Attorney General Pamela Bondi appointed Mr. Barrett as the interim U.S. Attorney on June 21.

    “I am honored to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina and thank President Trump and Attorney General Bondi for placing their trust in me,” said U.S. Attorney Barrett. “I look forward, along with other prosecutors in the office, to making the Middle District a safer place to live by holding offenders accountable for their actions.  We will work closely with state, local, and federal law enforcement in addressing President Trump’s law enforcement priorities.”

    As the U.S. Attorney, Mr. Barrett is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the Middle District of North Carolina, which covers 24 counties in the central part of the state from Durham County on the east to Yadkin County on the west, stretching up to Virginia on the north side and down to South Carolina on the south. Approximately 3 million people live in the Middle District of North Carolina. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to immigration, gang violence, National Security, drug trafficking, and violent crime. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.

    U.S. Attorney Barrett joined the Department of Justice as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of North Carolina in September 1994. He has prosecuted a broad range of federal criminal cases, including drug trafficking organizations, violent crime, child exploitation, public corruption, tax fraud, and offenses related to terrorism. He has held numerous leadership roles in the office, including 25 years as Chief of the Criminal Division. He has also served in leadership at the Department of Justice as an evaluator of other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and as a member of the Criminal Chiefs Working Group, an appointed committee that works in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney General’s Advisory Commission in providing advice to the U.S. Attorney General.

    Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Barrett was an Assistant District Attorney for nine years in Forsyth County, North Carolina where he primarily prosecuted violent crime cases.

    Barrett received his bachelor’s degree in history cum laude from Wake Forest University in 1982, and his Juris Doctorate from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1985. He has been an Adjunct Professor at Wake Forest University School of Law teaching Criminal Trial Advocacy since 1996.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Clifton T. Barrett Takes Oath as U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    GREENSBORO, N.C. – Clifton T. “Cliff” Barrett took the oath of office yesterday to become the United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. The oath was administered by U.S. District Judge William L. Osteen, Jr. at the L. Richardson Preyer Federal Building in Greensboro. Attorney General Pamela Bondi appointed Mr. Barrett as the interim U.S. Attorney on June 21.

    “I am honored to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina and thank President Trump and Attorney General Bondi for placing their trust in me,” said U.S. Attorney Barrett. “I look forward, along with other prosecutors in the office, to making the Middle District a safer place to live by holding offenders accountable for their actions.  We will work closely with state, local, and federal law enforcement in addressing President Trump’s law enforcement priorities.”

    As the U.S. Attorney, Mr. Barrett is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the Middle District of North Carolina, which covers 24 counties in the central part of the state from Durham County on the east to Yadkin County on the west, stretching up to Virginia on the north side and down to South Carolina on the south. Approximately 3 million people live in the Middle District of North Carolina. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to immigration, gang violence, National Security, drug trafficking, and violent crime. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.

    U.S. Attorney Barrett joined the Department of Justice as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of North Carolina in September 1994. He has prosecuted a broad range of federal criminal cases, including drug trafficking organizations, violent crime, child exploitation, public corruption, tax fraud, and offenses related to terrorism. He has held numerous leadership roles in the office, including 25 years as Chief of the Criminal Division. He has also served in leadership at the Department of Justice as an evaluator of other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and as a member of the Criminal Chiefs Working Group, an appointed committee that works in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney General’s Advisory Commission in providing advice to the U.S. Attorney General.

    Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Barrett was an Assistant District Attorney for nine years in Forsyth County, North Carolina where he primarily prosecuted violent crime cases.

    Barrett received his bachelor’s degree in history cum laude from Wake Forest University in 1982, and his Juris Doctorate from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1985. He has been an Adjunct Professor at Wake Forest University School of Law teaching Criminal Trial Advocacy since 1996.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty To Unlawful Reentry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Angel Urbina-Ramirez, a/k/a Angel Urbina Ramirez, a/k/a Angel Urbinaramirez, age 53, a Mexican national unlawfully present in Poteau, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not more than ten years, and a fine of not more than $250,000.00.  

    The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division.

    The Indictment alleged that on June 13, 2025, Urbina-Ramirez, an alien, was found in the United States after having been previously removed on January 30, 2018, without obtaining the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.

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

    The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.

    A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Urbina-Ramirez will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Dak T. Cohen represented the United States.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty To Unlawful Reentry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Angel Urbina-Ramirez, a/k/a Angel Urbina Ramirez, a/k/a Angel Urbinaramirez, age 53, a Mexican national unlawfully present in Poteau, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not more than ten years, and a fine of not more than $250,000.00.  

    The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division.

    The Indictment alleged that on June 13, 2025, Urbina-Ramirez, an alien, was found in the United States after having been previously removed on January 30, 2018, without obtaining the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.

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

    The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.

    A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Urbina-Ramirez will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Dak T. Cohen represented the United States.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King Cosponsors Bill to Prohibit Sharing of Personal Data of DACA Program Applicants with Immigration Officials

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) has joined legislation to prohibit the sharing of sensitive personal data, like taxpayer and health information, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act would provide a statutory guarantee to current and prospective Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program applicants, also known as Dreamers, that the private information they provide in their applications will not be used against them. This comes as the Trump Administration increases information sharing to advance its mass deportation agenda.

    The Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act will prohibit the DHS Secretary from disclosing information included in an individual’s application for the DACA program to law enforcement agencies, including ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), for any purpose other than the implementation of the DACA program, with limited exceptions.

    “Dreamers are productive, established members of our community woven into the fabric of our lives; neighbors and friends that go to school, work at the local store, and contribute honestly to American society no matter the passport they hold,” Senator King said. “The Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act would allow thousands of law-abiding Dreamers to continue living their lives and making contributions to society without fear of their personal information being misused by those enforcing the administration’s misguided deportation agenda.”

    Since 2012, more than 825,000 people have received deferred action pursuant to DACA, contributing an estimated $140 billion to the U.S. economy in spending power and paying $40 billion in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes. In 2021, a federal district court judge paused the DACA program and prevented USCIS from approving any new DACA applications. In March 2025, however, a Fifth Circuit decision giving United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) the authority to start processing initial DACA applications from states other than Texas went into effect.

    Last month, the Trump Administration gave Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personal data, including immigration status, on millions of Medicaid enrollees and announced it would require some undocumented immigrants to register with DHS. The Administration also finalized an agreement giving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to taxpayer data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for immigration enforcement. Meanwhile, the Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) recently gained access to key immigration databases, including the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s (EOIR) Courts and Appeals System (ECAS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) Data Business Intelligence Services, which contains information on noncitizens who have applied for DACA, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Unaccompanied Alien Children portal.

