NewzIntel.com

Category: Federal Bureau of Investigation

  • MIL-OSI Security: Inmate Sentenced for Threatening Federal Officials

    Source: US FBI

    PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Noah D. Stirn, 30, an inmate with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to making true threats to kill and injure a Federal District Judge, the Federal Clerk of Courts, and threatening the use of explosives against the Federal Public Defender’s Office. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

    “The public should rest assured that my office will not tolerate repeat offenders threatening to endanger individuals for simply doing their jobs, especially those in public service.  If you make true threats to federal officials, you should know that we will take them seriously,” said United States Attorney Heekin.  “This sentence sends a strong message that we will protect our dedicated government employees, so that they may perform their jobs and serve the public without fear.”

    Court documents reflect that Stirn mailed a letter threatening to kill a Federal District Judge for the Northern District of Florida and the Federal Clerk of Courts for the Northern District of Florida. Stirn also mailed a letter to the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Northern District of Florida which contained threats involving the use of explosives and claimed al-Qaeda was inspiring and sponsoring the attack. Stirn was previously prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida for mailing similar threats, and he was sentenced to 110 months custody in the Bureau of Prisons on February 12, 2020. On July 10, 2025, U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell sentenced Stirn to 37 months consecutive to his current 110-month sentence.

    Greg Leljedal, Acting U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Florida said: “Protecting the federal judiciary is a cornerstone of the U.S. Marshals Service.  Perpetrators that threaten to physically harm federal officials can expect swift and serious consequences for these illegal actions.”

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Marshals Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Harley W. Ferguson. 

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: San Antonio Man to Spend 65 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Exploiting Three Children

    Source: US FBI

    SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced to 65 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting three young children.

    According to court documents, Charles Alexander Lopez, 30, stated in a group chat on the instant messaging app Wickr that he was engaged in the sexual abuse and exploitation of minor children in October 2023. He posted two images and a video to the group on Oct. 24, 2023, along with a message stating, “My conquest for the day.” The two images depicted a male toddler whom Lopez had just sexually assaulted, while the video depicted a portion of the sexual assault itself.

    An FBI Online Covert Employee (OCE) interacted with Lopez through a private chat, through which Lopez disclosed details of another sexual assault victimizing a female toddler a few days prior and that he has sexually exploited a non-verbal autistic male child as well. On Oct. 26, 2023, FBI San Antonio executed a federal search warrant for the home and person of Lopez, seizing electronic devices used to produce, distribute and possess child pornography.

    Lopez admitted to sexually exploiting a male toddler, using his smartphone to produce and share Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). He also provided the names of other children he sexually assaulted and exploited, stating that he had sexually assaulted 15 minors since he was 10 years old and produced CSAM of approximately five different children.

    Lopez was arrested on Oct. 27, 2023, and on Nov. 15, 2023, a federal grand jury indicted him for three counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child pornography. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 10, 2025, to the three sexual exploitation charges. On July 14, Senior U.S. District Judge David Ezra sentenced Lopez to 65 years in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release. Ezra also ordered Lopez to pay $150,000 in restitution to three minor victims.

    “Individuals like this, who take every opportunity to prey on helpless children simply cannot remain free in our society,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “This defendant has spent two-thirds of his life as a child predator, sexually assaulting, exploiting and forever altering the lives of vulnerable and defenseless children to fulfill his selfish and vile choices.”

    “There is no place in our society for those who prey on the most vulnerable among us,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp for FBI San Antonio.” The FBI San Antonio Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, together with the United States Attorney’s Office, will relentlessly pursue every lead to investigate violent crimes against children and bring their perpetrators to justice.”

    FBI San Antonio investigated the case, assisted by a referral from FBI Albany.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson prosecuted the case.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Armed and Violent Drug Traffickers Operating in the Yakama Nation and Yakima Valley Facing Federal Charges, Thousands of Pounds of Drugs Seized

    Source: US FBI

    Yakima, Washington – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington announced that 13 people have been charged following the return of 12 indictments alleging more than a dozen charges against these defendants.

    The arrests follow a long-term joint federal, local, and tribal investigation that began in 2024, concluding in June 2025, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Indian Affairs. The investigation targeted violent individuals and armed drug traffickers on the Yakama Nation and in the Yakima Valley with the goal to disrupt drug distributors operation both on and off the reservation.

    “Fentanyl continues to be one of the most dangerous substances threatening our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Van Marter. “Thanks to the hard work and tireless dedication of our tribal, state and federal law enforcement partners, working side by side with members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Yakima, offenders have been removed from our communities and families are safer today.”

    To date, agents have seized 7,100 pounds of marijuana, 336 pounds of methamphetamine, nearly 25 pounds of cocaine, 7 pounds of fentanyl power, 4,704 fentanyl laced pills, $22,512 in drug proceeds, and 12 firearms.

    According to unsealed charging documents, the following individuals have been charged in connection with the investigation. The United States anticipates bringing additional charges against other individuals identified during this investigation.

    Angel Navarro Aleman, age 55, charged with Distribution of 50 Grams and More of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine (three counts)

    Jose Francisco Aguirre, age 56, pleaded guilty to Distribution of 50 Grams and More of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine; sentencing in July 2025.

    Jose Caudillo-Ascencio, age 23 charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute a Mixture or Substance Containing Cocaine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

    Jesus Caudillo, age 31, charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm

    Johnny Thomas Axtell, age 54, charged with Distribution of 5 Grams or More of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine; Distribution of Fentanyl

    Israel Nicolas Castaneda, age 37, charged with Distribution of Fentanyl; Distribution of 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl

    Samantha Rasberry-Besa, age 31, charged with Distribution of 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl; Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

    Lonzell Hawk Lucei, age 37, charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm

    Hollis Marion Woodward, age 70, pleaded guilty to Felon in Possession of a Firearm, sentencing in September 2025.

    Miguel Angel Alvarado-Munoz, age 45, charged with Alien in United States After Deportation

    Ira Charles Pete, age 39, charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm

    Edgar Jovnni Nunez Bocanegra, age 29, charged with Drug User in Possession of a Firearm; Possession with Intent to Distribute 5 Grams or More of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime

    Fernando Gonzalez, age 38, charged with Possession with the Intent to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm

    The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted the investigation along with Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, ATF, Yakima Police Department, Wapato Police Department, Yakama Nation Tribal Police Department, and the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Auburn Man Charged with Federal Program Fraud

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

    MONTGOMERY, Ala. – An Auburn, Alabama man charged with federal crimes related to loans received through the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act is now in federal custody, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson. On July 15, 2025, law enforcement conducted an operation to execute search warrants and locate 52-year-old Cesar Campos-Reyes, who was indicted by a federal grand jury on four counts of bank fraud, four counts of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering. The United States District Court in Montgomery unsealed Campos-Reyes’s criminal indictment today. Campos-Reyes surrendered to federal authorities Tuesday evening.

    Two sources of relief provided by the CARES Act are the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. Both programs were intended to help eligible small businesses by giving them working capital to make regular payments for operating expenses such as payroll, rent or mortgage expenses, utilities, or business debt. The indictment alleges that Campos-Reyes made false representations when applying for multiple loans for various restaurants owned and operated by him and for using the proceeds for unauthorized purposes.

    The charges are the result of a wide-ranging investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). This operation received significant support from the Gulf of America Homeland Security Task Force, which is a collaborative law enforcement unit including the FBI and HSI. Additional assistance was provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Alabama Department of Corrections, Auburn Police Department, Opelika Police Department, Prattville Police Department, Wetumpka Police Department, Elmore County Sheriff’s Office, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and United States Marshals Service.

