NewzIntel.com

Category: FBI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Drug Maker Teva Pharmaceuticals Agrees to Pay $450M in False Claims Act Settlement to Resolve Kickback Allegations Relating to Copayments and Price Fixing

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. (Teva USA) and Teva Neuroscience Inc. (collectively, Teva) have agreed to pay $450 million to resolve two matters that allege Teva violated the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and the False Claims Act (FCA). Teva, headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, is the largest generic drug manufacturer in the United States. The settlement amount was based on Teva’s ability to pay.

    “Kickbacks designed to induce referrals or purchases of healthcare goods or services distort physician and patient decision-making, thwart competition and bypass controls put in place to protect federal health care programs,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department is committed to pursuing those who engage in kickback violations, including drug manufacturers, to ensure that federal health care programs continue to serve the interests of taxpayers and program beneficiaries.”

    The settlement encompasses two alleged kickback schemes. First, Teva has agreed to resolve allegations in a complaint the United States filed in the District of Massachusetts in August 2020 that Teva violated and conspired to violate the AKS and FCA by paying Medicare patients’ cost sharing obligations (copays) for the multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone from 2006 through 2017, while steadily raising Copaxone’s price. In particular, the United States alleged that Teva coordinated and conspired with multiple third parties, including a specialty pharmacy and two allegedly independent copay assistance foundations, to ensure that purported donations to the foundations were used specifically to cover the copays of Medicare Copaxone patients, which Teva knew was prohibited by the AKS, and that Teva thereby caused the submission of false claims to Medicare.

    Second, Teva USA has agreed to resolve separate allegations that it conspired with other generic drug manufacturers to fix prices for pravastatin, a drug widely used to treat high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as two other generic drugs, clotrimazole and tobramycin. Teva USA previously entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division to resolve related criminal charges. Teva USA paid a criminal penalty of $225 million and admitted to conspiring with three other generic drug companies to fix prices on certain generic drugs. Under the civil settlement announced today, Teva agreed to resolve allegations that the benefits it received under its price fixing scheme constituted illegal kickbacks.

    Teva will pay collectively $450 million to resolve the two kickback schemes. This payment is in addition to the criminal penalty paid by Teva USA under its deferred prosecution agreement. 

    “Kickback arrangements by pharmaceutical companies escalate the costs for critical drugs used by our citizens and federal health care programs,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “My office is proud to work with the rest of the Department of Justice and our investigative partners to enforce federal laws prohibiting kickback arrangements. We will continue to take action to lower the drug costs for our country and its health care programs supporting senior citizens, our military service members and others.”

    “For far too long, Teva gamed the charitable foundation process by paying kickbacks through two foundations, and with the aid of a specialty pharmacy. Those kickbacks undermined the purpose of the Medicare co-pay system and violated the Anti-Kickback Statute,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts. “This office has taken the leading role in cracking down on these highly lucrative schemes that drive up the cost of essential drugs by bringing multiple enforcement actions that have returned more than $1 billion to the Medicare system. We will continue to pursue these actions to ensure that all pharmaceutical companies play by the rules and to protect the American taxpayers.

    “The Medicare program’s copay structure serves as a safeguard against the artificial inflation of drug prices. When a pharmaceutical company manipulates drug prices through collusion, or disguises kickbacks as charitable donations to subsidize copays for its own drugs, the integrity of the Medicare program is jeopardized,” said Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Adam Globerman of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This type of conduct is unacceptable, and HHS-OIG remains committed to thoroughly pursuing allegations of price fixing and kickbacks that put the Medicare program at risk.”

    “The Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the law enforcement arm of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, seeks to protect the integrity of TRICARE, the healthcare system for U.S. military members and their dependents,” said Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty of DCIS Northeast Field Office. “When pharmaceutical corporations artificially inflate prices, they place an unnecessary financial burden on the TRICARE program. The settlement agreement announced today demonstrates our commitment to partner with investigative agencies and the Department of Justice, including the Civil Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to combat healthcare fraud.”

    Since 2017, the United States has collected over $1 billion, in addition to today’s settlement, from pharmaceutical companies that allegedly used third-party foundations as conduits to unlawfully pay patient copays. The department has also reached settlements with four foundations and a specialty pharmacy pertaining to those allegations. Today’s resolution with Teva is the largest of these settlements to date. The settlement of Teva’s price fixing conduct is the seventh pertaining to allegations of price fixing involving generic drugs, with total recoveries exceeding $500 million.

    The government’s pursuit of these matters illustrates the department’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 800‑HHS‑TIPS (800-447-8477).

    The resolution of the patient copay matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, with investigative support from HHS-OIG and the FBI.

    Attorneys Douglas Rosenthal and Nelson Wagner of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abraham R. George, Diane Seol and Evan Panich for the District of Massachusetts handled the matter.

    The civil resolution of the price fixing matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, with investigative support from HHS-OIG, the Defense Health Agency Program Integrity Office, DCIS and Office of Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

    Senior Trial Counsel Jennifer L. Cihon and Senior Litigation Counsel Laurie A. Oberembt of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Landon Y. Jones III, Rebecca S. Melley and Anthony D. Scicchitano for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania handled the matter. Fraud Section financial analyst Sheryl Paynter provided support for both matters.

    The civil action in Massachusetts is captioned United States v. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. et al., No. 20-cv-11548 (DMA).  

    DMA Settlement

    EDPA Settlement

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ohio Man Sentenced for Creating and Distributing Videos Depicting Monkey Torture and Mutilation

    Source: US State of Vermont

    An Ohio man was sentenced today to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release in connection with his involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.

    According to court documents, Ronald P. Bedra, of Etna, conspired with others to create and distribute videos depicting acts of sadistic violence against baby and adult monkeys. The conspirators used encrypted chat applications to direct money to individuals in Indonesia willing to commit the requested acts of torture on camera. Bedra also mailed a thumb drive containing 64 videos of monkey torture to a co-conspirator in Wisconsin.

    According to a statement of facts signed by defendant Bedra, the videos in question included depictions of monkeys having their digits and limbs severed and monkeys being forcibly sodomized with a heated screwdriver. Bedra pleaded guilty in April.

    “Defendant Ronald Bedra commissioned grotesque videos of torture of juvenile and baby monkeys,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Such appalling conduct has no place in our society. The Justice Department stands ready to prosecute individuals engaging in this activity to the fullest extent of the law.”

    “We will punish participants of sadistic conspiracies like this one no matter their role in the crime,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio. “As this case shows, even if you do not commit the torture firsthand, you will be held accountable for promoting this obscene animal abuse.”

    “The torture of animals in this case is disturbing, cruel and illegal,” said Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola of FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office. “The FBI and our partners will continue to work to protect defenseless animals and investigate those who intentionally harm them.”

    “Today’s sentencing underscores the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s unwavering commitment to combating the exploitation of wildlife in any form,” said Assistant Director Edward Grace of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement. “These monstrous crimes are indefensible. This case serves as a stark reminder that those who harm animals protected under federal and international laws and treaties will face serious consequences. We continue to work diligently with our partners to identify and prosecute individuals engaged in these cruel activities to the fullest extent of the law.”

    The FBI and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the case. Homeland Security Investigations provided critical assistance.

    Trial Attorney Mark Romley and Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Pakiz for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime for Breaking into Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University and Destroying Property

    Source: US State of Vermont

    A New Jersey man pleaded guilty yesterday to a federal hate crime for breaking into the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University (CILRU) in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and destroying property.

    “This defendant is being held accountable for Islamophobic-fueled acts of hate, interfering with the religious freedom of university students and staff during a sacred holiday for those of the Islamic faith,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department stands ready, along with our state and local partners, to hold accountable people who use force, or threats of violence, in order to intimidate people from exercising their religious beliefs. Islamophobic hate crimes have no place in our society today. We will continue to enforce the laws that make it safe for people of all faiths to engage in religious observance, including at educational institutions.”   

    “The free exercise of religion is a fundamental right of all Americans,” said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey. “Jacob Beacher admitted he intentionally broke into the Center for Islamic Life during the holy Eid-al-Fitr holiday and damaged and destroyed religious artifacts because of the Islamic faith of those associated with the facility. This office will not tolerate the use of force or threats to intimidate people and put them in fear of worshipping as they see fit.”

