NewzIntel.com

Category: Federal Bureau of Investigation

  • MIL-OSI Security: 18th Street Gang Member Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy and Two Murders

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant Recorded Victim Being Stabbed More than 100 Times and Sent the Video to Other Gang Members as a Warning Not to Cooperate with Law Enforcement

    Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Yanki Misael Cruz-Mateo, a member of the 18th Street gang, a transnational criminal organization, was sentenced by United States District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall to 45 years’ imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy in connection with his participation in two murders: the October 25, 2017 murder of 20-year-old Jonathan Figueroa in Saugerties, New York, and the February 2, 2018 murder of 20-year-old Oscar Antonio Blanco-Hernandez in Queens.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentence.

    “Cruz-Mateo committed two horrific murders and boasted about the carnage in video and text messages to instill fear, exact retribution, and promote gang violence,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “The lengthy sentence imposed today delivers a powerful message that senseless violence carries serious consequences. My Office will continue our tireless efforts to investigate and prosecute violence carried out by the 18th Street and other transnational criminal organizations.  It is my sincere hope that the justice meted out today provides a measure of comfort and closure for the victims’ loved ones.”

    Mr. Durham expressed his appreciation to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, the New York State Police, the Kingston Police Department, and the New York City Police Department for their assistance on the case.

    “Yanki Misael Cruz-Mateo, an 18th Street gang member, lured two victims to their brutal murders as retribution for perceived disloyalty and affiliation with rival organizations,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia.  “His actions mirror the gang’s depravity and its lawless prioritization of social status over human life.  May today’s sentencing offer a semblance of justice for the victims’ families and highlight the FBI’s continued determination to eradicate all brutal gang violence plaguing our communities.

    Today’s sentence is the latest achievement in a series of prosecutions by this Office and our law enforcement partners of the leaders, members, and associates of 18th Street.  According to court filings and proceedings, 18th Street is a transnational criminal organization and violent street gang with members and associates residing throughout New York State, including Queens and Long Island, elsewhere throughout the United States, including Houston, Texas, and Central America. Members of 18th Street regularly engage in murder, attempted murder, assault, extortion, illegal drug and firearms trafficking, false identification document production, witness tampering, and money laundering.

    October 25, 2017 Murder of Jonathan Figueroa

    As set forth in court filings, including the government’s sentencing memorandum, in the late evening hours of October 24, 2017, Cruz-Mateo lured and travelled with Figueroa from Queens to Kingston, New York. Upon their arrival in Kingston, they were met by Israel Mediola Flores and other 18th Street members and associates who, into the early morning hours the following day, brought Figueroa to Turkey Point State Forest, brutally stabbed him to death and buried him in a makeshift grave.  Cruz-Mateo ordered the murder to be video-recorded and captured multiple 18th Street members and associates repeatedly stabbing Figueroa, slashing his throat and severing his ear.  In the video, Cruz-Mateo stated that Figueroa was being murdered for “being a rat.” Cruz-Mateo then sent the video to other 18th Street members as a warning.  Figueroa’s body was discovered in February 2018 by the FBI, along with state and local law enforcement authorities, in a five-foot deep grave in Turkey Point State Forest.  The victim had sustained more than 100 stab wounds.

    Co-defendants Walter Fernando Alfaro Pineda, Israel Mediola Flores, and Jose Douglas Castellano pleaded guilty to Figueroa’s murder. Mediola Flores was sentenced to 425 months in prison; Pineda and Castellano are awaiting sentencing.

    February 2, 2018 Murder of Oscar Antonio Blanco-Hernandez

    On February 2, 2018, several gang members killed Blanco-Hernandez because they believed he was a member of the rival MS-13 gang.  Co-defendant Jose Chacon had met Blanco-Hernandez weeks earlier through their mutual employer, a New Jersey-based house painting company.  On the morning of the murder, co-defendant Carolina Cruz and Chacon picked up Blanco-Hernandez at his home in New Jersey under the guise of going to smoke marijuana as friends.  Cruz and Chacon drove Blanco-Hernandez to Queens where they met 18th Street gang members, including Cruz-Mateo and co-defendant Yoni Sierra, who entered the rear passenger seat of Cruz’s car on opposite sides, sandwiching Blanco-Hernandez between them.  Cruz drove Chacon, Cruz-Mateo, Sierra, and their victim about 1.6 miles away to a quiet residential neighborhood.  Cruz-Mateo, Sierra, and Blanco-Hernandez got out of the car and started walking eastbound, while Cruz and Chacon stayed behind with the car.  After walking for a few minutes, Cruz-Mateo drew a .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun and shot Blanco-Hernandez in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Blanco-Hernandez’s body was discovered on a residential street in the Jamaica Hills section of Queens.  He sustained three gunshot wounds: two gunshots to the torso and one to the head.

    Sierra, Chacon, and Cruz also pleaded guilty to Blanco-Hernandez’s murder.  Chacon was sentenced to 269 months in prison; Sierra to 204 months in prison; and Cruz to 150 months in prison.

    This case is part of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the FBI.  The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.  OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section.  Assistant United States  Attorneys Jonathan P. Lax, Erin Reid, Margaret Schierberl, Adam Amir, and Rebecca Urquiola are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Tareva Torres and Samuel Ronchetti.

    The Defendant:

    YANKI MISAEL CRUZ-MATEO (also known as “Yenki Misael Cruz Mateo,” “Yankee Mateo,” “Doggy,” and “Wino”)
    Age: 25
    Jamaica, Queens

    Co-Defendants Previously Convicted:

    ERIC CHAVEZ (also known as “Lunatico”)
    Age: 25
    Jamaica, New York

    WALTER FERNANDO ALFARO PINEDA (also known as “Clever”)
    Age: 45
    Houston, Texas

    ISRAEL MEDIOLA FLORES (also known as “Chapito” and “Sinaloa”)
    Age: 29
    Kingston, New York

    YONI ALEXANDER SIERRA (also known as “Arca,” “Arc Angel” and “Wasson”)
    Age: 26
    Jamaica, Queens

    JOSE JIMENEZ CHACON (also known as “Little One”)
    Age: 26
    New Brunswick, New Jersey

    CAROLINA CRUZ (also known as “La Fiera”)
    Age: 31
    Elizabeth, New Jersey

    JOSE DOUGLAS CASTELLANO (also known as “Chino”)
    Age: 26
    Brooklyn, New York

    JUNIOR ZELAYA-CANALES (also known as “Terco”)
    Age: 28
    Jamaica, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-CR-139 (S-7) (LDH)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Georgia Church Bookkeeper Sentenced to Prison for Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Florida Woman Stole $173,500 from Church’s Peanut Butter and Jesus Charitable Program

    ALBANY, Ga. – A Florida woman who served as the bookkeeper for an Alapaha, Georgia, church was sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay back $173,500 in restitution for falsely applying for and then stealing federal loan money designated for use by the church and the church’s Peanut Butter and Jesus (PB&J) charitable organization, which provides food and hope for the community.

    Judith Alane Chavis, 58, of Sorrento, Florida, was sentenced to serve 21 months in prison per count to run concurrently to be followed by three years of supervised release and $173,500 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Louis Sands on April 29, 2025. Chavis previously pleaded guilty to five counts of wire fraud in relation to a disaster benefit and ten counts of money laundering on Oct. 30, 2024. There is no parole in the federal system.

    “Individuals who use places of worship and charitable organizations for their fraud and theft will be rooted out and face consequences for their criminal actions,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. “I want to express my gratitude to our FBI partners for their ongoing efforts to combat fraud and ensure accountability for these crimes.”

    “Chavis betrayed the confidence the church had placed in her by misappropriating funds intended to support its mission,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We hope that this federal prison sentence offers some measure of closure to the church and its congregation and serves as a warning to others who might exploit the trust of faith-based or charitable institutions for personal enrichment.”

    According to court documents, Chavis was a volunteer bookkeeper for both the Glory Church of Alapaha and its charity, the Peanut Butter and Jesus Outreach (PB&J), from 2018 until August 2022. Chavis was authorized to write checks; the Church’s and PB&J’s bank statements were only sent to her. Between August 2020 and March 2022, Chavis applied for and was granted $163,500 of Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) on behalf of the Church and PB&J without the Church’s or PB&J’s authorization or knowledge and using the Church’s letterhead. Chavis also falsely designated herself as treasurer in the request for funds, signing the letter herself. On March 7, 2022, Chavis submitted a signed certification stating members of the Church’s finance committee approved the second modification of the loan. No such approval occurred. In June 2021, Chavis submitted requests for targeted advances on behalf of the Church without the Church’s authorization or knowledge. The SBA granted the requests and deposited $15,000 in the Church’s account. Chavis transferred almost all of the EIDL and advance funds from the Church’s and PB&J’s accounts, totaling $173,500, to her personal checking account using the Church’s and PB&J’s checks that she made out to herself and signed without the Church’s or PB&J’s authorization or knowledge. She used the money for personal expenses including travel and large purchases.

    FBI Atlanta’s Valdosta Resident Agency investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah Couch Hostetler prosecuted the case for the Government.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illinois Man Admits Trying to Arrange Florida Murder

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Illinois on Wednesday admitted trying to have a business associate in Florida murdered.

    Ben Patrick Mullavey, 66, of Mechanicsburg, in Sangamon County, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one felony count of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of attempted murder-for-hire. As part of his plea, Mullavey admitted offering cash to a former employee to commit the murder.

    On Jan. 3, 2024, Mullavey picked up the former employee in Missouri and took him to a McDonald’s restaurant. There, Mullavey flashed a stack of cash and said he wanted his business partner killed. On Jan.11, 2024, the employee drove to Mullavey’s house. During the next three days, the employee helped Mullavey with construction work as they discussed the murder. Mullavey said he had been planning the murder for months, had conducted surveillance of the victim in Florida and had stolen a Florida license plate in preparation for the murder. Mullavey suggested the best time and place to commit the murder and how to avoid being identified on surveillance cameras. He also discussed several possible ways of disposing of the victim’s body, including using lime to dissolve it. Many of the conversations were audio and video recorded.

    On Jan. 13, 2024, the employee left Mullavey’s home with orders to kill the victim. Mullavey also gave him a crossbow, arrows, the stolen Florida license plate, handwritten directions to a restaurant located next door to the victim’s business and $2,100 in cash, Mullavey’s plea agreement says.

    Mullavey is scheduled to be sentenced July 22. The attempted murder-for-hire charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

    The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pinehill Man Receives 27 and a Half Year Prison Sentence for Fatal Family Shooting

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Pinehill man was sentenced today to 27and a half years in prison for a fatal family shooting.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    According to court documents, on the morning of December 22, 2023, Ellery Brent Yazzie, 38, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, fatally shot his father and brother, shot and seriously injured his sister, and tried to shoot his mother in their family home. Yazzie then attempted to take his own life, but he survived.

    Upon his release from prison, Yazzie will be subject to five years of supervised release.

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Ramah Navajo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caitlin L. Dillon and Jena Ritchey are prosecuting the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Justice Department Declines Prosecution of Company That Self-Disclosed Export Control Offenses Committed by Employee

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    Company’s Prompt Self-Disclosure and Extraordinary Cooperation Led to Employee’s Successful Prosecution for Unlawfully Exporting Software to a Restricted Chinese University

    Note: View the declination letter here.