    A criminal indictment or complaint is merely an allegation that a crime has been committed. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    If convicted on all charges, Campos-Reyes faces a sentence of up to 30 years in prison along with significant fines. There is no parole in the federal system. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle R. Turner and John J. Geer, III.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former U.S. Army Soldier Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Aggravated Child Neglect

    Source: US FBI

    NASHVILLE – Andrew J. Garasich, 29, of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for aggravated child neglect, announced Robert E. McGuire, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.

    “The victim in this case was a two-month-old child who was horribly neglected by the Defendant and barely survived,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “The child is now in a loving home but will face lifelong struggles because of the Defendant’s choices. This case shows that we will not hesitate to prosecute those who hurt children and, if they are convicted, we will seek long sentences in federal prison for them.”

    “This sentencing is a result of the unwavering commitment of the FBI and our justice system to protect the most vulnerable members of our community—our children,” said Special Agent in Charge Joe Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “There is no place in our community for those who harm children, and we will do everything we can to find and punish those who engage in this repugnant activity and seek justice for victims.”

    “This case highlights the strong partnership between Army CID, the FBI, and the Department of Justice,” said Special Agent in Charge John McCabe of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Midcentral Field Office. “This sentencing reflects our dedication to justice for this young victim and sends a clear message that child abuse will not be tolerated within our ranks or in our communities.”

    Garasich, a former sergeant (E-5) in the United States Army stationed on Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was a father of a two-month-old baby when, on December 30, 2022, Garasich severely burned his baby by bathing him in water so hot that the baby’s skin peeled off his body. The two-month-old baby did not receive medical treatment for five days after the bath.  When the baby was finally taken to Houston County Community Hospital for medical treatment, Garasich did not accompany the baby to the hospital. Medical personnel immediately arranged for the baby to be life flighted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center due to the severity of his injuries, and they contacted the Erin, Tennessee, Police Department, which dispatched officers to the hospital to speak with witnesses about how the baby was injured. When the baby was assessed at Vanderbilt, in addition to partial to full thickness burns on the baby’s buttocks, perineum, lower extremities, and left elbow, medical personnel also noted a left parietal skull fracture.

    Although Garasich does not have any prior criminal convictions, he has a prior case with the Department of Children’s Services involving another child in 2019.

    Following his term of imprisonment, Garasich will be on supervised release for 4 years.

    Garasich’s co-defendant, the child’s mother, will be sentenced on August 5, 2025.

    This case was investigated by the U.S. Army – Criminal Investigation Division and the FBI Nashville Field Office, Clarksville Resident Agency.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Morrison and Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire prosecuted the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Longtime VA Contracting Officer Sentenced to Over Five Years in Prison for Defrauding the Agency of More Than $500,000

    Source: US FBI

    For Years, Defendant Directed Projects, Contracts to Shell Co. Set Up With His Paramour

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Ahmed Hassan, 71, of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Judge John F. Murphy to 64 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release for defrauding his employer, the Department of Veterans Affairs (“the VA”), of over $500,000. The defendant was also ordered to pay $565,058.70 in restitution, with $150,000 of that restitution due in 30 days, and a $2,200 special assessment.

    Hassan was charged by indictment in April 2021. After a one-week trial in October of 2024, a federal jury convicted the defendant of 22 counts of wire fraud for misusing his VA position to steal from the agency.

    As proven at trial, Hassan was a trusted supervisory engineer at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (“VA Medical Center”) in Philadelphia. In that position, Hassan was responsible for all mechanical and large HVAC systems at the Medical Center and was further charged with overseeing and implementing contracts in his area of responsibility.

    From approximately 2013 through October 2017, Hassan schemed to defraud the VA by drafting and submitting for payment, false invoices of a shell company called HT Mechanical. But unbeknownst to Medical Center management, and in violation of Hassan’s duties to the VA, HT Mechanical was a fraudulent entity that Hassan had secretly set up with his then-paramour, Lynn Hanrahan[1] — a social worker with no knowledge of, or expertise in, HVAC or mechanical systems — in order to defraud the VA.

    For years, the defendant made up fake work, drafted false invoices on HT Mechanical letterhead, submitted them for payment to the VA under the VA purchase card program, and lied to the VA, claiming that the work had been done, when the so-called jobs did not exist, and no work was performed. After the VA made payment to HT Mechanical based on the defendant’s lies, his paramour returned the payments to the defendant, either by check or by giving the defendant envelopes of cash.

    “Fraud against the government hurts us all,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “It heightens the cost of public services and threatens their availability to deserving citizens. In this case, out of sheer greed, Ahmed Hassan thoroughly betrayed the veterans the VA exists to serve and stole from American taxpayers. Today’s sentence shows that criminals who cheat the U.S. government will pay for it, in the end.”

    “This sentencing demonstrates that those involved in defrauding VA, particularly VA employees in positions of public trust, will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Algieri with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office. “The VA OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure the integrity of VA’s programs and services.”

    The case was investigated by Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Megan Curran and Assistant United States Attorney Mary E. Crawley.
     

    [1] Hanrahan was charged in a related scheme, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced on January 8, 2025.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Philadelphia Man Who Robbed Four Banks Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison

    Source: US FBI

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Joseph Perkins, 31, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 84 months in prison and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Karen S. Marston for robbing multiple city banks in a two-week span.

    Perkins was charged by indictment in October 2024 with four counts of bank robbery and pleaded guilty in March. As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, he would present threatening demand notes to bank personnel in order to obtain and abscond with money.

    The offenses committed by Perkins are as follows:

    • the August 26, 2024, robbery of the Citizens Bank branch located inside the ACME Market at 2497 Aramingo Avenue, Philadelphia
    • the August 29, 2024, robbery of the Citizens Bank branch located at 2101 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia
    • the September 4, 2024, robbery of the TD Bank branch located at 6304 Roosevelt Boulevard, Philadelphia
    • the September 7, 2024, robbery of the TD Bank branch located at 2267 East Butler Street, Philadelphia

    Perkins received cash in the first three robberies but fled the fourth empty-handed.

    The case was investigated by the FBI Philadelphia Violent Crimes Task Force and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kwambina Coker.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Philadelphia Man Who Robbed Four Banks Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison

    Source: US FBI

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Joseph Perkins, 31, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 84 months in prison and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Karen S. Marston for robbing multiple city banks in a two-week span.

    Perkins was charged by indictment in October 2024 with four counts of bank robbery and pleaded guilty in March. As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, he would present threatening demand notes to bank personnel in order to obtain and abscond with money.

    The offenses committed by Perkins are as follows:

    • the August 26, 2024, robbery of the Citizens Bank branch located inside the ACME Market at 2497 Aramingo Avenue, Philadelphia
    • the August 29, 2024, robbery of the Citizens Bank branch located at 2101 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia
    • the September 4, 2024, robbery of the TD Bank branch located at 6304 Roosevelt Boulevard, Philadelphia
    • the September 7, 2024, robbery of the TD Bank branch located at 2267 East Butler Street, Philadelphia

    Perkins received cash in the first three robberies but fled the fourth empty-handed.

    The case was investigated by the FBI Philadelphia Violent Crimes Task Force and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kwambina Coker.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Sacramento County Man Convicted of Receiving Child Sex Abuse Material

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    After a one‑day trial, a jury found Kyle Travis Colton, 37, of Citrus Heights, guilty Tuesday of one count of receiving child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez announced.

    According to evidence presented at trial and in court documents, during a search of Colton’s home law enforcement recovered his laptop, which contained copious images and videos depicting the graphic sexual abuse of young children. The jury heard evidence that between July 2022 and December 2023, Colton downloaded these depictions of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The material was saved on Colton’s computer desktop and in his downloads folder, and he had user-created bookmarks linking to known child pornography websites.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Whitnee Goins and Shea J. Kenny are prosecuting the case.