    Specifically, the Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act will:

    1. Direct the DHS Secretary to protect the information included in an individual’s application to the DACA program from disclosure to ICE, CBP, and any other law enforcement agency for any purpose other than the implementation of the DACA program;
    2. Prohibit the DHS Secretary from referring anyone with deferred enforcement protections pursuant to the DACA program to ICE, CBP, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and any other law enforcement agency; and
    3. Provide limited exceptions for when an individual’s application information may be shared with national security and law enforcement agencies, namely:
      1. To identify or prevent fraudulent claims;
      2. For particularized national security concerns; and
      3. For the investigation or prosecution of a felony, provided that the felony in question is not related to the applicant’s immigration status.

    In addition to King, this bill is cosponsored by Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Brian Schatz (D-HI), John Fetterman (D-PA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Patty Murray (D-WA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Peter Welch (D-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Jack Reed (D-RI), Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT).

    Senator King is a strong opponent of the Trump Administration’s continued efforts to repeal protections for DACA recipients. He has repeatedly sought a legislative solution to provide stability for DACA recipients. Most recently, he sent a letter to Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Angelica Alfonso-Royals, highlighting the popular support for providing Dreamers a pathway to citizenship and request that the Trump Administration comply with the recent Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling to resume processing applications for DACA. Previously, Senator King joined a group of his Senate colleagues in a letter urging former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to immediately take up the bipartisan House-passed American Dream and Promise Act, which would establish a path to citizenship for Dreamers and immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). In addition, King led a bipartisan proposal with Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) that would have provided legislative protections for Dreamers.

    A one-page summary of the bill is here.

    The text of the bill is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Laredo man sentenced to 63 months for smuggling over 100 illegal aliens in locked trailer

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LAREDO, Texas – A 49-year-old resident of Laredo has been ordered to federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Juan Manuel Aguirre pleaded guilty Feb. 6.

    U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now ordered Aguirre to serve 63 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court considered Aguirre’s history of smuggling aliens on multiple occasions and the danger he posed by transporting them in a sealed, locked, dark and unventilated trailer that required authorities to open with a bolt cutter. 

    “Human smuggling is an incredibly dangerous enterprise, and it requires the trafficker to care absolutely nothing about the lives and safety of those they transport,” said Ganjei. “Fortunately, there were no deaths in this case, but the underlying facts indicate that several of those transported had difficulty breathing and feared for their life. The Southern District of Texas will make sure that all human smugglers pay a serious price for their callousness.”

    On Dec. 2, 2024, law enforcement observed several individuals being loading into a white trailer in a warehouse parking lot. Aguirre was the driver of the truck hauling it. After he departed the location, authorities conducted a traffic stop which resulted in the discovery of 101 aliens locked inside the trailer, 13 of whom were children as young as 13 years old.

    Multiple illegal aliens reported they had difficulty breathing and feared for their life due to the conditions in the trailer. They were from the countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba and Honduras.

    Aguirre will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

    Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, Texas Department of Public Safety and Border Patrol conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection, Drug Enforcement Administration and Webb County Sheriff’s Office. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Scott Bowling is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Unseals Civil Action Filed Against Approximately $2M in Digital Currency Involved in Hamas Fundraising

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    The Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia today announced the unsealing of a civil forfeiture action against approximately $2 million dollars in digital currency held by Tether Limited (Tether) and Binance Holdings LTD (Binance) accounts connected with Buy Cash Money and Money Transfer Company (BuyCash), a Gaza-based money transfer business that was involved in financially supporting Hamas – a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) – as well as its agents and collaborators.

    “Terrorist organizations like Hamas and their affiliates rely on shadowy financial networks to fund their deadly operations,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “By seizing millions in cryptocurrency, the Justice Department is aggressively dismantling the financial infrastructure of terrorism and refusing to allow our digital currency platforms to become safe havens for terrorist financing.”

    “The forfeiture action executed today is an example of how diligently our office works to prevent any actions from taking place that support foreign terrorist organizations,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Colombia. “Our partnership with other law enforcement agencies strengthens us to uphold the safety of the American people from entities that threaten the security of our citizens.”

    “The forfeiture action unsealed today demonstrates that no matter what lengths terrorism financers take to obscure their illegal transactions, the FBI will aggressively disrupt the transmission of illicit proceeds intended to support designated terrorist organizations like Hamas,” said Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office.

    BuyCash, and one of its owners, Ahmed M. M. Alaqad, have been suspected of supporting various terrorist organizations including Hamas, ISIS, Al-Qaida affiliates and others. After the October 2023 attacks on Israel, BuyCash and Alaqad were designated as having materially supported Hamas under Executive Order 13224 by the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC). Since 2017, BuyCash and Alaqad have supported several foreign terrorist organizations. In 2017, BuyCash was used for the procurement of large quantities of online infrastructure on behalf of ISIS. In September 2019, BuyCash was used to receive funds from a known Al-Qaida affiliate. In 2019, law enforcement identified various instances where BuyCash, with the direct support of Alaqad, directly aided in the transfer of fiat currency to known individuals and entities in support of Hamas. In June 2021, Israel’s National Bureau for Counter Terrorist Financing seized various digital currency accounts connected to Hamas and the Izz-al-Din Qassam Brigades, including one involving BuyCash.

    The complaint describes a detailed scheme whereby users utilized BuyCash to fund accounts held by Tether and Binance to obfuscate their financial support of international terrorist organizations, including Hamas. Before and after the October 2023 attacks, one account was reported to have received at least $4 million to support Hamas.

    The government’s forfeiture action targets multiple accounts previously seized from Tether and Binance connected to BuyCash and removed approximately $2 million dollars from streams of funds supporting international terrorism.

    A civil forfeiture complaint contains mere allegations. The burden to prove forfeitability in a civil forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.

    The FBI Washington D.C. Field Office is investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rajbir S. Datta and Thomas Saunders for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case with assistance from Trial Attorney Allison Ickovic of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) and Deputy Chief Alicia Cook of the National Security Division. Critical assistance was provided by Paralegal Specialists Brian Rickers, Gina Torres, and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.  

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: S. 1595, Improving Police CARE Act

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    S. 1595 would require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to develop and publish standards for trauma kits and the best practices for law enforcement agencies on the maintenance and use of those kits. The bill would require DOJ to consult with the private sector and state and local law enforcement agencies in developing the standards. S. 1595 also would prohibit grantees under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program from using grant funds to purchase trauma kits that do not meet DOJ’s standards. Under that program, DOJ awards grants to state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to support a variety of criminal justice and law enforcement activities, including the purchase of trauma kits.

    Based on the costs of similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1595 would cost DOJ less than $500,000 to develop and publish the standards and best practices. Any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeremy Crimm. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.

