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Category: Federal Bureau of Investigation

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hardin Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Using a Phone to Promote Prostitution with a Minor

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

    BILLINGS – A Hardin man who promoted prostitution with a minor was sentenced today to 36 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    William Serges Joseph, 75, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to use of facility in interstate commerce in aid of racketeering.

    U.S. District Judge Susan Watters presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that in March 2023, Jane Doe, a juvenile female, disclosed to law enforcement that, commencing in approximately September 2022, she began showing her breasts to the Joseph. The two messaged each other on Facebook and Joseph was aware of she was a juvenile. Jane Doe said she allowed Joseph to touch her in exchange for alcohol and he also asked her for naked pictures.

    Jane Doe was interviewed again in June 2023. She added that Joseph continued to message her and offered her $50 for sexual contact. A review of her cell phone reflected, among other communications, a February 2023 message from Joseph with a picture of male genitalia. Joseph was interviewed in February 2024. He admitted providing alcohol to Jane Doe in exchange for pictures of her breasts. At the time of the offense, prostitution was illegal under the laws of Montana and Sex Trafficking was illegal under the laws of the United States.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case, and the investigation was conducted by the FBI.

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

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pontiac Man Pleads Guilty in $4 Million Identity Theft and Unemployment Fraud Case

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

    DETROIT – A Pontiac man has pleaded guilty to committing aggravated identity theft and wire fraud as part of large-scale, multi-state Unemployment Insurance benefit fraud scheme in which he and co-conspirators fraudulently obtained debit cards loaded with more than $4 million in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance funds, Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck announced today.

    Joining in the announcement were Megan Howell, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Special Agent-in-Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division, Charles Miller, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, Douglas Zloto, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Secret Service, Sean McStravick, Acting Inspector-in-Charge, U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, and Director Jason Palmer, State of Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency.

    Terrance Calhoun, Jr., 36, of Pontiac, Michigan, pleaded guilty to committing aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and to possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices, all in relation to acts of unemployment insurance fraud.

    According to his plea agreement, Calhoun Jr., and others, used stolen personal identification and filed hundreds of false unemployment claims with state unemployment insurance agencies in Michigan, Arizona, and Maryland over a six-month period in the names of other individuals without their knowledge or consent. Those false claims resulted in hundreds of debit cards loaded with over $4 million in unemployment insurance funds being mailed to addresses controlled by Calhoun Jr. and his co-conspirators. Roughly $1.6 million dollars in purchases and cash withdrawals were then successfully made from the cards.

    As described within a prior complaint, when agents executed search warrants at the principal mailing addresses used for the fraudulent unemployment insurance benefit claims, including the residence of Calhoun Jr., agents seized numerous documents containing the personal identification information of other individuals, multiple debit cards in the names of numerous other individuals, and firearms.

    Calhoun now faces a possible sentence of up to 20-years’ imprisonment for each of the wire fraud counts to which he has pleaded guilty, a possible sentence of up to 10-years’ imprisonment for possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices, and a mandatorily consecutive 2-year sentence for the aggravated identity theft charge to which he has pleaded guilty.

    Sentencing is set for August 27, 2025 before United States District Court Judge Judith E. Levy.

    “Taxpayer money diverted into the pockets of criminals means less money going to Michiganders who actually need help getting through difficult financial times and who follow the rules when seeking assistance,” said Acting US Attorney Beck.  “These charges reflect our office’s ongoing commitment to the community by investigating such schemes and bringing those who commit these crimes to justice.”

    “Terrance Calhoun Jr and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to defraud state workforce agencies in Michigan, Arizona, and Maryland by filing hundreds of fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims.  As a result, Calhoun enriched himself by stealing taxpayer resources intended for unemployed American workers.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the UI program from those who seek to exploit it,” said Megan Howell, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

    “Individuals who commit identity theft and unemployment insurance fraud of this magnitude deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” said Charles Miller, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).  “Terrance Calhoun, Jr. and Jermaine Arnett demonstrated a blatant disregard of the integrity of the multiple states’ unemployment insurance systems and caused immeasurable hardship to innocent victims. IRS-CI remains committed to the pursuit of identity theft and financial fraud, and together with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we will hold those who engage in similar crimes accountable.”

    “The FBI in Michigan, alongside our law enforcement partners, remains steadfast in protecting the community and investigating individuals who violate federal law,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “Today’s guilty plea by Terrance Calhoun, whose involvement in a multi-state fraud scheme, is a clear reminder that bad actors will be stopped, and we will ensure integrity will prevail.”

    The case was jointly investigated by agents from the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General, and the State of Michigan -Unemployment Insurance Agency. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Carl D. Gilmer-Hill and Jessica A. Nathan.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Guatemalan Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine in Dubuque, Iowa

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

    A Guatemalan man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced today to more than 12 years in federal prison.  Jose Eleazar Aceves‑Garcia, age 30, from Guatemala, received the prison term after a November 20, 2024 guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute at least 500 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and 50 grams of actual (pure) methamphetamine.

    In a plea agreement, Aceves-Garcia admitted that between January 2019 and January 2022, he distributed at least 400 pounds of ice methamphetamine to a co‑conspirator in the Dubuque area.  His fingerprints were on two packages, which contained a total of more than seven pounds of ice methamphetamine, that he mailed to the co-conspirator in Dubuque.  Aceves-Garcia also distributed a kilogram of heroin to the co-conspirator.

    Aceves-Garcia was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Aceves-Garcia was sentenced to 151 months’ imprisonment and must serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Aceves-Garcia is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force, Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, Dubuque Police Department, Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory.

    Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 23-CR-1022.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Iowa Man Arrested on Federal Stalking Charge

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

    DES MOINES, Iowa – A Nevada, Iowa man made his initial appearance before a United States Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa today.

    According to allegations in the criminal complaint, between January and April 2025, Tanner Dean Bandy, 28, engaged in a pattern of threatening conduct against a former romantic partner through text messages and voicemails. Two days prior to his arrest, on April 17, 2025, Bandy left a voicemail message discussing his intention to conduct a mass shooting at an Iowa State University commencement ceremony. On April 17, 2025, law enforcement searched Bandy’s residence and vehicle and located two firearms and ammunition. Bandy will remain detained in federal custody pending further proceedings.

    United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigations, Iowa State University Police Department, and Story County Sheriff’s Office are investigating this case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Surges Resources to Nigeria to Combat Financially Motivated Sextortion

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

    The FBI conducted a first-of-its-kind global operation to address the dangerous rise in American suicides attributed to this crime.

    Today, the FBI is announcing a global operation to combat financially motivated sextortion schemes operating out of Nigeria. In coordination with multiple law enforcement partners, the FBI conducted Operation Artemis—a surge of resources and personnel to Nigeria to address the high rate of sextortion related suicides attributed to Nigerian perpetrators. As a result of Operation Artemis, FBI investigations led to the arrests of 22 Nigerian subjects connected to financially motivated sextortion schemes. Of those 22 subjects, approximately half were directly linked to victims who took their own lives. This operation marks a significant step in the fight against child exploitation and brings justice and accountability to international perpetrators hiding anonymously behind screens.