    Colton is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on Oct. 27, 2025. Colton faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. 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.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Convicted of Hiring Hitman to Murder a Federal Prosecutor, FBI Special Agent, Witnesses, and Victims Before the Start of his Federal Cyber Harassment Trial

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – On July 11, 2025, a federal jury sitting in Ft. Lauderdale found Anthony Brillante II, age 36, guilty of attempted murder of an employee of the United States, solicitation to commit a crime of violence, use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice.  The charges stemmed from a plot engaged in by the defendant to murder the federal prosecutor and FBI Special Agent who investigated and prosecuted him for cyber harassment, by hiring a hitman to kill them. He was also found guilty of attempting to kill the witnesses and victims of his cyber harassment case before the start of his federal cyber harassment trial on October 30, 2023. 

    In August of 2022, the FBI arrested Brillante for cyber harassing his family in New York.  Brillante, a student at FIU during most of the time of the crimes, spoofed hundreds of different phone numbers to send three victims—his cousin, her husband, and their 12-year-old daughter—tens of thousands of phone calls and text messages over a 15-month period between 2021 and 2022, including countless explicit threats to kill them.  The messages included threatening to shoot them in the in the face and running them over with a car. The federal cyber harassment investigation established that Brillante was also sending similar threatening messages to another cousin and her husband, who both resided in Texas. 

    In October 2023, just before the start of his federal cyber harassment trial, Brillante directed and paid a total of $40,000 in furtherance of the murder plot.  On October 29, 2023, the day before his cyber harassment trial was scheduled to begin, Brillante met with an undercover FBI agent, who was posing as a hitman, and enlisted him to commit the murders of the prosecuting Assistant United States Attorney, the investigating FBI special agent, and the victims of his cyber harassment case in order to obstruct his federal trial. Despite his efforts, Brillante was convicted in his first trial of cyber harassment and ultimately sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment. 

    Sentencing in the murder-for-hire case is scheduled for October 1, 2025. 

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lawrence D. LaVecchio and Deric Zacca from the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. AUSA Daren Grove is handling asset forfeiture.

    You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-60204.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Convicted of Hiring Hitman to Murder a Federal Prosecutor, FBI Special Agent, Witnesses, and Victims Before the Start of his Federal Cyber Harassment Trial

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – On July 11, 2025, a federal jury sitting in Ft. Lauderdale found Anthony Brillante II, age 36, guilty of attempted murder of an employee of the United States, solicitation to commit a crime of violence, use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice.  The charges stemmed from a plot engaged in by the defendant to murder the federal prosecutor and FBI Special Agent who investigated and prosecuted him for cyber harassment, by hiring a hitman to kill them. He was also found guilty of attempting to kill the witnesses and victims of his cyber harassment case before the start of his federal cyber harassment trial on October 30, 2023. 

    In August of 2022, the FBI arrested Brillante for cyber harassing his family in New York.  Brillante, a student at FIU during most of the time of the crimes, spoofed hundreds of different phone numbers to send three victims—his cousin, her husband, and their 12-year-old daughter—tens of thousands of phone calls and text messages over a 15-month period between 2021 and 2022, including countless explicit threats to kill them.  The messages included threatening to shoot them in the in the face and running them over with a car. The federal cyber harassment investigation established that Brillante was also sending similar threatening messages to another cousin and her husband, who both resided in Texas. 

    In October 2023, just before the start of his federal cyber harassment trial, Brillante directed and paid a total of $40,000 in furtherance of the murder plot.  On October 29, 2023, the day before his cyber harassment trial was scheduled to begin, Brillante met with an undercover FBI agent, who was posing as a hitman, and enlisted him to commit the murders of the prosecuting Assistant United States Attorney, the investigating FBI special agent, and the victims of his cyber harassment case in order to obstruct his federal trial. Despite his efforts, Brillante was convicted in his first trial of cyber harassment and ultimately sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment. 

    Sentencing in the murder-for-hire case is scheduled for October 1, 2025. 

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lawrence D. LaVecchio and Deric Zacca from the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. AUSA Daren Grove is handling asset forfeiture.

    You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-60204.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: South Texas residents ordered to prison for human smuggling

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Two 35-year-old Brownsville residents have been sentenced for smuggling three illegal aliens in the trunk of a vehicle, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Ofelia Christine Monares and Michael Rosa pleaded guilty April 1.

    U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera has imposed a 40-month term of imprisonment for Monares while Rosa received 25 months. Both must also serve one year of supervised release following their sentences.

    Both received upward adjustments or increases in their calculated sentencing guideline range for placing the life of the aliens in jeopardy. Monares also received a sentencing enhancement for being a supervisor of the criminal activity.

    At the time of their pleas, both Monares and Rosa admitted to knowingly smuggling three illegal aliens in the trunk of a Nissan Sentra.

    On Feb. 24, law enforcement observed several suspected illegal aliens walking along a dirt road near the Rio Grande River. The group climbed into the trunk of a Nissan Sentra which then fled at a high rate of speed. Authorities stopped the vehicle at the Highway 4 checkpoint and found three Vietnamese nationals in the trunk. All appeared dehydrated and were sweating profusely.

    Rosa was the driver. He said Victor Hugo Medrano-Medrano and Monares had recruited him, and that Medrano and Monares picked him up in a white Nissan Titan and drove him to the Sentra. Rosa said they were to pay him $10,000 to transport the aliens to a local convenience store in Brownsville.

    Video surveillance revealed the Titan crossing the checkpoint shortly after Rosa’s arrest. Authorities later located the Titan at the convenience store with Monares driving and Medrano in the passenger seat. 

    Monares said she was also to be paid – $500 – for every alien transported.

    Medrano-Medrano, 38, Brownsville, has also pleaded guilty and is set for sentencing in September. He remains in custody.

    Both Monares and Rosa have also have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined at a later date. 

    Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel Castro prosecuted the case.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Utah Man Indicted for First Degree Murder After Allegedly Killing Another Man with a Bow and Arrow

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today charging a Northeastern Utah man with first degree murder after he allegedly killed another man with a bow and arrow last month.

    Leroy Casper Poowegup Reed, 42, of Whiterocks, Utah, was charged by complaint on June 27, 2025, and ordered detained by a U.S. Magistrate Judge.  

    According to court documents, on June 26, 2025, officers from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call from an individual who reported a possible vehicle accident in the Whiterocks community. It was reported that an individual was inside the vehicle unconscious and not breathing, with an arrow sticking out of him. Officers at the scene observed a black GMC pickup with the sole occupant/victim inside. The victim had an arrow pierced into his neck just above the collar bone. Officers concluded he was deceased.

    As alleged in court documents, officers located a male individual on a porch of a residence, who was yelling at law enforcement. Officers also found blood on the road in front of the residence. The resident on the porch was identified as Reed and was taken into custody. Officers also located and seized a bow and arrows, and other items. Law enforcement obtained surveillance video of the incident, which showed a black GMC truck pull up and park. The victim exited the truck and walked towards Reed’s residence. Reed was then observed walking across the driveway with a bow and arrow drawn. The victim put his hands up and the video showed Reed move closer to the victim and then release an arrow, which hit the victim in the neck above the collar bone. The victim turned and walked back to his truck and Reed turned and walked towards his residence. The arrows seized from Reed’s residence match the arrow found in the victim.

    Reed is charged with murder in the first degree while within Indian Country. His initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for July 17, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

    Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah made the announcement.

    The case is being investigated jointly by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office’s Vernal Resident Agency.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Sam Pead and Victoria K. McFarland of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.

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

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

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn-Supported Annual Intelligence Bill Passes Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) today released the following statement after the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 passed out of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence:

    “The U.S. Intelligence Community and congressional intelligence committees play vital roles in keeping Texans safe and secure in an increasingly complex threat environment at home and around the globe,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This legislation will ensure our intelligence agencies are equipped with the tools to confront foreign espionage, enhance counternarcotics efforts, and bolster our cybersecurity all while prioritizing transparency and efficiency, and I was glad to support it.”