    The Justice Department today announced that it has declined the prosecution of Universities Space Research Association (USRA) after it self-disclosed to the Department’s National Security Division (NSD) criminal violations of U.S. export control laws committed by its former employee, Jonathan Soong. Soong pleaded guilty to willfully violating the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by exporting U.S. Army-developed aviation software to a university in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that had been placed on the Commerce Department’s Entity List and was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

    “If we stay vigilant, all of us — including our citizens, small businesses, and large corporations — can play a critical role in protecting our country,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “A criminal who compromised our national security was brought to justice because his employer caught him and immediately turned him in. We decline to prosecute his employer and are ready to work together with such responsible corporate actors who are committed to joining us in this fight to protect our country from foreign adversaries.”

    “USRA discovered that one of its employees was funneling sensitive aeronautics software to a Beijing university in violation of export control laws and at risk to our national security,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Robbins for the Northern District of California. “What the company did next made all the difference in the Government’s decision not to prosecute it: the company took swift and proactive measures to disclose the employee’s wrongdoing, provide all known facts, and cooperate – and continue to cooperate – with the government’s investigation.”

    According to court documents, in April 2016, USRA contracted with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to, among other things, license and distribute for a fee aeronautics-related and U.S. Army-owned flight control software. Soong was employed by USRA as a program administrator under the contract and was responsible for performing due diligence on prospective purchasers to ensure that the sale or transfer of software licenses complied with applicable law, including by checking the Entity List. Soong willfully exported software subject to the EAR to Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, also known as Beihang University (Beihang), a university in the PRC, knowing that an export control license was required for the export to Beihang because it was on the Entity List. Beihang was on the Commerce Department’s Entity List due to its involvement in the development of military rocket systems and unmanned air vehicle systems. Soong further used an intermediary to complete the transfer and export of the software to Beihang to avoid detection, and embezzled tens of thousands of dollars in software license sales by directing purchasers to make payment to an account he personally owned and controlled.

    This scheme continued until NASA inquired about the sales of software licenses to PRC-based purchasers and USRA began to investigate. Soong initially lied to USRA and fabricated evidence that he had conducted due diligence on the purchasers and provided it to USRA’s counsel to provide to NASA, but after USRA’s counsel investigated further and confronted Soong with evidence that contradicted his statements, he admitted to knowing that Beihang was on the Entity List when he exported the software to Beihang and that a license had been required for the export.

    Within days of learning that Soong had willfully violated U.S. export control laws, and before USRA had completed its own investigation to understand the scope of the misconduct, USRA self-disclosed the crime to NSD and fully cooperated with the ensuing criminal investigation, which eventually established that Soong had acted alone at USRA. USRA’s cooperation included proactively identifying, collecting, and disclosing relevant evidence to investigators, including foreign language evidence and evidence located overseas, and providing detailed and timely responses to the government’s requests for information and evidence. USRA remediated the root cause of the misconduct by disciplining a supervisory employee who failed appropriately to supervise Soong, and by significantly improving its internal controls and compliance program. USRA also compensated the government both for the funds Soong embezzled, and for the time Soong had spent embezzling funds instead of performing his duties under USRA’s contract with NASA.

    The Justice Department declined USRA’s prosecution after considering the factors set forth in the Department’s Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations and the National Security Division Enforcement Policy for Business Organizations (NSD Enforcement Policy). The NSD Enforcement Policy creates a presumption that companies that (1) voluntarily self-disclose to NSD potentially criminal violations arising out of or relating to the enforcement of export control or sanctions laws, (2) fully cooperate, and (3) timely and appropriately remediate will generally receive a non-prosecution agreement, unless aggravating factors are present.  In appropriate cases, the NSD Enforcement Policy authorizes prosecutors to go further, and exercise discretion to decline a company’s prosecution. This is the second time that NSD has exercised its discretion to decline the prosecution of a company under the NSD Enforcement Policy.

    The case was investigated by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security; the Department of Defense’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and the FBI. The NASA Office of Inspector General; U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Army Counterintelligence; and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations provided valuable assistance.

    Trial Attorney Rachel Craft of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Valliere for the Northern District of California prosecuted the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Declines Prosecution of Company That Self-Disclosed Export Control Offenses Committed by Employee

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Company’s Prompt Self-Disclosure and Extraordinary Cooperation Led to Employee’s Successful Prosecution for Unlawfully Exporting Software to a Restricted Chinese University

    Note: View the declination letter here.

    The Justice Department today announced that it has declined the prosecution of Universities Space Research Association (USRA) after it self-disclosed to the Department’s National Security Division (NSD) criminal violations of U.S. export control laws committed by its former employee, Jonathan Soong. Soong pleaded guilty to willfully violating the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by exporting U.S. Army-developed aviation software to a university in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that had been placed on the Commerce Department’s Entity List and was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

    “If we stay vigilant, all of us — including our citizens, small businesses, and large corporations — can play a critical role in protecting our country,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “A criminal who compromised our national security was brought to justice because his employer caught him and immediately turned him in. We decline to prosecute his employer and are ready to work together with such responsible corporate actors who are committed to joining us in this fight to protect our country from foreign adversaries.”

    “USRA discovered that one of its employees was funneling sensitive aeronautics software to a Beijing university in violation of export control laws and at risk to our national security,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Robbins for the Northern District of California. “What the company did next made all the difference in the Government’s decision not to prosecute it: the company took swift and proactive measures to disclose the employee’s wrongdoing, provide all known facts, and cooperate – and continue to cooperate – with the government’s investigation.”

    According to court documents, in April 2016, USRA contracted with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to, among other things, license and distribute for a fee aeronautics-related and U.S. Army-owned flight control software. Soong was employed by USRA as a program administrator under the contract and was responsible for performing due diligence on prospective purchasers to ensure that the sale or transfer of software licenses complied with applicable law, including by checking the Entity List. Soong willfully exported software subject to the EAR to Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, also known as Beihang University (Beihang), a university in the PRC, knowing that an export control license was required for the export to Beihang because it was on the Entity List. Beihang was on the Commerce Department’s Entity List due to its involvement in the development of military rocket systems and unmanned air vehicle systems. Soong further used an intermediary to complete the transfer and export of the software to Beihang to avoid detection, and embezzled tens of thousands of dollars in software license sales by directing purchasers to make payment to an account he personally owned and controlled.

    This scheme continued until NASA inquired about the sales of software licenses to PRC-based purchasers and USRA began to investigate. Soong initially lied to USRA and fabricated evidence that he had conducted due diligence on the purchasers and provided it to USRA’s counsel to provide to NASA, but after USRA’s counsel investigated further and confronted Soong with evidence that contradicted his statements, he admitted to knowing that Beihang was on the Entity List when he exported the software to Beihang and that a license had been required for the export.

    Within days of learning that Soong had willfully violated U.S. export control laws, and before USRA had completed its own investigation to understand the scope of the misconduct, USRA self-disclosed the crime to NSD and fully cooperated with the ensuing criminal investigation, which eventually established that Soong had acted alone at USRA. USRA’s cooperation included proactively identifying, collecting, and disclosing relevant evidence to investigators, including foreign language evidence and evidence located overseas, and providing detailed and timely responses to the government’s requests for information and evidence. USRA remediated the root cause of the misconduct by disciplining a supervisory employee who failed appropriately to supervise Soong, and by significantly improving its internal controls and compliance program. USRA also compensated the government both for the funds Soong embezzled, and for the time Soong had spent embezzling funds instead of performing his duties under USRA’s contract with NASA.

    The Justice Department declined USRA’s prosecution after considering the factors set forth in the Department’s Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations and the National Security Division Enforcement Policy for Business Organizations (NSD Enforcement Policy). The NSD Enforcement Policy creates a presumption that companies that (1) voluntarily self-disclose to NSD potentially criminal violations arising out of or relating to the enforcement of export control or sanctions laws, (2) fully cooperate, and (3) timely and appropriately remediate will generally receive a non-prosecution agreement, unless aggravating factors are present.  In appropriate cases, the NSD Enforcement Policy authorizes prosecutors to go further, and exercise discretion to decline a company’s prosecution. This is the second time that NSD has exercised its discretion to decline the prosecution of a company under the NSD Enforcement Policy.

    The case was investigated by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security; the Department of Defense’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and the FBI. The NASA Office of Inspector General; U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Army Counterintelligence; and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations provided valuable assistance.

    Trial Attorney Rachel Craft of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Valliere for the Northern District of California prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Owner of Chicago-Area Convenience Stores Convicted of Defrauding Low-Income Food Program for Women and Children

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted the owner of several Chicago-area convenience stores of scheming to defraud a low-income food program for women and children.

    HASSAN ABDELLATIF, also known as “Eric,” 36, of Chicago, was convicted of all five counts against him, including two counts of wire fraud, one count of fraudulently obtaining government benefits, and two counts of willfully failing to file corporate tax returns. The jury returned its verdicts on Monday after a week-long trial in federal court in Chicago.  U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso set sentencing for Aug. 26, 2025.

    Evidence at trial revealed that Abdellatif, who owned or operated El Milagro Mini Market, Supermercado El Grande, Star Mini Market, In & Out Grocery, and Harding Grocery, schemed with eight other store owners or workers to fraudulently redeem checks from the Women, Infants, and Children (“WIC”) program, a federally funded initiative designed to provide a nutritious diet to moderate and low-income infants, children up to five years of age, and pregnant, breastfeeding, and post-partum women. Over a period of several years, Abdellatif and the others knowingly allowed customers to provide their WIC checks as payment for ineligible items at the stores, often at inflated prices. Abdellatif and a co-defendant redeemed more than $6.5 million in WIC checks at two of the stores alone, before law enforcement searched those premises and shut down the fraud scheme.

    The evidence established that ten stores involved in the scheme redeemed more than $19 million in WIC checks over an eight-year period.  All eight of Abdellatif’s co-defendants pleaded guilty prior to his trial.

    The convictions were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, Shantel R. Robinson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Midwest Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kartik Raman, Rick Young, and Matthew Moyer.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Canonsburg Resident Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of Minors

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

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A former resident of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal law regarding the sexual exploitation of minors, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    Justin Darby, 37, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan.

    In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on or about October 28, 2021, Darby knowingly altered and destroyed records associated with an application on his cellular telephone with the intent to impede and obstruct an investigation of him for offenses involving the sexual exploitation of children. The Court also was advised that, on February 6, 2024, as well as on three additional occasions with three additional minor victims, Darby attempted to and did induce a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of the conduct.

    Judge Ranjan scheduled sentencing for August 25, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

    Pending sentencing, Darby remained detained.

    Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Darby.

    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 individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dulce Woman Charged with Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Child Abuse

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Dulce woman has been charged with aggravated sexual abuse and abandonment of a child after an FBI investigation revealed allegations that she repeatedly sexually and physically abused minors over several years.

    According to court documents, the investigation began on April 4, 2025, when the Jicarilla Apache Police Department alerted the FBI that a minor disclosed to their father that Lory Muniz-a police officer with the Jicarilla Apache Nation-had sexually assaulted them repeatedly from the age of 7 to 11. Further investigation revealed that Muniz had previously been charged with child abuse in 2023 in Jicarilla Apache Tribal Court and had not been permitted to see the minors since that incident. She returned to duty as a police officer on March 31, 2025.