    Phillip L. Swagel

    Director, Congressional Budget Office

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Cedar Rapids Man Who Conspired to Distribute Thousands of Fentanyl Pills Sentenced to Federal Prison

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

    A man who conspired to distribute fentanyl pills was sentenced today to 14 years in federal prison.  Jaylon William Throgmartin, age 22, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

    In a plea agreement and at the sentencing hearing, evidence showed that Throgmartin distributed thousands of fentanyl pills between December 2023 and October 2024.  Throgmartin also facilitated the sale of a firearm in exchange for fentanyl pills.  In January 2025, he distributed at least one fentanyl pill to someone who overdosed.  The victim recovered after receiving Narcan.  

    Throgmartin was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Throgmartin was sentenced to 168 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a four-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated as part of the Northern Iowa Heroin Initiative and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence‑driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    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).

    Throgmartin is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

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

    The case file number is 25-CR-5.

    Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Swedish Man Who Licensed Rights to Late Colombian Drug Lord Pablo Escobar Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Money Laundering Charges

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – A Swedish national who licensed the rights of the late Colombian narco-terrorist Pablo Escobar pleaded guilty today to six federal criminal charges for defrauding investors by marketing and selling products – including flamethrowers and cellphones – that he never delivered.

    Olof Kyros Gustafsson, 32, a.k.a. “El Silencio,” pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of concealment money laundering, and one count of international concealment money laundering.

    Gustafsson has been in federal custody since March 28, when he was extradited to the United States from Spain, where he was arrested in December 2023. 

    According to his plea agreement, Gustafsson was the CEO of Escobar Inc., a corporation registered in Puerto Rico that held successor-in-interest rights to the persona and legacy of Pablo Escobar, the deceased Colombian narco-terrorist and late head of the Medellín Cartel. Escobar Inc. used Pablo Escobar’s likeness and persona to market and sell purported consumer products to the public.

    From July 2019 to November 2023, Gustafsson identified existing products in the marketplace that were being manufactured and sold to the public. He then used the Escobar persona to market and advertise similar and competing products purportedly being sold by Escobar Inc., advertising them at a price substantially lower than existing counterparts being sold by other companies.

    Gustafsson then purportedly sold the products – including an Escobar Flamethrower, an Escobar Fold Phone, an Escobar Gold 11 Pro Phone, and Escobar Cash (marketed as a “physical cryptocurrency”) – to customers, receiving payments via PayPal, Stripe, Coinbase, among other payment processors, as well as bank and wire transfers.

    Despite receiving customer payments, Gustafsson did not deliver the Escobar Inc. products to paying customers because the products did not exist.

    In furtherance of the scheme, Gustafsson sent crudely made samples of the purported Escobar Inc. products to online technology reviewers and social media influencers to attempt to increase the public’s demand for them. For example, Gustafsson sent Samsung Galaxy Fold Phones wrapped in gold foil and disguised as Escobar Inc. phones to online technology reviewers to attempt to induce victims who watched the online reviews into buying the products that never would be delivered.

    Also, rather than sending paying customers the actual products, Gustafsson mailed them a “Certificate of Ownership,” a book, or other Escobar Inc. promotional materials so there was a record of mailing from the company to the customer. When a paying customer attempted to obtain a refund when the product was never delivered, Gustafsson fraudulently referred the payment processor to the proof of mailing for the Certificate of Ownership or other material as proof that the product itself was shipped and that the customer had received it so the refund requests would be denied.

    Gustafsson also caused bank accounts to be opened under his name and entities he controlled to be used as funnel accounts – bank accounts into which he deposited and withdrew proceeds derived from his criminal activities. The purpose was to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds. The bank accounts were located in the United States, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates.

    United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha scheduled a December 5 sentencing hearing, at which time Gustafsson will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each fraud-related count and up to 10 years in federal prison for each money laundering-related count. 

    As part of his plea agreement, Gustafsson agreed to pay up to $1.3 million in restitution to victims, as well as to forfeiture to funds that were proceeds of the fraud schemes, including money currently held in a bank account in Sweden.

    IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General are investigating this matter, with assistance from the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the United States Marshals Service, Eurojust, Spanish authorities, and French judicial authorities.

    Assistant United States Attorney Joshua O. Mausner of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Swedish Man Who Licensed Rights to Late Colombian Drug Lord Pablo Escobar Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Money Laundering Charges

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – A Swedish national who licensed the rights of the late Colombian narco-terrorist Pablo Escobar pleaded guilty today to six federal criminal charges for defrauding investors by marketing and selling products – including flamethrowers and cellphones – that he never delivered.

    Olof Kyros Gustafsson, 32, a.k.a. “El Silencio,” pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of concealment money laundering, and one count of international concealment money laundering.

    Gustafsson has been in federal custody since March 28, when he was extradited to the United States from Spain, where he was arrested in December 2023. 

    According to his plea agreement, Gustafsson was the CEO of Escobar Inc., a corporation registered in Puerto Rico that held successor-in-interest rights to the persona and legacy of Pablo Escobar, the deceased Colombian narco-terrorist and late head of the Medellín Cartel. Escobar Inc. used Pablo Escobar’s likeness and persona to market and sell purported consumer products to the public.

    From July 2019 to November 2023, Gustafsson identified existing products in the marketplace that were being manufactured and sold to the public. He then used the Escobar persona to market and advertise similar and competing products purportedly being sold by Escobar Inc., advertising them at a price substantially lower than existing counterparts being sold by other companies.

    Gustafsson then purportedly sold the products – including an Escobar Flamethrower, an Escobar Fold Phone, an Escobar Gold 11 Pro Phone, and Escobar Cash (marketed as a “physical cryptocurrency”) – to customers, receiving payments via PayPal, Stripe, Coinbase, among other payment processors, as well as bank and wire transfers.

    Despite receiving customer payments, Gustafsson did not deliver the Escobar Inc. products to paying customers because the products did not exist.

    In furtherance of the scheme, Gustafsson sent crudely made samples of the purported Escobar Inc. products to online technology reviewers and social media influencers to attempt to increase the public’s demand for them. For example, Gustafsson sent Samsung Galaxy Fold Phones wrapped in gold foil and disguised as Escobar Inc. phones to online technology reviewers to attempt to induce victims who watched the online reviews into buying the products that never would be delivered.

    Also, rather than sending paying customers the actual products, Gustafsson mailed them a “Certificate of Ownership,” a book, or other Escobar Inc. promotional materials so there was a record of mailing from the company to the customer. When a paying customer attempted to obtain a refund when the product was never delivered, Gustafsson fraudulently referred the payment processor to the proof of mailing for the Certificate of Ownership or other material as proof that the product itself was shipped and that the customer had received it so the refund requests would be denied.

    Gustafsson also caused bank accounts to be opened under his name and entities he controlled to be used as funnel accounts – bank accounts into which he deposited and withdrew proceeds derived from his criminal activities. The purpose was to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds. The bank accounts were located in the United States, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates.