     Sen. Cornyn’s Legislation Included in the Bill:

    • Intelligence Community Technology Bridge Act: Would enable the Intelligence Community (IC) to streamline acquisition processes and prioritize small business and nontraditional defense contractor solutions.
    • Counternarcotics Enhancement Act: Would direct the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to submit to the congressional intelligence committees an action plan to enhance counternarcotics collaboration, coordination, and cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico.
    • Strengthening Prosecution Integrity for Espionage Statutes (SPIES) Act: Would help hold foreign spies who commit espionage crimes against the U.S. accountable by removing the statute of limitations for certain offenses such as gathering or delivering classified information to aid foreign governments.

    Other Key Provisions Include:

    • Requiring the DNI to assess the counterintelligence vulnerabilities of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA);
    • Requiring the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to assess and share the counterintelligence risks to commercial spaceports;
    • Reforming and improving efficiencies and effectiveness within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the broader IC;
    • Requiring that visas be denied to certain nationals applying to work at the United Nations if they are known or suspected of being foreign intelligence officers or committing intelligence or espionage activities;
    • Prohibiting the IC from contracting with Chinese military companies engaged in biotechnology research, development, or manufacturing;
    • Codifying tour and travel restrictions for Chinese, Russian, Iranian, and North Korean diplomats in the United States;
    • Enhancing protections for, and congressional oversight of, IC whistleblowers;
    • Prohibiting IC contractors from collecting or selling IC personnel location data;
    • And promoting transparency by requiring the DNI to conduct a declassification review and publish intelligence relating to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Middletown Man Who Pretended to be Teenage Boy Online Pleads Guilty to Coercing, Exploiting Minor Girls

    Source: US FBI

    CINCINNATI – A Middletown man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to 11 counts of federal child exploitation crimes. The plea agreement includes a recommended sentence of 26 years in prison.  

    William Scott Elam, 53, connected with girls between the ages of 10 and 16 on various online chatting apps. He pretended to be a 14-year-old male and coerced or attempted to coerce the minor victims into creating nude images and videos that involved sexual conduct.

    For approximately four years, Elam began online relationships with numerous minor females in at least seven states. Law enforcement officers have identified at least 10 victims to date. He admitted to coercing victims into masturbating on live video calls with him.

    He manipulated at least one victim into complying by threatening to harm himself if she did not do as he asked. He instructed another victim to self-harm via cutting on live video after learning the victim had a history of self-harm.

    Elam coerced victims into sending him live sexual material by threatening to leak naked images he obtained of them.

    The defendant was arrested in October 2023. He pleaded guilty today to 10 counts of coercion and enticement and one count of sexual exploitation of children.

    Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea entered on July 14 before U.S. District Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey is representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

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  • MIL-OSI Security: DHS Statement on Capture of Violent Extremist Involved in Prairieland Attack on ICE Agents

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    FBI Most Wanted Suspect for attack on ICE agents arrested after joint investigation with ICE and law enforcement partners

    WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today released the following statement as the week-long manhunt for Benjamin Hanil Song--a fugitive wanted in connection with the July 4 ambush on federal officers at the Prairieland Detention Center–ended Monday with his arrest by FBI agents in Dallas, Texas. Song had been on the FBI’s Most Wanted list since a Blue Alert was issued following his alleged role in the organized, armed attack. 

    Song, a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist, joined a violent group of at least 10 individuals in opening fire on officers at the federal facility just after 10:30 p.m. on Independence Day. He is charged with three counts of attempted murder of federal agents and three counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. His capture brings the total number of arrests in the attack to 14. 

    “On Independence Day, as Americans were celebrating our freedoms, a group of violent extremists attempted to assassinate federal officers protecting us from violent criminals,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Song’s arrest sends a clear message: under President Trump and Secretary Noem, if you lay a hand on an ICE agent, you will NOT walk free. We will not forget, and we will not rest until every attacker is in custody.” 

    The Prairieland Detention Center, which housed more than 1,000 illegal aliens on the night of the attack, includes detainees with convictions for rape, child molestation, murder, kidnapping, arson, human trafficking, and terrorism. Nearly 50 known members of MS-13, Tren de Aragua, and other transnational gangs were among the detainees, in addition to 13 Known or Suspected Terrorists (KSTs). 

    This is just the latest in a disturbing pattern of politically motivated violence targeting DHS personnel. Last week, ICE officers conducting enforcement operations in San Francisco were assaulted by violent protestors. In June, rioters stormed an ICE field office in Portland. ICE agents are now facing an 830% increase in assaults against them. 

    DHS and its law enforcement partners continue working around the clock to identify, arrest, and prosecute anyone involved in the July 4 ambush or other coordinated attacks against federal officers. 

    ###

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden Votes ‘No’ on FY26 Intelligence Authorization Act for Removing Critical Oversight of Intelligence Agencies

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)

    July 16, 2025

    U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced that he voted against the 2026 Intelligence Authorization Act, which removed essential oversight of government intelligence and surveillance programs and passed the Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday evening. 

    “It’s legislative malpractice to reduce the Senate’s oversight of the federal intelligence agencies while Donald Trump and his cronies are ignoring both laws and constitutional protections for Americans rights on a daily basis,” Wyden said. “Eliminating the requirement that the general counsels of the Office of Director of National Intelligence and CIA be Senate confirmed means the people who make secret law will no longer be vetted or held accountable. The bill also excludes congressional oversight of Intelligence Community firings that was in last year’s bill, despite the Trump administration’s politicized purges. These represent a serious setback for oversight. I also have serious concerns about classified matters that are either in the classified annex, or that the annex fails to address.”

    Wyden did secure several important provisions in the bill, including whistleblower protections, a reporting requirement on the collection of commercial data, the declassification of any information on foreign governments’ actions to help their nationals flee justice in the United States, a prohibition on intelligence agencies contracting with companies that collect or sell location data associated with intelligence facilities and annual reporting on FBI national security investigations.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons’ statement on Benjamin Hanil Song’s arrest

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    July 16, 2025Washington, DC, United StatesStatement

    “I want to congratulate and thank our partners at the FBI for bringing in Benjamin Hanil Song, the man who conspired with more than a dozen other criminals to kill ICE officials,” said acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. “This wannabe-killer is now off the streets. It’s horrifying that dangerous rhetoric, often spread by elected officials, has brought us to this point, but let this be an example to other people planning on terrorizing federal law enforcement officers: If you attack the brave men and women protecting this nation from dangerous criminal aliens, we will arrest you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hudson County Man Indicted for Investment Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme Involving Elderly Victims

    Source: US FBI

    NEWARK, NJ. – A New Jersey man was arraigned on wire fraud and money laundering charges for a scheme to defraud elderly and other victims by misappropriating funds that the victims were told would be invested on their behalf or otherwise used for their benefit, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

    Antonio Petrosino, a/k/a Anthony Petrosino, 60, of Union City, New Jersey, was arraigned on July 9, 2025, before Senior U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler.  Petrosino was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 18, 2025, with five counts of wire fraud (Counts One through Five) and one count of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity (Count Six).  Petrosino was previously charged by complaint in January 2025 with one count of wire fraud and one count of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.

    According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:

    From in or around January 2016 through in or around November 2024, Petrosino fraudulently induced the victims to transfer investment funds, mortgage payments, and other money to Petrosino.  As part of the scheme to defraud, Petrosino held himself out to be a financial services professional to his victims and falsely led them to believe that he would invest the victims’ money in brokerage accounts and other investment products or otherwise use it for their benefit.  To perpetuate his fraud, Petrosino provided one elderly victim with falsified investment statements that purported to show that she had hundreds of thousands of dollars deposited in various investment accounts in her name.  Petrosino also made various statements to victims assuring them that their money had been invested or used as promised.