    On April 14, 2025, a second victim reported during a forensic interview that they suffered physical abuse from Muniz from ages 5 to 16, including a severe incident at age 5 that resulted in a broken arm. A witness corroborated the accounts of abuse against both victims and described additional incidents of physical and sexual abuse.

    Munizis charged with aggravated sexual abuse and abandonment of a child and will remain in third party custody pending trial, which has not been set. If convicted of the current charges, Munizfaces up to life in prison.

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliot Neal is prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Englanders Report Over $446 Million in Losses According to Annual Internet Crime Report

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

    Victims reported a 42 percent increase in losses from 2023

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has released its latest annual report. The 2024 Internet Crime Report combines information from 859,532 complaints of suspected internet crime and details reported losses exceeding $16 billion—a 33 percent increase in losses from 2023.

    In the Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s area of responsibility—which includes all of Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island—20,373 people reported $446,736,666 in losses.

    • 14,254 victims in Massachusetts reported $338,872,378 in losses
    • 2,137 victims in Maine reported $31,455,797 in losses
    • 2,340 victims in New Hampshire reported $52,811,455 in losses
    • 1,642 victims in Rhode Island reported $23,597,036 in losses

    The top three cybercrimes in all four states by number of complaints in 2024 (9,324), were phishing/spoofing, extortion, and personal data breaches.

    The top three cybercrimes in all four states that cost victims the most money ($339.8 million) were investment fraud, business email compromise, and tech support scams.

    “What we are seeing here in New England tracks with the trends we’re seeing nationwide. More and more folks are suffering staggering financial losses, including senior citizens, small businesses, and people whose entire livelihoods have been wiped out by scammers,” said James Crowley, acting special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division. “While we recognize that it may be embarrassing for victims to report these crimes, it’s important to do so so that the FBI and our law enforcement partners can do everything in our power to ensure these fraudsters are brought to justice.”

    To promote public awareness, the IC3 produces an annual report to aggregate and highlight the data provided by the public. The quality of the data is a direct reflection of the information the public provides through the IC3 website. The IC3 standardizes the data by categorizing each complaint and analyzes the data to identify and forecast trends in internet crime. The annual report helps the FBI develop effective relationships with industry partners and share information for investigative and intelligence purposes for law enforcement and public awareness.

    The IC3, which was established in May 2000, houses nine million complaints from the public in its database and continues to encourage anyone who thinks they’ve been the victim of a cyber-enabled crime, regardless of dollar loss, to file a complaint through the IC3 website. The more comprehensive complaints the FBI receives, the more effective it will be in helping law enforcement gain a more accurate picture of the extent and nature of internet-facilitated crimes.

    The FBI recommends that everyone frequently review consumer and industry alerts published by the IC3. If you or your business are a victim of an internet crime, immediately notify all financial institutions involved in the relevant transactions, submit a complaint to www.ic3.gov, contact your nearest FBI field office, and contact local law enforcement.

    The full 2024 Internet Crime Report can be found here: https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2024_IC3Report.pdf

    Additional resources are located here: https://www.ic3.gov/Outreach/Resources

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Charlotte Man Sentenced To Prison For His Role In Multi-Million Dollar Bank Fraud Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte man was sentenced to prison today for his role in a multi-million dollar bank fraud scheme, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Bruce Howard Marko, 66, was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1.5 million. Marko pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud.

    Marko’s three co-defendants, Kotto Yaphet Paul, 50, of Waxhaw, N.C., Latoya Tamieka Ford, 50, of Covington, Georgia, and Love Norman, 50, of West Palm Beach, Florida, have each pleaded guilty to wire fraud and bank fraud conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing. Paul also pleaded guilty to money laundering.

    According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, beginning in 2018, Marko conspired with Peebles, Paul and Ford to orchestrate a fraudulent loan scheme that defrauded at least 17 federally insured financial institutions of more than $17 million. Marko participated directly in at least five of these fraudulent loans totaling over $2.8 million. To execute the scheme, Marko and his co-defendants submitted loan applications to financial institutions that contained fraudulent information, including false employment and income information, false tax returns, and misrepresentations regarding the applicants’ assets, liabilities, and the intended use the loan proceeds. Based on the fraudulent loan applications, Marko and his co-defendants secured at least 42 loans from the victim financial institutions. Contrary to information provided on the loan applications about the purposes of the loans, the defendants used the loan proceeds to purchase real estate, cover unrelated business expenses, make investments, make payments toward earlier loans, and pay for personal expenditures. Court documents show that the defendants defaulted on most of the loans, causing substantial losses to the victim financial institutions that issued the loans.

    Four additional defendants were previously convicted of bank fraud conspiracy for their involvement in the scheme. Amrish D. Patel was sentenced to 15 months in prison, Dwight A. Peebles, Jr. was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Denise Woodard was ordered to serve 36 months in prison, and Derrick L. Harrison, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison. The defendants were also ordered to pay restitution ranging from $620,000 to more than $3.1 million.

    In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson credited the Office of the Inspector General of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Inspector General for the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Office of the Inspector General for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Charlotte, and the Charlotte Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation, for the investigation of this case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Gast with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville is prosecuting the case.

     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Security News: Justice Department Declines Prosecution of Company That Self-Disclosed Export Control Offenses Committed by Employee

    Source: United States Department of Justice 2

    Note: View the declination letter here.

    The Justice Department today announced that it has declined the prosecution of Universities Space Research Association (USRA) after it self-disclosed to the Department’s National Security Division (NSD) criminal violations of U.S. export control laws committed by its former employee, Jonathan Soong. Soong pleaded guilty to willfully violating the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by exporting U.S. Army-developed aviation software to a university in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that had been placed on the Commerce Department’s Entity List and was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

    “If we stay vigilant, all of us — including our citizens, small businesses, and large corporations — can play a critical role in protecting our country,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “A criminal who compromised our national security was brought to justice because his employer caught him and immediately turned him in. We decline to prosecute his employer and are ready to work together with such responsible corporate actors who are committed to joining us in this fight to protect our country from foreign adversaries.”

    “USRA discovered that one of its employees was funneling sensitive aeronautics software to a Beijing university in violation of export control laws and at risk to our national security,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Robbins for the Northern District of California. “What the company did next made all the difference in the Government’s decision not to prosecute it: the company took swift and proactive measures to disclose the employee’s wrongdoing, provide all known facts, and cooperate – and continue to cooperate – with the government’s investigation.”

    According to court documents, in April 2016, USRA contracted with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to, among other things, license and distribute for a fee aeronautics-related and U.S. Army-owned flight control software. Soong was employed by USRA as a program administrator under the contract and was responsible for performing due diligence on prospective purchasers to ensure that the sale or transfer of software licenses complied with applicable law, including by checking the Entity List. Soong willfully exported software subject to the EAR to Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, also known as Beihang University (Beihang), a university in the PRC, knowing that an export control license was required for the export to Beihang because it was on the Entity List. Beihang was on the Commerce Department’s Entity List due to its involvement in the development of military rocket systems and unmanned air vehicle systems. Soong further used an intermediary to complete the transfer and export of the software to Beihang to avoid detection, and embezzled tens of thousands of dollars in software license sales by directing purchasers to make payment to an account he personally owned and controlled.

    This scheme continued until NASA inquired about the sales of software licenses to PRC-based purchasers and USRA began to investigate. Soong initially lied to USRA and fabricated evidence that he had conducted due diligence on the purchasers and provided it to USRA’s counsel to provide to NASA, but after USRA’s counsel investigated further and confronted Soong with evidence that contradicted his statements, he admitted to knowing that Beihang was on the Entity List when he exported the software to Beihang and that a license had been required for the export.

    Within days of learning that Soong had willfully violated U.S. export control laws, and before USRA had completed its own investigation to understand the scope of the misconduct, USRA self-disclosed the crime to NSD and fully cooperated with the ensuing criminal investigation, which eventually established that Soong had acted alone at USRA. USRA’s cooperation included proactively identifying, collecting, and disclosing relevant evidence to investigators, including foreign language evidence and evidence located overseas, and providing detailed and timely responses to the government’s requests for information and evidence. USRA remediated the root cause of the misconduct by disciplining a supervisory employee who failed appropriately to supervise Soong, and by significantly improving its internal controls and compliance program. USRA also compensated the government both for the funds Soong embezzled, and for the time Soong had spent embezzling funds instead of performing his duties under USRA’s contract with NASA.

    The Justice Department declined USRA’s prosecution after considering the factors set forth in the Department’s Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations and the National Security Division Enforcement Policy for Business Organizations (NSD Enforcement Policy). The NSD Enforcement Policy creates a presumption that companies that (1) voluntarily self-disclose to NSD potentially criminal violations arising out of or relating to the enforcement of export control or sanctions laws, (2) fully cooperate, and (3) timely and appropriately remediate will generally receive a non-prosecution agreement, unless aggravating factors are present.  In appropriate cases, the NSD Enforcement Policy authorizes prosecutors to go further, and exercise discretion to decline a company’s prosecution. This is the second time that NSD has exercised its discretion to decline the prosecution of a company under the NSD Enforcement Policy.

    The case was investigated by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security; the Department of Defense’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and the FBI. The NASA Office of Inspector General; U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Army Counterintelligence; and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations provided valuable assistance.

    Trial Attorney Rachel Craft of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Valliere for the Northern District of California prosecuted the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: MS-13 leaders sentenced for January 2022 double murder that resulted in nationwide lockdown of federal prison system

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

    BEAUMONT, Texas – The last of seven defendants, all members of the violent transnational criminal organization La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, were sentenced in Beaumont for a double murder in 2022, announced Eastern District of Texas Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.

    Juan Carlos Rivas-Moreiera, also known as “Juan Carlos Moriera” and “Stocky,” 45, a national of El Salvador and a high-ranking member and leader of MS-13, was sentenced to an additional term of life in federal prison on April 25, 2025, for his role in orchestrating and leading the violent plot to murder rival gang members.

    On April 29, Hector Ramires, also known as “Cuervo,” 31, a national of Honduras, was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison for his role in the attack.

    In April 2022, seven defendants, including Rivas-Moreiera and Ramires, were indicted with charges relating to the planning and execution of a violent attack orchestrated by members of MS-13 against Mexican Mafia and Sureños associates that resulted in two deaths, two attempted murders, and a nationwide lockdown of all inmates in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) for almost a week.

    “This case illustrates the danger posed, both in and out of prison, by MS-13, a foreign terrorist organization,” said Abe McGlothin, Jr., Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.  “MS-13 leaders in El Salvador ordered and plotted these heinous murders from thousands of miles away. MS-13 ‘soldiers’ incarcerated in a Texas prison executed that plan, murdering two rival gang members and stabbing two others.  These sentences should serve as a warning for any foreign terrorist organizations that the Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s office, along with our law enforcement partners, will use all available resources to disrupt and dismantle their terrorist network. Thanks to the outstanding work of the FBI and BOP investigators, the deservedly stiff sentences handed out in this case will likely ensure that these MS-13 defendants never see life beyond the walls of a federal prison.”                 

    “The vicious brutality of MS-13 has no place in our prisons or our society,” said FBOP Director William K. Marshall III. “This heinous attack, which claimed two lives and endangered countless others, demanded a swift and decisive response. The life sentences handed down send an unmistakable message: we will relentlessly pursue and dismantle those who sow chaos and violence within our facilities. The Bureau of Prisons stands united with our law enforcement partners to ensure justice prevails and our communities are protected from these ruthless predators.”