    United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha scheduled a December 5 sentencing hearing, at which time Gustafsson will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each fraud-related count and up to 10 years in federal prison for each money laundering-related count. 

    As part of his plea agreement, Gustafsson agreed to pay up to $1.3 million in restitution to victims, as well as to forfeiture to funds that were proceeds of the fraud schemes, including money currently held in a bank account in Sweden.

    IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General are investigating this matter, with assistance from the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the United States Marshals Service, Eurojust, Spanish authorities, and French judicial authorities.

    Assistant United States Attorney Joshua O. Mausner of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Illinois Tax Preparer Sentenced for Role in $3.6M Covid-19 Fraud Scheme

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    An Illinois man was sentenced yesterday to 42 months in prison for his role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $3.6 million in small business loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and COVID19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program implemented by the Small Business Administration (SBA). 

    According to court documents, Farooq Khan, 31, of Chicago, owned and operated Hannan Tax Services (Hannan Tax), a tax preparation company located in Chicago. From approximately May 2020 through October 2021, through Hannan Tax, Khan prepared and facilitated the submission of at least 30 fraudulent applications for loans through the PPP and EIDL program. At the time Kahn prepared and submitted the applications, he knew that the companies for which he sought the loans were non-operational and did not qualify. He also knowingly falsified the information contained in the applications, including the number of employees and tax records attributed to the defunct companies. Khan caused approximately $3.6 million to be fraudulently distributed by the SBA and PPP lenders. He also attempted to obtain at least an additional $588,900 in loans through other EIDL applications that were never funded for nonexistent companies. He personally obtained approximately $1.2 million of the fraudulent loan proceeds.     

    Khan pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on Feb. 19. At sentencing, he was also ordered to pay $3,645,104 in restitution. 

    Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office, and Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew J. Scarpino of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) Chicago made the announcement.   

    The FBI Chicago Field Office and ICE-HSI are investigating the case. 

    Trial Attorney Claire Sobczak Pacelli of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case. 

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 8667205721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Stanislaus County Mother-Son Duo Sentenced to Prison for Inmate Unemployment Insurance Claims Conspiracy

    Source: US FBI

    Jaime Ornelas, 27, formerly of Modesto, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins to three years and one month in prison and ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution for conspiracy to commit mail fraud arising from fraudulently submitted unemployment insurance benefits, Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez announced.

    On June 6, 2025, Jaime Ornelas’s mother and co-defendant Misty Ornelas, 48, of Turlock, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

    According to court documents, beginning in June 2020, Jaime Ornelas and Misty Ornelas operated a scheme to submit fraudulent unemployment insurance benefit claims to the California Employment Development Department (EDD). Jaime Ornelas, who was then-incarcerated at the High Desert State Prison in Lassen County, provided Misty Ornelas personally identifiable information of fellow inmates. Misty Ornelas then used that information to submit fraudulent unemployment insurance benefit applications to EDD. The submitted applications misrepresented the eligibility of the inmates, including that they had last worked within the prior few months and had become unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fraudulent claims were worth more than $150,000.

    This case was the product of an investigation by Federal Bureau of Investigation and EDD. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chan Hee Chu and Denise N. Yasinow prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of the California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force, which is one of the interagency COVID-19 fraud strike forces established by the United States Department of Justice. The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in the Eastern and Central Districts of California, and focuses on large-scale, multistate, and egregious pandemic relief fraud. The strike force uses prosecutor-led, and data analyst-driven, teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief money.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Stanislaus County Mother-Son Duo Sentenced to Prison for Inmate Unemployment Insurance Claims Conspiracy

    Source: US FBI

    Jaime Ornelas, 27, formerly of Modesto, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins to three years and one month in prison and ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution for conspiracy to commit mail fraud arising from fraudulently submitted unemployment insurance benefits, Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez announced.

    On June 6, 2025, Jaime Ornelas’s mother and co-defendant Misty Ornelas, 48, of Turlock, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

    According to court documents, beginning in June 2020, Jaime Ornelas and Misty Ornelas operated a scheme to submit fraudulent unemployment insurance benefit claims to the California Employment Development Department (EDD). Jaime Ornelas, who was then-incarcerated at the High Desert State Prison in Lassen County, provided Misty Ornelas personally identifiable information of fellow inmates. Misty Ornelas then used that information to submit fraudulent unemployment insurance benefit applications to EDD. The submitted applications misrepresented the eligibility of the inmates, including that they had last worked within the prior few months and had become unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fraudulent claims were worth more than $150,000.

    This case was the product of an investigation by Federal Bureau of Investigation and EDD. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chan Hee Chu and Denise N. Yasinow prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of the California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force, which is one of the interagency COVID-19 fraud strike forces established by the United States Department of Justice. The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in the Eastern and Central Districts of California, and focuses on large-scale, multistate, and egregious pandemic relief fraud. The strike force uses prosecutor-led, and data analyst-driven, teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief money.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hermandad de Pistoleros Latinos gang member sentenced to 100 months for heroin trafficking

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

    LAREDO, Texas – A 33-year-old Laredo man has been sentenced for possession with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Raul Garcia Jr. aka Rule pleaded guilty Aug. 6. 2024.

    U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now ordered Garcia to serve 100 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by four years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard about Garcia’s numerous prior convictions and contacts with law enforcement. In handing down the sentence, the court noted this was a serious crime.

    The investigation began in January 2024 when law enforcement learned Garcia may have been selling fentanyl in the Laredo area. Over the next three months, authorities discovered Garcia was selling narcotics out of his home.

    A search warrant in March of that year resulted in the discovery of heroin packaged for street sale. A month later, law enforcement obtained a second search warrant and again found heroin. Similar to previously found drugs, the heroin was also packaged for street sale.

    The searches also revealed methamphetamine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana, money and stolen firearm.

    At the time of his plea, Garcia admitted to possessing the drugs located and seized throughout the investigation.

    He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

    The Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Laredo Police Department’s Narcotics Division conducted the investigation with assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Chamberlin and Leslie Cortez prosecuted the case.

    This case is being prosecuted as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF is the largest anti-crime task force in the country. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Emil Bove’s appeals court nomination echoes earlier controversies, but with a key difference

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Paul M. Collins Jr., Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science, UMass Amherst

    Emil Bove, Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as a federal appeals judge for the 3rd Circuit, is sworn in during a confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on June 25, 2025. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images

    President Donald Trump’s nomination of his former criminal defense attorney, Emil Bove, to be a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, has been mired in controversy.