    “Operation Artemis exemplifies the FBI’s never-ending mission to protect our most vulnerable, and to pursue the heinous criminals harming our children — no matter where they hide,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This operation highlights the critical need for international cooperation to address this growing threat, and it’s a fight we can’t take on without our valued partners across the globe. We hope this message encourages parents and guardians to continue to educate their children about online safety and serves as a reminder of the FBI’s relentless pursuit of keeping our children safe.”

    This announcement comes as the FBI has observed a 30% increase in sextortion-related tips received to our National Threat Operations Center from October 2024 to March 2025 as compared to the previous year. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center or IC3, there were over 54,000 victims in 2024, up from 34,000 in 2023. Over the last two years there have been nearly $65 million dollars in financial losses due to this crime. This comes as the FBI began observing a significant increase over the last three years in financially motivated sextortion schemes targeting young males ages 14-17, resulting in more than 20 minor victims dying by suicide.

    Given the alarming rise and similarities of these cases, the FBI opened investigations across the country with the goal of bringing answers and closure to grieving American families. Information gathered by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit (CEOU) allowed the FBI to work collaboratively with all 55 of our field offices to identify nearly 3,000 victims of financially motivated sextortion. It was during these investigative steps that the commonality of perpetrators residing in Nigeria began to grow and paint a larger, more international scope of this crime.

    As a result of Operation Artemis, a Nigerian man was extradited to the U.S. in January and charged with causing the death of a South Carolina teenager who took his own life after being extorted by the suspect posing as a woman. Additionally, two men were extradited from Nigeria to the United States last year to face charges related to the sextortion and death of a young man in Pennsylvania. These subjects will now be held accountable in the American justice system, with more subjects still awaiting extraditions in Nigeria.

    The subjects arrested in this operation engaged in sophisticated, financially motivated sextortion schemes by contacting victims via social media platforms and posing as peers or potential romantic interests. Once trust or rapport was established, often through conversation in chatrooms or direct messages, the suspects coerced their victims into taking and sharing compromising images of themselves. Offenders then threatened to release the compromising photos unless they received immediate payment — typically requested via gift cards, mobile payment services, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. Regardless of a payment being received or not, the perpetrators would often continue to manipulate their victims, leaving them feeling ashamed, isolated, and responsible.

    Operation Artemis was spearheaded by multiple units at the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, including CEOU and the Crimes and Crimes Against Children Human Trafficking Intelligence Unit, and across the globe at the FBI Legal Attaché offices in Abuja and Lagos. The FBI’s Victim Outreach Support and Strategy Program of the Victim Services Division also played a key role assisting victims’ families throughout these various investigations. The following FBI field offices also provided resources directly on the ground in Nigeria as well as invaluable investigative support and assistance: FBI Atlanta, Charlotte, Columbia, Houston, Jackson, Milwaukee, Nashville, Newark, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Richmond, San Diego, and St. Louis. Additionally, our partners at the Department of Justice Child Exploitation Obscenities Section served a critical role in ensuring the perpetrators in these cases face charges. Working together, we were able to obtain arrests, gather comprehensive forensic analyses, and conduct subject interviews on the ground in Nigeria.

    This operation would not have been possible without our partnerships with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), and their assistance in developing an ongoing, collaborative strategy to combat financially motivated sextortion. Multiple agencies also provided the FBI with assistance both with personnel and intelligence for this operation, leading to an even larger global perspective on the threat. FBI’s CEOU secured personnel assistance from our Five Eyes partners, including Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP). The FBI also recognizes the valued partnership and assistance of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The FBI encourages parents to have ongoing conversations with their children and teenagers about online safety and to remind them they are not alone, and it is not their fault should they become a victim to these sophisticated and egregious schemes. If your child believes they are a victim of sextortion or financially motivated sextortion, please immediately report the activity to law enforcement and the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov. For immediate help or if you or a child is in danger, call 911. For 24/7 free, confidential mental health assistance, the 988 suicide and crisis hotline connects individuals in need of support with counselors across the United States.

    Take It Down is NCMEC’s free service that can help you remove or stop the online sharing of nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images or videos taken of you when you were under 18 years old. You can remain anonymous while using the service and you won’t have to send your images or videos to anyone. Take It Down will work on public or unencrypted online platforms that have agreed to participate. Please visit takeitdown.ncmec.org.

    For more information on sextortion and financial sextortion, please visit the FBI’s resources on the threats at fbi.gov/sextortion and fbi.gov/financialsextortion.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Slidell Man Indicted for Receiving Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that JONATHAN SUAREZ (“SUAREZ”), age 29, a resident of Slidell, Louisiana, with was indicted today for receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2).

    According to the indictment, between on or about February 15, 2023, and April 9, 2025, SUAREZ received visual depictions of minors as young as approximately two (2) years old engaging in sexually explicit conduct, including a video he received on or about February 15, 2023.

    SUAREZ faces a mandatory minimum of five (5) years in prison and a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty (20) years. SUAREZ also faces at least five years, and up to a lifetime, of supervised release and up to a $250,000 fine. He may also be required to register as a sex offender.

    Acting U. S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

    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 United States 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.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, is in charge of the prosecution.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal alien’s “sole” mistake during armed robbery lands him nearly 13-year prison sentence

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HOUSTON – A 21-year-old Honduran man illegally residing in Houston has been sentenced for his role in the armed robbery of a local Family Dollar store, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Carlos Gonzalez-Vargas pleaded guilty Feb. 7 to discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

    U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal has now ordered Gonzalez-Vargas to serve 150 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard he was affiliated with a gang, posted Instagram selfies with the firearm and fired the weapon at a 13-year-old child one month after the robbery. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that the mandatory minimum sentence does not adequately address the seriousness of his conduct.

    On Jan. 16, 2023, Gonzalez-Vargas entered the discount store along with three others, brandished a firearm and demanded cash from the register. When the employee did not act fast enough, Gonzalez-Vargas shot her in the leg. They stole cash from the register and fled on foot. Surveillance captured Gonzalez-Vargas wearing a distinctive pair of sneakers. 

    Approximately one month later, Gonzalez-Vargas fired the same weapon used in the robbery during a street fight with a 13-year-old minor. Law enforcement took him into custody, at which time he was wearing the same distinctive sneakers seen in the robbery footage. 

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

    Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Tallichet prosecuted the case.

    This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballisticinformation-network-nibin.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Ex-Orange County Resident Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Receiving Kickbacks from Sober Living Homes, Firearms Trafficking

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

    LOS ANGELES – A former resident of Orange County was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison for soliciting and receiving nearly $500,000 in illegal kickbacks from corrupt sober living homes in exchange for finding them new patients in a process known as “body brokering” and for firearms trafficking.