    “When we learned of this vandalism back in April, we immediately engaged with our law enforcement partners and Rutgers University,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado of the FBI Newark Field Office. “Within days, we tracked down and arrested Beacher. We want our actions and the speed with which we responded to illustrate our commitment and resolve to protect houses of worship in New Jersey. We all have the right to practice whatever religion we choose, without fear of hate marring the physical and spiritual place where we do it.”

    According to court documents, on or about April 10, at approximately 2:39 a.m., during the Eid- al-Fitr holiday, video surveillance footage showed Jacob Beacher, 24, walking toward the rear door of the CILRU. Soon after, at approximately 2:41 a.m., an intruder, later determined to be Beacher, forcibly entered the CILRU through its back door. Specifically, Beacher broke a glass pane on the door, pushed through a piece of plexiglass that was affixed to the interior side of the door and then manually opened the door from the inside by reaching through the broken glass to unlatch a deadbolt lock.

    Once inside the CILRU, Beacher damaged the CILRU’s property, including several religious artifacts, such as Turbah prayer stones and numerous items that contained holy language from the Qur’an, Islam’s sacred scripture. Beacher also stole a Palestinian flag and at least one charity box belonging to the CILRU.

    A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date. Beacher faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The FBI Newark Field Office, Branchburg Resident Agency, New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, Rutgers University Police Department-New Brunswick Division and New Jersey Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Levin and R. Joseph Gribko for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorney Daniel Grunert of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cole Statement on Election Day Terrorist Attack Plot in Oklahoma

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04)

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Olivia Porcaro 202-225-6165

    Oklahoma City, OK – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement in response to the arrest of a man living in Oklahoma City who was allegedly planning an Election Day terrorist attack:

    “Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi’s plot to conduct a terrorist attack in Oklahoma on Election Day is truly chilling. I would like to thank the FBI and our local Oklahoma law enforcement for their quick action and arrest, as if it were not for their commitment to protecting Americans, we could have experienced a deadly attack,” said Congressman Cole.

    “As Americans, we must stick together, especially during times like these when we face threats to our safety, security, and freedom,” said Congressman Cole.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI San Francisco Releases Local Data from 2023 Cryptocurrency Fraud Report

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

    With Cybersecurity Awareness Month in full swing, the FBI urges the public to stay vigilant

    The FBI’s 2023 Cryptocurrency Fraud Report reveals that California experienced the highest cryptocurrency-related losses in the nation, totaling $1.15 billion. Within the FBI San Francisco Field Office’s territory, losses amounted to $260,313,902, with 1,226 victims across 15 counties, including Alameda, San Francisco, and Santa Clara. Nationally, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 69,000 complaints from the public regarding cyber-enabled crime and financial fraud involving the use of cryptocurrency, with over $5.6 billion in reported losses.

    Criminal actors exploit cryptocurrencies for all schemes, to include tech support, confidence and romance, investment and government impersonation scams. Investment fraud was the most reported cryptocurrency scheme in 2023, and also saw the most reported losses, with about $3.9 billion lost.

    “Cryptocurrency’s rapid adoption has made it a prime target for fraudsters,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp. “We urge the public to stay vigilant and to report any suspected fraud to the FBI through the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.”

    FBI San Francisco encourages the public to submit reports of fraud, or suspected fraud, through ic3.gov, even if a financial loss did not occur.

    Below are some tips to protect yourself from cryptocurrency schemes:

    • Criminals will seek to instill a sense of urgency and isolation.
    • When receiving an unsolicited call by an unknown caller claiming to work for a well-known company or government agency, hang up, independently research the company or agency’s publicly published phone number and call it to confirm authenticity of the original call.
    • No legitimate law enforcement or government official will call to demand payment via a cryptocurrency kiosk.
    • Never give personally identifying information to anyone without verifying the person is who they say they are.
    • Verify the validity of any investment opportunity strangers or long-lost contacts offer on social media websites. If you have never met an individual in real life, be very cautious of accepting investment advice or opportunities.
    • Be on the lookout for domain or website names that impersonate legitimate financial institutions, especially cryptocurrency exchanges.
    • Fraudulent businesses often use website addresses that mimic real financial institutions, but are often slightly different, to convince people the fraudulent website is legitimate.
    • Do not download or use suspicious-looking apps as a tool for investing unless you can verify the legitimacy of the app.
    • If an investment opportunity sounds too good to be true, it likely is. Be cautious of get-rich-quick schemes.

    If you believe you are a victim of fraud or someone you know—regardless of financial loss—and you are not under imminent threat, please report the fraud to FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov or call FBI San Francisco at (415) 553-7400.

    View the full 2023 Cryptocurrency Fraud Report. 

    For more information or media inquiries, email Media.sf@fbi.gov.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SEC Charges Three So-Called Market Makers and Nine Individuals in Crackdown on Manipulation of Crypto Assets Offered and Sold as Securities

    Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

    The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced fraud charges against three companies purporting to be market makers and nine individuals for engaging in schemes to manipulate the markets for various crypto assets being offered and sold as securities to retail investors. As alleged, the schemes were intended to induce investor victims to purchase the crypto assets by creating the false appearance of an active trading market for them.

    According to the SEC’s complaints, crypto asset promoters Russell Armand, Maxwell Hernandez, Manpreet Singh Kohli, Nam Tran, and Vy Pham (Promoters) hired so-called market makers ZM Quant and Gotbit to provide market-manipulation-as-a-service, which included generating artificial trading volume or manipulating the price of crypto assets that the Promoters offered and sold as securities to retail investors in unregistered transactions. The SEC also alleged that ZM Quant and a third so-called market maker, CLS Global, undertook similar schemes to manipulate the market of a crypto asset offered and sold as a security that was created at the direction of the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of its parallel investigation into potential market manipulation in the crypto asset industry.

    “Today’s enforcement actions demonstrate, once more, that retail investors are being victimized by fraudulent activity by institutional actors in the markets for crypto assets,” said Sanjay Wadhwa, Deputy Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “With purported promoters and self-anointed market makers teaming up to target the investing public with false promises of profits in the crypto markets, investors should be mindful that the deck may be stacked against them.”

    The SEC alleged that ZM Quant and its employees Baijun Ou and Ruiqi Lau, Gotbit and its employee Fedor Kedrov, and CLS Global and its employee Andrey Zhorzhes manipulated markets on behalf of the Promoters by self-trading (commonly referred to as “wash trading”) on popular crypto asset trading platforms or by engaging in other trading practices that likewise served no economic purpose, and that they used algorithms (or bots) that, at times, generated quadrillions of transactions and billions of dollars of artificial trading volume each day.

    “We remain concerned about the ease with which the market for a crypto asset can be manipulated and are committed to rooting out instances of such misconduct when it involves securities,” said Jorge G. Tenreiro, Acting Chief of the Division of Enforcement’s Crypto Asset and Cyber Unit (CACU). “The wrongdoers behind these schemes are profiting handsomely at the expense of investors that have been deceptively lured into these markets and lost their hard-earned savings.”

    The SEC’s five complaints, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, allege that all defendants violated the antifraud and market manipulation provisions of the securities laws and that certain defendants violated registration provisions. The complaints seek permanent injunctions, conduct-based injunctions, disgorgement of allegedly ill-gotten gains plus interest, and civil penalties against all the defendants, as well as officer and director bars against certain defendants. Armand, Hernandez, and Pham consented to bifurcated settlements, subject to court approval, permanently enjoining them from further violations of the federal securities laws, subjecting them to conduct-based injunctions, and barring them from acting as officers or directors. The court will determine the amount of disgorgement and prejudgment interest, and any civil penalties.

    The SEC appreciates the assistance of the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, which today announced parallel criminal actions.

    The SEC’s investigations were conducted by David D’Addio, Amy Harman Burkart, Ivan Panchenko, Jeffrey Cook, and John McCann in the SEC’s Boston Regional Office, as well as Colin Missett and Joy Guo of the CACU. They were supervised by Amy Gwiazda, Michael Brennan, Donald Battle, and Mr. Tenreiro of CACU and by Celia Moore and John T. Dugan of the Boston Regional Office. The team also thanks the staff of the SEC’s Office of Strategic Hub for Innovation and Financial Technology for their assistance. The litigations will be led by Mr. D’Addio and Ms. Burkart.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley, Colleagues Push DOJ to Investigate Requirements for Hamas-Linked Campus Orgs to Register as Foreign Agents

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley, a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote the Justice Department (DOJ) and FBI regarding Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) enforcement, raising concerns Hamas-linked entities are escaping FARA scrutiny as they seek to shape U.S. public opinion and policy outcomes through partnerships with campus organizations. Joining Grassley on the effort are Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.).