    On June 24, 2025, Erez Reuveni, a former Department of Justice attorney who worked with Bove, released an extensive, 27-page whistleblower report. Reuveni claimed that Bove, as the Trump administration’s acting deputy attorney general, said “that it might become necessary to tell a court ‘fuck you’” and ignore court orders related to the administration’s immigration policies. Bove’s acting role ended on March 6 when he resumed his current position of principal associate deputy attorney general.

    When asked about this statement at his June 25 Senate confirmation hearing, Bove said, “I don’t recall.”

    And on July 15, 80 former federal and state judges signed a letter opposing Bove’s nomination. The letter argued that “Mr. Bove’s egregious record of mistreating law enforcement officers, abusing power, and disregarding the law itself disqualifies him for this position.”

    A day later, more than 900 former Department of Justice attorneys submitted their own letter opposing Bove’s confirmation. The attorneys argued that “Few actions could undermine the rule of law more than a senior executive branch official flouting another branch’s authority. But that is exactly what Mr. Bove allegedly did through his involvement in DOJ’s defiance of court orders.”

    On July 17, Democrats walked out of the Senate Judiciary Committee vote, in protest of the refusal by Chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, to allow further investigation and debate on the nomination. Republicans on the committee then unanimously voted to move the nomination forward for a full Senate vote.

    As a scholar of the courts, I know that most federal court appointments are not as controversial as Bove’s nomination. But highly contentious nominations do arise from time to time.

    Here’s how three controversial nominations turned out – and how Bove’s nomination is different in a crucial way.

    Robert Bork testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation as associate justice of the Supreme Court in September 1987.
    Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images

    Robert Bork

    Bork is the only federal court nominee whose name became a verb.

    “Borking” is “to attack or defeat (a nominee or candidate for public office) unfairly through an organized campaign of harsh public criticism or vilification,” according to Merriam-Webster.

    This refers to Republican President Ronald Reagan’s 1987 appointment of Bork to the Supreme Court.

    Reagan called Bork “one of the finest judges in America’s history.” Democrats viewed Bork, a federal appeals court judge, as an ideologically extreme conservative, with their opposition based largely on his extensive scholarly work and opinions on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

    In opposing the Bork nomination, Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts took the Senate floor and gave a fiery speech: “Robert Bork’s America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens’ doors in midnight raids, schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution, writers and artists could be censored at the whim of government, and the doors of the federal courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of citizens for whom the judiciary is often the only protector of the individual rights that are the heart of our democracy.”

    Ultimately, Bork’s nomination failed by a 58-42 vote in the Senate, with 52 Democrats and six Republicans rejecting the nomination.

    Ronnie White

    In 1997, Democratic President Bill Clinton nominated White to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. White was the first Black judge on the Missouri Supreme Court.

    Republican Sen. John Ashcroft, from White’s home state of Missouri, led the fight against the nomination. Ashcroft alleged that White’s confirmation would “push the law in a pro-criminal direction.” Ashcroft based this claim on White’s comparatively liberal record in death penalty cases as a judge on the Missouri Supreme Court.

    However, there was limited evidence to support this assertion. This led some to believe that Ashcroft’s attack on the nomination was motivated by stereotypes that African Americans, like White, are soft on crime.

    Even Clinton implied that race may be a factor in the attacks on White: “By voting down the first African-American judge to serve on the Missouri Supreme Court, the Republicans have deprived both the judiciary and the people of Missouri of an excellent, fair, and impartial Federal judge.”

    White’s nomination was defeated in the Senate by a 54-45 party-line vote. In 2014, White was renominated to the same judgeship by President Barack Obama and confirmed by largely party-line 53-44 vote, garnering the support of a single Republican, Susan Collins of Maine.

    Ronnie White, a former justice for the Missouri Supreme Court, testifies during an attorney general confirmation hearing in Washington in January 2001.
    Alex Wong/Newsmakers

    Miguel Estrada

    Republican President George W. Bush nominated Estrada to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2001.

    Estrada, who had earned a unanimous “well-qualified” rating from the American Bar Association, faced deep opposition from Senate Democrats, who believed he was a conservative ideologue. They also worried that, if confirmed, he would later be appointed to the Supreme Court.

    Miguel Estrada, President George Bush’s nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, is sworn in during his hearing before Senate Judiciary on Sept. 26, 2002.
    Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images

    However, unlike Bork – who had an extensive paper trail as an academic and judge – Estrada’s written record was very thin.

    Democrats sought to use his confirmation hearing to probe his beliefs. But they didn’t get very far, as Estrada dodged many of the senators’ questions, including ones about Supreme Court cases he disagreed with and judges he admired.

    Democrats were particularly troubled by allegations that Estrada, when he was screening candidates for Justice Anthony Kennedy, disqualified applicants for Supreme Court clerkships based on their ideology.

    According to one attorney: “Miguel told me his job was to prevent liberal clerks from being hired. He told me he was screening out liberals because a liberal clerk had influenced Justice Kennedy to side with the majority and write a pro-gay-rights decision in a case known as Romer v. Evans, which struck down a Colorado statute that discriminated against gays and lesbians.”

    When asked about this at his confirmation hearing, Estrada initially denied it but later backpedaled. Estrada said, “There is a set of circumstances in which I would consider ideology if I think that the person has some extreme view that he would not be willing to set aside in service to Justice Kennedy.”

    Unlike the Bork nomination, Democrats didn’t have the numbers to vote Estrada’s nomination down. Instead, they successfully filibustered the nomination, knowing that Republicans couldn’t muster the required 60 votes to end the filibuster. This marked the first time in Senate history that a court of appeals nomination was filibustered. Estrada would never serve as a judge.

    Bove stands out

    As the examples of Bork, Estrada and White make clear, contentious nominations to the federal courts often involve ideological concerns.

    This is also true for Bove, who is opposed in part because of the perception that he is a conservative ideologue.

    But the main concerns about Bove are related to a belief that he is a Trump loyalist who shows little respect for the rule of law or the judicial branch.

    This makes Bove stand out among contentious federal court nominations.

    Paul M. Collins Jr. does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Emil Bove’s appeals court nomination echoes earlier controversies, but with a key difference – https://theconversation.com/emil-boves-appeals-court-nomination-echoes-earlier-controversies-but-with-a-key-difference-261347

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Department of Justice Coordinates Release of Files Related to Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    WASHINGTON – Today, Attorney General Pamela Bondi hosted Dr. Alveda King at the Department of Justice to commemorate the release of files regarding the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The release contains 230,000 pages of documents and comes in accordance with Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order 14176.

    This disclosure is the product of months of collaboration between the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). DOJ Attorneys spent hundreds of hours preparing and digitizing these documents for release.

    “The American people deserve answers decades after the horrific assassination of one of our nation’s great leaders,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice is proud to partner with Director Gabbard and the ODNI at President Trump’s direction for this latest disclosure.”