    “In a brutal, calculated act designed to terrorize rival gangs, MS-13 members butchered two men with over 45 stab wounds and left others clinging to life in a Beaumont prison,” said FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams. “This was no ordinary attack— it was one of the most violent prison executions in Texas history that triggered a nationwide lockdown of federal inmates and exposed the arrogance of MS-13 leaders, who believed they were beyond reach. Today’s sentencing shatters that delusion and sends a clear message: the FBI and our law enforcement partners will stop at nothing to guarantee these violent terrorists face the full consequences of their crimes.”

    MS-13 is a transnational criminal organization composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, but also includes members from other countries such as Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. Although the gang originated in Los Angeles, California, it quickly spread and is now a national and international criminal organization with an estimated 10,000+ members regularly conducting gang activities in nearly all of the United States, including Texas, California, New York, and in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. On Feb. 20, the U.S. Department of State designated MS-13 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT).

    The Mexican Mafia controls large portions of the Hispanic prison population in California and Texas and the federal prison system. MS-13 has had a symbiotic relationship with both the Mexican Mafia and the Sureños, which is a close association of Hispanic gangs that pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia while incarcerated in federal and state prisons in the United States. That symbiotic relationship recently began to fall apart as MS-13’s leadership in El Salvador, the Ranfla Nacional, sought to exert more control and independence of its own members while incarcerated in prisons within the United States, including using MS-13 command and control structure to enforce their orders, including orders to commit murders, even while in prison.

    According to information presented in court, on January 31, 2022, at the U.S. Penitentiary (USP) in Beaumont, seven MS-13 members converged in a housing unit and attacked multiple Sureños members and one Mexican Mafia associate. Defendant Rivas-Moreiera began the prison attack when he came up behind Guillermo Riojas and stabbed Riojas twice in the chest.  Riojas fell immediately, and other MS-13 defendants stabbed and kicked Riojas while he lay motionless on the prison floor.  The MS-13 defendants then chased, cornered, beat, and repeatedly stabbed Andrew Pineda, and other Sureños members.  The prison attack lasted approximately eight minutes.

    Riojas, 54, died as a result of the attack after suffering three stab wounds to the chest, piercing his heart twice and his lung once.  He also suffered injuries to his head and stomach during the attack.  Pineda, 34, who also died as a result of the attack, was stabbed 20 times on the front of his body and 26 times to the back of his body, for a total of 46 distinct stab wounds.  Two other Sureños members received serious injuries during the attack and were transported to an area hospital with numerous stab and puncture wounds.   

    In addition to Rivas-Moreiera and Ramires, the following defendants have been sentenced for their role in the attack:

    Larry Navarete, 44, a national of Nicaragua, was sentenced to an additional 360 months in federal prison;

    Jorge Parada, 45, a national of El Salvador, was sentenced to an additional 360 months in federal prison;

    Raul Landaverde-Giron, 35, a national of El Salvador, was sentenced to an additional 360 months in federal prison;

    Sergio Sibrian, 32, a national of El Salvador, was sentenced to an additional 420 months in federal prison; and

    Dimas Alfaro-Granados, 42, a national of El Salvador, was sentenced to an additional 360 months in federal prison.

    This prosecution is the result of coordination between the Eastern District of Texas and Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV).  JTFV was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and now expanded to target Tren de Aragua (TdA) and is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country. Those include Eastern and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Northern District of Ohio; Districts of New Jersey, Utah, Massachusetts, Nevada and Alaska; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Virginia; Southern District of California; and the District of Columbia, as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division.  Additionally, the FBI; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; and the FBOP National Gang Unit have been essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.

    This case is also a 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.

    This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Batte from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, and now-co-directors of JTFV, Christopher A. Eason and Jacob Warren.  The case was investigated by the FBI and the FBOP.

    ###

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Boston Man Charged with Receipt of Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – A Boston man has been arrested and charged for allegedly receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

    Cess Frazier, 32, has been charged with one count of receipt of child pornography. Frazier was arrested at his residence yesterday and made his initial appearance in federal court in Boston. He has been ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for May 1, 2025.

    According to the charging documents, an ongoing investigation into the dissemination of CSAM allegedly identified Frazier as an individual who had purchased CSAM. During a search of Frazier’s cell phone approximately 100 media files that depicted CSAM were allegedly found saved in Telegram Messenger. The minor victims in the files are alleged to be between approximately three and 10 years old.  

    Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274 or contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

    The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime 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 and James Crowley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Discord User Charged In Interstate Scheme To Lure Children And Traffic In Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Christopher G. Raia, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of a Complaint charging LONNIE YOUMANS with sexual exploitation of a child, receipt and distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. YOUMANS was arrested yesterday in Newburgh, New York, presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy in White Plains federal court, and ordered detained.

    U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said: “As alleged, Lonnie Youmans used Discord as a hunting ground to find, manipulate, and sextort our most vulnerable in a horrific scheme to obtain child pornography. Every New Yorker and every American loathes the exploitation of children.  Together with our partners, we will deploy every resource to relentlessly pursue and bring to justice those who prey on our children.”

    FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said: “Lonnie Youmans allegedly devised a twisted scheme to obtain sexually explicit images of young children and extorted a minor to produce pornographic content with threats of blackmail. This alleged cyclical abuse groomed victims into submission, perpetuating increased victimization without reprieve. May this arrest highlight the FBI’s stout commitment to apprehending any individual who repeatedly sexually exploits children for depraved gratification.”

    As alleged in the Complaint:[1]

    From as early as January 2024, YOUMANS used an online messaging application called Discord to prey on victims as young as 12 years old. YOUMANS, who went by the Discord names “Zenheatsu” and “Leyley,” groomed vulnerable minors, got them to send him sexually explicit photos, and then threatened to leak those photos to coerce his victims into sending more images and recruiting additional victims. Among those YOUMANS targeted was a 15-year-old minor (“Victim-1”) from whom YOUMANS obtained dozens of sexually explicit photos, which YOUMANS distributed to others, including other minors. YOUMANS also manipulated Victim-1 into producing sexually explicit images for him as purported compensation for Victim-1 causing another 13-year-old minor to stop talking to YOUMANS. YOUMANS knew what he was doing was illegal, and once complained to another Discord user that Victim-1 “threatened me with fbi.”

    On or about April 29, 2025, federal agents searched YOUMANS’ residence and found hundreds of unique files of child pornography on his phone, including multiple images of adults performing oral sex on toddlers and prepubescent children being penetrated by various objects. YOUMANS admitted that he knew the pornographic images he possessed were illegal.

    A photo depicting YOUMANS is below:

    If you are a victim of YOUMANS or have any information concerning YOUMANS, please call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or you can report a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

    *                *                *

    YOUMANS, 22, of Newburgh, New York, is charged with sexual exploitation of a child, which carries a 15-year mandatory minimum and a 30-year maximum sentence; receipt and distribution of child pornography, which carries a five-year mandatory minimum and 20-year maximum sentence, and possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

    The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

    Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI, the Pennsylvania State Police, Town of Wallkill Police Department, and the Town of Newburgh Police Department.

    This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Reyhan Watson is in charge of the prosecution.

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

    [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy Slams Trump’s First 100 Days: This Is A Story Of Incompetence, Theft, And Mind-Blowing Corruption