    In reality, Petrosino failed to invest the victims’ funds or otherwise use victim monies for the victims’ benefit as promised.  Instead, Petrosino misappropriated the money to pay for his personal expenses, including gambling, credit card payments, and rent on his luxury apartment unit.  When confronted by victims about the status of the money they sent to Petrosino, Petrosino provided the victims and their family members false reassurances about the status of the victims’ funds to cover up his fraud.  In total, Petrosino stole more than approximately $1 million from the victims. 

    The wire fraud charges each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.  The money laundering charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.  All counts carry a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross amount of gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in Newark; special agents of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System – Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Tucker; and the Wyckoff Police Department, under the direction of Chief David V. Murphy, with the investigation leading to Petrosino’s indictment. 

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kozar of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

    The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

                                                                                               ###

    Defense Counsel: Michael Thomas, Esq.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: South Carolina Woman Sentenced for Sending Threats to Kill a Catskill Man

    Source: US FBI

    ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kristin Keeble, age 54, of Pageland, South Carolina, was sentenced yesterday to 5 months in jail, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release with 6 months of home detention, for transmitting a threat to injure another in interstate commerce.

    Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

    As part of her guilty plea, Keeble admitted that on October 26, 2023, she sent four threatening, profanity-laced and racially derogatory audio messages through Facebook Messenger to a man in Catskill, New York. Keeble threatened to kill the victim by hanging him, along with a woman the victim knew, and the woman’s children, from a tree. Keeble purported to be acting with members of the Ku Klux Klan. Keeble knew, from the victim’s Facebook profile photo, that the victim was Black.

    U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “No one should ever receive despicable, hateful threats like this. Those who threaten people over the Internet are going to be prosecuted and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

    FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated: “No individual should live in fear because of someone’s intolerance and hatred. Threats of violence, especially borne from hate, will never be tolerated and the FBI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners hold the perpetrators accountable for their disturbing actions and bring justice to the victims.”

    The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hamburg Man Charged with Threatening a Member of Congress

    Source: US FBI

    BUFFALO, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Gerald T. Przybylski, 78, of Hamburg, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with transmitting in interstate and foreign commerce, specifically using the internet, communications that contained threats to injure a member of Congress, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on June 13, 2025, Przybylski sent a threatening email to the office email account of a member of the United States House of Representatives (Victim). Among other things, the email stated, “You are obviously unaware of the movement to execute Trump and all his Republican sycophants, not assassination but legal execution under the Constitution of the United States, which you, Donald Trump, and all your Republican colleagues have refused to honor, you have betrayed your oath of office and are a TRAITOR!!!” The email also “You should be afraid for your life!!!” When interviewed by law enforcement, Przybylski stated, “I was probably trying to scare him.”

    Przybylski made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was released on conditions.

    The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia, the United States Secret Service, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Charles Perras, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm, and the United States Capitol Police, under the direction of Chief Michael Sullivan.

    The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.  

    # # # #

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Lead Defendant in Multistate Car Theft Ring Pleads Guilty

    Source: US FBI

    DAYTON, Ohio – The lead defendant in a $1.5 million chop shop conspiracy pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court. 

    Kahrese Tracey Scott Lee, 28, of Cincinnati, pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport stolen vehicles in interstate commerce and to knowingly operating a chop shop. He faces up to 15 years in prison.

    According to court documents, between at least October 2023 and October 2024, Lee, who is also known as “Reese Lee” and “Bennett Jones,” knowingly worked with others to orchestrate an interstate stolen car ring. The defendant operated a garage in Dayton and received dozens of stolen vehicles. For example, during May 2024 alone, Lee’s Dayton chop shop housed within it more than half a million dollars in stolen cars and vehicle parts.

    Lee often disassembled stolen vehicles and removed their parts for resale or for placement in another vehicle. He both received and traded or sold vehicles out of state.

    On occasion, Lee also stole vehicles himself or worked with others to do so. During one planned theft incident, Lee and others traveled from Ohio to Indiana, where they stole three vehicles valued at more than $200,000 total from an auto lot.

    Law enforcement ultimately discovered Lee and others in possession of the stolen vehicles in Alabama, where Lee planned to establish a new garage. Officers confiscated the cars and returned them to the Indiana dealership that owned them.

    Lee and his accomplices had placed a tracking device on one of the stolen cars and tracked it back to Indiana. Lee traveled back to the Indiana dealership and attempted to steal the vehicle again; however, law enforcement apprehended him as he attempted to do so.

    Lee and six others were charged by a federal indictment in November 2024.

    Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal announced the guilty plea entered on July 11 before Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice. Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi and Assistant United States Attorney Rob Painter are representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

     

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Russell Fry (SC-07) Introduces the Kayla Hamilton Act to Protect American Communities from Dangerous UAC Placements

    Source:

    Congressman Russell Fry (SC-07) Introduces the Kayla Hamilton Act to Protect American Communities from Dangerous UAC Placements

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Russell Fry (SC-07) introduced the Kayla Hamilton Act, critical legislation designed to close dangerous loopholes in the federal government’s handling of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) and to prevent tragedies like the murder of Kayla Hamilton, an autistic 20-year-old woman from Maryland. Congressmen Troy Nehls (TX-22) and Barry Moore (AL-01) are original cosponsors of this legislation.

    Kayla was brutally murdered by Walter Javier Martinez, a UAC who was released to a sponsor—an individual responsible for housing and supervising the UAC—by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) before any background checks were completed. Because the Biden-Harris administration did not complete background checks prior to a UAC’s release, authorities were unaware that Martinez was in fact an El Salvadorian with a criminal history and affiliation with the MS-13 gang. Once authorities then took him into custody, Martinez also admitted to having committed four murders, two rapes, and other crimes. 

    To prevent such tragedies from happening again, the Kayla Hamilton Act mandates that the HHS Secretary consider whether the UAC poses a danger to themselves or the community when determining potential placements for them.

    Additional reforms in the Kayla Hamilton Act include:

    • Requires HHS to contact the consulate or embassy of a UAC’s home country to determine any criminal history or gang affiliation for UACs aged 12 and older.
    • Mandates that HHS screen for gang tattoos during standard medical assessments and requires UACs with such indicators to be placed in secure facilities.
    • UACs with known gang ties or tattoos must be housed in secure HHS facilities, not released into communities.
    • Prohibits UAC placement with sponsors who are in the United States illegally.
    • Requires HHS to collect and share background information on all potential sponsors and their adult household members—including immigration status and results of FBI fingerprint checks—with the Department of Homeland Security.
    • Removes discretionary authority that previously allowed HHS to ignore risk factors such as gang activity or criminal history during placement decisions.

    “The tragic murder of Kayla Hamilton was preventable,” said Congressman Fry. “The Biden Administration’s policies opened the door to criminal exploitation of our immigration system—and the Kayla Hamilton Act ensures that no future administration can make those same reckless decisions. It’s time we put public safety, accountability, and the protection of American citizens first. This bill makes clear that the integrity of our immigration system can no longer be an afterthought.”

    “No one else should ever again have to suffer the way my daughter Kayla did,” said Tammy Nobles, Kayla Hamilton’s mother. “The Biden-Harris Administration’s policies prioritized the comfort of illegal aliens, like Kayla’s killer, over the safety of innocent Americans. The Kayla Hamilton Act is necessary to ensure background checks of unaccompanied alien children occur before they are released. If that had happened in the case of Kayla’s killer, authorities would have known he was an MS-13 gang member.”