    The senators’ inquiry hones in on the National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) – which received backing from an organization whose associated entities the U.S. government has implicated for financing Hamas – and the hundreds of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters NSJP claims to support across the U.S. Their letter reads, in part:

    “It is incumbent upon all of us crack down on hidden foreign influence. […] The introduction of hostile foreign adversaries into domestic political discussion is especially of issue when it is fueling an alarming rise in antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment. The public reporting appears to indicate that NSJP and related chapters may fit into the FARA definition of ‘publicity agent,’ at minimum, and its conduct, among other activity, may constitute a public relations effort designed to impact U.S. public opinion in favor of a foreign principal, which would meet FARA’s definition of political activities.

    “Taken as a whole, these actions require further investigation from DOJ and the FBI to fully determine whether NSJP and SJP chapters should register as foreign agents under FARA and the extent of Hamas and Iran’s potential involvement.”

    Grassley and his colleagues cite numerous examples that signal NSJP and SJP chapters may have an obligation to register as agents under FARA. Several follow.

    • Federal court filings from state Attorneys General assert NSJP’s material support to Hamas.
    • Dozens of SJP chapters echoed NSJP’s social media messages lauding Hamas’ brutal October 7, 2023, attack on Israel; some “[praised] the creativity” of Hamas’ surprise attacks on Israeli civilians.
    • NSJP urged SJP chapters in the U.S. to publicly facilitate and join “armed struggles, general strikes and popular demonstrations.”
    • NSJP launched a campaign against U.S. college administrators, pushing for divestments in Israel-connected assets.
    • NSJP held a summer 2024 program for SJP participants to “deepen our understanding of our current political moment […] with the aim entrenching the frameworks necessary to sustain and grow the Student Intifada.”
    • NSJP has stated it “aim[s] to develop a student movement that is connected, disciplined, and equipped” with tools toward fulfilling its mission.

    Considering this evidence and more, the senators are asking DOJ and FBI pointed questions about the steps they have taken to assess NSJP and SJP’s potential requirement to register as foreign agents.

    Read the full letter HERE.

    Background:

    Congress passed FARA in 1938 to identify Nazi propaganda and other foreign efforts to sway U.S. policy and public opinion. The content-neutral law was designed not to prohibit activity, but rather, to ensure certain individuals who act as agents of a foreign government or enterprise register with DOJ.

    Grassley previously pressed for FARA enforcement as Confucius Institutes cropped up on college campuses, working to combat Chinese Communist Party influence in the U.S. education system. He has probed potential FARA violations in recent Congresses, including by Qatari media network Al Jazeera, a Ukrainian operative who consulted for the Democrat National Committee and a Russian lobbyist who attended a meeting with Donald Trump, Jr. Grassley questioned the Biden family’s FARA compliance amid business dealings with a Chinese energy company and sought answers upon learning the top lobbying firm for Ukrainian energy company Burisma filed incomplete disclosures. A longtime advocate of enforcing FARA to the fullest extent, he is leading congressional oversight and legislative reforms to further strengthen the law.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Though home to about 50 white extremist groups, Ohio’s social and political landscape is undergoing rapid racial change

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Paul J. Becker, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Dayton

    Members of the white militia group Proud Boys march on the Ohio state capitol in Columbus on Jan. 6, 2024. Paul Becker, CC BY

    The first time many Americans heard about Springfield, Ohio, came during the September 2024 presidential debate when Donald Trump falsely claimed that Haitian immigrants in the city were eating other residents’ cats and dogs.

    Though shocking, these harmful rumors had been spreading on social media since the beginning of the summer and had gained more notoriety when JD Vance, a U.S. senator from Ohio and Trump’s running mate, made similar statements on X, the social media platform formerly called Twitter.

    But what has gone mostly overlooked is the effect these racist lies have had on energizing Ohio’s nearly 50 white extremist groups.

    Members of the white supremacist group Blood Tribe marched through Springfield on Aug. 10, 2024, with with swastikas on their signs.

    Since then, members of the Ku Klux Klan and the right-wing extremist group Proud Boys have each marched in separate demonstrations through Springfield.

    As scholars of extremism who live in Ohio and work at the University of Dayton, we have seen these events unfold at a time when city officials have received multiple bomb threats targeting local government offices and schools since Trump’s false and racist claims against Haitian immigrants.

    The changing landscape

    In our research, we have found that the rapidly changing social conditions in Ohio have played a significant role in the growth of extremism.

    Between 1990 and 2019, for instance, manufacturing jobs shrank from 21.7% of all employment in the state to 12.5%, a loss of nearly 360,000 jobs. As a result, income disparities between the professional and working classes have widened – as has the heightened sense among some alienated white men that white conservatives are the real victims of bias in a society growing more racially and culturally diverse.

    A neo-Nazi group speaks under heavy police protection at a 2005 rally sponsored by the National Socialist Movement at City Hall in Toledo, Ohio.
    Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

    For many of these alienated men, particularly those in rural areas that lack significant numbers of Black and Hispanic residents, extremist ideologies offer easy answers to complex questions that involve their sense of disenfranchisement.

    In 2020, for example, the population of Springfield was about 60,000. But over the past three years, city officials estimate that the population has grown by about 25%, partly fueled by the arrival of as many as 15,000 Haitian immigrants during that time. Many of them are legally living in the U.S. under a special federal program.

    Similar demographic shifts are occurring throughout the state. Between 2010 and 2022, the percentage of the white population dropped from 81.2% to 77.3%, a loss of about 250,000, putting the state’s white population at about 9.1 million. During the same time, the Hispanic population, for instance, grew from about 357,000 in 2010 to nearly 525,000.

    For some of these white extremists, these population changes will lead to an inevitable race war between white people and nonwhite people. We have found that the attraction of belonging to a group that promises strength, protection and a source of identity can be particularly compelling.

    The Ohio connection

    In recent years, white extremism in Ohio has received attention as a result of the extremist rhetoric of and often violent crimes committed by white men who call the state home. Consider just a few examples:

    Born and raised in Ohio, Andrew Anglin founded the Daily Stormer, a popular neo-Nazi website, in 2016.

    James Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio, poses for a mug shot after he drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 12, 2017.
    Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail via Getty Images

    James Alex Fields Jr., a white nationalist from the Toledo area, was sentenced to life in prison in 2019 for the murder of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Virginia. Fields was convicted of driving his car into a crowd of counterprotesters during the white nationalist Unite the Right Rally in August 2017.

    Prior to the attack, Fields frequently posted the hashtag #Hitlerwasright on his social media accounts and called for violence against nonwhites and Jews.

    In the summer of 2022, Ohio law enforcement officers shot and killed Ricky Shiffer after the armed Navy veteran fired a nail gun at the FBI field office in Cincinnati. On his social media accounts, Shiffer had called for violence against federal law enforcement officials after the FBI searched Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago as part of the federal probe into Trump’s handling of classified documents.

    Tres Genco, a self-described incel – short for “involuntary celibate” – who hated women and believed he was owed sex from them, was from the Cincinnati area and pled guilty in 2022 to plotting a mass shooting of women at Ohio State University. Law enforcement officials in Ohio stopped the planned attack before it happened.

    On April 21, 2023, Christopher Brenner Cook, 20, of Columbus, Ohio, and others were sentenced to nearly eight years in prison for his plan to attack power grids across the U.S. Cook and his accomplices believed that they were starting a race war and used neo-Nazi propaganda and white supremacist ideology to recruit young people to join their group.

    Online recruitment tactics

    Leaders of white supremacist and militia groups often use both traditional outreach and digital platforms to recruit people to their groups. Traditional outreach includes recruitment in conversations, attending events, and sharing books, pamphlets, flyers and posters.

    At the same time, social media has become a critical tool for extremist groups to spread their message, recruit members and organize events.

    These online platforms create echo chambers that reinforce extremist beliefs in debunked conspiracy theories, such as the assumption that the federal government is part of a plot to eliminate the white race.

    In addition to the increased traffic on social media, we have seen a rise of extremist groups in Ohio known as active clubs, where members engage in physical fitness, combat training and emotional support that encourages the development of a warrior mentality in preparation for what followers believe is an inevitable race war.

    Countering extremism in Ohio

    Though the emergence of white extremist groups goes far beyond the borders of Ohio, we have found that community-based, educational initiatives are effective in understanding and ultimately eradicating the root causes of racial and ethnic hatred on the local level.