    “I am grateful to President Trump and Attorney General Bondi for delivering on their pledge of transparency in the release of these documents on the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.,” said Dr. Alveda King. “My uncle lived boldly in pursuit of truth and justice, and his enduring legacy of faith continues to inspire Americans to this day. While we continue to mourn his death, the declassification and release of these documents are a historic step towards the truth that the American people deserve.”

    Attorney General Bondi and Dr. King discussed the remarkable life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the need for transparency pertaining to his assassination on April 4th, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.

    Please see a link to the documents here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Department of Justice Coordinates Release of Files Related to Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    WASHINGTON – Today, Attorney General Pamela Bondi hosted Dr. Alveda King at the Department of Justice to commemorate the release of files regarding the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The release contains 230,000 pages of documents and comes in accordance with Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order 14176.

    This disclosure is the product of months of collaboration between the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). DOJ Attorneys spent hundreds of hours preparing and digitizing these documents for release.

    “The American people deserve answers decades after the horrific assassination of one of our nation’s great leaders,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice is proud to partner with Director Gabbard and the ODNI at President Trump’s direction for this latest disclosure.”

    “I am grateful to President Trump and Attorney General Bondi for delivering on their pledge of transparency in the release of these documents on the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.,” said Dr. Alveda King. “My uncle lived boldly in pursuit of truth and justice, and his enduring legacy of faith continues to inspire Americans to this day. While we continue to mourn his death, the declassification and release of these documents are a historic step towards the truth that the American people deserve.”

    Attorney General Bondi and Dr. King discussed the remarkable life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the need for transparency pertaining to his assassination on April 4th, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.

    Please see a link to the documents here.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Leader of National Catalytic Converter Theft Ring Pleads Guilty and Admits to Selling Stolen Goods for More Than $600M

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    A New Jersey man pleaded guilty today in federal court in the Northern District of Oklahoma to leading a multi-state operation that stole thousands of catalytic converters from private vehicles and sold them on a secondary market for millions of dollars, based on the value of the precious metals that the converters contain. 

    Navin Khanna, 41, of Holmdel, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to receive, possess, and dispose of stolen goods in interstate commerce and five counts of money laundering regarding his participation in the stolen goods scheme.

    “The defendant made $600 million and financed his ostentatious lifestyle by buying and selling stolen goods,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s guilty plea demonstrates our commitment to taking the profit out of crime. Sophisticated criminal schemes may afford you luxury cars and homes in the short term but will cost you a federal felony conviction in the long term.”

    “Khanna’s theft ring took advantage of hard-working citizens in the Northern District of Oklahoma by stealing catalytic converters, rendering the vehicle unusable,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson for the Northern District of Oklahoma. “I would like to thank the Tulsa Police Department and our law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts in bringing this senseless crime to justice.”

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Khanna admitted to being the owner and operator of New Jersey-based D.G. Auto Parts, a criminal enterprise that bought and sold auto parts across the country. From May 2020 through October 2022, Khanna conspired with others to purchase and transport large quantities of stolen catalytic converters from Oklahoma, Texas, and other states to New Jersey. Khanna admitted to receiving more than $600 million by reselling the stolen catalytic converters to a metal refinery that extracted the precious metals.

    In response to a drastic increase in catalytic converter thefts throughout Tulsa in 2020, the Tulsa Police Department initiated an investigation that soon uncovered a national criminal enterprise. During the investigation, search warrants were executed in Oklahoma, Texas, California, New Jersey and New York. Khanna was indicted by federal grand juries in the Northern District of Oklahoma and the Eastern District of California. Over twenty individuals throughout the country have been charged for their role in the conspiracy. Khanna’s 13 co-defendants in the Northern District of Oklahoma have pleaded guilty for their participation in the criminal scheme and are awaiting sentencing.

    As part of his plea agreement, Khanna agreed to forfeit almost $4 million in cash, 11 luxury vehicles — including a Lamborghini, two Mercedes AMGs, two Ferraris, a McLaren, a Porsche, a Ford F650 Truck, and a BMW M3 — real estate properties, high-end jewelry, gold bars, and over 200 pallets of catalytic converters, all seized by law enforcement during the execution of search warrants at Khanna’s properties. Khanna’s co-defendants have agreed to forfeit more than $3.2 million, including more than $250,000 from multiple bank accounts; two lots of land located in Oklahoma, cars, and stolen catalytic converters seized during the investigation.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma has agreed that Khanna’s sentencing will be transferred to the Eastern District of California, where he awaits further prosecution for related crimes.

    Khanna faces a maximum penalty of 168 to 210 months in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led the investigation. IRS-Criminal Investigations, the Tulsa Police Department, the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wyandotte Nation Police Department contributed to the investigation.

    Trial Attorney César S. Rivera-Giraud of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reagan Reininger and David Nasar for the Northern District of Oklahoma are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica M.A. Alegría for the Eastern District of California assisted in the prosecution of the case and is prosecuting Khanna and others there.

    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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Missouri Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced a Carter County, Missouri man to 30 years for producing child pornography.

    Jurors in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in December convicted Clinton Rongey, now 53, of one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. Evidence and testimony at trial showed that between February and November of 2023, Rongey produced more than 100 images containing child sexual abuse material featuring the victim, who was three and four years old at the time. Rongey engaged in a “pattern of activity,” doing so on multiple occasions, while he’d been entrusted with the care of the victim, according to a government sentencing memorandum.

    The case was investigated by the Carter County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Hunter and Nathan Chapman prosecuted the case.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Mobile Man Sentenced To 92 Months In Prison For Felon In Possession Of A Firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MOBILE, AL – Edwards Cordell Burks, Jr., was sentenced to 92 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Jeffrey Beaverstock.

    According to court documents, in November 2024, members of the Mobile Police Department (MPD) responded to a local hospital where two individuals were receiving treatment for gunshot wounds. During the course of MPD’s investigation, and after speaking with victims and witnesses, MPD developed Burks as a suspect in those shootings. MPD officers also located and secured the crime scene off Spring Hill Avenue. Surveillance from a nearby business captured the shooting. The shooter in the surveillance footage appears to be Burks. Three bullet casings were collected from the scene and a “be on the lookout” (BOLO) notice for Burks went out to law enforcement. Two days after the shooting, an MPD officer on regular patrol observed Burks walking on the sidewalk within a mile of the crime scene. The officer detained Burks and located a loaded firearm in his waistband.  The firearm and casings from the scene were compared via the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), a match was generated indicating that the firearm from Burks was the same firearm used in the shooting two days before. Burks is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possession a firearm.

    At sentencing, Judge Beaverstock imposed a 92-month sentence of incarceration and a 3-year term of supervised release upon Burks’ discharge from prison. Burks has also been charged with state assault offenses based on the shootings which remain pending.