    “The Biden Administration’s failed policies regarding unaccompanied alien children put the American people at risk and resulted in one of the largest state-sponsored child trafficking operations in human history,” said Congressman Nehls. “The failure to conduct criminal background checks on the UACs cost the life of Kayla Hamilton, and the failure to vet UAC sponsors resulted in thousands of children likely being trafficked for labor or sex. I’m proud to cosponsor Congressman Fry’s Kayla Hamilton Act to prevent any future administration from releasing UAC gang members into our communities or failing to vet UAC sponsors, putting the safety of the American people first.”

    “The tragic murder of Kayla Hamilton should have never happened,” said Congressman Moore. “This heartbreaking case is a direct result of reckless catch and release policies seen under the Biden Administration and the failure of Democrats in Congress to put the safety of American citizens first. We must ensure unaccompanied minors aren’t placed with dangerous individuals or illegal aliens without proper vetting. I am proud to be a co-sponsor of Rep. Fry’s bill, The Kayla Hamilton Act, which gives us the opportunity to close threatening loopholes, stop the flow of gang members like MS-13 into our communities, and restore common sense and accountability to our immigration system.”

    Congressman Fry serves on both the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. To stay up to date with Congressman Fry and his work for the Seventh District, follow his official Facebook, Instagram, and X pages and visit his website at fry.house.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Tren De Araqua Associates Plead Guilty to Bank Theft

    Source: US FBI

    JACKSON, MS – Two individuals with ties to the Venezuelan organized crime syndicate Tren de Araqua pleaded guilty to bank theft, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff.

    According to court documents and statements made in open court, Jesus Rene Cabrera Tobias, 25 and Darwin Javier Delgado, 46, pleaded guilty after being indicted by a federal grand jury for bank theft. On August 8, 2024, Tobias and Delgado stole $21,500 from an ATM machine in Enterprise, Mississippi by hacking the ATM operating system and disabling the ATM security features by installing a foreign device that allowed them to assume control of the ATM.

    Surveillance footage recovered by FBI on the night of the theft captured Tobias unlock the ATM and open the machine to access the internal system that controlled the ATM operating system and security features. The footage showed that after manipulating the ATM, Tobias returned to their vehicle and retrieved a small electronic device to install within the ATM. After a brief period of manipulating the ATM using the small electronic device, the ATM then emptied by continuously producing United States currency from the cash tray. Tobias collected the cash as it was disbursed from the ATM and transferred it to another individual in the vehicle.

    Investigators identified the suspect vehicle and its owner through the surveillance footage. The registered owner of the vehicle was Delgado. Surveillance footage from a nearby store captured Tobias and Delgado traveling in the suspect vehicle and shopping within the store.

    The suspect vehicle was stopped the next day in Texas by officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety. Delgado and Cabrera were found in the vehicle and arrested. Two cell phones and clothing matching the clothing worn during the bank theft operation were recovered from the suspect vehicle upon execution of a search warrant. A forensic examination of the cellular phones contained photographs and videos from the instant offense, including multiple videos of the defendants manipulating other ATMs and withdrawing cash. The forensic examination also showed that the photographs and videos taken during the theft contained metadata placing the defendants at the scene of the crime. The ATM hard drive was forensically examined by FBI and was shown to have been compromised with malware that disabled the ATM security features.

    Tobias and Delgado are citizens of Venezuela. During the investigation, Investigators discovered that Tobias and Delgado committed the theft in coordination with members of the transnational criminal organization Tren de Araqua from Venezuela.

    “Today’s announcement sends a clear message: Tren de Aragua transnational criminal operations will not be tolerated and the FBI will aggressively pursue TdA’s scourge of criminal activity. Tobias and Delgado brazenly tampered with ATM machines defrauding banks and the American people,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff. “These guilty pleas underscore the FBI’s commitment in collaboration with our state and federal partners in identifying, pursuing, disrupting, and dismantling organized crime syndicates, ultimately eradicating TdA’s presence and influence in the U.S.”

    Tobias is scheduled to be sentenced on September 10, 2025. Delgado is scheduled to be sentenced on October 7, 2025. Tobias and Delgado face a maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment followed by possible deportation. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office, Meridian Police Department, Decatur Police Department, Enterprise Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel Goff and Brett Grantham are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Vance Boelter Indicted for the Murders of Melissa and Mark Hortman, the Shootings of John and Yvette Hoffman, and the Attempted Shooting of Hope Hoffman

    Source: US FBI

    MINNEAPOLIS – Vance Boelter, 57, has been indicted on six federal charges in connection with the stalking and murders of Minnesota House of Representatives Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman, the stalking and shooting of Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman, and the attempted shooting of their daughter Hope Hoffman, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.

    “Vance Boelter planned and carried out a night of terror that shook Minnesota to its core,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  “He carried out targeted political assassinations the likes of which have never been seen in Minnesota. We grieve with the Hortman family and continue to pray for the recovery of the Hoffmans. Today, a grand jury indicted Boelter with the most serious of federal charges for these heinous political assassinations. Let me be clear: Boelter will see justice.”

    According to court documents, after extensive research and planning, Boelter embarked on a murderous rampage targeting Minnesota’s elected officials and their families. On June 14, 2025, the defendant disguised himself as a member of law enforcement and traveled to the homes of Democratic elected officials with the intent to intimidate and murder. Early that morning, the defendant traveled to the Hoffmans home in Champlin, Minnesota. By posing as a police officer, Boelter compelled the Hoffmans to answer their door. He then repeatedly shot Senator Hoffman and Yvette Hoffman and he attempted to shoot their daughter, Hope Hoffman.

    Boelter then traveled to the homes of two other Minnesota elected officials, only to find that no one at those locations was home. He next drove to the home of Speaker Emerita and Representative Melissa Hortman. There, Boelter repeatedly shot, and killed,  Representative Hortman and her husband, Mark. Following a two-day manhunt, law enforcement arrested the defendant near his family residence in Green Isle, Minnesota.

    The defendant is charged with numerous counts, including the stalking and murders of Melissa and Mark Hortman, the stalking and shooting of John and Yvette Hoffman, and the attempted shooting of Hope Hoffman. The defendant faces charges which include maximum penalties of up to life in prison or death. 

    “Last month, the State of Minnesota experienced fear and panic. Today, Vance Boelter was indicted by a federal grand jury, marking another step forward in our pursuit of justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “As alleged in the indictment, Boelter’s actions took the lives of Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman, both beloved members of our community. The indictment also alleges that Boelter seriously wounded Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife. This targeted violence was an attack on the rule of law, resulting in a manhunt involving hundreds of law enforcement officers who worked tirelessly until Boelter was apprehended.  The FBI remains grateful to our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners for their dedication throughout this investigation. Together, we will ensure that justice is served and that a price is paid for the reign of terror and violence our community endured.”

    “Vance Boelter’s evil acts did unspeakable harm and terrorized our entire state that night,” Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said. “A lot of work has been happening and we are glad to see these next steps taken toward holding Mr. Boelter accountable for his actions.”

    “Political violence has no place in our society and Boelter will be held accountable for his crimes. Today’s indictment reflects the tireless efforts of the dedicated professionals who work every day to protect our communities,” said Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley.

    “Today marks a significant milestone in our pursuit of justice. This case transcends headlines; it highlights the collaboration between local, state, and federal agencies who refused to rest until Vance Boelter was taken into custody, and it also captures the importance of due process in bringing justice,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt. “I’m grateful for everyone involved, including the HCSO staff who spent countless hours during the manhunt—responding to tips, conducting searches, offering intelligence and data support, and more to help bring accountability. As we move forward, our thoughts will remain with the victims and their families affected by this tragedy.”

    “The path to justice for the lives torn apart by Vance Boelter’s actions is far from over, but this indictment is a powerful step forward,” said Travis Riddle, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF St. Paul Field Division. “What began as fear and chaos is now moving toward accountability thanks to the tireless work of so many law enforcement partners. ATF is honored to stand with them in pursuit of a prosecution that brings answers and a measure of peace to the communities impacted by this violence.”