    In our view, community engagement that emphasizes dialogue and understanding across different racial groups is crucial for demonstrating the dangers of intolerance – and the benefits of diversity.

    Paul J. Becker is part of a team at The University of Dayton that received funding from the Department of Homeland Security for the Preventing Radicalization to Extremist Violence through Education, Network-Building and Training in Southwest Ohio (PREVENTS-OH) project. Funded by the Department of Homeland Security under the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grant Program, PREVENTS-OH recognizes that domestic violent extremism and hate movements pose a serious threat to the realization of human rights.

    Art Jipson is part of a team at The University of Dayton that received funding from the Department of Homeland Security for the Preventing Radicalization to Extremist Violence through Education, Network-Building and Training in Southwest Ohio (PREVENTS-OH) project. Funded by the Department of Homeland Security under the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grant Program, PREVENTS-OH recognizes that domestic violent extremism and hate movements pose a serious threat to the realization of human rights.

    – ref. Though home to about 50 white extremist groups, Ohio’s social and political landscape is undergoing rapid racial change – https://theconversation.com/though-home-to-about-50-white-extremist-groups-ohios-social-and-political-landscape-is-undergoing-rapid-racial-change-239997

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: North Carolina Physician and Medical Practice Agree to Pay $625,000 to Settle Kickback Allegations

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    Dr. Eric Troyer, of Landis, North Carolina, and his medical practice, Troyer Medical Inc. P.C. (TMI), have agreed to pay $429,254 to the United States to resolve alleged False Claims Act violations arising from their involvement in laboratory kickback schemes. Troyer and TMI will pay an additional $195,746 to the State of North Carolina, which jointly funded claims paid by the North Carolina Medicaid program. Troyer and his practice have agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigations of other participants in the alleged schemes.

    “Kickbacks to healthcare providers can undermine the integrity of taxpayer-funded healthcare programs and medical decision making,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to pursue those who pay or receive illegal financial inducements, including unlawful inducements for laboratory testing.”

    The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE and other federally funded healthcare programs. The Anti-Kickback Statute is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.

    The settlement announced today resolves allegations that, from August 2015 to November 2021, Troyer and his medical practice received kickbacks from a laboratory in Anderson, South Carolina, in return for Troyer’s referrals to that laboratory. According to the settlement, the kickbacks to Troyer and his medical practice allegedly were disguised as payments for purported phlebotomy services, rental of office space and the lease of a chemistry analyzer machine and resulted in the submission of false or fraudulent laboratory testing claims to Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE in violation of the False Claims Act.

    “Patients should be able trust that their healthcare provider’s recommendations are for their well-being and not for the provider’s financial gain,” said U.S. Attorney Adair Ford Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “We will continue to hold accountable those who undermine the integrity of the healthcare system by giving or receiving kickbacks.”

    “This resolution demonstrates the FBI’s dedication to addressing violations that undermine the public’s trust in our healthcare systems,” said Special Agent in Charge Steve Jensen of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “The FBI, along with our law enforcement and regulatory partners, remains committed to ensuring healthcare professionals provide transparent and ethical standards of service.”

    “Kickback arrangements aimed at improperly influencing medical decisions will remain a top investigative priority for our agency,” said Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our ongoing enforcement efforts in this area are focused on protecting the integrity of taxpayer-funded healthcare programs like Medicare and Medicaid, and preventing schemes that could improperly manipulate the healthcare decisions of patients and their doctors.”

    “Improper financial relationships between physicians and laboratories undermine patient healthcare and trust,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “Kickbacks should never be a consideration in a medical practice selecting a company for laboratory testing. DCIS will continue to bring to justice medical providers who illegally enrich themselves at the expense of the American taxpayer and wellbeing of our Warfighters.”

    The settlement was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, with assistance from HHS-OIG, DCIS, FBI and the Medicaid Investigations Division of the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

    Senior Trial Counsel Christopher Terranova of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Beth C. Warren for the District of South Carolina handled the case. The United States previously resolved allegations that other physicians in South Carolina, North Carolina and Texas received kickbacks from the same laboratory.

    The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

    The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: North Carolina Physician and Medical Practice Agree to Pay $625,000 to Settle Kickback Allegations

    Source: US State of California

    Dr. Eric Troyer, of Landis, North Carolina, and his medical practice, Troyer Medical Inc. P.C. (TMI), have agreed to pay $429,254 to the United States to resolve alleged False Claims Act violations arising from their involvement in laboratory kickback schemes. Troyer and TMI will pay an additional $195,746 to the State of North Carolina, which jointly funded claims paid by the North Carolina Medicaid program. Troyer and his practice have agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigations of other participants in the alleged schemes.

    “Kickbacks to healthcare providers can undermine the integrity of taxpayer-funded healthcare programs and medical decision making,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to pursue those who pay or receive illegal financial inducements, including unlawful inducements for laboratory testing.”

    The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE and other federally funded healthcare programs. The Anti-Kickback Statute is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.

    The settlement announced today resolves allegations that, from August 2015 to November 2021, Troyer and his medical practice received kickbacks from a laboratory in Anderson, South Carolina, in return for Troyer’s referrals to that laboratory. According to the settlement, the kickbacks to Troyer and his medical practice allegedly were disguised as payments for purported phlebotomy services, rental of office space and the lease of a chemistry analyzer machine and resulted in the submission of false or fraudulent laboratory testing claims to Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE in violation of the False Claims Act.

    “Patients should be able trust that their healthcare provider’s recommendations are for their well-being and not for the provider’s financial gain,” said U.S. Attorney Adair Ford Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “We will continue to hold accountable those who undermine the integrity of the healthcare system by giving or receiving kickbacks.”

    “This resolution demonstrates the FBI’s dedication to addressing violations that undermine the public’s trust in our healthcare systems,” said Special Agent in Charge Steve Jensen of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “The FBI, along with our law enforcement and regulatory partners, remains committed to ensuring healthcare professionals provide transparent and ethical standards of service.”

    “Kickback arrangements aimed at improperly influencing medical decisions will remain a top investigative priority for our agency,” said Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our ongoing enforcement efforts in this area are focused on protecting the integrity of taxpayer-funded healthcare programs like Medicare and Medicaid, and preventing schemes that could improperly manipulate the healthcare decisions of patients and their doctors.”

    “Improper financial relationships between physicians and laboratories undermine patient healthcare and trust,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “Kickbacks should never be a consideration in a medical practice selecting a company for laboratory testing. DCIS will continue to bring to justice medical providers who illegally enrich themselves at the expense of the American taxpayer and wellbeing of our Warfighters.”

    The settlement was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, with assistance from HHS-OIG, DCIS, FBI and the Medicaid Investigations Division of the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

    Senior Trial Counsel Christopher Terranova of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Beth C. Warren for the District of South Carolina handled the case. The United States previously resolved allegations that other physicians in South Carolina, North Carolina and Texas received kickbacks from the same laboratory.

    The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

    The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four Defendants Charged with Multimillion-Dollar Fraud Targeting San Francisco Delivery Company

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

    SAN JOSE – A federal grand jury indicted four defendants in an alleged scheme to defraud a San Francisco-based delivery company.

    All four defendants were arrested on Oct. 4, 2024.  Defendants Sayee Chaitanya Reddy Devagiri, 30, and Manaswi Mandadapu, 29, were arrested in Newport Beach, Calif., made their initial appearances in Santa Ana, and were released on bond.  Defendant Matheus Duarte, 29, was arrested in Mountain House, Calif., made his initial appearance in San Jose, and was released on bond.  Defendant Hari Vamsi Anne, 30, was arrested in Cypress, Tex., made his initial appearance in Houston, and was detained pending further proceedings.

    Each defendant is charged with a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.  According to the indictment filed Aug. 7, 2024, and unsealed Oct. 4, 2024, from November 2020 to February 2021, the defendants allegedly worked together to cause the victim company (“Entity One”) to pay for deliveries that never occurred.  Entity One’s business includes providing delivery services to customers in response to orders placed using the company’s platform.  Drivers fulfill those orders by collecting the ordered items from restaurants and other merchants and delivering them to customers.  In furtherance of the scheme, defendants allegedly created fraudulent customer accounts and driver accounts on Entity One’s platform and used the fictitious customer accounts to place orders for delivery.  As alleged in the indictment, using insider access to Entity One’s computer systems, defendants assigned those orders to fraudulent driver accounts, then manipulated Entity One’s computer systems to cause Entity One to pay the fraudulent driver accounts as if individual orders had been delivered hundreds of times.  The scheme allegedly resulted in fraudulent payments exceeding $2,500,000.