    Darius Moore, 31, formerly of Santa Ana but most recently of North Carolina, was sentenced by United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton.

    Moore pleaded guilty in November 2021 to one count of conspiracy to pay or receive illegal remunerations for referrals to clinical treatment facilities and one count of soliciting or receiving illegal remunerations for referrals to clinical treatment facilities.

    From no later than February 2020 to December 2020, Moore conspired with addiction treatment facility owners to broker patients to the facilities for drug addiction treatment services. Moore knew the facilities would bill the referred patients’ private health insurance plans for the treatment services and then pay Moore a share of the resulting insurance proceeds as kickback payments.

    Over the course of his time working as a body broker, Moore was paid nearly $500,000 in kickbacks from the facilities.

    While free on bond in the “body brokering” criminal case, Moore violated his pretrial release conditions on several occasions, including in May 2023 when he sold two firearms and a drum magazine to buyers. In September 2023, a federal grand jury in the Western District of North Carolina charged him with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. After the North Carolina federal case was transferred to this district, Moore pleaded guilty in Los Angeles on February 14 to that count.

    Moore has been in federal custody since August 2023.

    The FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this matter with assistance from the California Department of Insurance.

    Assistant United States Attorney Nandor F.R. Kiss of the Orange County Office and Trial Attorney Siobhan M. Namazi of the Fraud Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division prosecuted this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: KC Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Fentanyl Conspiracy

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

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

    Colt Justin Draggoo, 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to five years in federal prison without parole.

    On September 12, 2024, C. Draggoo plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

    C. Draggoo admitted that he sold fentanyl pills and collected drug money for his brother and co-defendant, Tiger Dean Draggoo. Between December 29, 2021, and October 22, 2022, C. Draggoo either brokered or sold approximately 263 pills containing fentanyl on behalf of his brother.

    C. Draggoo is the third defendant in this case to be sentenced. On Oct. 16, 2024, Tiger Dean Draggoo plead guilty to his role in the fentanyl conspiracy and to three counts of distributing fentanyl resulting in death. Three additional defendants have plead guilty and await sentencing.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brad K. Kavanaugh and Robert Smith. It was investigated by the Jackson County Drug Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Belton, Mo., Police Department, the Raymore, Mo., Police Department, the Cass County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the FBI.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Convicts Five in Drug Trafficking Conspiracy that Used Semi-Trucks to Transport Liquid Meth from Mexico to Oklahoma

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    18 Now Convicted as Part of Drug Trafficking Organization Responsible for Approximately 16,000 Kilos of Methamphetamine with Estimated Street Value of $64,000,000

    OKLAHOMA CITY – A federal jury has convicted JUAN HERNANDEZ, 49, a Mexican-national living in Oklahoma City, JESSICA MUNIZ, 32, of Oklahoma City, and DENIS LEAL GUTIERREZ, 59, CESAR AZAMAR, 52, and ADRIAN NARVAEZ, 58, of Texas, for their roles in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that specialized in transporting liquid methamphetamine by semi-truck from Mexico, through Texas, to Oklahoma City, and laundering the subsequent drug proceeds, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

    “Coordinating their drug trafficking scheme across international borders and state lines, these defendants flooded our state with methamphetamine worth millions of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. “I praise the exceptional work of the federal and state law enforcement, and the federal prosecutors, for untangling and disrupting this major drug operation and for stopping its flow of lethal drugs into our communities.”

    “This multi-year collaboration among the FBI, DEA, IRS, Oklahoma City Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office has effectively dismantled a major drug trafficking organization that had been poisoning our community with deadly narcotics for years,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater. “Together, we will continue to ensure those who participate in these dangerous criminal networks face the full weight of the American justice system.”

    On December 17, 2024, a federal Grand Jury returned a 16-count Second Superseding Indictment, charging the defendants for their respective roles in the DTO. The Second Superseding Indictment charged Gutierrez, Azamar, and Narvaez with drug conspiracy, Muniz with money laundering conspiracy, two counts of domestic money laundering, and five counts of international money laundering, and Hernandez with money laundering conspiracy, three counts of domestic money laundering, and three counts of international money laundering.

    On April 18, 2025, following a nine-day trial, a federal jury convicted the defendants on all counts.

    According to evidence presented at trial, the defendants and other co-conspirators worked with high-ranking members of a Mexico-based DTO to import liquid methamphetamine into the U.S. hidden in the gas tanks of semi-trucks. Gutierrez’s trucking company, DGC Express Co., had been responsible for transporting shipments of liquid methamphetamine to Oklahoma as far back as February 2021. Another trucking company owned by Gutierrez, Dare Express Co., assumed responsibility for transporting the liquid methamphetamine to Oklahoma and Georgia starting in at least May of 2023.  Evidence at trial further showed that Azamar was responsible for facilitating the transfer of the liquid methamphetamine from the Mexico-based semi-truck into the Dare Express semi-truck, which first occurred at a property rented by Gutierrez in Alamo, Texas, and later at the main business location of Dare Express in Edinburg, Texas. The Dare Express semi-truck used throughout 2023 to deliver liquid methamphetamine to Oklahoma and Georgia was registered under Narvaez’s name, and both Gutierrez and Narvaez instructed the truck drivers to deliver this liquid methamphetamine to Oklahoma and elsewhere.

    At trial, evidence also established that law enforcement seized significant amounts of methamphetamine during the investigation, including:

    • 907 kilograms on March 3, 2021, in Tecumseh, Oklahoma;
    • 92 kilograms on September 6, 2023, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;
    • 615 kilograms on December 8, 2023, in Wellston, Oklahoma;
    • 42 kilograms on April 1, 2024, in Tecumseh, Oklahoma; and
    • 86 kilograms on April 2, 2024, in Newalla, Oklahoma.

    There was also evidence presented at trial about the DTO’s money laundering activities. A high-ranking member of this DTO in Mexico directed family members in Oklahoma, specifically his brother, Hernandez, and his niece, Muniz, to launder drug proceeds on his behalf. Testimony and other evidence, including court documents, CashApp records, international wire remitter service records, and records from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and Oklahoma Department of Corrections, also established that this DTO supplied Oklahoma prison gangs with methamphetamine, specifically the Irish Mob Gang, the Universal Aryan Brotherhood, and the Sureños. These gang members or their associates then sent payments for methamphetamine disguised as CashApp payments to Hernandez and Muniz, who then wired the money to close associates of the DTO’s head in Mexico.

    At sentencing, Gutierrez, Azamar, and Narvaez each face up to life in federal prison and a fine of up to $10,000,000.  Following their convictions for money laundering conspiracy, domestic money laundering, and international money laundering, Hernandez and Muniz face up to 20 years in federal prison and fines of up to $500,000 per charge.

    As part of the overall investigation and prosecution of this DTO, two additional defendants have previously been sentenced and 11 additional codefendants have already pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy.  In total, law enforcement has attributed responsibility to this DTO for bringing approximately 16,000 kilograms of methamphetamine into the U.S. from Mexico at an estimated street value of $64,000,000.