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
    [embedded content]
    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) spoke on the U.S. Senate floor to deliver a scathing indictment of President Trump’s first 100 days in office. Murphy detailed the litany of corrupt acts that have defined this Administration, including the sale of White House access for the Trump family’s personal profit, manipulation of federal agencies for financial gain, and the systematic dismantling of anti-corruption safeguards.
    “This is not normal. None of this is normal. This is outlandish, this is illegal, this is unconstitutional, brazen corruption, and this is only the first 100 days. I just detailed 40 instances of mind-blowing corruption in just 40 days, capped off by an attempt to just sell access to the White House to people who put money in the pocket of Donald Trump’s personal businesses. Donald Trump wants to numb this country into believing that this is just how government works. That he’s owed this. That every president is owed this. That government has always been corrupt, and he’s just doing it out in the open. But this is not how government works. This has been the story of his first 100 days, but it’s our choice as a nation to allow it to be the story of the rest of his term. We need to expose what he is doing. We need to rally everybody, from the left to the right. Nobody in this country, whether you’re a hardened conservative or a hardened progressive, should root for the president of the United States to be enriching himself off of this position. We need to rally this nation against this corruption and bring it to an end, because if Donald Trump gets what he wants, and we just start allowing our government’s leaders to openly steal from us during the first 100 days or for the rest of his term, then I am telling you, American democracy is not going to survive.”
    Last month, he highlighted Trump’s first six weeks of corruption.
    A full transcript of his remarks can be found below:
    MURPHY: “Thank you, Mr. President. My colleagues, you’re going to hear a lot of stories about the first 100 days of President Trump’s second presidency, and indeed there are a lot of stories. There is a story of incompetence. We’re dealing with multiple measles outbreaks all across the country. There is the story about abdicating our responsibility to lead around the world – Vladimir Putin is laughing at us as Trump goes about the business of handing Ukraine to a brutal Kremlin dictator. There is the story of a transferring wealth from the poor and the middle class through massive cuts to Medicaid, to the very, very wealthy, who are asking for another massive tax cut. 
    “But I would argue, Mr. President, that the most important story to tell is a story of corruption. A story of mind-blowing, massive, scalable corruption. That story is important because we are watching the theft of taxpayer money by the decision of the Republican Party to look the other way as Donald Trump essentially monetizes at scale the White House and the powers given to him by the Constitution and the American people in order to enrich himself and his friends. And if we don’t tell this story, and if we don’t mount a national bipartisan, apolitical resistance to this thievery, to this corruption, and it becomes normalized as just a part of doing business in America, a normal facet of residents in the White House, then shame on us, because our democracy will not survive this level of corruption, grift, and graft. 
    “So I am going to try to tell the story really quickly. I’ve got two charts and it’s hard to read – these words are really small – because over the course of 100 days, there are 40, 50, 60 individual acts of precedent-breaking corruption. And that’s intentional because what President Trump is trying to do is engage in so much public corruption that you just become normalized to it, that you stop paying attention to the corruption because can it be corruption if it is just playing out in public? He’s trying to make you think that this kind of stuff happens all the time behind the scenes and now all that’s different is you are seeing it publicly. 
    “But that is not true. This is not actually how government works. And I refuse to accept that just because the corruption is happening in public, in front of the cameras for everybody to see, that we should accept it. 
    “Okay. I’m going to try to do this. I’m going to try to do this as quickly as possible. I’m just going to highlight for you maybe the 40 most egregious examples of corruption in the first 100 days, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. 
    “So, on January 6th – this is before Trump is even sworn in – Amazon, which has a ton of business before the incoming Trump White House, pays $40 million to the Trump family to license a documentary in a series about Melania Trump. Just a cash payment from a company that has huge interests before the incoming White House to the Trump family. 
    “On January 17th, a few days before Trump is sworn in – maybe the most corrupt act in the history of the White House – this is the creation of the Trump meme coin. This is just a backdoor way for anybody with business before the Trump administration to send him millions of dollars in total secret. Trump doesn’t disclose who buys the coin. He launders his income from the coin through an unregulated Chinese exchange. He promotes the coin on his social media feeds. In the first minute of trading, one buyer – and what we know is that this was likely a Chinese individual – purchases six million coins, sending the price through the roof and immediately making a ton of money for Trump, who makes money off of every transaction. Trump knows who this person is, no doubt, but American citizens do not. 
    “January 20th, he is now sworn in and he fulfills a campaign promise to the oil and gas industry. There’s a report from the campaign that says they came down to Mar-a-Lago, I think, and said ‘We’ll give you a billion dollars in campaign contributions.’ This is not me alleging this, this is an open report. The oil and gas industry says we’ll give you a billion dollars in campaign contributions if you do what we want when you are sworn in. And the day he’s sworn in, Trump issues an executive order gutting environmental rules so that the oil and gas industry can start making bigger amounts of money. 
    “On January 25th, Trump eliminates the Inspectors General, the ethics officials in government and whistleblower offices. It’s a late-night purge, so you know it’s fishy. On January 25th, 17 Inspectors General get fired, clearing the way for the president to engage in even more corruption because that’s what the Inspectors General do. They sit in these agencies and they look for corruption. Now the Inspectors General are gone. They’re just gone. 
    “But that’s not good enough because on that same day, Trump fires the head of the Office of Special Counsel. Why would you do that? Well, that office is an investigative and prosecutorial office that works to end government and political corruption and protects government employees who become whistleblowers. That office is gone now, along with all of the whistleblowers. 
    “Two days later, Trump illegally fires NLRB member Gwen Wilcox. This effectively shuts down, illegally, the NLRB for a period of time. Why is that important? Because the guys who were standing behind Donald Trump on Inauguration Day, people like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, they are being investigated at the moment by the NLRB for massive workplace violations. Now the NLRB is shut down, a big gift to the people who financed Donald Trump’s inauguration and stood behind him to give him political endorsement and cover on his inauguration day. 
    “On January 31st, a trend begins: enforcement actions are paused against Trump loyalists. This is Representative Andy Ogles from Tennessee. He was being investigated for illegal, or potentially illegal, loans made to his 2022 campaign. But right after Rep. Ogles introduces a bill to amend the constitution to allow Trump to serve for a third term, what happens? Trump makes the investigation go away. Because as you will see, Trump’s justice system will often look the other way if you cheat or steal but you are a friend of Donald Trump.
    “At the same time, another of Trump’s friends, his IRS nominee Billy Long, gets his donors – almost all of them have direct interest before the IRS – to pay off his six-figure campaign debt. It’s a fabulously corrupt thing to do, but it’s just all normal now. So when Trump is showing you the way, then the folks who work for him follow suit. 
    “Alright, we’ll jump to February now. February 4th. We’re into Week 2 of the Trump White House. Trump hauls the PGA and the Saudi government into the White House to broker an agreement between the two rival golf leagues so that Trump can make more money hosting golf tournaments. He’s in business with one of the entities, the Saudi-owned LIV league. In a normal world, the president of the United States wouldn’t be in business with any foreign government. But the president is, and not only is that okay, but it is also apparently okay for him to bring the golf league that he’s in business with into the White House and pressure the other golf league, the rival golf league, to cut a deal. And guess what happens? The PGA, which had long said they were not going to host events at Trump’s courses, after being hauled into the White House, looking the president of the United States in the eye – somebody they clearly have to do business with – they announce that they’re going to start allowing their tournaments to be held at Trump courses. Big benefit to Donald Trump’s personal bottom line. 
    “February 6th, two days later: Trump ends the criminal enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Do you know what this is? You should. It requires people who are being paid by foreign governments to register. It’s no longer going to be enforced, so now members of the Trump administration can get backdoor payments from foreign governments and nobody is going to enforce the law. This isn’t theoretical. There were people who got arrested for doing this exact same thing, getting paid by foreign governments while working for the Trump administration, in term one. He wants to make sure it’s not a problem in term two, so he pauses enforcement of the actual act. 
    “Four days later, Trump eliminates the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This is just a magnificent present to all of his billionaire enablers because this is the agency that stops big businesses, banks, and other financial firms from ripping off consumers and now it is just shut down. 
    “The same day, DOJ drops charges against Eric Adams in a mind-blowingly public and brazen quid pro quo. Adams says he will pledge loyalty to Trump and support Trump’s political priorities in New York City, Trump drops the corruption charges against Adams. Just like the Ogles case, the door is now wide open to engage in corruption or criminality as long as you support Donald Trump. The thing that makes this one so egregious is that Adams and the White House go on TV to announce the corrupt deal. They don’t hide it. They just say that Adams is now supporting Donald Trump and we’re now going to drop the charges against him, and everybody gets the message. There’s a lot of stuff I can get away with as a corrupt official as long as I am in bed politically with Donald Trump. 
    “Same day, February 10th, DOJ pauses enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. This is the law that stops American companies from bribing foreign governments in order to get business. On February 10th, Trump suspends enforcement of an antibribery statute, paving the way for his friends in corporate America to start bribing foreign governments again. 
    “Two days later, the State Department forecasts that they are going to dramatically upscale the amount of money that they’re going to send to Tesla. This is the first time that Elon Musk shows up in this story. By February 12th, Elon Musk is pretty well embedded in the White House, and guess what? The State Department is now going to spend $400 million for armored Teslas – its largest expected contract in the upcoming year. 
    “February 12th, the same day, Musk infiltrates the Department of Labor and OSHA, giving him exclusive secret access to labor law violation data against him and his competitors. Unethical, corrupt, but this stuff is just happening every single day. A few days later, on February 15th and 16th, Musk now starts really testing the limits of what his boss will let him get away with. He fires a specific set of regulators at the FDA that are reviewing one of his medical products, Neuralink. The message is clear: you’ve got to do right by my applications or you risk getting the ax too. 
    “Three days later, on February 19th, Trump’s new U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Ed Martin, starts to use his government power to harass Trump critics. He launches something called Operation Whirlwind and is pretty unapologetic about the fact that this is going to be an enforcement operation against anybody who just seeks to get in the way of DOGE. He doesn’t say he’s going after people who are acting illegally. He says anybody who tries to stop or protest or harass DOGE’s work is now going to be the subject of Operation Whirlwind, and he starts trolling critics of DOGE online. The U.S. Attorney for D.C. is now trolling DOGE critics online, obviously threatening criminal enforcement. 
    “You see what’s happening here? We’re 30 days into the administration, and everybody in Trump’s world, including the supposedly independent U.S. Attorneys, are getting the message: that it is now part of your job, if you work for Trump, to use your government powers to either enrich yourself or Trump or to help Trump politically. 
    “February 21st, two days later, the SEC drops a major investigation into a company called Robinhood. Why does this matter? You guessed it: this firm donated $2 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. 30 days later, the SEC drops an investigation into that firm. 
    “Put a pin in that, because you’re going to hear stories like it over and over again. 
    “Throughout February, we watched the rich guys that are surrounding Trump come up with new ways to monetize their positions. Kash Patel is a perfect example. He’s the nominee to head the FBI – maybe the most important independent bureau in the federal government – and while he’s going through that process, he is selling merchandise online ranging from T-shirts to playing cards, with the proceeds supposedly going to whistleblowers’ education and defamation cases. 
    “February 26th, news breaks that the FAA is considering giving a $2.4 billion contract to Elon Musk’s Starlink. But it’s not like a regular contract that’s up for bid. It’s a contract that was already awarded to one of Musk’s competitors, Verizon, and word leaks that the White House is thinking of just ripping the contract away from Verizon – because Verizon is not a political supporter of Donald Trump in the way Elon Musk is – and just giving it to Elon Musk. Now, that doesn’t happen. As reported, the contract has not been canceled yet. But there are regular reports of the administration still relentlessly attacking Verizon in a clear attempt to try to undermine their contract. 
    “February 27th, the next day, Trump drops a lawsuit against Capital One. Why does this matter? Capital One donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. It’s now just kind of automatic. You donate a big amount of money to Trump’s inauguration, and you can ask him for something. 
    “We’re not done. That same day, the SEC drops a lawsuit against Coinbase. You got the story now. Coinbase donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. They are now told it’s okay to keep cheating consumers. 
    “We’re not done. On February 28th, a day later, the DOJ announced that it would drop a complaint against SpaceX, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, for labor discrimination. Elon is like wait a second, all these other big donors to your inauguration are getting out of jail free, I want my get out of jail free card as well. He gets it from DOJ. 
    “We’re now into March. March 1st, a report breaks – this is maybe second to [the meme coin], the most stunning act of corruption. On March 1st, word breaks that Trump is selling meetings at Mar-a-Lago. On at least one occasion, Trump charged guests $1 million to dine with him at Mar-a-Lago. According to the same report, business leaders can secure a one-on-one meeting with the president of the United States for a $5 million payment to Donald Trump. 
    “If you were mayor of a medium-sized town and it was reported that you were selling meetings for like $200, you would be arrested. You would be run out of town. But not Donald Trump. He’s selling meetings for $5 million, according to this report. And because the corruption in this White House is daily and normal, he gets away with it. 
    “March 2nd, Trump launches a crypto reserve fund. This is going to involve government taxpayer dollars purchasing and holding a variety of digital assets in a strategic reserve fund –a move that definitely inflates and protects Trump’s investment portfolio, [which], by now, you understand, [is] very heavily dependent on crypto assets. This normally wouldn’t be a problem because normally when somebody takes a high position like president or governor or mayor, they divest from their own personal assets, or they put it all in a blind fund. Trump does none of that. He’s controlling his own assets, his family is controlling their own assets, while he makes policy that benefits himself and his family financially. 
    “On March 3rd, a really curious thing: DOJ intervenes in an obscure but open-and-shut 2020 Colorado elections case. This is the case of Tina Peters, who tampered with voting machines on Trump’s behalf in Mesa County, Colorado. She was convicted by a jury of her peers, open and shut. But because Peters is a MAGA loyalist, now DOJ, on March 3rd, said it’s going to step in and review the case because there are concerns about how it was prosecuted. This is just President Trump again clearly shielding those that violated the law to help him from consequences. 
    “Same thing, different day. No, not even a different day. This is actually still March 3rd. Yuga Labs, a blockchain company, donated $100,000 to the Trump inauguration fund. They now get in line. They get what everybody else is getting. The SEC closes an ongoing investigation into the company. 
    “On March 4th, DOGE lays off thousands of IRS employees. This is bad for a lot of reasons, but it certainly helps Trump’s Mar-a-Lago friends because the IRS now cannot enforce the law against the big, giant tax cheats in the way that it could have when it had those personnel on the books. Mar-a-Lago is celebrating. 
    “March 4th – same day – word breaks that the Commerce Department is considering changes to this very specific rural broadband program and who’s eligible. Why? Because Elon Musk wants to dominate that program. Under the program’s original rules, Starlink was capped at $4.1 billion. This curious change now will allow Elon Musk’s company, Starlink, to receive between $10 billion and $20 billion from the rural broadband program. 
    “This is like a broken record, but six days later, the CFPB – which is basically shut down but exists in name only – drops a lawsuit against the Bank of America and J.P. Morgan. Bank of America donated $500,000 to the inauguration. J.P. Morgan donated $1 million to the inauguration.
    “On March 11th, a day later, Trump and Musk hold this now very well-known advertisement for Tesla on the White House lawn. This is just taxpayer dollars used to support the personnel at the White House and the White House being used to sell cars for Elon Musk, and the message again is pretty simple here: if you are loyal to me, and you pay any kind of price for your loyalty to me, I will use government resources to help you, to get you out of trouble, even including free advertising. 
    “On March 19th – we’re eight days later – the GEO Group donated $500,000 for Trump’s inauguration fund. This is a private prison company, and the NLRB drops its investigation into this company. It’s really getting disgusting at this point. I don’t know that there’s anybody left that made a major donation to the inauguration fund that has not gotten their favor from Donald Trump. 
    “On March 24th, the Treasury Department guts something called the Corporate Transparency Act. This is the regulation that requires businesses to reveal their true owners to the government. These new rules now make it easier for billionaires to hide money, to avoid taxes, to engage in corruption – less accountability for corporations. 
    “March 25th, a day later, the SEC reduces, from $125 million to $50 million, an existing fine. So, this has already been litigated: this company, Ripple, it’s a blockchain-based digital payment company. It’s been fined, and Trump comes in and reduces the fine from $125 million to $50 million. You know the story by now. These guys made a big investment in the inauguration. Most of these companies that got a get-out-of-jail-free or had their investigations terminated were giving $500,000, $1 million. Ripple wanted to make sure they got it right. They made a $5 million donation to Trump’s inaugural fund, and they got their fine reduced by $75 million. 
    “March 28th, Trump pardons the founder of Nikola Autos, one of his campaign mega donors. Again, this is a pardon for one of his major campaign contributors. When asked about the pardon, Trump said ‘They say the thing they did was wrong, but he was one of the first people who supported me for president.’ He just tells you what he did. He said, ‘yeah, they said what he did was wrong, he did something that was probably pretty wrong, but he supported me for president, so I’m giving him a pardon.’ I’m not saying that there hasn’t been a lot of really bad stuff that’s happened in the pardon program under Democratic and Republican presidents, but let’s just name it when Donald Trump names it. 
    “April 8th, we’re into April. Trump issues an executive order to expand coal mining. This is part of his down payment on the promise he made to those oil executives. The shares of the company owned by Joseph Kraft, the billionaire coal magnate who helped lead those Trump fundraising efforts during the presidential campaign, immediately shoots up.
    “On April 9th, this really curious timeline of events plays out, in which Trump posts on his social media, ‘This is a great time to buy.’ A lot of his followers complied; they make investments in the market. There’s reports and speculation that many of his inner circle might have done the same thing, and then a couple hours later, he announces that he’s pausing most of his tariffs, and the market shoots up. People who followed his directions online make a lot of money, and potentially other people who had access to that insider information might have made a lot of money as well. 
    “On April 17th, Musk steers billions of taxpayer dollars to something called the Golden Dome. Reuters, on April 17th, reports that Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite company, SpaceX, has emerged as the frontrunner to develop Trump’s proposed Golden Dome. This is a really ill-defined, technologically unproven defense system. It supposedly has a price tag of hundreds of billions of dollars, money that now looks as if it will be funneled directly to Elon Musk. At this point it is just head-shaking.
    “On April 23rd, now it’s like he can do anything he wants. He has just blown the lid off of any expectations about what a president can and cannot do to enrich himself. On April 23rd, a message appears on the homepage of the website for Trump’s meme coin declaring that the top 220 meme coin holders would be invited for an exclusive dinner with Trump and the top 25 coin holders – these are private investors in Donald Trump’s financial empire–would get a special VIP tour of the White House. After the message went up, the price of Trump’s coin jumped by more than 50%. In the two days following the announcement of the special VIP tour in the people’s house, the White House, Trump and his allies made nearly a million dollars in trading fees alone. They are just selling access to the White House out in the open.
    “April 26th, Trump’s family, this is just last weekend, announces the launch of a private club called the Executive Branch, a new private club in Washington. The initiation fee is around half a million dollars. It is advertised as a place where you can hold secret audiences with the Trump administration, as long as you pay Donald Trump’s family and their financial backers over $500,000 in membership fees. It is apparently already sold out.
    “This is not normal. None of this is normal. This is outlandish, this is illegal, this is unconstitutional, brazen corruption, and this is only the first 100 days. I just detailed 40 instances of mind-blowing corruption in just 40 days, capped off by an attempt to just sell access to the White House to people who put money in the pocket of Donald Trump’s personal businesses. 
    “Donald Trump wants to numb this country into believing that this is just how government works. That he’s owed this. That every president is owed this. That government has always been corrupt, and he’s just doing it out in the open. But this is not how government works. This has been the story of his first 100 days, but it’s our choice as a nation to allow it to be the story of the rest of his term. We need to expose what he is doing. We need to rally everybody, from the left to the right. Nobody in this country, whether you’re a hardened conservative or a hardened progressive, should root for the president of the United States to be enriching himself off of this position. We need to rally this nation against this corruption and bring it to an end, because if Donald Trump gets what he wants, and we just start allowing our government’s leaders to openly steal from us during the first 100 days or for the rest of his term, then I am telling you, American democracy is not going to survive.
    “I yield the floor.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Leaders of 764 Arrested and Charged for Operating Global Child Exploitation Enterprise