    The indictment alleges that the defendants gained access to Entity One’s computer systems using credentials belonging to an employee of Entity One identified as “Individual One.”  Individual One is Tyler Thomas Bottenhorn, a resident of Solano County, Calif., who was briefly employed by Entity One in 2020.  Bottenhorn was not charged in the indictment unsealed on Oct. 4, but he was separately charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a federal criminal case filed Sept. 29, 2022, and unsealed Oct. 7, 2024.  Bottenhorn pleaded guilty on Nov. 7, 2023, and admitted to being involved in the scheme to defraud Entity One.

    An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000, plus restitution if appropriate.  However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

    The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael G. Pitman and Jeffrey D. Nedrow with assistance from Sahib Kaur.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.

    Sayee Chaitanya Reddy Devagiri Indictment
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Vallejo Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of Ammunition

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

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Raykheem Andrew Guthery, 32, of Vallejo, was sentenced today to five years in prison for possessing ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

    According to court documents, on June 9, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a vehicle stop on Guthery for driving a car without license plates. Guthery pretended to be someone else, claimed he was not on parole or probation, and denied being armed. In fact, Guthery was on probation for felony assault and had a firearm loaded with an extended magazine concealed on his person. Officers discovered the firearm during Guthery’s arrest. The firearm was a non‑serialized, privately manufactured firearm, known as a “ghost gun.” It was loaded with one round of .40-caliber ammunition in the chamber and another 17 rounds in an extended magazine.

    Guthery is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he has been convicted of at least three felonies, including a 2016 felony conviction for forcible assault likely to cause grave bodily injury. He was also prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at the time of this offense because he was then the subject of a domestic violence protective order issued on April 15, 2021, by the Superior Court of California, Solano County.

    This case was the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Solano County District Attorney’s Office, the Solano County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella prosecuted the case.

    This case was 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 U.S. Department of Justice 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.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sacramento County Man Pleads Guilty to Fraud in Connection with Medical Device Sales

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

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Michael Andrew Scott, 38, of Fair Oaks, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

    According to court documents, between June 2018 and June 2022, Scott devised a scheme to defraud investors in his company, Trusted Medical Partnership. Scott told investors that either he or Trusted Medical Partnership received purchase orders from various health care providers for medical devices but lacked the capital to fulfill the orders. Scott solicited and obtained loans from these investors, and, in exchange, promised them substantial returns in a relatively short time with zero risk.

    In reality, Scott’s representations to these prospective investors were false because Scott did not have purchase orders from health care providers. To some of his victims, Scott sent purchase orders that he had doctored or fabricated in order to convince them to lend money. The health care providers listed on these purported purchase orders confirmed that the orders were fake altogether or altered to reflect inflated amounts or other false information. Further, Trusted Medical Partnership was not a legitimate business – while incorporated in the State of California, it conducted no legitimate business transactions, paid no taxes, submitted no wage or employment-related records, and had been suspended in December 2021, before Scott solicited investments on its behalf from some of his victims.

    Scott’s victims lent him money on the basis of his false statements, including the fraudulent purchase orders, but received little to no returns on their investments. Instead, Scott spent the money on gambling at several local casinos (sometimes the same day he received the victims’ money), personal expenses, or payments to other, prior investors in order to keep the scheme running. Collectively, Scott defrauded more than 10 victims of between $250,000 and $550,000.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dhruv M. Sharma is prosecuting the case.

    Scott is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on Jan. 14, 2025. Scott faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,00, or twice the gross gain or gross loss, whichever is greater. In addition to pleading guilty, Scott agreed to pay restitution to his victims of between $338,843 and $550,000. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former CDCR Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine in Stockton

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

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Fidel Andrade, 36, of Stockton, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to possess and distribute cocaine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

    According to court documents, between January and October 2020, Andrade, who then worked as a correctional officer, supplied cocaine to his co-defendant Neftali Castillo Montes. Montes then sold over 9 ounces of cocaine to an FBI confidential source. On March 3, 2021, officers discovered an additional ounce of cocaine during a search warrant executed at Andrade’s house.

    Andrade is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 14, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller. Montes pleaded guilty for his role in this conspiracy on July 15, 2024, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 28, 2025. Both defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years on prison for their roles in this conspiracy. Montes is separately charged in another indictment involving a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy. The actual sentences, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the U.S. Customs and Borders Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Tracy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella is prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bel Air Man Arrested on Indictment Alleging Scheme to Violate United States Sanctions Against Iran

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

    LOS ANGELES – A Bel Air man was arrested today on a federal grand jury indictment charging him and two Iranian nationals with violating United States sanctions against Iran by illegally sending to that nation digital and physical gift cards loaded with approximately $2.4 million.

    Kambiz Eghbali, 50, a.k.a. “Cameron Eghbali,” a dual citizen of the United States and Iran, is charged with violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. His arraignment is scheduled for this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

    Hamid Hajipour and Babak Bahizad, both Iranian nationals charged in the indictment, remain at large.

    “Restrictions on exports and transactions with countries that are hostile to the United States, such as Iran, are critical to protecting our nation,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Nothing is more important than protecting our country from foreign threats and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who undermine our national security.” 

    According to the indictment unsealed today, from March 2014 through September 2019, Eghbali and others conspired to unlawfully send digital and physical gift cards loaded with U.S. dollars to Iran. Eghbali would list his company, a North Hills-based purported videogame wholesaler and distributor, as the seller of the gift cards, and would provide cards to Bahizad for the benefit of his Iran-based gaming company, and to Hajipour for the benefit of his mobile software application service company.

    Bahizad and Hajipour would then pay Eghbali for the cards by transferring money from Iran to Eghabli’s U.S.-based bank accounts using third parties in other countries to conceal the transfer from U.S. regulators.

    The IEEPA and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR) impose controls and restrictions on transactions involving Iran based on the threats posed by Iran to the national security of the United States including, among others, its pursuit of nuclear weapons and sponsorship of terrorism.

    The IEEPA and ITSR, among other things, prohibit the export, reexport, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States or by a United States person, wherever located, of any goods, technology, or services, including financial services, to Iran or the Government of Iran without first obtaining authorization from the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

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

    If convicted, the defendants face the following maximum penalties: 20 years in prison for violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 30 years in prison for bank fraud violations, and 20 years in prison for money laundering violations. The indictment also notifies defendants that the United States intends to forfeit all property alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.

    The FBI is investigating this matter with support from Homeland Security Investigations.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Anna Boylan and Mark Takla of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section are prosecuting this case with Trial Attorneys David J. Ryan and Leslie Esbrook from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ventura Man Charged with Federal Narcotics Trafficking and Firearm Charges

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

    LOS ANGELES—A Ventura County man was charged in a four-count federal grand jury indictment for possessing methamphetamine he intended to sell and illegally possessing firearms, the FBI announced today.

    Rodolfo Hernandez, also known as “Creature,” of Oxnard, California, has been in federal custody since September 23, 2024.

    Hernandez was charged in an indictment returned on October 2nd by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of firearms and machinegun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a machinegun, and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.

    The indictment alleges that Hernandez, who was a convicted felon, possessed with intent to distribute approximately 98.6 grams of methamphetamine and possessed several firearms, including a .380 ACP caliber pistol machinegun, and 38 rounds of ammunition in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

    Hernandez made his initial appearance on October 2, 2024, in the United States District Court, where he was remanded to federal custody. His arraignment has been scheduled for October 11, 2024. If convicted, Hernandez would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.

    The investigation into Hernandez is being conducted by the Ventura County Violent Crime Task Force, which includes the FBI, the Oxnard Police Department, and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

    Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Magana is prosecuting this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Monet Repatriation: B-Roll

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (video statements)

    This video b-roll shows a work by French Impressionist Claude Monet. The piece, which was looted during World War II, was recently returned to the heirs of its original owners with the help of the FBI and our partners.

    For a full transcript and download, visit:
    —————————————————
    Follow us on social media:
    X: https://twitter.com/fbi
    Facebook: https://facebook.com/FBI
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/fbi
    YouTube: youtube.com/user/fbi

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE1ZjkS2QCg

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mississippi Father and Son Convicted of Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Actions During January 6 Capitol Breach

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

                WASHINGTON – A father and son from Mississippi were convicted of felony and misdemeanor charges related to their conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Their actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

                Toney Sheldon Bray, 46, and Ethan Bray, 25, both of Blue Springs, Mississippi, were found guilty on Oct. 4, 2024, of a felony charge of civil disorder and a misdemeanor charge of disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds following a bench trial before by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras.