    In November 2024:

    • EVER ALONSO PANDO, 47, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to serve 96 months in federal prison, and three years of supervised release, for two counts of maintaining a drug-involved premises, and
    • HECTOR REYES, 43, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to serve 90 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

    The remaining defendants have pleaded guilty as follows:

    • ADAN GARCIA MIRANDA, 29, of Texas, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At sentencing, Miranda faces up to 40 years in prison, and a fine of up to $5,000,000;
    • JORGE RAUL VEGA GARCIA, 30, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to possession of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At sentencing, Garcia faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000;
    • LUIS ALBERTO ROJAS PRECIADO, 28, of Illinois, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At sentencing, Preciado faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000;
    • JOSE ALFREDO EQUIHUA, 39, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At sentencing, Equihua faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000;
    • EDGAR RODRIGUEZ ONTIVEROS, 32, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At sentencing, Ontiveros faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000;
    • ADRIAN PEREZ, 39, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Public record shows that Perez has previous felony convictions that include being a felon in possession of a firearm in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-2022-4831 and using a vehicle to facilitate the intentional discharge of a firearm in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-2003-1656. At sentencing, Perez faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,250,000;
    • PHILLIP RAY HOWARD, 53, of Newalla, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Public record shows that Howard has previous felony convictions that include possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-2005-878. At sentencing, Howard faces up to 40 years in prison for the conspiracy charge, 15 years in prison for the firearm possession charge, and fines of up to $5,250,000;
    • RAY DAVID LARA, JR., 44, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to possession of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At sentencing, Perez faces up to life in federal prison and a fine of up to $10,250,000;
    • HERIBERTO DONAN OCHOA, 33, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to possession of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At sentencing, Ochoa faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000;
    • BRAULIO PADILLA, 50, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Public record reflects that Howard has several felony convictions, including for possession of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of a child under 12 and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in Oklahoma County District Court case numbers CF-2010-4880 and CF-2019-155, respectively. At sentencing, Padilla faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,250,000; and
    • MICHAEL J. ESTRADA, 36, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to possession of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At sentencing, Estrada faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000.

    This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and the Oklahoma City Police Department. This case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    Reference is made to public filings for additional information.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: California Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Dubuque, Iowa, pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.  Juan Jose Ruiz, age 29, from California, was convicted of conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, and 50 grams or more of actual (pure) methamphetamine.   

    In a plea agreement, Ruiz admitted that between January 2021 and December 2021, he agreed with others to distribute methamphetamine.  On December 14, 2021, in Clear Creek County, Colorado, law enforcement officers stopped Ruiz as he was driving to Dubuque.  Officers found over 25 pounds of ice methamphetamine in his car.  Ruiz intended to distribute the methamphetamine to a co-conspirator in Dubuque.   

    Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Ruiz remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Ruiz faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, a $10,000,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release following any imprisonment.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force, Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, Dubuque Police Department, Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory.

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

    The case file number is 23-CR-1006.  

    Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Butte County Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Enticement of a Child

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Kevin Leslie Gipson, 58, of Oroville, pleaded guilty today to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to court documents, in July 2024 Gipson communicated with an individual he believed to be the father of a 10-year-old girl, but who was in fact an undercover officer. Gipson communicated his desire to perform sex acts on the child and planned to meet the undercover officer and child at a hotel room to do so. Gipson purchased various sex items in preparation for the meeting and bought a stuffed animal with the intent to provide the stuffed animal to the child. When Gipson approached the undercover officer with the stuffed animal, he was arrested by law enforcement officers.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force/Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Delaney is prosecuting the case.

    Gipson is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on Feb. 5, 2026. Gipson faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Chinese National Indicted for Money Laundering Conspiracy Connected to Scam That Impersonated Federal Officers and Employees

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Binghui Liu, 32, a citizen of China formerly residing in San Jose, charging him with a money laundering conspiracy, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to court documents, between February 2024 and April 2025 Liu and other co‑conspirators engaged in a scheme to launder proceeds derived from a government impersonation fraud scam. Members of the conspiracy pretended to be federal law enforcement officers or employees when contacting target victims. To seek money, the scammers provided false information about the victim’s bank accounts, for example by claiming that charges had been wrongfully filed against the victims and that their bank accounts would be frozen. The scammers typically instructed victims to withdraw their savings in cash and then arranged for a fake law enforcement officer or federal employee to pick up the cash for supposed safekeeping. The scammers used fake names, code words, and instructed the victims to take pictures of themselves and the cash packaged for pickup.

    Liu served as a money launderer in the fraud scheme. He went to victims throughout California and Nevada to take their money. Liu used code words and fake names, and victims were falsely told he was either a federal employee or law enforcement officer. At no point was Liu a federal employee or law enforcement officer.

    In one example, an elderly victim was contacted by someone pretending to be a U.S. Marshal, who informed the victim of a fake arrest warrant and the possibility that the victim’s bank account would be frozen. The victim was instructed to give the money to federal reserve employees, supposedly to protect the funds. The scammers then coached the victim on withdrawing funds, what to say to their bank about the large withdrawals, and how to package the funds for multiple different pickups. On April 9, 2025, FBI agents set up a sting operation. Liu arrived at the elderly victim’s house and took what he believed was $20,000 but was, in fact, fake money. The agents arrested Liu shortly after he took the fake cash. In total, the elderly victim lost over $780,000 to the fraud scheme.

    If you have information related to this case or believe you may be a victim, please submit a report at tips.fbi.gov or call your local FBI office.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cody S. Chapple and Arelis M. Clemente are prosecuting the case.

    If convicted, Liu faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater. 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 is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Bank General Counsel Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for $7.4 Million Embezzlement Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAMES BLOSE, 56, of Fairfield, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for offenses stemming from a decade-long embezzlement scheme at banks where he served as General Counsel and held other high-ranking positions.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, from approximately 2013 to January 2022, Blose was an attorney and held high-ranking positions, including General Counsel, at Hudson Valley Bank and Sterling National Bank.  From approximately January 2022, when Webster Bank acquired Sterling National Bank, until February 2023, Blose served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Webster Bank.

    From approximately 2013 until Webster Bank discovered his scheme and his employment was terminated in February 2023, Blose defrauded his employers (“The Bank”) in various ways.  In certain commercial loan transactions where The Bank was the lender, Blose fraudulently retained for himself portions of closing costs, including legal fees.  In certain real estate transactions in which The Bank was the seller, Blose retained portions of the sale proceeds for himself.  For some of the real estate transactions, Blose created false documents in order to hide his theft from The Bank.  Blose also stole from The Bank in other ways.

    As part of the scheme, Blose used his attorney trust accounts to make personal expenditures, and to transfer funds to accounts in the names of business entities he created and controlled, and then used those funds for his personal benefit.  Through this scheme, Blose stole approximately $7.4 million from his employers, and used the stolen funds to purchase a vacation property on Kiawah Island in South Carolina, for construction of his Connecticut home, and for luxury vehicles, jewelry, private jets charters, multiple country club memberships, and other expenses.