    The Mobile Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Beth Stepan prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Independence Man Charged for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., man has been charged with illegally possessing a stolen firearm.

    Daryl O.D. Beck, 37, was charged by a federal grand jury on July 15, 2025, with being a felon in possession of a firearm and for possession of a stolen firearm Beck has prior felony convictions including for possession and intent to manufacture a controlled substance, as well as for aggravated assault. The secret indictment was unsealed today following Beck’s initial appearance.

    Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition.

    The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Independence, Missouri Police Department.

    Operation Take Back America

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

    ###

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Charged with Illegal Re-Entry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican National has been charged in federal court for unlawful reentry after deportation.

    Juan Sebastian Celedon-Cardenas, 38, was charged in a one-count complaint with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien.  The complaint charges that Celedon-Cardenas had previously been removed from the United States four times – on March 29, 2010, March 15, 2016, August 19, 2016, and July 26, 2017.

    The charges contained in this complaint are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations.

    Operation Take Back America

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

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Leader of National Catalytic Converter Theft Ring Pleads Guilty and Admits to Selling Stolen Goods for More Than $600M

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    A New Jersey man pleaded guilty today in federal court in the Northern District of Oklahoma to leading a multi-state operation that stole thousands of catalytic converters from private vehicles and sold them on a secondary market for millions of dollars, based on the value of the precious metals that the converters contain. 

    Navin Khanna, 41, of Holmdel, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to receive, possess, and dispose of stolen goods in interstate commerce and five counts of money laundering regarding his participation in the stolen goods scheme.

    “The defendant made $600 million and financed his ostentatious lifestyle by buying and selling stolen goods,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s guilty plea demonstrates our commitment to taking the profit out of crime. Sophisticated criminal schemes may afford you luxury cars and homes in the short term but will cost you a federal felony conviction in the long term.”

    “Khanna’s theft ring took advantage of hard-working citizens in the Northern District of Oklahoma by stealing catalytic converters, rendering the vehicle unusable,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson for the Northern District of Oklahoma. “I would like to thank the Tulsa Police Department and our law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts in bringing this senseless crime to justice.”

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Khanna admitted to being the owner and operator of New Jersey-based D.G. Auto Parts, a criminal enterprise that bought and sold auto parts across the country. From May 2020 through October 2022, Khanna conspired with others to purchase and transport large quantities of stolen catalytic converters from Oklahoma, Texas, and other states to New Jersey. Khanna admitted to receiving more than $600 million by reselling the stolen catalytic converters to a metal refinery that extracted the precious metals.

    In response to a drastic increase in catalytic converter thefts throughout Tulsa in 2020, the Tulsa Police Department initiated an investigation that soon uncovered a national criminal enterprise. During the investigation, search warrants were executed in Oklahoma, Texas, California, New Jersey and New York. Khanna was indicted by federal grand juries in the Northern District of Oklahoma and the Eastern District of California. Over twenty individuals throughout the country have been charged for their role in the conspiracy. Khanna’s 13 co-defendants in the Northern District of Oklahoma have pleaded guilty for their participation in the criminal scheme and are awaiting sentencing.

    As part of his plea agreement, Khanna agreed to forfeit almost $4 million in cash, 11 luxury vehicles — including a Lamborghini, two Mercedes AMGs, two Ferraris, a McLaren, a Porsche, a Ford F650 Truck, and a BMW M3 — real estate properties, high-end jewelry, gold bars, and over 200 pallets of catalytic converters, all seized by law enforcement during the execution of search warrants at Khanna’s properties. Khanna’s co-defendants have agreed to forfeit more than $3.2 million, including more than $250,000 from multiple bank accounts; two lots of land located in Oklahoma, cars, and stolen catalytic converters seized during the investigation.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma has agreed that Khanna’s sentencing will be transferred to the Eastern District of California, where he awaits further prosecution for related crimes.

    Khanna faces a maximum penalty of 168 to 210 months in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led the investigation. IRS-Criminal Investigations, the Tulsa Police Department, the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wyandotte Nation Police Department contributed to the investigation.

    Trial Attorney César S. Rivera-Giraud of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reagan Reininger and David Nasar for the Northern District of Oklahoma are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica M.A. Alegría for the Eastern District of California assisted in the prosecution of the case and is prosecuting Khanna and others there.

    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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: THREE SANTA ROSA COUNTY MEN SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON FOR THEIR ROLES IN DRUG TRAFFICKING OPERATION

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

    PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – David Kennedy, 41; Michael McQueen, 51; and Roosevelt Jones, 52, of Milton, Florida, were sentenced to federal prison for trafficking in controlled substances in Santa Rosa County, Florida. The sentences were announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

    “Working with our state and local partners, federal law enforcement was able to dismantle a significant drug trafficking ring that plagued Santa Rosa County for years,” stated United States Attorney Heekin.  “We are pleased with this successful operation, in particular, because all three men are repeat drug trafficking offenders. President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi promised to Take Back America by cracking down on the drug traffickers plaguing our communities, and my office will not stop aggressively pursuing those who seek to victimize our citizens by flooding our streets with poisonous drugs.”   

    Court documents reflect that covert undercover purchases of illegal drugs, as well as surveillance and judicially authorized wiretap intercepts of telephone communications, enabled law enforcement to execute multiple search warrants in Milton that led to the seizure of cocaine, pure methamphetamine, fentanyl, and marijuana.  In addition, law enforcement seized firearms and illicitly derived United States currency.

    David Kennedy was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.

    Michael McQueen was sentenced to 11½ years in federal prison to be followed by 6 years of supervised release.

    Roosevelt Jones was sentenced to 6½ years in federal prison to be followed by 6 years of supervised release.  

    “Partnerships are key to disrupting drug trafficking activity, and we have great partners,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter. “Our communities will be safer with these drug peddlers off the streets.”

    “The successful collaboration between the federal, state, local agencies, and our Narcotics Detectives has been instrumental in removing dangerous drugs from our streets,” said Sheriff Bob Johnson, Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. “More importantly, this joint effort led to the arrest of key drug dealers, ensuring they are held accountable for their actions and making our communities safer.”

    The case involved a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office; the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office; the Florida Department of Law Enforcement; the Pensacola Police Department; the Gulf Breeze Police Department; and the Florida Highway Patrol. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg.