                Prior to trial, Toney Bray entered an open guilty plea to three misdemeanor counts of theft of government property, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. Ethan Bray pled guilty to two misdemeanor counts of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

                Judge Contreras will sentence the two men on Feb. 7, 2025.

                According to evidence presented during the trial, on Jan. 6, 2021, the defendants dressed in military-style gear, including tactical helmets, vests, and goggles, and were part of the initial breach of police barricades at approximately 12:53 p.m. at Peace Circle, located at Pennsylvania Avenue NW and First Street NW. Specifically, Ethan and Tony Bray pushed and climbed over the police barriers.

                As the Brays and other rioters approached the first set of barricades, “AREA CLOSED” signs were affixed to the barriers. The Brays were among the first to confront law enforcement on the staircase under scaffolding leading from the West Plaza to the Lower West Terrace. They entered the U.S. Capitol Building at approximately 2:22 p.m. through the Senate Wing Door and moved toward the Crypt, as captured on Capitol CCTV footage. At the time they entered the Capitol, the Brays were wearing gas masks.

                The Brays were captured on CCTV in the Crypt at approximately 2:24 p.m. After exiting the Crypt, the Brays moved to the Rotunda, where they were again captured in an open-source photo and Capitol CCTV at approximately 2:36 p.m. While inside, the Brays joined a group of rioters who confronted a line of police officers in a hallway that led to the Senate Chamber.  The rioters engaged in a concerted push against police, and were rebuffed when police used OC spray to push them back.  After moving between the hallway and the Rotunda for some time, the Brays ultimately exited through the Rotunda doors leading to the East Front of the Capitol at approximately 2:54 p.m.

                In total, the Brays were inside the Capitol from approximately 2:22 p.m. until 2:54 p.m., for a total of 32 minutes. After leaving the Rotunda, open-source and Capitol CCTV footage captured Toney Bray carrying a U.S. Capitol Police riot shield. The elder Bray still had the shield after exiting the Capitol building.

                The FBI arrested the two men on June 8, 2023.

                This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi.

                The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Jackson and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

                In the 45 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,532 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 571 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Whatcom County Man Pleads Guilty to Domestic Violence Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury

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

    Defendant admits punching victim in the face multiple times causing serious injury

    Seattle – A 49-year-old member of the Lummi Nation pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to assault resulting in serious bodily injury, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Jason Sieber Sr. was charged federally in February 2024, for the October 20, 2023, assault of his domestic partner. Sieber has been detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac since his arrest in February 2024. He is scheduled for sentencing on December 20, 2024.

    According to records filed in the case, Sieber became angry with the victim over the amount of time it was taking for her to cook dinner. He struck her repeatedly in the face and head and kept her from leaving the home to get help. The blows with his closed fist caused the victim to suffer facial fractures, extreme pain, and disfigurement.

    The victim reported the assault to Lummi Nation Police a few days after the assault. Sieber was charged in tribal court. The case was ultimately referred to federal prosecutors.

    Assault resulting in bodily injury is punishable by up to ten years in prison. U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez will determine the appropriate sentence after considering sentencing guidelines and other factors.

    The case was investigated by the Lummi Nation Police Department and the FBI as part of the Safe Trails Taskforce.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys J. Tate London and Erika Evans. Mr. London serves as a Tribal Liaison for the U. S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Philadelphia Seeking Information on Baby Jane Doe

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

    FBI Philadelphia and law enforcement officials in Gloucester County, New Jersey, are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying an unknown deceased infant.

    On the morning of December 4, 1986, the remains of a full-term, white, newborn female infant were found in a dumpster behind a shopping center located at Ganttown Road and Rt. 42 in Washington Township New Jersey.

    The infant weighed approximately seven pounds and had dark hair and brown eyes. She was found inside a silver, plastic trash bag wrapped in a beach towel that depicted an African Plains scene.

    The death was ruled a homicide by asphyxiation.

    “Though it has been almost 40 years, we are hoping this poster jogs someone’s memory, that someone who might have information comes forward,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, special agent in charge of FBI Philadelphia. “This case demonstrates no matter how much time passes; we continue to pursue justice for victims.”

    If you have any information concerning this case, please contact your local FBI field office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or you can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

    Link to the poster: BABY JANE DOE — FBI

    FBI Philadelphia can be reached at 215-418-4000.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pittsburgh Man Charged with Robbery of Reserve Township Bank

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

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of bank robbery, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

    The one-count Indictment named Mark Laughner, 38, as the sole defendant.

    According to the Indictment, on or about May 16, 2024, Laughner entered a Reserve Township bank and, by force, violence, and intimidation, took approximately $1,370 in United States currency from the teller.

    The law provides for a total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

    Assistant United States Attorney V. Joseph Sonson is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

    The Allegheny County Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.

    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.

    An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: City Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing a Northeast Philadelphia Business, Carjacking a Mother and Daughter Outside Their Home in September 2022

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

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Amir Harvey, 24, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond to Hobbs Act robbery, carjacking, and felon in possession of ammunition, in connection with the robbery of a commercial business and a carjacking, both in Northeast Philadelphia.

    Harvey was arrested and charged by complaint in September of 2022 and then indicted on these charges in October of that year.

    On September 9, 2022, at approximately 11 p.m., the defendant and three others approached the Hook and Reel restaurant, located at 9763 Roosevelt Boulevard. Upon encountering an employee of the restaurant outside, Harvey and the others forced him inside, ransacked the office, stole about $400 from the cash drawers, and fled.

    In the early morning hours of September 19, 2022, Philadelphia police officers responded to a report of a robbery in progress on the 8900 block of Maxwell Place, where the victim reported that her car had just been stolen by an armed individual as she and her teenage daughter were about to leave for school.

    The victim stated that around 6:15 a.m., she started her vehicle using an application on her cell phone. A short time later, she and her daughter exited their house and walked to the car parked in the front driveway, when they were approached by an armed individual, later identified as the defendant, who pointed a firearm, later found to be a replica, at their heads.

    The defendant grabbed the victim’s keys and purse and sped away in her vehicle. The victim then used its location tracking feature on her cell phone app and informed police, who responded to that location on the 2000 block of Griffith Street, about 2½ miles from the victim’s home. Using neighborhood video surveillance footage, investigators traced the movement of the victim’s vehicle and the defendant to a nearby apartment complex.

    “Amir Harvey ambushed a worker just trying to wrap up his shift, and a mom and daughter looking to start their day,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Robbing innocent people at gunpoint, even if the gun’s not real, is no game. It’s a serious crime — and an excellent way to earn an extended stay in federal prison. My office and our partners on the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force will continue to make Philly safer, as we lock up violent criminals with regard for neither the law nor other people.”

    “Violence against innocent Philadelphia victims — in this case a business employee, mother, and daughter — will not stand,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Office. “ATF is on the frontline in the fight against violent crime, particularly carjackings and robberies. We hope this case deters those willing to use violence in our community. We will continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners to prevent and prosecute violent crime when it occurs.”

    The swift action to investigate and federally charge this defendant is the work of the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force, which comprises members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Violent Crime Unit; the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Philadelphia Police Department. The goal of the Task Force is to stem the wave of armed carjackings and violent crimes through investigative and enforcement techniques meant to identify, and refer for federal prosecution, all who terrorize innocent victims through commission of these offenses within Philadelphia and surrounding areas.

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert E. Eckert and Lauren E. Stram.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Sentenced to 63 Months in Ponzi Scheme Case

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

    WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – A former resident of Durham, NC was sentenced to 63 months of imprisonment and ordered to pay restitution totaling $6,170,045.68 after pleading guilty to one count of the use of manipulative and deceptive devices and one count of wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina.

    NAYEEM CHOUDHURY, currently of Fort Worth, TX was sentenced to a 63-month term of imprisonment by the Honorable Loretta C. Biggs, United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina.  In addition to prison time, CHOUDHURY was ordered to serve three years of supervised release.