    Judge Chatigny will determine restitution after additional court proceedings.

    On December 20, 2024, Blose pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of engaging in illegal monetary transactions.

    Blose, who is released on a $250,000 bond, is required to report to prison on June 23

    This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection’s Office of the Inspector General.  Financial crimes investigators from Webster Bank assisted the investigation.

    This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. McGarry.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Grand Jury Returns Four Indictments

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

    MADISON, WIS. – A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments yesterday. You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation, and a person named as defendant in an indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    WAUSAU MAN CHARGED WITH POSSESSING FENTANYL AND METHAMPHETAMINE FOR DISTRIBUTION

    Christopher Harter, 49, Wausau, Wisconsin is charged in a two-count indictment with possessing fentanyl and methamphetamine for distribution. The indictment alleges that on March 7, 2025, Harter possessed 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

    If convicted, Harter faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison on each count.

    The charge against him is the result of an investigation conducted by Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force comprised of agents from the FBI, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, Portage County Sheriff’s Office, Mountain Bay Police Department, Wausau Police Department and Wisconsin National Guard Counter Drug Program.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor L. Kraus is handling the case.

    JACKSON COUNTY MAN CHARGED WITH POSSESSING METHAMPHETAMINE FOR DISTRIBUTION

    Elvin Amundson, 39, Sparta, Wisconsin is charged with possessing more than 500 grams of methamphetamine for distribution.  The indictment alleges that he possessed the methamphetamine on April 14, 2021.

    If convicted, Amundson faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life.

    The charge against Amundson is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson is handling the case.

    ROTHSCHILD MAN CHARGED WITH ILLEGALLY POSSESSING A FIREARM

    Edward L. Jackson III, 28, Rothschild, Wisconsin, is charged with possessing a firearm as a felon. The indictment alleges that on May 20, 2024, Jackson possessed a loaded Sig Sauer pistol. If convicted, Jackson faces a maximum penalty of fifteen years in prison.

    The charge against him is the result of an investigation conducted by the Wausau Police Department, the Wausau Police Department’s Community Resource Unit, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force (CWNTF), with assistance from the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force and the Marathon County District Attorney’s Office. The CWNTF is comprised of agents from the FBI, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, Portage County Sheriff’s Office, Mountain Bay Metro Police Department, Wausau Police Department and Wisconsin National Guard Counter Drug Program. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force consists of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers (TFOs) from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger is handling the case.

    MEXICAN CITIZEN FOUND IN EAU CLAIRE CHARGED WITH ILLEGALLY REENTERING UNITED STATES

    Mario Govea-Monarca, 23, a citizen of Mexico found in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, is charged with reentering the United States after having been previously removed. The indictment alleges that on November 29, 2023, Govea-Monarca was found in the Western District of Wisconsin after having previously been removed and without having obtained the express consent of the United States Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.

    If convicted, Govea-Monarca faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

    The charge against him is the result of an investigation conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Remington is handling the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Inmate Pleads Guilty To Assaulting Correctional Officer And Inflicting Bodily Injury

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Ali Odeh Abdeljaber (31, Kentucky) has pleaded guilty to forcibly assaulting, resisting, and impeding an officer and employee of the United States. Abdeljaber faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

    According to the court records, Abdeljaber is an inmate at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex, United States Penitentiary I, in Sumter County. On March 18, 2024, a Federal Bureau of Prisons correctional officer tried to escort Abdeljaber to his assigned cell. Abdeljaber, however, became combative, lunging forward and using his head to strike the officer in the face. The officer suffered injuries from the attack, including two fractured teeth.  

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Three Members of an International Money Laundering Organization Charged with Laundering Millions of Dollars in Drug Proceeds

    Source: US State of Vermont

    A federal grand jury in Florence, South Carolina, returned an indictment on April 22, charging Nasir Ullah, 28, and Naim Ullah, 32, both of Sumter, South Carolina, and Puquan Huang, 49, of Buford, Georgia, with conspiring to launder millions of dollars of proceeds derived from drug trafficking.

    “As alleged in the indictment, the defendants laundered tens of millions of dollars in drug proceeds from the United States through China and the Middle East, enabling a continuous flow of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into our country from Mexico,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Dismantling transnational criminal organizations and Chinese Money Laundering Organizations that support them is a critical priority for the Department. Alongside DEA and our local law enforcement partners, we will continue to prosecute the financial networks that fuel illegal drug trade and profit from the sale of deadly substances.”

    “We are committed to dismantling criminal organizations that seek to profit through the distribution of dangerous drugs like cocaine and fentanyl across South Carolina and beyond,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews for the District of South Carolina. “This $30 million money laundering operation, which has international ties, was conducted in multiple communities in our state. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to trace these illicit funds, disrupt these networks, and hold those involved accountable for the harm they present.”

    “Cases like this exemplify the value of partnerships,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jae W. Chung of the DEA Atlanta Division. “The volume of dangerous drugs, including deadly fentanyl, impacts our communities beyond comprehension. This investigation and subsequent arrests demonstrate DEA’s commitment to protecting our community by destroying these drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.”

    According to court documents, unsealed today, Ullah, Naim Ullah, and Huang allegedly worked for a money laundering organization that laundered at least $30 million in proceeds related to the distribution of illegal drugs, including cocaine and fentanyl, which were unlawfully imported into the United States, typically through Mexico. Ullah, Naim Ullah, Huang, and their co-conspirators allegedly traveled throughout the United States to collect drug proceeds. They communicated with co-conspirators in China to arrange for the laundering of these proceeds through transactions designed to conceal the illegal source of the proceeds, including disguising the source of the drug proceeds by moving money through the shipment of electronic goods to China and the Middle East.

    Ullah, Naim Ullah, and Huang are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

    The DEA’s Charleston, South Carolina Resident Office is investigating the case, with assistance from the DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit; DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit; DEA’s offices in Columbia, South Carolina and Atlanta; the FBI’s offices in Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina; the U.S. Air Force, Office of Special Investigations; the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division; the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office; the South Carolina Highway Patrol; the Fort Mill Police Department; the York County Sheriff’s Office; the North Charleston Police Department; the Mount Pleasant Police Department; and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

    Trial Attorneys Mary K. Daly and Jasmin Salehi Fashami of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Everett E. McMillian for the District of South Carolina are prosecuting the case.

    The Third and Fifth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Offices of South Carolina provided assistance in this case.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Florida Highway Patrol Trooper and DEA Task Force Officer Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Drugs, Defrauding the United States, and Illegal Firearm Possession

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

    Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Joshua Grady Earrey (46, Jacksonville) to nine years in federal prison for multiple federal offenses including one count of conspiring to distribute narcotics, one count of conspiring to defraud the United States, and one count of possessing firearms and ammunition while addicted to illegal narcotics. As part of the sentence, Earrey also agreed to forfeit or abandon the money, firearms, and ammunition involved in these offenses. He entered a guilty plea on April 4, 2024.