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

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

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Sues Trump Administration Over Cruel Directive Unlawfully Restricting Access to Head Start, Other Public Benefit Programs

    Source: US State of California

    Statute and longstanding federal policy have allowed access, regardless of immigration status, to specific community programs, including those deemed necessary for protection of life or safety 

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today sued the Trump Administration over its abrupt decision to restrict access to more than a dozen public benefit programs based on immigration status. This decision is contrary to law and a reversal of nearly three decades of federal practice allowing access, regardless of immigration status, to certain public benefits programs that have historically been determined to protect life or safety and contribute to the overall welfare of communities. In doing so, the Trump Administration has thrown programs across California into chaos and cruelly jeopardized the health and wellbeing of some of our most vulnerable families. At risk is access to Head Start, childcare services for low-income people, adult education, mental health and substance use disorder programs, and shelters for at-risk youth and domestic violence survivors, among many other safety-net programs. Attorney General Bonta, alongside a coalition of 20 other attorneys general, asks the court to enjoin the Trump Administration from implementing this devastating change, arguing that these new polices threaten the outright collapse of the states’ social safety nets.

    “Let’s be clear: This latest salvo in the President’s inhumane anti-immigration campaign primarily goes after working moms and their young children. We’re not talking about waste, fraud, and abuse, we’re talking about programs that deliver essential childcare, healthcare, nutrition, and education assistance, programs that have for decades been open to all because we understand that we are better off when everyone has the chance to succeed.” said Attorney General Bonta. “The Trump Administration’s abrupt reversal of nearly three decades of precedent – and decision to put at risk not just support for undocumented families, but ultimately families who rely on these programs nationwide – is cruel, but unfortunately unsurprising. So is its lack of regard for the law. Six months into the second Trump Administration, I’ll repeat a familiar refrain: We’ll see President Trump in court.” 

    Since 1997, the federal government has interpreted The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) to permit states’ use of federal funds for certain programs that serve communities based on need regardless of immigration status. These programs work precisely because there are few barriers to access and include: 

    • Short-term shelter or housing assistance for people who are unhoused, for survivors of domestic violence, or for at-risk youth.
    • Programs, services, or assistance to help individuals during periods of heat, cold, or other adverse weather conditions (e.g., cooling centers).
    • Soup kitchens, community food banks, senior nutrition programs such as meals on wheels, and other such community nutritional services for persons requiring special assistance.
    • Medical and public health services (including treatment and prevention of diseases and injuries) and mental health, disability, or substance use treatment. 
    • Early childhood education, childcare services for low-income people, and adult education programs.

    Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor, and Department of Education issued notices related to the interpretation of “federal public benefit” under PRWORA restricting numerous “noncitizens” from receiving benefits under federally funded programs. Around the same time, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued its own notice revoking every one of the “life or safety” exemptions that DOJ had put in place 29 years earlier. 

    In California, the effects of these actions will be devastating – and immediate. The Head Start Program, founded in 1965, was designed to help break the cycle of poverty by providing young children from families with low incomes a comprehensive program to meet their emotional, social, health, nutritional, and educational needs. In 2023-24, California’s 100 direct Head Start regional recipients served over 80,345 children and families at 1,842 individual site locations. The Trump Administration’s new polices, which will require programs to verify immigration status, are expected to have a chilling effect, leading to decreased enrollment from participants, and an administrative and financial burden for recipients. Moreover, if regional recipients do not hit mandatory 97% enrollment targets, they will lose federal funding and these programs will shut down, harming all the children they serve, as well as the more than 25,000 staff members these programs employ, including in rural communities where Head Start is often a large employer.  

    Examples like this are countless across the public benefits programs at risk through the Trump Administration’s actions. Survivors of domestic violence and at-risk youth may be fearful of seeking services at shelters. Mixed status families may forgo access to public benefit services all together. Requiring citizenship or immigration status verification of any kind fundamentally creates a barrier to access. People will be reluctant to reach out to access needed services or to call for help for others who might benefit from such services. And requiring programs to expend resources to implement systems and train staff to verify citizenship or immigration status will impose a time and resource burden on programs already struggling to operate on narrow financial margins.

    In today’s filings, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that the Trump Administration’s abrupt announcement further limiting access to public benefit programs for undocumented individuals fails to provide notice and an opportunity to comment, is arbitrary and capricious, and contrary to law in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act, and fails to give the states “fair notice” as required under the Spending Clause. They highlight that instead of saving money, the new verification requirements will lead to an overall cost to their states’ economies in the amount of hundreds of millions of dollars each year and will endanger the ability of these programs to continue providing services to all of the residents of their states, not just noncitizens. They urge the court to preliminary enjoin the Trump Administration from implementing the order to prevent programs from shuttering, uncertainty, and tremendous impacts on the public health, education, and welfare of their states.

    Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of New York, Washington, Rhode Island, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Wisconsin in filing the lawsuit.  

    A copy of the lawsuit is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The Justice Department Dismisses Failed Biden-Era Lawsuit Challenging Tennessee’s Law Protecting Minors from Experimental Sex-Change Medical Procedures

    Source: US Justice – Antitrust Division

    Headline: The Justice Department Dismisses Failed Biden-Era Lawsuit Challenging Tennessee’s Law Protecting Minors from Experimental Sex-Change Medical Procedures

    Today, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division dismissed with prejudice the ill-fated Biden-era challenge to Tennessee’s law protecting minors from horrific and experimental sex-change medical procedures. The Department dismissed its complaint in intervention because it does not believe challenging Tennessee’s law serves the public interest.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: The Justice Department Dismisses Failed Biden-Era Lawsuit Challenging Tennessee’s Law Protecting Minors from Experimental Sex-Change Medical Procedures

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Today, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division dismissed with prejudice the ill-fated Biden-era challenge to Tennessee’s law protecting minors from horrific and experimental sex-change medical procedures. The Department dismissed its complaint in intervention because it does not believe challenging Tennessee’s law serves the public interest.

    Last month, the Biden Administration’s challenge was soundly rejected by the Supreme Court of the United States when the 6-3 majority held that Tennessee’s law does not violate the Equal Protection Clause.[1] The court held that Tennessee had a rational basis for enforcing the law as it “responds directly” to the “uncertainty” and “ongoing debate” about the “risks and benefits” associated with these medical practices. The Biden administration filed its complaint in intervention after individual plaintiffs and the American Civil Liberties Union challenged the law passed in 2023. After the Supreme Court’s decision, the individual plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed their complaint.

    Tennessee is one of 25 states with laws protecting minors from sex-change medical procedures.

    “Last month, the Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee state law protecting vulnerable children from genital mutilation and other so-called ‘gender-affirming care,’” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.  “That was the right decision, and this Department of Justice will no longer be in the business of attacking laws like Tennessee’s that protect children.”

    “The United States today undid one of the injustices the Biden administration inflicted upon the country by dismissing a lawsuit against a Tennessee law that protects minors from invasive and mutilating procedures,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to fight to protect the health and welfare of our children and defend states that seek to ban these barbaric practices.”

    [1] United States v. Skrmetti, 145 S.Ct. 1816, 1826 (2025).

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