    Source: US State of California

    Arrests Mark Significant Takedown Within Violent Online Network Known as ‘764’

    Note: View the criminal complaint.

    Leonidas Varagiannis, also known as War, 21, a citizen of the United States residing in Thessaloniki, Greece, and Prasan Nepal, also known as Trippy, 20, of High Point, North Carolina, are charged for their crimes operating an international child exploitation enterprise in connection with a nihilistic violent extremist (NVE) network known as 764. Nepal was arrested on April 22 in North Carolina. Varagiannis was arrested yesterday in Greece.

    According to the affidavit unsealed today in the District of Columbia, 764 is a violent online network that seeks to destroy civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, which often include minors. The 764 network’s accelerationist goals include social unrest and the downfall of the current world order, including the U.S. Government.

    “These defendants are accused of orchestrating one of the most heinous online child exploitation enterprises we have ever encountered — a network built on terror, abuse, and the deliberate targeting of children,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will find those who exploit and abuse children, prosecute them, and dismantle every part of their operation.”

    “These defendants allegedly recruited others to exploit children and created a guide for the disgusting online content they wanted,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Let me be very clear about our efforts. The FBI and our partners are determined to protect juveniles from predators, and we will track down and hold accountable those who engage in these criminal activities. We will continue to work closely with our partners at the Department of Justice to bring justice to the victims of such cruel abuse.”

    “The allegations in this case are not only disturbing, they are also every parent’s nightmare,” said U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. for the District of Columbia. “The number of victims allegedly exploited by these defendants, and the depths of depravity are staggering. Justice demands that our response be swift in order to ensure public safety, hold the wrongdoers accountable, and bring the victims some sense of closure so they can heal.” 

    As alleged, the defendants engaged in a coordinated criminal enterprise and led a core subgroup within 764 known as 764 Inferno, operated through encrypted messaging applications. As alleged, they directed, participated in, and otherwise caused the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and the defendants facilitated the grooming, manipulation, and extortion of minors. Varagiannis and Nepal allegedly ordered their victims to commit acts of self-harm and engaged in psychological torment and extreme violence against minors. The affidavit alleges that the group targeted vulnerable children online, coercing them into producing degrading and explicit content under threat and manipulation. This content includes “cut signs” and “blood signs” through which young minors would cut symbols into their bodies.

    The defendants and their co-conspirators around the world used the CSAM and other gore and violent material to create digital “Lorebooks,” which NVEs used as digital currency within the 764 network — traded, archived in encrypted “vaults,” and used as a means to recruit new members or maintain status within the network. The affidavit also details how the defendants instructed other members in grooming tactics and set content production expectations for new recruits. In multiple instances, the defendants threatened and caused their victims to engage in self-mutilation, online and in-person sexual acts, harm to animals, sexual exploitation of siblings and others, acts of violence, threats of violence, suicide, and murder.

    Also according to the complaint affidavit, the defendants exploited at least eight minor victims across multiple jurisdictions, with some content traced back to children as young as 13 years old. The network’s activities spanned from late 2020 through early 2025, with core leadership roles attributed to both defendants throughout the period.

    If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of life in prison.

    The FBI Washington Field Office and the FBI New York Field Office are investigating the case, with assistance from the FBI Charlotte Field Office and the FBI Athens (Greece) Legal Attaché Office. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided crucial assistance.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra Hughes, Karen Ditzler Shinskie, and Jack Korba for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Iverson for the Middle District of North Carolina and Paralegal Specialists Marissa Mondelli, Kristina Hamil, and Jorge Casillas.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the 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.

    Charges in a criminal complaint are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: West Virginia Man Faces Federal Sexual Exploitation of a Minor Charges

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

    Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted Donald Robert Wilt Edwards, Sr., 29, of West Virginia, for sexually exploiting a minor. The former Baltimore resident is charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, three counts of distribution of child sexual abuse material, and one count of possession of child pornography.

    Kelly O. Hayes, U.S Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office, Police Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD), and Colonel Jack Chambers, West Virginia State Police.

    According to the indictment, on June 13, 2024 — while Edwards was still residing in Baltimore — Edwards persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced a minor male to engage in sexually explicit conduct.  Edwards produced and transmitted a visual depiction of the conduct.  Further, the indictment alleges Edwards distributed the visual depictions using an internet-based account and he possessed child sexual abuse material on a digital device.

    If convicted, Edwards faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each of the three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor; a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years for each of the three counts of distribution of child sexual abuse material; and a maximum of 20 years for possession of child sexual abuse material.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  Individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.

    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 Attorney’s 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 individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc. Click the “Resources” tab on the left side of the page to learn about Internet safety education.

    U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes commended the FBI, BPD, the West Virginia State Police, and West Virginia Parole and Probation Office for their work in the investigation.  Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reema Sood and Paul E. Budlow who are prosecuting the federal case.

    For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Southfield Doctor Convicted of Illegally Prescribing More Than 200,000 Opioid Pills

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

    DETROIT – On April 25, 2025, a federal jury convicted Dr. Charise Valentine, 69, of Southfield, of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute prescription opioids, including Oxycodone and Oxymorphone, and 10 counts of illegal distribution of Oxycodone and Oxymorphone, Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck announced.

    Beck was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Cheyvorea Gibson, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division, and Special Agent in Charge Mario Pinto of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Chicago Regional Office.

    Dr. Valentine was convicted for her role as one of two primary doctors at Orthopedic Medical Building who issued illegal opioid prescriptions. From November 2016 to July 2018, Dr. Valentine issued more than 3,000 prescriptions for more than 200,000 pills to supposed “patients” who did not have a legitimate medical need for the drugs. The “patients” were typically brought to the clinic by “patient recruiters/marketers.” Orthopedic Medical Building, a sham clinic that operated out of a warehouse in Oak Park, Michigan, accepted only cash, and charged patients $200-500 per prescription, but did not charge anything if the patient didn’t receive an opioid prescription. The prices were not based on the service provided, but instead based on the quantity, type, and dosage of prescription opioids that the “patient” received, usually Oxycodone 30mg or Oxymorphone 40mg, two of the most addictive prescription opioids. These prescription drugs are also among the most highly diverted prescription opioids due to their high street value. The clinic also charged cash for the creation of fraudulent medical records for the supposed “patients.”