    “The harm caused by Boelter’s actions was not confined to any one place—it was felt widely, including here in Minneapolis. His conduct endangered the safety of our communities and undermined trust in police. We are thankful to our U.S. Attorney’s Office and all federal, state, and local law enforcement that have worked tirelessly to hold this killer accountable,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.

    This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, ATF, Brooklyn Park Police Department, Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Champlin Police Department, and New Hope Police Department, together with several other state and local partners. The National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section also assisted in the investigation. This investigation has proceeded with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in strong partnership with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Jacobs, Bradley M. Endicott, Matthew D. Forbes, and Daniel W. Bobier are prosecuting the case.

    An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker Demands Answers on Emil Bove’s Involvement in DOJ Withholding the Epstein Files

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Emil Bove requesting information relating to his involvement in the Department of Justice’s review of and decision making relating to public disclosures of the Epstein Files. Emil Bove is currently a nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

    “You have held a key decision-making role at DOJ since the beginning of this Administration, first as Acting Deputy Attorney General through March 2025 and then in your current position as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General, serving as a close adviser to Attorney General Pam Bondi. In light of the significant public interest in the Epstein files and the Trump DOJ and FBI’s shifting positions on transparency and public disclosure, records and information relating to your participation in this matter are relevant to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s ongoing review of your nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit,” wrote Senator Booker.

    “Your involvement in the DOJ’s review of the Epstein files is a matter of significant public importance given the contradictory statements by Attorney General Bondi concerning the existence of an Epstein “client list” and DOJ’s stated commitment to transparency. Furthermore, it warrants scrutiny whether the DOJ intentionally withheld evidence related to the trafficking and sexual abuse of minors to protect certain individuals,” Senator Booker continued.

    “As Acting Deputy Attorney General, you “advise[d] and assist[ed] the Attorney General in formulating and implementing Departmental policies and programs and [provided] overall supervision and direction to all organizational units of the Department” and were “authorized to exercise all the power and authority of the Attorney General.” By all accounts, you have continued to fulfill many of these responsibilities as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General, closely advising Attorney General Pam Bondi,” Senator Booker wrote.

    “It is imperative that the Senate Judiciary Committee ascertain the scope and extent of your involvement in the handling of the Epstein files before voting on your nomination,” Senator Booker concluded.

    Senator Booker demanded answers to the following questions no later than 9:00 AM on July 17, 2025:

    1. Did you ever advise AG Bondi regarding the Epstein files?
    2. Did you participate in the review of any documents, video, or other evidence contained in the Epstein files?
    3. Did you participate in drafting or reviewing the letter Pam Bondi sent to Kash Patel on February 27, 2025 directing the FBI to produce “all records, documents, audio and video recordings, and materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his clients”?
    4. Did you ever participate in discussions about what evidence from the Epstein files the DOJ should release?
    5. Did you participate in any discussions about whether to release video evidence from the Epstein files involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM)?
    6. Did you ever discuss the release of any evidence from the Epstein files with Pam Bondi?
    7. Did you ever discuss the release of any evidence from the Epstein files with Kash Patel?
    8. Did you ever discuss the release of any evidence from the Epstein files with Dan Bongino?
    9. Did you participate in a discussion about the release of any evidence from the Epstein files with Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, and Dan Bongino?
    10. Did you ever participate in a discussion in which Dan Bongino suggested releasing all the evidence in the Epstein files, including video, prior to July 7, 2025?
    11. Did you ever express concerns to Kash Patel or Dan Bongino about releasing video evidence from the Epstein files because it could include CSAM prior to July 7, 2025?
    12. Did you participate in any discussion in which Attorney General Bondi expressed concerns to Kash Patel or Dan Bongino about releasing video evidence from the Epstein files due to the presence of CSAM prior to July 7, 2025?
    13. Did you participate in drafting or reviewing the undated and unsigned DOJ and FBI memo issued on July 7, 2025?

    To read the full text of the letter, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hacktivist group responsible for cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in Europe taken down

    Source: Eurojust

    NoName057(16) has professed support for the Russian Federation since the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine. Since the start of the war, it has executed multiple DDoS attacks against critical infrastructure during high-level (political) events. The group has also exhibited anti-NATO and anti-U.S. sentiment. During a DDoS attack, a website or online service is flooded with traffic, overloading its capacity and thus making it unavailable. The hacktivist group has executed 14 attacks in Germany, some of them lasting multiple days and affecting around 230 organisations including arms factories, power suppliers and government organisations. Attacks were also executed across Europe during the European elections. In Sweden, authorities and bank websites were targeted, while in Switzerland multiple attacks were carried out during a video message given by the Ukrainian President to the Joint Parliament in June 2023, and during the Peace Summit for Ukraine in June 2024. Most recently, the Netherlands was targeted during the NATO Summit at the end of June.

    To execute their attacks, the group recruited supporters through a messaging service. It is estimated that the hackers were able to mobilise around 4000 users who supported their operations by downloading malware that made it possible for them to participate in the DDoS attacks. The group also built its own botnet using hundreds of servers around the world that increased the attack load, causing more damage.

    Coordination of the many international partners was crucial for the success of the operation. Through Eurojust, authorities were able to coordinate their findings and plan an action day to target the hacktivist group. The Agency ensured that multiple European Investigation Orders and Mutual Legal Assistance processes were executed. During the action day on 15 July, Eurojust coordinated any last-minute judicial requests that were needed during the operation.

    Europol facilitated the information exchange, supported the coordination of the operational activities and provided extended operational analytical support, as well as crypto tracing and forensic support during the lent of the investigation, and coordinated the prevention and awareness raising campaign, released to unidentified yet offenders via messaging apps and social media channels. During the action day, Europol set-up a Command Post at Europol’s headquarters and made available a Virtual Command post for online connection with the in-person Command.

    The investigation culminated in an action day on 15 July where actions targeting the group took place in eight countries. Authorities were able to disrupt of over 100 servers worldwide. Searches took place in Germany, Latvia, Spain, Italy, Czechia, Poland and France to gather evidence for the investigation. Additionally, authorities informed the group and 1100 supporters and 17 administrators about the measures taken and the criminal liability they bear for their actions. Seven international arrest warrants have been issued. Germany issued six warrants which are directed inter alia against suspects living in the Russian Federation. Two suspects are accused of being the main instigators responsible for the activities of NoName057(16). Photos and descriptions of some of the suspects can be found on the websites of Europol and Interpol.

    The following authorities were involved in the actions:

    • Czechia: District Prosecutor’s Office of Prague 5; Police, National Counterterrorism, Extremism and Cybercrime Agency (NCTEKK)
    • Estonia: Estonian Police and Border Guard Board
    • Germany: Prosecutor General’s Office Frankfurt am Main – Cyber Crime Centre; Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA)
    • Finland: Prosecution District of Southern Finland; National Bureau of Investigation – Cybercrime Investigation Unit
    • France: Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office – National Jurisdiction against Organised Crime (JUNALCO) ; National Cyber Unit of the Gendarmerie nationale
    • Latvia: State Police of Latvia – International Cooperation Department & Cybercrime Enforcement Department
    • Lithuania: Prosecutor General’s Office of Lithuania; Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau
    • Netherlands: Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Netherlands and Police of the Netherlands
    • Spain: Investigative Central Court nr. 1 Audiencia Nacional; Audiencia Nacional Prosecutor´s Offices; National Police; Guardia Civil
    • Sweden: Polisen
    • Switzerland: Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland; Federal Office of Police fedpol
    • United States: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two MS-13 Members Sentenced for Racketeering

    Source: US FBI

    Defendants responsible for murder in Chelsea, Mass. in 2010

    BOSTON – Two members of La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, were sentenced today in federal court in Boston for their roles in a previously-unsolved murder.