    According to court filings, CHOUDHURY, while a resident of Durham, NC, began soliciting option trading investments for his company, Dream Venture Capital Group, LLC, through friends and family networks, as well as through social media accounts and webpages. CHOUDHURY told potential investors that their investments were no-risk because he guaranteed the principal, that he would pay investors exorbitant monthly returns sometimes as high as twenty-five percent, and that he had a proven track record of successful options trading and won far more than he lost. None of these statements were true. In fact, of the eleven months CHOUDHURY traded investor funds before his fraud was identified, he suffered net trading losses in nine of those eleven months. Despite this, CHOUDHURY continued to solicit new investors, repeating the same misrepresentations identified above. He also paid older investors with principal invested by new investors, representing it to be trading gains, in what is colloquially known as a Ponzi scheme.

    CHOUDHURY lost over $5 million dollars in investor funds and used other funds for extravagant personal purchases, including an $85,000 Mercedes Benz G63. In total, he was responsible for a loss of $6,170,045.68, victimizing 88 different individuals.

    “CHOUDHURY’s mendacity knew no bounds: he mined the trust of friends and family to find new victims, even as the losses were piling up,” said U.S. Attorney Hairston.  “We are grateful to the agencies that investigated this unconscionable conduct and helped hold this defendant accountable.”

    “CHOUDHURY presented himself as an investment expert promising significant profits with little to no financial risks. He took money from his own family and friends to cover massive trading losses and fund extravagant personal expenses. While fraud of this magnitude can have a lasting impact, we hope CHOUDHURY’s federal prison sentence will bring a sense of justice to his victims,” said Robert M. DeWitt, the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.

    The investigation was undertaken by Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley E. Waid.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Previously Extradited Nigerian National Sentenced for Role in Multimillion-Dollar Business E-Mail Compromise Schemes Targeting Educational Institutions and Businesses in North Carolina and Texas

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

    A dual citizen of Nigeria and the United Kingdom was sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar business email compromise scheme.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Kalispell Man Admits Pointing Laser at Airplane

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

    MISSOULA — A Kalispell man today admitted to pointing a laser at an airplane while it was in flight over Kalispell, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

    The defendant, Nolan Wayne Hamman, 32, pleaded guilty to aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft as charged in an indictment. Hamman faces a maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

    U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. Sentencing was set for Feb. 6, 2025 before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Hamman was detained pending further proceedings.

    In court documents, the government alleged that on Nov. 25, 2023, a flight instructor operating a plane over Kalispell called 911 to report a person shining a laser pointer at her plane while she was flying with a minor student. The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded and located Hamman on the ground with the laser pointer. Hamman admitted to shining the laser at the plane while it was in flight.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI, Federal Aviation Administration, Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and Kalispell Police Department conducted the investigation.

    XXX

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Eden Prairie Woman Sentenced to Prison for Embezzling More Than $1 Million From Employer

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

    MINNEAPOLIS – An Eden Prairie woman has been sentenced to 24 months in prison, two years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $1,137,404 in restitution for embezzling more than $1 million from her employer, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

    According to court documents, Monica Svobodny, 52, worked as the Supply Chain and Engineering Manager at a furniture manufacturing company located in Edina, Minnesota. Svobodny used her managerial position to embezzle funds and convert them to her own use and benefit. Svobodny regularly used company credit cards for unauthorized personal expenses such as designer clothing, spa services, and luxury hotel stays. To cover her fraud, she left unapproved credit card expenses as “pending” for accounting purposes. On more than 300 occasions, she used company cards to transfer funds to herself via PayPal to cover personal expenses. Svobodny also edited PayPal transaction receipts and fraudulently listed some of the expenses as payments to a defunct company.

    In total, Svobodny knowingly and willfully embezzled more than $1,137,000 over a period of seven years.

    On April 10, 2024, Svobodny pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of wire fraud. She was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge Ann D. Montgomery.

    This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Edina Police Department with assistance from the FBI.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca E. Kline prosecuted the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Fentanyl Distribution and Money Laundering

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

    Second Defendant Sentenced to 16 Months in Prison for Laundering Drug Proceeds Disguised As International Wire Transfers

    OAKLAND – Christian Grajeda-Varela, a Honduran national who pleaded guilty to fentanyl trafficking and money laundering, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison.  The sentence was handed down by the Hon. Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr., United States District Judge.

    Grajeda-Varela, 25, was charged by indictment on Aug. 2, 2023, and superseding information on July 15, 2024.  He pleaded guilty on July 17, 2024 to distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl and to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.

    In his plea agreement, Grajeda-Varela admitted that he sold roughly 1.5 pounds of fentanyl in July 2023 to a drug dealer in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco.  Upon a search of his Oakland residence, federal agents found 109 grams of fentanyl, over six pounds of mannitol (a common mixing agent used to cut or dilute fentanyl), cocaine base, cocaine, and heroin.  Agents also found a kilogram press, cutting boards, and tools to cut drugs, supplies that Grajeda-Varela admitted using to dilute and assist with the distribution of drugs.

    As described in court documents, multiple WhatsApp messages were found on Grajeda-Varela’s phone containing international wire transfer receipts sent from America Latina, a money service business in Oakland.  Grajeda-Varela admitted that, between March and August 2022, he agreed with someone he suspected was involved in the drug trade to commit money laundering by bringing large amounts of cash to America Latina.  Specifically, Grajeda-Varela brought over $235,000 in cash to America Latina for the business to wire to recipients in Mexico and Honduras in the form of roughly 125 international wires.  According to the plea agreement, each of these international wires was structured and transmitted in an amount below $3,000 to avoid mandatory customer information reporting requirements under federal law.

    Grajeda-Varela admitted that he exchanged WhatsApp messages with a woman named “Griselda” who generally accepted the bulk cash he brought in and conducted the international wires for him at America Latina, and that receipts for wires America Latina sent between March and August 2022 were found on his phone as well as on the phone of Griselda Cancelada Liceaga, who owned America Latina.

    Grajeda-Varela further admitted that he knew that the owners of America Latina were structuring the bulk cash into wires of less than $3,000 each that were sent under the names of uninvolved persons to make it appear that each wire was an unrelated family/friend remittance.

    In a separately charged case, Griselda Cancelada Liceaga, 45, of Oakland, was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison.  Liceaga’s sentence was handed down by the Hon. Jeffrey S. White, Senior United States District Judge.

    Liceaga was charged by criminal complaint on Aug. 30, 2022, and pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy on May 28, 2024.  According to her plea agreement, while at her money service business America Latina, Liceaga sent multiple international wire receipts via WhatsApp between March and August 2022 to an individual arrested and prosecuted for drug trafficking.  She further admitted to using the names of unrelated persons as the wire senders and did so with the intent to evade the $3,000 transaction reporting requirement under federal law.

    According to her plea agreement, Liceaga was familiar with the reporting requirement because she had received anti-money laundering training from the national wire service companies whose wire services she used.  Liceaga further admitted that prior to opening America Latina, she had worked at another Oakland money service business, Rincon Musical, where she and her co-workers agreed to structure large cash amounts into wire transactions that were each less than $3,000 that they sent out under the names of unrelated persons.

    “We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to use all tools at our disposal to combat the drug trade in the Northern District of California and beyond,” said United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey. “Along with drug traffickers, individuals who engage in and enable the laundering of drug proceeds will be held accountable.”

    “Dismantling the profitability of deadly drug trafficking in our communities makes our streets safer and is a core capability of IRS-CI Special Agents. These sentencings highlight the effectiveness of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigations and the relentlessness in which we pursue those perpetuating the lethal drug epidemic,” said IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Oakland Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Mosley. “Our Special Agents follow the money. When the money leads us to transnational criminal organizations, we build cases that take those criminals off the streets and puts them behind bars.”

    “This decisive action, taken in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, disrupts the flow of dangerous drugs and eliminates the financial networks that make this crime possible,” said Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp.  “Those who choose to profit from poisoning our communities and endanger public safety will be held accountable. We remain resolute in our mission to dismantle these threats and ensure that justice is served.”

    “The cartels would be out of business without drug distributors and money launderers. Christian Grajeda-Varela and Griselda Cancelada Liceaga blatantly violated the law to line their pockets with ill-gotten gains,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris. “We will be relentless in our pursuit of those who put poison in our community and skirt the law by structuring payments of drug proceeds.”

    The announcements were made by United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey, IRS-CI Oakland Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Mosley, FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp, and DEA Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris.

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

    Assistant United States Attorneys Charles Bisesto and Daniel Pastor prosecuted these cases with assistance from Amanda Martinez and Andy Ding. The prosecution of Grajeda-Varela is the result of an investigation by the FBI and IRS-CI with assistance from the DEA and the Concord Police Department.  The prosecution of Cancelada Liceaga is the result of an investigation by IRS-CI and DEA with assistance from the Oakland Police Department.
     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Indiana Men Plead Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement During January 6 Capitol Breach

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

                WASHINGTON – Two men from Indiana pleaded guilty on Oct. 3, 2024, to assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Their actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

                Donald Lee Moss, 62, of Elizabethtown, Indiana, and James Link Behymer, 61, of Hope, Indiana, each pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers before U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan. The two men will be sentenced on Feb. 13, 2025.

                According to court documents, at about 2:00 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., a group of Metropolitan Police (MPD) officers, wearing riot gear, walked toward the Lower West Terrace of the U.S. Capitol building as angry and violent rioters descended on, and surrounded, the officers and began shouting obscenities and curses at them.

                The surrounded officers repeatedly issued commands to “move back.” They also began to move rioters away from their positions with their hands and batons. At approximately 2:01 p.m., Behymer approached the MPD officers with his friend, Donald Lee Moss. An MPD officer then extended his hand toward Behymer and said, “Sir, step back for your own safety.” Other officers directed Behymer and Moss to move back, but they did not. Behymer raised his right arm with a closed fist and repeatedly shouted, “USA! USA! USA!”  At the same time, Moss pointed toward the U.S. Capitol building and shouted, “This is our f— house!”

                At 2:01 p.m., an MPD officer extended their hand, attempting to keep Behymer back. Behymer then swung his fist down, striking the officer’s wrist. A few seconds later, the MPD officer placed their right hand on Behymer to keep him back; however, Behymer swung his left fist downward and struck the officer’s arm a second time while Moss forcibly shoved the officer’s hand off Behymer.

                Behymer continued to shout, “USA! USA! USA!” and Moss told the officer to “Get your f— hand off of him!” as the mob constricted the officers’ movements and pushed into them. Some members of the mob threw objects, including a traffic cone, at the officers. Amidst the chaos, rioters screamed: “F— You! F— Nazis!”, “Go back to the Gestapo training camp!” “You’re the traitors!” and “You wanna take us all on?!” Shortly after striking the officer’s arm, Moss leaned in and forcefully pushed another MPD officer from behind.

                At approximately 2:02 p.m., Behymer was at the front of the rioters, physically pressed into the officers. A rioter shouted at police: “Y’all surrounded.” Behymer then grabbed an officer’s hand and baton while the officer attempted to keep Behymer away. At approximately 2:03 p.m., Behymer re-engaged with police—again grabbing an officer’s baton.

                Ten minutes after assaulting and opposing officers on the Lower West Terrace, at approximately 2:13 p.m., Behymer and Moss entered the U.S. Capitol building through the Senate Wing doors. At approximately 2:21p.m. Moss stood at a shattered window and waived other rioters towards the Capitol building, encouraging them to enter the building. The two men then made their way toward the Crypt and the hallway linking toward the Senate Wing Doors. At about 2:31 p.m., Moss carried a chair across the Crypt lobby and placed it directly in the path of the retractable ceiling door to prevent the door from closing.

                Moss and Behymer exited the Capitol at approximately 2:41 p.m. and 2:43 p.m., respectively At about 2:48 p.m., rioters broke through a barricade set up by Capitol Police at the Senate Wing doors. Roughly two minutes later, Behymer and Moss re-entered the Capitol again via the Senate Wing doors and walked toward the Crypt before exiting at 3:34 p.m.

                The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana provided valuable assistance.

                The FBI’s Indianapolis and Washington Field Offices are investigating this case. Moss was listed as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #401 on the FBI’s website. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

                In the 44 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,504 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 560 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

                Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former New Castle Police Lieutenant Found Guilty of Excessive Use of Force and Attempted Cover-Up Following Federal Jury Trial

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

    INDIANAPOLIS—A federal jury has convicted Aaron Strong, 46, of New Castle, of three counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of witness tampering, following a five-day trial.

    According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, Aaron Strong was employed as a police officer with the New Castle Police Department. At the time the events occurred, Strong was a Lieutenant and served as Commander of the Henry County S.W.A.T. Team. Between 2017 and 2019, Strong engaged in a pattern of excessive use of force against a New Castle resident during the course of an arrest, and two detainees at the Henry County Jail.

    On July 12, 2017, Strong was part of a group of law enforcement and correctional officers that responded to reports that inmates were intoxicated at the Henry County Transition Center, a dormitory-style area of the facility designated for detainees who posed a lower security risk. When officers arrived and directed detainees to get on the ground, detainees proceeded to lay on the ground or get to their knees. Inmate “T.C” was laying on the ground when Lieutenant Strong encountered him. In response to a comment made by the inmate, Strong stomped on T.C.’s head multiple times, causing significant bodily harm.

    During the same incident, inmate “E.S.” initially got to his knees when officers ordered him to get on the ground, before eventually laying on the ground as directed. In response to the inmate’s delay in getting all the way to the ground, Lieutenant Strong shot him in the back with a “bean bag” shotgun round at point-blank range—approximately four feet away. The shot fractured the victim’s spine. All of the events at the Henry County Transition Center that day were captured on video. Other responding officers were so disturbed by Strong’s conduct that they immediately reported the incident to supervisors. As a result of Strong’s actions, the New Castle Police Department removed Strong from its S.W.A.T. Team.

    On August 18, 2019, New Castle Police engaged in a foot pursuit of “J.W.,” the subject of an investigation. After J.W. lowered himself to the ground, put his hands up and said, “I’m done,” officers began the process of putting him under arrest. As J.W. was lying face down and other officers were working to place him in handcuffs, Lieutenant Strong, without provocation, began to strike the arrestee on his arms, neck, and head with an expandable baton, resulting in significant bodily injury. In an attempt to cover up his illegal use of force against J.W., Strong knowingly made false statements to an Indiana State Police Trooper during the investigation of the 2019 incident.

    A second defendant, former Henry County Reserve Deputy Adam Guy, was acquitted by the jury of a single count of witness tampering related to the 2019 incident.

    “Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to serve our communities. Their jobs are difficult, dangerous, and noble,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Aaron Strong is not noble. He repeatedly and unlawfully abused his position of authority to inflict violence, injury, and pain—with no lawful justification. He then lied to cover it up. Our community deserves better. Together with our partners at the Department of Justice, the FBI, and Indiana State Police, our federal prosecutors will continue to seek accountability for police who illegally assault those they are sworn to protect.”

    “Aaron Strong is a repeat offender who defied his oath and abused his law enforcement authority to violently and unlawfully assault multiple individuals,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This defendant put his fellow officers in danger and grievously injured people in his custody, whose wellbeing and rights he had a legal and moral duty to protect. Strong betrayed the law enforcement profession when he told lie after lie in an effort to cover up his crimes and derail an independent investigation. This unanimous jury verdict makes clear a core principle in our country – law enforcement officers are not above the law and will be held accountable for their crimes.”

    The FBI and Indiana State Police investigated this case, with the cooperation and assistance of the New Castle Police Department and Henry County Sheriff’s Office. Chief U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt presided over the trial. Strong is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 7, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison.

    U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter A. Blackett and the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section Trial Attorney Alec Ward, who prosecuted this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Lehigh Acres Man Indicted for COVID Relief Fraud

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

    Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Thakur Sukhdeo (38, Lehigh Acres) with wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions. If convicted, Sukhdeo faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count and up to 10 years in federal prison for each illegal monetary transaction count. The indictment also notifies Sukhdeo that the United States intends to forfeit a 2018 Jaguar F-Pace, 2020 GMC Sierra 3500 HD, and $414,000, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.

    According to the indictment, beginning in approximately July 2021, Sukhdeo engaged in a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA) by making fraudulent representations in Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) loan documents about the use of EIDL funds. Sukhdeo’s false representations caused the SBA to fund a $414,000 EIDL for his company, J.R. Handyman Pro’s LLC.  Instead of using the EIDL proceeds for working capital, Sukhdeo used the funds for unauthorized purposes and for his own personal enrichment and the enrichment of others. This included the purchase of a luxury car for $68,984.61 and a truck for $93,994.42.   

    The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted March 2020. It is designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. On source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the expansion of an existing disaster-related program, the EIDL Program. The EIDL program is designed to provide economic relief to small businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. EIDL proceeds can be used to cover a wide array of working capital and normal operating expenses, such as continuation of health care benefits, rent, utilities, and fixed debt payments.

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

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Trent Reichling. The forfeiture will be handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky. 

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