    According to court documents, while employed as a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper and designated Task Force Officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Earrey and a co-conspirator engaged in extensive corrupt activity from 2021-2023. These acts included the theft of money and illegal drugs that were seized as evidence during criminal investigations; providing illegal drugs (including fentanyl and cocaine) to others to distribute on their behalf; and providing ammunition to an individual that Earrey knew to be a convicted murderer in exchange for opiates. Earrey and his co-conspirator stole more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana from evidence and provided the drugs to others to sell on their behalf. They covered up the theft by submitting falsified paperwork showing that the marijuana had been destroyed. Similarly, they stole a kilogram of cocaine from evidence and then gave it to a drug dealer to sell for them.

    “Law enforcement officers who operate as though they are above the law betray the badge and the citizens they swore to protect,” said FBI Jacksonville Acting Special Agent in Charge Hubert Reynolds. “This case exemplifies the FBI’s commitment to holding public servants accountable if they violate the very laws they promised to uphold.”

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service — Criminal Investigation, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton. The United States Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection wish to thank the Florida Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their cooperation during this investigation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Baltimore Man Pleads Guilty in Federal Court to Fentanyl and Cocaine Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    The defendant, a felon, also possessed a firearm in connection with the drug offense.

    Baltimore, Maryland – Freddie Anthony Curry, 54, of Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty in federal court to possession with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine. 

    Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the plea with Special Agent in Charge William DelBagno, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – Washington Division; and Postal Inspector in Charge Damon Wood, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) – Washington Division.

    In May 2024, the FBI and DEA began investigating Curry in connection with suspected fentanyl and cocaine trafficking in the Baltimore area.  During their investigation, they verified Curry’s vehicle and residence. Authorities then executed federal search warrants on Curry’s residence and vehicle. During the search, investigators recovered approximately 980 grams of fentanyl, 1,040 grams of cocaine, digital scales, drug-packaging materials, and a Glock 19 9-millimeter handgun. Curry is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior felony convictions.

    The parties have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Curry will be sentenced to 120 months in federal prison. Sentencing is set for Monday, June 30, 2025, at 2 p.m.

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

    This case is part of a Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The specific mission of the Baltimore Strike Force is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle violent drug trafficking, money laundering, and transnational criminal organizations to reduce drug-related and/or gang violence in the Baltimore metropolitan and surrounding areas.  The Baltimore Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Secret Service, United States Postal Inspection Service, the Maryland State Police, the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore Sheriff’s Office, the Baltimore County Police Department, the Maryland Transportation Authority, and the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. The prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland.

    U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, DEA, and USPIS for their work in the investigation.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Simpkins who is prosecuting the case.

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

    # # #

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Seattle man who carjacked a BMW near Lumen Field pleads guilty in federal court

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Seattle – A 32-year-old Seattle man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to carjacking and using a firearm during a crime of violence, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Louis Montel De’Andre Dowers was arrested June 9, 2024, hours after he carjacked a BMW outside the Seattle Team Shop on Occidental Avenue South in the Pioneer Square neighborhood. Dowers faces a mandatory minimum five years in prison and up to life in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge John H. Chun on August 4, 2025.

    According to the plea agreement, a man was waiting for his wife, sitting in the driver’s seat of his car outside a business on Occidental Avenue South. Dowers approached the car from behind, pulled out a distinctive firearm, pointed it at the victim, and ordered him out of the car saying “It’s mine now. Get out.”  The victim was able to get his dog out of the car before Dowers drove off. The victim’s wife came out of the store and was nearly hit by the car as it raced away.

    Police were able to track the car to Auburn, Washington – near a middle school. Working with a description of the alleged carjacker, a King County Sheriff’s deputy located Dowers walking nearby. When searched, Dowers possessed a semi-automatic firearm that had been privately manufactured – a so-called ‘ghost gun.’ The firearm was fully loaded with a round in the chamber. In his plea agreement Dowers admits he used the gun in the carjacking

    Carjacking is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Using a firearm during a crime of violence, as described in the plea agreement, is punishable by a mandatory minimum five years in prison and up to life in prison. Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend no more than seven years in prison. The defense can recommend no less than five years and a day in prison.  Judge Chun is not bound by the recommendations and can impose any sentence allowed by law after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The case was investigated by the federal carjacking task force made up of the Seattle Police Department, the Kent Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg who leads the Western District of Washington Carjacking Task Force.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Three Members of an International Money Laundering Organization Charged with Laundering Millions of Dollars in Drug Proceeds

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in Florence, South Carolina returned an indictment on Tuesday, April 22, charging Nasir Ullah, 28, and Naim Ullah, 32, both of Sumter, South Carolina, and Puquan Huang, 49, of Buford, Georgia, with conspiring to launder millions of dollars of proceeds derived from drug trafficking.

    “As alleged in the indictment, the defendants laundered tens of millions of dollars in drug proceeds from the United States through China and the Middle East, enabling a continuous flow of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into our country from Mexico,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Dismantling transnational criminal organizations and Chinese Money Laundering Organizations that support them is a critical priority for the Department. Alongside DEA and our local law enforcement partners, we will continue to prosecute the financial networks that fuel illegal drug trade and profit from the sale of deadly substances.”

    “We are committed to dismantling criminal organizations that seek to profit through the distribution of dangerous drugs like cocaine and fentanyl across South Carolina and beyond,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews for the District of South Carolina. “This $30 million money laundering operation, which has international ties, was conducted in multiple communities in our state. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to trace these illicit funds, disrupt these networks, and hold those involved accountable for the harm they present.”

    “Cases like this exemplify the value of partnerships,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “The volume of dangerous drugs, including deadly fentanyl, impacts our communities beyond comprehension. This investigation and subsequent arrests demonstrate DEA’s commitment to protecting our community by destroying these drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.”

    According to court documents, unsealed today, Ullah, Ullah, and Huang allegedly worked for a money laundering organization that laundered at least $30 million in proceeds related to the distribution of illegal drugs, including cocaine and fentanyl, which were unlawfully imported into the United States, typically through Mexico. Ullah, Ullah, Huang, and their co-conspirators allegedly traveled throughout the United States to collect drug proceeds. They communicated with co-conspirators in China to arrange for the laundering of these proceeds through transactions designed to conceal the illegal source of the proceeds, including disguising the source of the drug proceeds by moving money through the shipment of electronic goods to China and the Middle East.

    Ullah, Ullah, and Huang are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

    The DEA’s Charleston, South Carolina Resident Office is investigating the case, with assistance from the DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit; DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit; DEA’s offices in Columbia, South Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia; the FBI’s offices in Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina; the U.S. Air Force, Office of Special Investigations; the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division; the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office; the South Carolina Highway Patrol; the Fort Mill Police Department; the York County Sheriff’s Office; the North Charleston Police Department; the Mount Pleasant Police Department; and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

    Trial Attorneys Mary K. Daly and Jasmin Salehi Fashami of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Everett E. McMillian for the District of South Carolina are prosecuting the case.

    The Third and Fifth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Offices of South Carolina provided assistance in this case.

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

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: York County Man Charged With Production Of Child Pornography And Related Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Robert Haley, age 41, of York County, Pennsylvania, was charged on April 23, 2025, by a federal grand jury with producing and possessing child pornography. 

    According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that on March 29, 2021, in York County, Haley enticed an 11-year-old minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing four videos.  It is further alleged that on March 20, 2025, Haley possessed a SanDisk 64 GB micro-SD card that contained images of child pornography involving a minor who had not attained 12-years of age.

    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.

    This case was investigated by the FBI.  Assistant United States Attorney Christian Haugsby is prosecuting the case.      

    The total maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is up to 140 years’ imprisonment, a term of up to lifetime supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

    Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Law Enforcement Officer Arrested for Allegedly Fraudulently Obtaining COVID-19 Business-Relief Funds for Shell Companies

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LOS ANGELES – A United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer has been arrested on a five-count federal grand jury indictment alleging he fraudulently obtained nearly $150,000 in COVID-19 pandemic business-relief loan funds for two of his sham businesses, the Justice Department announced today.

    Amer Aldarawsheh, 45, of Moreno Valley, is charged with five counts of wire fraud.

    He was arrested Wednesday morning and pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him at his arraignment Wednesday afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. A federal magistrate judge ordered Aldarawsheh released on $30,000 bond and scheduled a June 16 in U.S. District Court in Riverside.

    According to the indictment unsealed Wednesday, Aldarawsheh owned and purportedly operated two businesses:  Nahar Enterprises Inc., a San Bernardino based business he described as a trucking and freight company, and Ameral, which he described as an automotive repair company.

    From July 2020 to December 2021, Aldarawsheh made false statements to the Small Business Administration (SBA) to fraudulently obtain a loan under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL), which provided low-interest financing to small businesses, renters, and homeowners in regions affected by declared disasters.

    The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 authorized the SBA to provide EIDL loans of up to $2 million to eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Aldarawsheh applied to the SBA for EIDL loans on behalf of his two companies, neither of which had substantial business or employees. EIDL loans were supposed to be used by the recipient to only pay certain authorized business expenses.   Instead, Aldarawsheh knowingly misappropriated and misused the EIDL funds he received from the SBA for his own personal benefit, including in December 2020, causing the transfer of $149,900 in SBA COVID-19 EIDL loan funds to be wired from the SBA to a bank account under his control.

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

    If convicted, Aldarawsheh would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count.

    The United States Custom and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility, Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Laura A. Alexander and Michael J. Morse of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section are prosecuting this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Box Elder woman sentenced for trafficking fentanyl on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    GREAT FALLS – A Box Elder woman who distributed fentanyl in northern Montana and on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation was sentenced today to time served to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    Dai Shawn Whitford, 33, pleaded guilty in December 2024 to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of distribution of fentanyl.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement received information that Whitford’s co-defendants were working together to bring drugs from Washington to distribute on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation and nearby locations. On at least one occasion, Dai Shawn Whitford helped distribute on behalf of the co-defendants.

    In May 2023, a confidential source paid a co-defendant $800 for 30 fentanyl pills. The co-defendant directed the confidential source to pick up the fentanyl at a residence on Rocky Boy’s. The informant went to the house and was provided approximately 30 fentanyl pills from Dai Shawn Whitford.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case, and the investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Tri-Agency Task Force.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Brooklyn, NY Woman Sentenced to 4 Years for Aiding and Abetting Armed Robbery of Hyde County Family Dollar Store

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW BERN, N.C. – A Brooklyn, NY woman was sentenced Wednesday to 4 years in prison for aiding and abetting in the armed robbery of a Family Dollar in Swan Quarter. On November 13, 2024, Victoria Michelle Cyren Clarke, 32, pled guilty to interference with commerce by robbery and aiding and abetting.

    According to court documents and other information presented in court, on Sunday, June 4, 2023, at approximately 9:00 p.m., Hyde County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) received a call about an armed robbery at the Family Dollar, located at 13065 US Highway 264 in Swan Quarter. Two individuals entered the store brandishing firearms while demanding money. After retrieving over $2000 in cash from the store, the two individuals left and got into a car being driven by Clarke. A deputy with HCSO attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the vehicle after it was observed leaving the area at a high rate of speed. A high-speed chase ensued for approximately 18 miles with speeds in excess of 100 mph before the vehicle was finally stopped. In addition to the two armed robbers and Clarke, two children were unrestrained in the vehicle. Subsequent investigation revealed that Clarke bought both firearms used in the robbery and rented the get-away car.

    “The Hyde County Sheriff’s Office is committed to ensuring the safety of our residents and businesses,” said Sheriff Guire Cahoon. “The armed robbery at the Family Dollar in Swan Quarter was a serious crime that put innocent lives at risk, and we are grateful for the quick response of our deputies which resulted in the apprehension of the individuals involved, and we are grateful for the assistance of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their work on the case. Violent crime has no place in our community, and we will continue working tirelessly to protect the people of Hyde County.”

    Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. Hyde County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie A. Childress  prosecuted the case.

    Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-CR-12-FL-RJ-3.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Three Fugitives Arrested in San Juan and Carolina, PR

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Three individuals who were fugitives since December 2024 were arrested today in the municipalities of San Juan and Carolina, PR, on criminal charges related to their alleged participation on drug trafficking and violent crimes associated to a drug trafficking organization that operated in San Juan, Carolina, and other areas nearby, from in or about 2021 through December 2024, when the arrest operation took place. The three fugitives had been charged in the case of United States v. Victor J. Pérez-Fernández, a.k.a. “La Cone/Vitu/Vitikin/Enano,” et al., Case No. 24-453 (MAJ).

    Defendants [10] Gerald O. Rodríguez-Rodríguez, a.k.a. “Patrón;” [18] Ángel L. Sanjurjo, a.k.a. “Vaca;” and [33] Ramsell Maldonado-Tatis, a.k.a. “R” were arrested by FBI special agents, Puerto Rico Police Bureau and the Carolina Municipal Police Department. They are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; possession and distribution of heroin, cocaine base (crack), cocaine, marijuana, and fentanyl; and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Defendant Maldonado-Tatis is also facing one count for possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

    “As alleged in the indictment, these individuals were engaged in violent crime and spread deadly drugs through our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Muldrow.  “Today’s arrests make clear that this Office will work tirelessly to keep the law-abiding residents of Puerto Rico safe and hold accountable those who bring violence to our streets.”

    “The arrests carried out this morning reaffirm our unwavering commitment to dismantling criminal organizations. The message is clear: if you’re part of a violent criminal enterprise, the FBI will work relentlessly to find you and bring you to justice,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “The residents of Puerto Rico deserve safe communities, and through close collaboration with our local and federal partners, we will continue to bring fugitives to justice and restore peace where it is most needed.”

    According to the charging documents, the drug trafficking organization distributed heroin, fentanyl, crack, cocaine, marijuana, Tramadol, and Clonazepam within 1,000 feet of the Sabana Abajo Public Housing Project (PHP), the Luis Lloréns Torres PHP, the Los Mirtos PHP, the Lagos de Blasina PHP, the La Esmeralda PHP, the El Coral PHP, the Monte Hatillo PHP, and other areas near those locations, all for significant financial gain and profit. The drug trafficking organizations that operated in and around these areas (known as The Alliance) reached an agreement to conduct their drug trafficking operations as allies, which they referred to as “La Paz” (The Peace). At that time, each housing project organization was controlled by their own leadership and structure. As part of The Alliance, there would not be war between these organizations and members would be able to rely on each other for protection, drugs, and weapons.

    Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) and Chief of the Gang Section Alberto López-Rocafort; Deputy Chief of the Gang Section, AUSA Teresa Zapata-Valladares; and AUSAs Laura Díaz-González, R. Vance Eaton, and Joseph Russell are prosecuting the case.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI-Led Operation in Nigeria Leads to Sextortion Arrests

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

    In early 2023, a unit in the FBI’s Criminal Division that focuses on child exploitation sifted through terabytes of communications and uncovered thousands of digital breadcrumbs that led to Nigeria. The Child Exploitation Operational Unit assembled priority lists of subjects to locate and interview in the West African country, including some of the cases that involved suicides.

    The FBI, through the legal attaché office in Nigeria, coordinated all this with Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the country’s lead agency for investigating financial crimes. Other partners included federal agencies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom that had similar sextortion cases resolving to Nigeria.

    In late summer 2023, a team of FBI special agents, analysts, and forensic examiners—along with criminal investigators from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)—set up a discreet temporary command post in the city of Lagos. The operation was dubbed Artemis after the Greek goddess who protects youths. In Nigeria, the teams worked in shifts for weeks at a time exchanging information with EFCC investigators to facilitate the arrests and interviews of Nigerians whose digital footprints appeared to connect them to some of the most appalling cases in the U.S.

    “Everybody was equally invested in making this one goal happen,” said Special Agent Karen R., who managed the Bureau’s coordination of the sextortion cases that led up to the weeks-long operation in Nigeria. While Canada and Australia are well-known partners for the FBI, Karen pointed out that Nigeria’s EFCC has a uniquely strong track record of working with the Bureau, particularly on sprawling financial crimes that both countries are trying to stamp out.

    “They are just as invested as we are in trying to make this problem go away,” she said. “We all know Nigerian prince scams. We know all of the scams that are traditionally done there. They’re aware of it, too, and don’t like that their country is known for that type of activity.”

    Indeed, as everyone set out in the summer of 2023 to find and arrest the criminals and bring them to justice, Nigerian authorities were on a parallel mission of trying to dissuade would-be scammers in their own country from taking up sextortion and other financial crimes as an easy way to make money.

    Poverty is widespread in Nigeria, and jobs and opportunities are scarce. Smart, tech-savvy, college-aged individuals with a phone, nude images scraped from the internet, and a script for duping faraway boys might view sextortion as a viable trade with little risk or downside. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Detroit Man Sentenced for Role in Drug Trafficking Operation

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

    CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Jovonne Haynes, age 30, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to 13 months in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking organization selling controlled substances that spanned from Michigan to Monongalia County.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Haynes was allowing his apartment in Morgantown to be used for the drug trafficking operation. Haynes pled guilty to a methamphetamine distribution charge in December 2024.

    Haynes will serve three years of supervised release following his sentence.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.

    The case was investigated the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Clarksburg; the FBI Clarksburg; the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office; the Morgantown Police Department; WVU Police Department; the DEA Cincinnati District Office; the DEA Detroit Field Division; and the FBI Detroit.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Tacoma resident indicted for damaging six different energy facilities in the South Sound and Southwest Washington

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Seattle – A 33-year-old former Tacoma resident was indicted by a federal grand jury earlier this month for conspiracy to destroy energy facilities and six counts of destruction or attempted destruction of an energy facility, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Zachary Rosenthal, who is currently incarcerated in the Washington State Department of Corrections for vehicular assault, was indicted in Oregon last July for damaging two energy facilities in Portland. The Oregon case is scheduled for trial on November 3, 2025.

    According to the Western Washington indictment, between June and December 2022, Rosenthal conspired with others to damage six different power substations in western Washington: the Toledo substation in Lewis County on August 5, 2022; the Woodland 1 substation in Cowlitz County on November 17, 2022; the Woodland 2 substation on November 18, 2022; the Puyallup substation in Pierce County on November 20, 2022; and the Tumwater substation in Thurston County on November 22, 2022; and the attempted destruction to the Oakville substation in Grays Harbor County on December 5, 2022. The indictment charges five counts of destruction of an energy facility, and one count of attempted destruction of an energy facility for the Oakville substation attack.

    The indictment calls for forfeiture of proceeds of the criminal scheme which appears to have been an attempt to burglarize businesses and ATMs when the power was out, and alarm systems might be down.

    The attacks on the power stations resulted in power outages ranging from about 1,000 customers to 6,000 customers per substation.

    Rosenthal and his coconspirators damaged the substations through a variety of means including gunshots, smashing equipment, or using heavy chains to cause short circuits.

    The Oregon substation attacks occurred in the same timeframe as the Washington attacks, on November 24 and 28, 2022.

    Damaging an energy facility with intent to cause a significant interruption and impairment of the function of the facility is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.

    The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations.  A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    The case is being investigated by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg.  

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Hardin man sentenced to 3 years in prison for using a phone to promote prostitution with a minor

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BILLINGS – A Hardin man who promoted prostitution with a minor was sentenced today to 36 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    William Serges Joseph, 75, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to use of facility in interstate commerce in aid of racketeering.

    U.S. District Judge Susan Watters presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that in March 2023, Jane Doe, a juvenile female, disclosed to law enforcement that, commencing in approximately September 2022, she began showing her breasts to the Joseph. The two messaged each other on Facebook and Joseph was aware of she was a juvenile. Jane Doe said she allowed Joseph to touch her in exchange for alcohol and he also asked her for naked pictures.

    Jane Doe was interviewed again in June 2023. She added that Joseph continued to message her and offered her $50 for sexual contact. A review of her cell phone reflected, among other communications, a February 2023 message from Joseph with a picture of male genitalia. Joseph was interviewed in February 2024. He admitted providing alcohol to Jane Doe in exchange for pictures of her breasts. At the time of the offense, prostitution was illegal under the laws of Montana and Sex Trafficking was illegal under the laws of the United States.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case, and the investigation was conducted by the FBI.

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

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