    Dr. Valentine was paid about 50% of the clinic’s proceeds – more than $500,000 in cash over about 19 months – and was paid only if she wrote an opioid prescription to a patient, not based on any supposed “medical care.” She received an envelope of thousands in cash each day she worked.

    The other defendants charged in the case, including clinic operator Iris Winchester, Dr. Michele Ritter, clinic employee Kristina Brown, and Joyce Robinson, previously pleaded guilty.

    “Addressing the sources of the opioid epidemic – which include addictive opioid prescription pills as well as street drugs – remains a top priority of this office,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Beck. “We continue to focus on doctors who, rather than helping to address the terrible impact the opioid epidemic, use the cover of a “medical office” to write illegal prescriptions for the opioids that fuel the crisis.”

    “The conviction of Dr. Valentine, who abused her position of trust by prescribing opioids in exchange for cash, underscores the FBI’s strong commitment to holding medical professionals accountable under federal law,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “Physicians and other healthcare providers are entrusted with the well-being of our communities and are expected to maintain the highest ethical standards. Those who violate that trust for personal financial gain can expect to be investigated and brought to justice by the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. I also want to thank our partners at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General for their collaboration and support throughout this case.”

    “Physicians who prescribe powerful opioids and other controlled substances, without regard for medical necessity, endanger the health and safety of the very patients they have sworn an oath to protect,” said Mario M. Pinto, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.  “Working in conjunction with our law enforcement partners, our agency is committed to identifying and investigating those medical providers who place profits over patient safety.”

    This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew J. Lievense and Wayne F. Pratt. The Eastern District of Michigan is one of the twelve districts included in the Opioid Fraud Abuse and Detection Unit, a Department of Justice initiative that uses data to target and prosecute individuals that are contributing to the nation’s opioid crisis.

    The case was investigated by special agents and task force officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Leaders of 764 Arrested and Charged for Operating Global Child Exploitation Enterprise

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WASHINGTON – Leonidas Varagiannis, also known as “War,” 21, a citizen of the United States residing in Thessaloniki, Greece, and Prasan Nepal, also known as “Trippy,” 20, of North Carolina, were arrested and charged for operating an international child exploitation enterprise known as “764,” a nihilistic violent extremist (NVE) network. Varagiannis was arrested yesterday in Greece; Nepal was arrested on April 22, 2025, in North Carolina and had a court appearance. Court hearings in Washington, D.C. are pending for both defendants.

    The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office, and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia of the New York Field Office.

    According to the affidavit in the District of Columbia, 764 is a network of nihilistic violent extremists who engage in criminal conduct in the United States and abroad, seeking to destroy civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, which often include minors. The 764 network’s accelerationist goals include social unrest and the downfall of the current world order, including the United States Government.

    As alleged, the defendants engaged in a coordinated criminal enterprise and led a core subgroup within 764 known as 764 Inferno, operated through encrypted messaging applications. As alleged, they directed, participated in, and otherwise caused the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and the defendants facilitated the grooming, manipulation, and extortion of minors. Veragiannis and Nepal allegedly ordered their victims to commit acts of self-harm and engaged in psychological torment and extreme violence against minors. The affidavit alleges that the group targeted vulnerable children online, coercing them into producing degrading and explicit content under threat and manipulation. This content includes “cut signs” and “blood signs” through which young girls would cut symbols into their bodies.

    The defendants and their co-conspirators around the world used the CSAM and other gore and violent material to create digital “Lorebooks,” which NVEs used as digital currency within the 764 network — traded, archived in encrypted “vaults,” and used as a means to recruit new members or maintain status within the network. The affidavit also details how the defendants instructed others members in grooming tactics and set content production expectations for new recruits. In multiple instances, defendants threatened and caused their victims to engage in self-mutilation, online and in-person sexual acts, harm to animals, sexual exploitation of siblings and others, acts of violence, threats of violence, suicide, and murder.

    Also according to the complaint affidavit, the defendants exploited at least eight minor victims across multiple jurisdictions, with some content traced back to children as young as 13 years old. The network’s activities spanned from late 2020 through early 2025, with core leadership roles attributed to both defendants throughout the period.

    “The allegations in this case are not only disturbing, they are also every parent’s nightmare” said U.S. Attorney Martin. “The number of victims allegedly exploited by these defendants, and the depths of depravity are staggering. Justice demands that our response be swift in order to ensure public safety, hold the wrongdoers accountable, and bring the victims some sense of closure so they can heal.”

    “These defendants are accused of orchestrating one of the most heinous online child exploitation enterprises we have ever encountered – a network built on terror, abuse, and the deliberate targeting of children,” said Attorney General Bondi. “We will find those who exploit and abuse children, prosecute them, and dismantle every part of their operation.”

    “The charges against these subjects represent our resolve to dismantle violent networks that seek to destroy civilized society,” said Assistant Director in Charge Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Our work is not done until justice is restored for all impacted victims.”

    “Prasan Nepal, a leader of 764, allegedly instructed other members of the network to use explicit material to induce and extort victims into producing child exploitative content,” said Assistant Director in Charge Raia of the FBI New York Field Office. “Manipulating the most vulnerable members of society—our children—to produce sexually harmful material to further their depraved goals is unconscionable. The FBI is determined to do whatever necessary to stop the heinous actions of 764 members and hold them accountable in the justice system.”

    If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of life in prison.

    This case is being investigated by FBI’s Washington Field Office and New York Field Office with assistance from the FBI Charlotte Field Office and the FBI Athens (Greece) Legal Attaché Office.

    It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra Hughes, Karen Ditzler Shinskie, and Jack Korba for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Paralegal Specialists Marissa Mondelli, Kristina Hamil, and Jorge Casillas provided assistance. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina provided invaluable assistance.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the 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.

    Charges in a criminal complaint are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Greenwich Investment Group Operator Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Money Laundering Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that JUSTIN C. MURPHY, 50, of Stamford, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to offenses stemming from an investment fraud scheme.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Murphy owned and operated Greenwich-based Mara Investment Group, LLC, also known as Mara Investment Management LP and Mara Investments Global Management LLC (“Mara”), which Murphy purported to be a hedge fund that solicited and accepted investments and used a quantitative strategy that balanced long and short positions in securities.  Between approximately 2016 and September 2022, Murphy defrauded investors by pursuing a much riskier investment strategy than he told investors; diverting substantial investor funds for his own personal use and benefit; representing to investors that their invested funds were performing more favorably than was, in fact, the case, including providing investors with account statements that falsely representing their account balances; and providing investors with federal tax forms that falsely reported business income upon which investors would be required to pay tax.

    Murphy stole approximately $3,465,812 in investor funds through this scheme and used the funds to pay for personal expenses and to purchase a personal stake in his relative’s startup company.

    Murphy pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of money laundering, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.  A sentencing date is not scheduled.

    Murphy was arrested in Brazil on December 6, 2023, and was detained for nearly 11 months while awaiting extradition to the U.S.  He has been released on a $250,000 bond since November 1, 2024.

    This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division.  The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Brazilian authorities provided assistance.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Novick.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Robberies of Convenience Stores in Vinton Lead to Arrest and Conviction of Sunset Man

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LAKE CHARLES, La. – Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that Bracelon Armon Charles, 22, of Sunset, Louisiana, has been sentenced by United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. to 155 months (12 years, 11 months) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.  

    According to information presented in court, on or about October 6, 2023, Charles and a juvenile used a 2018 Kia which had been stolen from a residence in Lafayette, to drive to Vinton, Louisiana. Charles and the juvenile entered Tiger Mart, a gas station and convenience store located in Vinton, and entered the store brandishing firearms and demanded money from the store clerk. The clerk complied and gave them money from the cash register in the amount of $400. Charles and the juvenile immediately left the Tiger Mart.

    Just minutes later, Charles and the juvenile entered More 4 Less, another gas station and convenience store in Vinton. As in the previous store just minutes before, Charles and the juvenile brandished their firearms and demanded money from the store clerk as they pointed their firearms at the clerk. The clerk complied and gave all the money in the cash drawer over to Charles and the juvenile, which was $400.

    Charles and the juvenile then traveled into Texas where law enforcement officers engaged them in a high speed chase back into Louisiana where they were subsequently apprehended. Charles was charged in a federal indictment and pleaded guilty to using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. 

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren L. Gardner.

    # # #

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Vice President and Controller of Publicly Traded Consumer Goods Company Sentenced to 13 Months for $1.6 Million Insider Trading Scheme

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

    MIAMI – A Florida man was sentenced yesterday in the Southern District of Florida to 13 months’ imprisonment and a $10,000 fine for his role in an insider trading scheme that netted over $1.6 million in profits. He was also ordered to pay over $200,000 in restitution and over $1.6 million in forfeiture.

    According to court documents, from November 2018 to April 2023, Stephen George, 54, of Parkland, was a member of the Finance Department and held roles including controller and vice president at a consumer-packaged goods company headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida (Company A). The company was the maker of a fitness drink whose securities were publicly traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market. At Company A, George received material non-public information (MNPI) regarding the company’s financial performance.

    On his final day at Company A on April 7, 2023, George created a consolidated income statement showing its financial performance for the first quarter of 2023, which George knew contained MNPI. The income statement showed that the company’s first quarter results had greatly exceeded expectations. George then emailed the document to himself using two personal email accounts.

    On April 10, 2023, the first trading day after his last day of employment, and continuing through May 8, 2023, George purchased Company A securities based on MNPI – specifically, 20,000 shares of common stock and 300 call option contracts. On May 9, 2023, after the market close, Company A publicly reported better-than-expected earnings and sales for the first quarter of 2023, including an all-time quarterly record in revenue. After the public announcement, its stock price increased significantly. During the next trading day, George sold all 20,000 shares of common stock and 300 call option contracts, resulting in over $1.6 million in personal profits.

    In February 2025, George pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case. The Justice Department appreciates the assistance of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s Criminal Prosecution Assistance Group.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eli S. Rubin and Elizabeth Young for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Matthew F. Sullivan and Matt Kahn of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff for the Southern District of Florida handled 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.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

    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 25-cr-60011.

    ###

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Alien Guilty of Assaulting Federal Agent and Fleeing Scene in Underwear

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

    LAREDO, Texas – A 21-year-old Mexican citizen has pleaded guilty to assaulting a Border Patrol (BP) agent who was assisting him and inflicting bodily injury, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Marco Cupil-Hernandez, an illegal alien from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, admitted he struck the agent’s body and face repeatedly while attempting to flee.

    On the evening of Jan. 23, law enforcement had arrested Cupil-Hernandez after he had waded across the Rio Grande River. A BP agent transported him to a local hospital for emergency care after Cupil-Hernandez complained of injuries to his knees.

    Medical personnel cleared him for release, though he walked with a limp. As the agent attempted to assist him into the vehicle, Cupil-Hernandez forcefully pushed him away and attempted to flee.

    A struggle ensued on the concrete. Each time the agent grasped an article of Cupil-Hernandez’s clothing, he removed it. Cupil-Hernandez then elbowed the agent’s face which caused him to lose his hold, at which time Cupil-Hernandez jumped to his feet and fled wearing only his underwear and shoes.

    Authorities took him into custody a short time later after discovering him hiding under the covered parking spaces of a nearby gym.

    “The defendant’s conduct, in brief, was quite revealing; he attacked a federal agent and barely escaped,” said Ganjei. “The naked truth here is if you assault a federal officer, you are going to federal prison.”

    U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen will impose sentencing at a later date. At that time, Cupil-Hernandez faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

    Cupil-Hernandez has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.

    FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of BP, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Homero Ramirez 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: Thirty-Six Year-Old Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor

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

    PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois man, Paul Graf, 36, of the 1000 block of West Willow Lane, was sentenced in federal court on April 17, 2025, to 120 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 10 years supervised release, for attempted enticement of a minor.

    At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley, it was established that Graf initiated contact with a purported 13-year-old minor female on multiple occasions, and the two corresponded between April 8 to April 18, 2024. During that time frame, Graf expressed a sexual interest in the alleged child and discussed specific sexual acts.

    On April 18, 2024, Graf traveled to a prearranged location to meet with the presumed minor and was subsequently arrested. During his arrest, Graf was in possession of a cell phone, and a bag that contained multiple sex items.

    Also at the hearing, the government presented testimony that a minor reported to an officer with the Peoria, Illinois, Police Department allegations of sexual abuse by Graf on multiple occasions and several years. Items removed from Graf’s home during a search following Graf’s arrest corroborated the minor’s statement. This finding resulted in a sentencing enhancement as a repeat and dangerous sex offender against minors.

    “Crimes against children are particularly heinous.” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Ortiz. “This case is a reminder of the inherent dangers the children of our community face every day, on the internet and elsewhere.  The U. S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois and its law enforcement partners prioritize the protection of children, and we remain committed to fully seeking justice for these most vulnerable of victims.”

    “This individual used the internet to prey on the vulnerable, believing anonymity would protect him. It didn’t.” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher J.S. Johnson. “Our agents, in collaboration with our partners, worked tirelessly to bring him to justice. Let this be a message to anyone else who would attempt to harm our children, you will be held accountable.”

    The statutory penalties for attempted enticement of a minor are not less than ten years and up to life in prison; not less than five years and up to life on supervised release; and up to a $250,000 fine.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Office, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Peoria Police Department, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz represented the government in the prosecution.

    The case against Graf was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

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  • MIL-OSI Security: California City Councilmember Charged with Hazardous Waste Transportation Conspiracy that Risked Death or Serious Bodily Injury

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

    Michael Kulikoff, 39, of California City, was arrested today on an indictment charging him with conspiracy to transport and cause to be transported a hazardous waste without a manifest and placing another person in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to court documents, in February 2024, Kulikoff was a city councilmember in California City and owned a car wash business. On Feb. 25, 2024, Kulikoff learned that a mercury exposure incident had occurred at his car wash. An individual had spilled a jar containing several ounces of mercury inside the cabin of a sports utility vehicle and had attempted to clean up the mercury using a vacuum cleaner. The individual then drove the contaminated SUV to a residence in California City, where he called 911 because he was experiencing symptoms related to mercury exposure.

    California City emergency services personnel responded to the scene and scanned the SUV for mercury. They detected approximately 20 times the allowable limit of mercury inside the SUV’s cabin and put yellow caution tape around the SUV to deny entry to it. They also shut down the car wash business. Kulikoff attempted to clean up the business himself but was told by the emergency services personnel that he had to stop because it was a hazardous materials scene and was unsafe.

    Early the following morning, Kulikoff conspired with another person to move the contaminated SUV outside of city limits. He directed the other person to drive the contaminated SUV from California City to Boron because the SUV was causing problems for Kulikoff in California City, and he wanted the SUV to be outside the jurisdiction of California City emergency services personnel. Emergency services personnel left the location of the contaminated SUV scene to respond to a report of a fire that turned out to be a false report. When they returned to the scene, the contaminated SUV was gone. A couple of hours later, Kern County emergency services personnel found the contaminated SUV at the residence of the individual who had moved the vehicle at Kulikoff’s direction. That individual also complained of symptoms related to mercury exposure.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey A. Spivak and Arelis M. Clemente are prosecuting the case.

    If convicted, Kulikoff faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to transport hazardous waste and a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $50,000 fine per day of violation for placing another person in imminent danger. Any sentence, however, would 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendant 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Solano County Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Second Conviction of Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

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

    Jeremiah Malik Jefferson, 27, of Benicia, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to seven years in prison for his second federal felon-in-possession of a firearm case, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to court documents, On Oct. 1, 2023, while on supervised release following a 2021 conviction in a prior federal gun case, Jefferson brandished a firearm during an argument with a female victim. Jefferson had been released from prison only 10 months prior. During a search of Jefferson’s residence on Nov. 1, 2023, law enforcement officers recovered a firearm that was loaded with a high-capacity magazine and had previously been reported stolen. Jefferson is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to multiple prior felony convictions, including for burglary and a previous federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Jefferson was also sentenced to two years in prison (the applicable statutory maximum) for violating his terms of supervised release to be served concurrently with the 7-year sentence.

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

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI: Wyoming Ranks 3rd Per Capita in Losses to Scammers

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

    Scammers stole $43,502,744 from Wyoming victims in 2024, according to the latest report from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Those losses made Wyoming the No. 3 state in the nation in terms of per capita losses. People filed 1,377 IC3 complaints in 2024.

    Reported losses in the state increased nearly $30 million over the 2023 dollar amount.

    The top schemes with the largest dollar amount losses in 2024 in Wyoming were data breach ($21 million) and investment fraud ($13 million).

    The top schemes in terms of numbers of reports from Wyoming were extortion (193) and personal data breach (89).

    The age group that made the most reports was people 40-49 years old, with 479 complaints. The age group with the most reported losses was those 60 and older, with $8,648,675.

    “This report is a sobering reminder that people in Wyoming remain prime targets for scammers who will jump at every opportunity to defraud potential victims,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek, who oversees FBI operations in the Cowboy State. “It’s important for the public to remain vigilant to guard against ever-increasing cyber-enabled threats both at places of employment and in personal life.”

    In 2024, the IC3 received 859,532 complaints nationally of suspected Internet crime with reported losses of $16.6 billion. That is a 33 percent increase in losses from 2023.

    These are only the reports made to IC3; not every victim files a complaint—or even realizes he or she is a victim—so the actual numbers are probably higher in terms of victims and losses.

    Nationwide, the top three scams most frequently reported by victims were phishing/spoofing, extortion, and personal data breaches. Victims of investment fraud, specifically those involving cryptocurrency, reported the most losses—totaling more than $6.5 billion.

    Cryptocurrency investment fraud increased 29 percent over 2023. Ransomware complaints were up 9 percent across the country

    As a group, people 60 and older suffered the most reported losses in 2024 at nearly $5 billion and submitted the greatest number of complaints.

    If you feel you have been a victim of a cyber-enabled crime, file a complaint at IC3.gov.

    Read the full IC3 report here: https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2024_IC3Report.pdf

    Breakdowns by state are here: https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2024State/

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  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI San Francisco Warns of Escalating Ransomware Threats

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

    Highlights Private Sector Partnerships and Importance of Reporting

    As ransomware threats continue to evolve and disrupt critical services across the country, the FBI San Francisco Field Office is reinforcing its message to businesses and infrastructure partners: strong collaboration and timely reporting are essential to protecting U.S. networks.

    While participating in the RSA Cybersecurity Conference at the Moscone Center through May 1, 2025, FBI San Francisco is engaging cybersecurity professionals and industry leaders to strengthen partnerships and share information on the state of the cyber threat landscape.

    “Our cyber strategy is focused on disrupting adversaries, building trusted partnerships, and removing threats from U.S. networks before they cause harm,” said FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani. “We are proactively engaging not only major corporations but also small and mid-sized companies that form the bedrock of our economy.”

    Ransomware Threat Landscape

    The ransomware threat today is immense—measured by the amount of financial losses, the number of active variants, and the increasing sophistication of attacks. Ransomware is malicious software designed to infect a computer or server, encrypt its contents, and demand a ransom payment in exchange for a decryption key.

    These attacks are often carried out by complex networks of criminal developers, affiliates, and service providers. Ransomware operations continue to adapt, emphasizing operational security and using layered tactics to extort victims. A growing trend is data theft and victim extortion without encryption, where criminals demand payment to avoid leaking sensitive or proprietary information—even when the victim has reliable backups.

    Criminal groups are also resorting to harassment tactics, including contacting employees or customers directly to pressure organizations into paying.

    According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3):

    • In 2024, cyber incidents and internet-enabled frauds cost victims more than $16.6 billion.
    • IC3 received over 3,100 ransomware complaints in 2024—an increase of nearly 12% over the prior year.
    • IC3 received over 86,000 extortion complaints in 2024—an increase of nearly 79% over the prior year.
    • Ransomware remains the most persistent cyber threat to critical infrastructure, with complaints rising 9% from 2023.
    • In 2024, 14 of the 16 U.S. critical infrastructure sectors experienced ransomware att

    From 2022 to 2024, IC3 received ransomware complaints totaling more than $106 million in reported losses—though the actual impact is likely higher, as many incidents are never reported.

    FBI Strategy: Disrupt, Partner, Protect

    The FBI’s cyber strategy focuses on disrupting cybercriminal infrastructure, building enduring partnerships, and making it harder and costlier for adversaries to succeed. The FBI targets the key services ransomware groups rely on: digital infrastructure, tools, communications, and money.

    By combining the capabilities of domestic and international partners and imposing costs on cybercriminals, including seizing illicit funds, the FBI is taking proactive steps to degrade their operations and reduce future attacks. This work requires help from the public and private sectors alike.

    “Together, we can dismantle these operations and protect the systems Americans rely on,” Virmani added. “But we can only do it if incidents are reported. If we don’t know it happened, we can’t act—and we can’t stop the next one.”

    Reporting To The FBI

    Despite the growing number of attacks, the FBI continues to face challenges with underreporting. After the FBI gained visibility into a major ransomware group’s infrastructure, investigators found that only about 20% of that group’s U.S. victims had reported the attack to law enforcement—a pattern consistent across multiple operations.

    Organizations may avoid reporting due to reputational concerns, quick internal recovery, or payment decisions. However, reporting cyberattacks helps the FBI track evolving threats, identify patterns, and support victims.

    The FBI urges victims of cyber incidents to report as soon as possible through the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. Prompt reporting allows FBI cyber squads to assess threats, provide appropriate assistance, and minimize disruption.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Missouri Registered Sex Offender Charged with Distributing and Possessing Child Pornography

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

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been charged in a federal criminal complaint for child pornography offenses.

    Jeffrey Lynn Petrie, 40, of Kansas City, Mo., was charged in a two-count criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday, April 25. 

    The federal criminal complaint charges Petrie with one count of distributing child pornography over the internet in May 2024, and one count of possessing child pornography from Dec. 9, 2024, to April 24, 2025.

    According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, law enforcement officers received a Cybertip reporting that a user, “kinkypopper69,” was uploading video files depicting child sexual abuse materials. Petrie was later identified as the user “kinkypopper69.”

    On Thursday, April 24, the FBI conducted a search at Petrie’s residence and seized a cell phone.

    Petrie is a registered sex offender in Missouri based on prior convictions for child molestation in the 2nd degree.

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

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa A. Moore. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Franklin County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office.

    Project Safe Childhood

    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 individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

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