    Jose Vasquez, a/k/a “Cholo,” a/k/a “Little Crazy,” 31, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to 25 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In May 2025, Vasquez pleaded guilty to violent crime in aid of racketeering. Vasquez was already serving a 212-month prison sentence for a May 2018 federal conviction for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise. In total, Vasquez will serve a total of 37 years for his MS-13-related crimes.

    William Pineda Portillo, a/k/a “Humilde,” 31, a Salvadoran national who was unlawfully residing in Everett, was sentenced by Judge Young to 16 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. He is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In May 2023, Pineda Portillo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise (RICO) conspiracy.

    Pineda Portillo and Vazquez were indicted by a federal grand jury along with other MS-13 members in September 2024. Specifically, Pineda Portillo and Vasquez conspired with others to murder a 28-year-old man on Dec. 18, 2010, in Chelsea, Mass. That evening, law enforcement responded to a 911 call in the vicinity of the Fifth Street on-ramp to Route 1 in Chelsea. There, the victim was found with approximately 10 stab wounds to his chest and back, along with injuries to his head. The victim was transported to the hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds. A recent reexamination of evidence collected during the initial investigation identified members of MS-13, including Vasquez, as having committed the murder.  

    In the week leading up to the incident, Vasquez and other MS-13 members conspired to murder the victim because they believed the victim belonged to a rival gang. Evidence revealed that on the day of the murder, Pineda Portillo picked up Vasquez, other MS-13 members and the victim in Allston. Driving a vehicle registered to his father, Pineda Portillo took the MS-13 members and the victim to Chelsea where Vasquez and the other gang members led the victim to an area under an on-ramp to Route 1. Once in the secluded area under the highway, an MS-13 member hit the victim in the head with a rock and another MS-13 member stabbed the victim with a machete. During the attack, Vasquez stabbed the victim with a knife. Vasquez’s palm print was identified on the handle of a silver kitchen knife recovered from the murder scene. The victim’s blood also was found on the knife.

    An undercover recording obtained approximately six weeks after the murder, captured one MS-13 member acknowledging his participation in the murder and other gang members disciplining him for leaving Massachusetts after the murder without the gang’s permission.

    Pineda Portillo fled to El Salvador before investigators could interview him about his role in the murder. On or about April 29, 2015, after Pineda Portillo returned to the United States, he arranged to sell a firearm loaded with eight rounds of ammunition to a cooperating witness, in exchange for money. On or about June 1, 2015, Pineda Portillo conspired to murder an MS-13 member he incorrectly believed had been arrested and was cooperating with law enforcement. Specifically, in a conversation recorded by law enforcement, Pineda Portillo said, among other things: “I want that son of a bitch killed, man. . . . You will see, homeboy! We are going to do a complete thing to that son of a bitch, dude.”

    Pineda Portillo originally was indicted in 2017. Shortly before the indictment was returned, he was deported to El Salvador. Approximately five years later, on May 10, 2022, Pineda Portillo was arrested as he tried to return to the United States, illegally crossing the border into Texas from Mexico. According to court documents, after being arrested at the border, Pineda Portillo admitted that he was a member of MS-13. A fingerprint analysis indicated that there was a warrant for his arrest. Pineda Portillo was then returned to the District of Massachusetts where he remained in custody.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Geoffrey D. Noble, Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; Chief Shumeane Benford of the Somerville Police Department; and Chief Keith Houghton of the Chelsea Police Department made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Boston Field Division; United States Customs and Border Protection; United States Citizenship and Immigration Services; and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Pohl, Meghan C. Cleary and Brian A. Fogerty of the Office’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

    This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former State Employee Charged with Providing K2-Laced Paper to a Federal Prison Inmate; Inmate Indicted for Possessing K2

    Source: US FBI

    Inmate granted clemency on Jan. 17, 2025 reducing 2022 federal prison sentence for drug distribution

    BOSTON – A Bridgewater, Mass. woman and a federal inmate have been charged with providing and possessing a controlled substance in the form of a synthetic cannabinoid, also known as “K2,” at the federal prison FMC Devens. The inmate had been granted clemency on Jan. 17, 2025, reducing his 2022 federal prison sentence for drug distribution. 

    Tasha Hammock, 43, a former employee with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, is charged by Information with providing contraband to a prison inmate. Raymond Gaines, 45, an inmate at FMC Devens, has been indicted by a federal grand jury with possessing contraband by a prison inmate. In March 2025, Hammock and Gaines were charged by criminal complaint.

    According to court documents, on Jan. 25, 2022, Gaines was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court in Boston to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. At the time he committed the offenses, he was on federal supervised release after serving a prison sentence resulting from a 2017 conviction for distributing cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a school. In both prior cases Gaines was alleged to be an associate of the Orchard Park Trailblazers, a street gang in Boston. On Jan. 17, 2025, Gaines received an Executive Grant of Clemency, reducing his current federal sentence to five years in prison.  

    It is alleged that on Aug. 18, 2024, Hammock, while visiting Gaines in the prison, surreptitiously passed K2-laced papers to Gaines, which he pocketed. At the time, Hammock was employed with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Hammock also allegedly previously handled money connected with the distribution of K2 to Gaines in FMC Devens and she allegedly received K2 at her residence for distribution into the prison. Court records allege that law enforcement obtained a cellphone that had been smuggled to an inmate in the prison (“Inmate A”). In September 2023, Inmate A allegedly sent messages on the cell phone to another person (“Person 1”), discussing obtaining K2 in prison. Inmate A allegedly told Person 1 that the drugs could be delivered to a particular address in Bridgewater – later determined to be Hammock’s residence – and that Inmate A’s “co” would arrange for the drugs to be brought into the prison from there.  

    As described in court documents, K2 presents a health problem at FMC Devens, where inmates have become sick from smoking paper believed to contain K2, as well as prison staff who have been exposed to the secondary smoke.    

    The charges of providing a prohibited object to a prison inmate, and receiving a prohibited object by a prison inmate, each carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston; and Ryan Geach, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Regional Office of DOJ-OIG, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Special Investigative Services Unit at FMC Devens. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.  

    The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Serial Bank Robber Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Robbing a Manchester Credit Union While on Federal Supervised Release

    Source: US FBI

    CONCORD – A Manchester man was sentenced yesterday in federal court for bank robbery, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.

    Jesse Hippolite, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul J. Barbadoro to 60 months in federal prison.  On April 22, 2025, Hippolite pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery.

    “The defendant is a prolific bank robber with a long history of victimizing bank employees to line his own pockets,” said Acting U.S. Attorney McCormack.  “His choices have made him a danger to the public, and thanks to the efforts of law enforcement, he will spend the next five years in federal prison.”

    “Jesse Hippolite was a crime spree unto himself, robbing a dozen banks before this one” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “This sentence nips his burgeoning bank robbery career in the bud and holds him accountable for menacing innocent people who are just trying to make an honest living.  This case is just one example of how the FBI continues to support our partners in pulverizing violent crime to improve public safety.”

    According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, Hippolite has multiple state and federal convictions for robbery in New York.  In 2011, he went on a bank robbery spree in New York City and was involved in multiple separate robberies.  Each time, he was unarmed but passed a note threatening to kill people if his demands for money were not met.  He was released from federal prison, in connection with those convictions, in February 2023. He then moved to New Hampshire, where he remained on federal supervised release.

    In February 2025, Hippolite robbed a credit union in Manchester.  He wore a disguise and was unarmed.  Hippolite passed a note to three tellers reading:

    $100,000

    ALL $100 Bills

    *No Dye Packs

    Give Back Note

    Hippolite stole $3,139 before fleeing.  He was subsequently identified on nearby surveillance cameras.

    The FBI and Manchester Police Department led the investigation.  The U.S. Probation Office provided valuable assistance.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen prosecuted the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –