Category: Federal Bureau of Investigation

  • MIL-OSI Security: Albanian National Charged with Conspiring to Smuggle Illegal Aliens into the United States

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging Fatjon Shytani, an Albanian national and resident of the Bronx, New York, with a scheme to smuggle illegal aliens from Canada into the United States for financial gain.  Shytani was arrested yesterday morning and was arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom.

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

    “As alleged, Shytani conspired to smuggle illegal aliens into the United States to benefit himself financially, but was thwarted by the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “These types of schemes represent a significant threat to our national security and will not be tolerated.  This case demonstrates our Office’s continued dedication to protect our border security and the integrity of the immigration process.”

    Mr. Durham also thanked U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the New York City Police Department, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Albanian State Police for their valuable assistance during the investigation.

    Fatjon Shytani, an Albanian national, allegedly facilitated the illegal entry of foreign nationals into the United States in exchange for cash payments.  This alleged conspiracy established unauthorized border access designed to circumvent proper protocols and evade authorities.  The FBI remains dedicated to apprehending any individual who profits from violating the borders and security of our nation.

    As alleged in court filings, Shytani and his co-defendants conspired to smuggle foreign nationals from to enter the United States via illegal border crossing at the U.S. border with Canada.  During the course of the investigation, Shytani accepted cash from an undercover agent (UC-1) in exchange for arranging to have the agent’s significant other, who purportedly was from the Republic of Kosovo, smuggled across the Canadian border into the United States.  In reality, the agent’s significant other was another undercover law enforcement agent (UC-2).  Between March 12, 2024 and March 13, 2024, Shytani and UC-1 exchanged phone calls and text messages during which they agreed to meet in person on March 14, 2024, at a coffee shop on Long Island, New York.  On March 14, 2024, Shytani met UC-1 at the agreed-upon location where they discussed details regarding UC-2’s illegal crossing from Canada into the United States. At the conclusion of the meeting, UC-1 paid Shytani $14,000 in cash for the planned smuggling service.  On March 16, 2024, Shytani’s co-conspirators then attempted to smuggle UC-2 and two other aliens from Canada into the United States before being apprehended and later released by Canadian law enforcement.

    The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted of alien smuggling and transportation conspiracy, Shytani faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

    Assistant United States  Attorneys Andrew Roddin, Stephanie Pak, and Kate Mathews are in charge of the prosecution.  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 other transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood.

    The Defendant:

    FATJON SHYTANI (also known as “Fati”)
    Age:  41
    Bronx, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-133 (SJB)

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Owner of Pharmaceutical Company Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Distribution of $60 Million in Diverted HIV Drugs

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – Adam Brosius, 60 of Delray Beach, pleaded guilty in connection with his role in a nationwide scheme to unlawfully distribute misbranded and adulterated HIV drugs to unsuspecting patients.

    According to court documents, Brosius was a part owner of Safe Chain Solutions LLC (“Safe Chain”), a wholesale distributor of pharmaceuticals based in Cambridge, Maryland, that purported to sell legitimate prescription drugs to pharmacies throughout the country, including expensive HIV medication. 

    In connection with his guilty plea, Brosius admitted that he and his co-conspirators illegally acquired HIV drugs that had been diverted from the regulated pharmaceutical distribution chain by various means.  One common method of prescription drug diversion involved buying bottles of supposed prescription HIV medication from individuals on the street, repackaging and relabeling the bottles, and then reselling the drugs to Safe Chain at steeply discounted prices with falsified documentation concealing the drugs’ true origin.  Brosius and his co-conspirators were notified of the false documentation accompanying these drugs but continued purchasing the steeply discounted HIV drugs and reselling them to pharmacy customers, which dispensed the diverted drugs to unsuspecting patients.  According to court documents, at times patients received bottles labeled as their prescription medication but which contained a different drug entirely, with one patient passing out and remaining unconscious for 24 hours after taking an anti-psychotic drug thinking it was his prescribed HIV medication.

    Sentencing is set for August 29, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale before United States District Court Judge William P. Dimitrouleas.  Brosius pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces up to 20 years in prison. 

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge Jesus Barranco of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Miami Regional Office, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

    Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Thor Pogozelski of the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Jacqueline DerOvanesian of the Department of Justice are prosecuting the case. 

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

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20255.

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    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: 45th Anniversary of the Joint Terrorism Task Force

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

    Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) can be found at each of the FBI’s 55 field offices and many of their smaller offices—around 280 locations in all. FBI Atlanta organized its JTTF in 1994. The FBI Atlanta JTTF has representatives positioned around the state of Georgia.

    JTTFs gather trained investigators, intelligence analysts, linguists, and tactical experts from federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Task force members share intelligence and investigative leads and respond to threats and incidents.

    “We rely on our law enforcement partners to help keep our communities safe,” said Paul Brown, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta. “All of our partners bring their special skills and expertise to these teams, making us all that much stronger.”

    The FBI’s JTTF model dates to 1979, when the New York Police Department and the FBI’s New York Field Office created a joint task force to tackle violent bank robberies. They imitated the model in 1980, when terrorist bombings, bomb threats, and other violence plagued the city and announced the formation of the first JTTF in April 1980.

    After the 9/11 attacks, FBI leadership directed all FBI field offices to establish a JTTF. In addition, the FBI established its National Joint Terrorism Task Force to support the local task forces in June 2002. The NJTTF, at FBI Headquarters, enhances communication, coordination, and cooperation from partner agencies.

    JTTFs have disrupted dozens of plots in the past four decades.

    FBI Atlanta counts numerous disruptions of its own, including a plan to attack the White House in 2020. Thanks to a tip from a member of the Atlanta community, Hasher Jallal Taheb was captured and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

    https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/forsyth-man-sentenced-attempted-attack-white-house

    The FBI Atlanta JTTF also investigated the Jihadists of Georgia case, where two men living in Georgia made videos of the U.S. Capitol and other Washington, D.C., landmarks with plans to travel and attend a terrorist training camp.

    https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2009/december/jihadists_121509
    https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2009/december/jihadists_12170 .

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former DOC Case Manager Pleads Guilty to Bribery in Smuggling Narcotics and Cigarettes for an Inmate

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WASHINGTON – Herbert Baylor, 68, of the District, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to one count of bribery in connection with a cigarettes and narcotics smuggling scheme at a facility operated by the District of Columbia Department of Corrections (DOC).

                The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Investigator Kevin L. Hammond of the D.C. Department of Corrections Office of Investigative Services.

                The Honorable Tanya Chutkan scheduled sentencing for Aug. 11, 2025.

                A co-defendant, Pamela Porter, 56, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty on April 17, 2025, to bribery in connection to her participation in the smuggling scheme.

                According to court documents, Baylor was a case manager employed by DOC to assist and manage inmates housed at the Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF), a specialized medium security facility that houses inmates receiving specialized medical treatment or monitoring related to substance dependencies. 

                From December 19, 2022, through September 23, 2024, Baylor’s duties included helping with the administrative pre-trial and trial needs of inmates, including facilitating communication with their attorneys or social workers.

                Baylor worked as Inmate-1’s case worker at CTF. Beginning in October 2023, Baylor agreed with Inmate-1 and others to smuggle contraband into CTF in exchange for money. Specifically, Inmate-1 directed his non-incarcerated associates, including Pamela Porter, to send CashApp payments to Baylor. Baylor then hid on himself cigarettes he had purchased or controlled substances received from Inmate-1’s associates, in order to clear security at CTF. Once through security, Baylor brought Inmate-1 to his office and provided him with the contraband. Inmate-1 then distributed the contraband to other inmates at CTF in exchange for money. As part of this scheme, Porter sent Baylor $1,200. In total, Baylor received $6,245 between October 20, 2023, and June 21, 2024.

                On September 19, 2024, Inmate-1 asked Baylor if Inmate-1 could call his attorney to talk about an appeal. Baylor authorized the inmate’s request. But instead of calling an attorney, Inmate-1 called Individual-1 to set up the delivery of prohibited objects to be smuggled into CTF. Baylor agreed to smuggle Suboxone strips into the CTF facility for Inmate-1. Suboxone strips contain Buprenorphine—a Schedule III narcotic drug.

                On September 23, 2024, Baylor met Individual-1 in the parking lot of CTF. Baylor accepted $1,000 in cash from Individual-1 and received a cigarette carton Baylor believed to be filled with Suboxone strips. Following the meeting with Individual-1, Baylor placed the $1,000 in his personal vehicle. He put the cigarette carton inside his underwear. Baylor went through security at the entrance to CTF and entered the facility. At that time, he was arrested.

                As a DOC employee, Baylor’s conduct was governed by the DOC’s Contraband Control policy which states that trafficking contraband of any kind to inmates is strictly prohibited. The policy describes any illegal drug or controlled substance and any tobacco product as major contraband. Additionally, federal law makes it a crime to provide “prohibited objects” to an inmate. Prohibited objects include any controlled substance or any object that threatens “the order, discipline, or security of a prison, or the life, health, or safety of any individual.”

                This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the D.C. Department of Corrections Office of Investigative Services. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold.

    25cr87

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    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Guatemalan Nationals And One Brevard County Man Plead Guilty To Drug And Immigration Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Augusto Rene Reyes-Gonzalez (37, Guatemala), Carlos Grijalva-Garcia (38, Guatemala), and Brandon Charod Smith (39, Palm Bay) have pleaded guilty to their respective roles in conspiring to distribute and distributing cocaine and methamphetamine. Reyes-Gonzalez and Grijalva-Garcia also pleaded guilty to illegal reentry by a deported alien. Reyes-Gonzalez and Smith each face a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. Grijalva-Garcia faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. No sentencing dates have been set. 

    According to court documents, in August and September 2023, Reyes-Gonzalez conspired with Grijalva-Garcia to distribute cocaine, which they distributed to a confidential source on August 25, 2023. Between September 2023 and January 2024, Reyes-Gonzalez conspired with Smith to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, which they distributed to the same confidential source on September 8, October 6, December 1, and December 22, 2023. In total, the conspiracies involved over 80 grams of cocaine and over 3 kilograms of pure methamphetamine.

    At the time of the drug conspiracies, Reyes-Gonzalez and Grijalva-Garcia were citizens of Guatemala and found to be unlawfully in the United States. Both individuals had previously been removed from the United States on multiple occasions. 

    This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Palm Bay Police Department, the Rockledge Police Department, the Melbourne Police Department, the Cocoa Police Department, and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brandon Cruz, Dana Hill, and Megan Testerman.

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Miami Executive Pleads Guilty to Massive Fraud Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Pushpesh Kumar Baid, also known as “PK Jain,” pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud investors in Tradepay Capital LLC (Tradepay), a purported factoring company.  The proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom.  When sentenced, Baid faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, as well as restitution of over $35 million and forfeiture of over $2.6 million.

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

    “Through a complex web of shell companies, straw bank accounts, fraudulent documents, and other lies, Baid and his co-conspirators deceived their victims into investing tens of millions of dollars into a business that did not exist,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “Today’s plea demonstrates that my Office will hold accountable fraudsters like Baid who enrich themselves at their investors’ expense.”   

    Mr. Durham expressed his appreciation to the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations for its work on the case.

    As set forth in court filings, Baid was the business head of Tradepay, which purported to be an international factoring business run by an executive team experienced in factoring invoices in particular industries and geographic regions.  Factoring involves the sale of an invoice to a third party at a discount.  In a factoring transaction, the seller of an invoice obtains immediate funding from the buyer of the invoice, and the buyer of the invoice makes a profit when the invoice is paid in full.

    Between April 2017 and October 2019, Baid and his co-conspirators implemented a scheme to defraud investors in Tradepay by making it appear that Tradepay was a legitimate and successful business when it was, in fact, an elaborate scam.  For example, the hundreds of invoices from various businesses that Tradepay purported to be factoring were fraudulent and included fake signatures for both sides of the transactions.  Baid and his co-conspirators also funneled millions of dollars of investors’ funds—which they represented would be sent to Tradepay’s business partners—into a sprawling network of bank accounts that Baid controlled through shell entities and straw signatories.  From those accounts, Baid and his co-conspirators spent millions of dollars on personal expenses, including cash withdrawals and purchases of luxury cars and watches.  Baid even lied about his identity, concealing his real name from investors in order to obscure the fact that he was wanted for criminal offenses abroad.

    Investors in Tradepay initially received payments on the invoices, which led them to contribute increasingly large sums of capital.  By approximately July 2019, however, the payments on the invoices stopped, resulting in roughly $35 million in losses.

    As part of his plea, Baid also admitted to defrauding investors in Luxestreet Inc., formerly known as Asset Capital Partners LLC (Luxestreet), and agreed to pay restitution to Luxestreet’s investors.  Baid claimed that Luxestreet operated like a pawn shop for high end goods, including luxury watches.  In reality, Luxestreet contracts were forged and the physical watches held by the company were mere knockoffs.  

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Dylan A. Stern, Benjamin Weintraub, and Molly Delaney are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Sarah Burn.

    The Defendant:

    Pushpesh Kumar Baid (also known as “PK Jain”)
    Age:  44
    Miami, Florida

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-367 (DC)

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Detroit Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Huntington Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Mark Lawrence Lowe, also known as “Cell,” 24, of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty today to aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Lowe admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Huntington area.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, from at least September 2023 through November 2023, Lowe participated in the distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl at various locations in the Southern District of West Virginia and elsewhere as part of the DTO.

    On September 9, 2023, Lowe and co-conspirator Paul Anthony Rucker were transporting fentanyl and methamphetamine from Huntington to Nitro when law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of their vehicle on Interstate 64 in Cabell County. An officer seized approximately 149 grams of fentanyl and 222.62 grams of methamphetamine from the vehicle during the traffic stop. As part of his guilty plea, Lowe admitted that he and Rucker intended to distribute the seized controlled substances.

    Lowe is scheduled to be sentenced on July 28, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a $10 million fine.

    Rucker, 47, of Nitro, was sentenced on July 15, 2024, to six years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl.

    Lowe and Rucker are among 27 individuals indicted on charges alleging the DTO distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl transported from Detroit, Michigan, in Huntington and other locations within the Southern District of West Virginia.

    Lowe, Rucker and 22 other defendants have pleaded guilty, including one who pleaded guilty to a separate charges in lieu of the offenses alleged in the indictment. Charges against the remaining defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.

    United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Stephanie Taylor are prosecuting the case.

    The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-180.

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    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Serial Armed Robber Who Targeted Delivery Workers in DC, MD, Is Sentenced to 16 Years in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WASHINGTON – Rubin Raphael Bordeaux, 36, of the District, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 192 months in prison for his role a string of armed carjackings that targeted delivery workers in November 2023. At the height of the criminal spree, Bordeaux’s escalating violence culminated in a shooting, an eight-mile chase in an Amazon van, a vehicle collision, and a foot chase.

               The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives – Washington Division, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean T. Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.

               Bordeaux pleaded guilty on September 12, 2024, to carjacking and to possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. In addition to the 192-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Jia M. Cobb ordered Bordeaux to serve three years of supervised release.

               According to court documents, Bordeaux and his co-defendants specifically targeted delivery drivers in a spree of armed carjackings and robberies over four days across the District of Columbia and Maryland. 

               On November 9, 2023, around 1:30 p.m., a UPS driver was in the back of her work truck in Upper Marlboro, Maryland sorting packages. As she was working, Bordeaux and a co-conspirator were lying in wait, planning to rob her at gunpoint. As the UPS driver continued her job, the co-conspirator saw his opportunity and, with a silver firearm in hand, jumped into the back of the UPS truck. The co-conspirator told the UPS driver to “calm down. I just need your wallet and keys.” He took the UPS driver’s keys and ordered her to show him how to operate the UPS truck. In fear for her life, the UPS driver complied. The co-conspirator then threw the UPS driver’s phone in her direction and took off driving the truck. Bordeaux was not far behind. He followed the UPS truck in a tan pickup truck. Eventually Bordeaux and his co-conspirator stopped to offload packages from the UPS truck and abandoned the vehicle in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. 

                Just one hour later, Bordeaux and a co-conspirator struck again in Oxon Hill, Maryland. This time, they targeted a FedEx driver who was finishing a break. Bordeaux and the co-conspirator used their pickup truck to box-in the FedEx driver. Bordeaux jumped out of the pickup, quickly approached the FedEx driver, displayed a revolver, and demanded the keys. The FedEx driver gave up the company truck, and Bordeaux, followed by his co-conspirator in the tan pickup truck, drove off. Law enforcement recovered the FedEx truck in Washington, D.C., after it had been stripped of multiple packages. 

               Four days later, on November 13, 2023, Bordeaux and a co-conspirator targeted another work vehicle. On that day, around 5:24 a.m., an Amtrak driver was seated in the rear passenger seat of a conspicuously marked Amtrak truck. The Amtrak driver and his two coworkers, who were also in the vehicle, were planning to start their workday with breakfast from a restaurant. While waiting inside the running vehicle, the Amtrak driver noticed that a man with a mask had walked up to the truck. Believing this person was a coworker, the Amtrak driver got out of the truck. The masked individual was not his coworker. 

               Bordeaux ordered the Amtrak driver to “give me the truck.” When the Amtrak driver was slow to react, Bordeaux brandished a black gun and demanded again, “give me the truck.” The Amtrak driver surrendered the vehicle. Bordeaux got into the driver seat and drove away. As he did so, he was followed by a gray sedan. 

               Bordeaux later abandoned the truck in Washington, D.C. after causing $27,883 in damage to the vehicle during the short time he had it in his possession. 

               The next day, on November 14, 2023, Bordeaux and his co-conspirators targeted a shopper and her young child in a department store parking lot in Forestville, Maryland. An individual approached the woman at her car, demanded the keys to her vehicle and then forcefully removed the keys from her hands. The individual fled with the car toward Washington, D.C. 

               Later that day, Bordeaux and three other individuals left the shopper’s vehicle parked in an area of Southeast D.C. As the four walked away, they came upon an Amazon delivery driver, who became Bordeaux’s next target. The Amazon driver was walking to his work van when Bordeaux approached him in the road. A second person from Bordeaux’s group simultaneously walked towards the Amazon driver, who began to run. Bordeaux fired a shot in the Amazon driver’s direction while the other individual also fired at the Amazon driver. Bordeaux’s bullet barely missed the driver, who then stopped and surrendered. Bordeaux went through the Amazon driver’s pockets, demanded “give me them f—- keys” and threatened the driver with “do you want to die?” Bordeaux located the keys and fled in the van while his accomplice ran off in the opposite direction. 

               Behind the wheel of the Amazon van, Bordeaux led the police on an eight-mile-long chase crossing from the District of Columbia into Maryland. While trying to make his getaway, Bordeaux struck numerous vehicles, among them a police car. Once he realized he could not shake the police, Bordeaux stopped the vehicle on a sidewalk in Capitol Heights, Maryland. He attempted to run from law enforcement on foot but was quickly stopped. The keys to the shopper’s carjacked Honda were recovered from Bordeaux’s pocket.

             This case was investigated by the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Field Office, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the MPD. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Mayer-Dempsey, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Reeder-Ricchetti, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Omeed Ali Assefi and Jacqueline Yarbro.

    24cr76

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    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI USA: Up to $5 Million Reward Offered for Capture of Archaga Carías, a Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitive and Leader of Foreign Terrorist Organization MS-13

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization MS-13 leader Yulan Andony Archaga Carías, also known as “Alexander Mendoza” and “Porky,” 43, is the highest-ranking member of MS-13, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), in Honduras and was previously charged in 2021 in a superseding indictment in the Southern District of New York with racketeering, narcotics trafficking, and firearms offenses. Archaga Carías, a Honduran national, was subsequently placed on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List, the DEA’s Most Wanted Fugitives List, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI)’s Most Wanted Fugitives List. The Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is offering a reward under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction in any country.

    “This terrorist leader can no longer be allowed to live free as MS-13’s evil devastates communities in America and throughout the western hemisphere,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “If you can contribute information leading to his arrest – come forward now.”

    Archaga Carías remains at large. If you have information, please contact the FBI by email at archaga-carias_tips@fbi.gov, or via WhatsApp at +1-832-267-1688. If you are outside the United States, you may also contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If you are in the United States, you may also contact the local FBI, DEA, or HSI office in your city. Only tips sent to U.S. Government will be considered for reward.

    “Dismantling and ultimately eliminating MS-13 continues to be one of the FBI’s highest priorities, and we’re not stopping until that mission is complete,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Alongside our dedicated law enforcement partners, the FBI will find Archaga Carías — a terrorist whose reign of terror at the helm of MS-13 is coming to an end.”

    “With MS-13 now officially designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, the rules have changed — and so has the mission,” said DEA Acting Administrator Derek Maltz. “Archaga Carías isn’t just a fugitive — he’s a foreign terrorist waging war on innocent Americans through murder, trafficking, and terror. Let me be clear: under this Administration, we will dismantle MS-13 piece by piece—and anyone protecting him will fall with him. A $5 million is on the table. Turn him in. End this threat.”

    A co-defendant, David Campbell, aka “Viejo Dan” and “Don David,” a Honduran national, is currently in custody in the United States facing the charges contained in the superseding indictment. In addition to Archaga Carías and Campbell, the superseding indictment charges three other MS-13 leaders, Juan Carlos Portillo Santos also known as “Juancy;” Victor Eduardo Morales Zelaya also known as “Cuervo;” and Jorge Alberto Velasquez Paz also known as “Chacarron,” with racketeering, narcotics trafficking, and firearms offenses. Portillo Santos, a Honduran national, is in custody in Honduras serving a lengthy prison sentence. Morales Zelaya and Velasquez Paz, both Honduran nationals, remain at large. The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Gregory H. Woods for the Southern District of New York.   

    “MS-13 remains one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world, and the recent designation of MS-13 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization underscores this reality,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky for the Southern District of New York. “This Office, working closely with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate, prosecute and track down MS-13’s leadership, no matter where in the world they may be hiding.”

    As alleged in the superseding indictment previously unsealed in Manhattan federal court, Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13 is a transnational criminal and foreign terrorist organization that engages in acts of violence, including murders, kidnapping, and assaults, extortion, and large-scale drug importation and distribution throughout Central America and the United States. Archaga Carías is the highest-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras. As the leader and highest-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras, Archaga Carías is in charge of, among other things, the gang’s drug trafficking operations, ordering and coordinating acts of violence, including numerous murders, and the laundering of drug proceeds. MS-13’s drug trafficking operations led by Archaga Carías include the processing, receiving, transporting, and distributing of multi-ton loads of cocaine shipped through Honduras and into the United States.

    “President Trump has been very clear — we will not allow criminal groups and their members like Porky to threaten Americans,” said Senior Bureau Official F. Cartwright Weiland of the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. “We will work with our international partners to find these criminals wherever they may be hiding.”

    Archaga Carías and other MS-13 members and associates acting at his direction also provided protection to drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) engaged in transporting multi-ton loads of cocaine through Honduras and destined for the United States. Archaga Carías contracted out members of MS-13 as “Sicarios,” or hit men, to DTOs for payment. Members of MS-13 committed numerous murders for hire for DTOs trafficking cocaine through Honduras to the United States. Archaga Carías and MS-13 also supplied DTOs with firearms, including machineguns, that were received from El Salvador, Nicaragua, and elsewhere. Archaga Carías also ordered multiple murders of rival gang members and drug trafficking competitors in Honduras, as well as other members of MS-13 whom Archaga Carías believed had been disloyal to the gang.

    Campbell was one of the principal suppliers of cocaine and weapons, including machineguns, to MS-13. As an associate of MS-13 and close confidant of Archaga Carías, Campbell planned and coordinated retaliatory acts of violence with Archaga Carías, and assisted MS-13 and Archaga Carías in establishing businesses to launder the gang’s drug proceeds. Campbell and MS-13 used businesses they owned or controlled to launder drug proceeds, including through banks in the United States.

    Morales Zelaya was a national leader of MS-13 in Honduras and a close associate of Archaga Carías. Morales Zelaya coordinated the gang’s drug trafficking business, acts of violence (including murders) against rivals, and the movement of proceeds from the gang’s illicit activities.

    Portillo Santos was a high-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras who reported to Morales Zelaya. Portillo Santos was responsible for leading MS-13 in one of the largest sectors in Honduras, which included the distribution and movement of large shipments of cocaine, acts of violence (including murders and kidnappings) of rival gang members, and contract murders carried out against rival drug dealers. Campbell, 58, of Honduras, is currently in Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) custody facing the charges in the superseding indictment. Portillo Santos, 36, of Honduras, is currently in custody in Honduras on local charges. Archaga Carías, 43, and Morales Zelaya, 50, of Honduras, remains at large.

    If convicted, Archaga Carías faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of 40 years in prison. The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

    Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV) and the Southern District of New York’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit are handling the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Robles and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Eason, and Trial Attorney Jacob Warren of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are in charge of the prosecution.

    This case was brought by JTFV, which was created in 2019 to destroy MS-13 and now expanded to target Tren de Aragua and is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including the Southern District of New York; Eastern District of New York; the District of New Jersey; the Northern District of Ohio; the District of Utah; the District of Massachusetts; the Eastern District of Texas; the Southern District of Florida; the Eastern District of Virginia; the Southern District of California; the District of Nevada; the District of Alaska; and the District of Columbia, as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI; DEA; HSI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; and the FBOP have been essential law enforcement partners and spearheaded JTFV’s investigations.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America and an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal aliens, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    The charges contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Security: Up to $5 Million Reward Offered for Capture of Archaga Carías, a Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitive and Leader of Foreign Terrorist Organization MS-13

    Source: United States Attorneys General 13

    U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization MS-13 leader Yulan Andony Archaga Carías, also known as “Alexander Mendoza” and “Porky,” 43, is the highest-ranking member of MS-13, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), in Honduras and was previously charged in 2021 in a superseding indictment in the Southern District of New York with racketeering, narcotics trafficking, and firearms offenses. Archaga Carías, a Honduran national, was subsequently placed on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List, the DEA’s Most Wanted Fugitives List, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI)’s Most Wanted Fugitives List. The Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is offering a reward under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction in any country.

    “This terrorist leader can no longer be allowed to live free as MS-13’s evil devastates communities in America and throughout the western hemisphere,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “If you can contribute information leading to his arrest – come forward now.”

    Archaga Carías remains at large. If you have information, please contact the FBI by email at archaga-carias_tips@fbi.gov, or via WhatsApp at +1-832-267-1688. If you are outside the United States, you may also contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If you are in the United States, you may also contact the local FBI, DEA, or HSI office in your city. Only tips sent to U.S. Government will be considered for reward.

    “Dismantling and ultimately eliminating MS-13 continues to be one of the FBI’s highest priorities, and we’re not stopping until that mission is complete,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Alongside our dedicated law enforcement partners, the FBI will find Archaga Carías — a terrorist whose reign of terror at the helm of MS-13 is coming to an end.”

    “With MS-13 now officially designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, the rules have changed — and so has the mission,” said DEA Acting Administrator Derek Maltz. “Archaga Carías isn’t just a fugitive — he’s a foreign terrorist waging war on innocent Americans through murder, trafficking, and terror. Let me be clear: under this Administration, we will dismantle MS-13 piece by piece—and anyone protecting him will fall with him. A $5 million is on the table. Turn him in. End this threat.”

    A co-defendant, David Campbell, aka “Viejo Dan” and “Don David,” a Honduran national, is currently in custody in the United States facing the charges contained in the superseding indictment. In addition to Archaga Carías and Campbell, the superseding indictment charges three other MS-13 leaders, Juan Carlos Portillo Santos also known as “Juancy;” Victor Eduardo Morales Zelaya also known as “Cuervo;” and Jorge Alberto Velasquez Paz also known as “Chacarron,” with racketeering, narcotics trafficking, and firearms offenses. Portillo Santos, a Honduran national, is in custody in Honduras serving a lengthy prison sentence. Morales Zelaya and Velasquez Paz, both Honduran nationals, remain at large. The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Gregory H. Woods for the Southern District of New York.   

    “MS-13 remains one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world, and the recent designation of MS-13 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization underscores this reality,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky for the Southern District of New York. “This Office, working closely with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate, prosecute and track down MS-13’s leadership, no matter where in the world they may be hiding.”

    As alleged in the superseding indictment previously unsealed in Manhattan federal court, Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13 is a transnational criminal and foreign terrorist organization that engages in acts of violence, including murders, kidnapping, and assaults, extortion, and large-scale drug importation and distribution throughout Central America and the United States. Archaga Carías is the highest-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras. As the leader and highest-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras, Archaga Carías is in charge of, among other things, the gang’s drug trafficking operations, ordering and coordinating acts of violence, including numerous murders, and the laundering of drug proceeds. MS-13’s drug trafficking operations led by Archaga Carías include the processing, receiving, transporting, and distributing of multi-ton loads of cocaine shipped through Honduras and into the United States.

    “President Trump has been very clear — we will not allow criminal groups and their members like Porky to threaten Americans,” said Senior Bureau Official F. Cartwright Weiland of the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. “We will work with our international partners to find these criminals wherever they may be hiding.”

    Archaga Carías and other MS-13 members and associates acting at his direction also provided protection to drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) engaged in transporting multi-ton loads of cocaine through Honduras and destined for the United States. Archaga Carías contracted out members of MS-13 as “Sicarios,” or hit men, to DTOs for payment. Members of MS-13 committed numerous murders for hire for DTOs trafficking cocaine through Honduras to the United States. Archaga Carías and MS-13 also supplied DTOs with firearms, including machineguns, that were received from El Salvador, Nicaragua, and elsewhere. Archaga Carías also ordered multiple murders of rival gang members and drug trafficking competitors in Honduras, as well as other members of MS-13 whom Archaga Carías believed had been disloyal to the gang.

    Campbell was one of the principal suppliers of cocaine and weapons, including machineguns, to MS-13. As an associate of MS-13 and close confidant of Archaga Carías, Campbell planned and coordinated retaliatory acts of violence with Archaga Carías, and assisted MS-13 and Archaga Carías in establishing businesses to launder the gang’s drug proceeds. Campbell and MS-13 used businesses they owned or controlled to launder drug proceeds, including through banks in the United States.

    Morales Zelaya was a national leader of MS-13 in Honduras and a close associate of Archaga Carías. Morales Zelaya coordinated the gang’s drug trafficking business, acts of violence (including murders) against rivals, and the movement of proceeds from the gang’s illicit activities.

    Portillo Santos was a high-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras who reported to Morales Zelaya. Portillo Santos was responsible for leading MS-13 in one of the largest sectors in Honduras, which included the distribution and movement of large shipments of cocaine, acts of violence (including murders and kidnappings) of rival gang members, and contract murders carried out against rival drug dealers. Campbell, 58, of Honduras, is currently in Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) custody facing the charges in the superseding indictment. Portillo Santos, 36, of Honduras, is currently in custody in Honduras on local charges. Archaga Carías, 43, and Morales Zelaya, 50, of Honduras, remains at large.

    If convicted, Archaga Carías faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of 40 years in prison. The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

    Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV) and the Southern District of New York’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit are handling the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Robles and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Eason, and Trial Attorney Jacob Warren of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are in charge of the prosecution.

    This case was brought by JTFV, which was created in 2019 to destroy MS-13 and now expanded to target Tren de Aragua and is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including the Southern District of New York; Eastern District of New York; the District of New Jersey; the Northern District of Ohio; the District of Utah; the District of Massachusetts; the Eastern District of Texas; the Southern District of Florida; the Eastern District of Virginia; the Southern District of California; the District of Nevada; the District of Alaska; and the District of Columbia, as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI; DEA; HSI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; and the FBOP have been essential law enforcement partners and spearheaded JTFV’s investigations.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America and an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal aliens, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    The charges contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defendant Convicted of Five Armed Robberies and Attempted Robberies in Brooklyn, Staten Island, and New Jersey

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    A federal jury today convicted Tony Clanton, also known as “Tone,” on all counts of a superseding indictment charging him with Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy, two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and use of firearms during crimes of violence.  The charges arose from a string of robberies and attempted robberies committed at gunpoint by the defendant and co-conspirators.  The verdict followed a six-day trial before United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto.  When sentenced, Clanton faces a mandatory minimum term of 25 years in prison and up to life in prison.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Terence G. Reilly, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Newark Field Office (FBI); and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the verdict.

    “Over a six-month period, Clanton directed a cruel and violent spree in New York City and New Jersey that left terrorized robbery victims in his wake, including two children who watched as their parents were shot at or menaced with guns,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “Thanks to exceptional investigative work by the FBI and the NYPD, the defendant was identified, apprehended, and rightly convicted today by jurors who were presented with a mountain of evidence that demonstrated his crime wave and overwhelmingly proved his guilt.”

    Mr. Durham also thanked the Edison, New Jersey Police Department for their valuable assistance on the case.

    “Tony Clanton is a serial violent criminal who has gone to great lengths to terrorize his victims in the pursuit of monetary gain. The FBI won’t rest until violent organized criminals are taken off the street so victims and others in the community may sleep soundly, and know justice has been served,” stated FBI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Reilly.  “The FBI’s Safe Streets Task Forces spearhead countless cases similar to this one.  But with each case, there are victims.  All our efforts are for them.”

    “Tony Clanton terrorized communities throughout New York City — holding victims at gunpoint in front of their children, firing recklessly, even impersonating a federal agent,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch.  “Thanks to the outstanding work of NYPD investigators, in partnership with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he’s now been brought to justice.  This conviction ends a violent spree that had no place in our city.  And we will continue working with our partners to make sure criminals like this are held accountable.”

    As proven at trial, Clanton orchestrated a series of violent robberies at gunpoint in the Eastern District of New York and in New Jersey between January 2023 and July 2023.  After he was indicted, Clanton removed his ankle monitor and fled the district two weeks before a previously scheduled trial date and went on the run for five weeks.  While he was a fugitive, Clanton fled from two police officers who pulled him over, presented fake identification documents, and searched on the Internet for how to fake his own death.

    January 20, 2023 Home Invasion in Staten Island

    Clanton orchestrated an attempted robbery in which a co-conspirator, wearing a white hazmat suit, gloves, and standing in the vestibule of an apartment building with a can of paint, accosted Victim-1, who was entering the vestibule with his 10-year-old son.  The co-conspirator pointed a silver revolver at Victim-1 and said, “Don’t make this a homicide,” struck Victim-1 in the head with the gun, and fired a shot.  Clanton, who was also armed with a gun, grabbed Victim-1’s keys and tried unsuccessfully to open Victim-1’s apartment door.  Clanton and his co-conspirator then fled in a U-Haul van.

    June 3, 2023 Robbery of a Smoke Shop in Staten Island

    Clanton orchestrated the robbery of an employee (Victim-2) of a smoke shop in Annadale, Staten Island as he was closing the store for the night.  As his co-conspirators brandished firearms and robbed the smoke shop, Clanton monitored a police scanner radio and maintained cell phone contact with his accomplices to warn them that the police were on the way.  They restrained Victim-2 with zip ties and pressed a gun to the back of his head.  The robbers took approximately $4,000 in cash, packages of cigarettes, and a quantity of marijuana.

    June 24, 2023 Attempted Robbery of a Car Buyer in Staten Island

    Clanton orchestrated a robbery in which he pretended he was selling his Mercedes-Benz automobile to a prospective buyer (Victim-3).  While Clanton waited in the area, two of Clanton’s co-conspirators tried to rob Victim-3.  With Victim-3’s teenage son watching from the doorway, one of the co-conspirators attempted to rob Victim-3 at gunpoint.  Victim-3 fled into his home and slammed the door shut before the co-conspirator could barge inside.  That co-conspirator then fled the scene with Clanton as the get-away driver.

    June 27, 2023 Attempted Robbery of the Owners of a Jewelry Store in New Jersey

    Clanton and a co-conspirator attempted to rob the husband (Victim-4) and wife (Victim-5) owners of an Edison, New Jersey jewelry store outside their home.  Clanton identified Victim-4 and Victim-5 as potential targets and conducted surveillance on them for over a week before the attempted robbery.  During the attempted robbery, Clanton and his co-conspirator were wearing jackets with the letters “FBI,” badges that said “FBI,” and hats identifying themselves as law enforcement agents that Clanton had previously ordered from Amazon.  When the victims pulled into their driveway, Clanton and his co-conspirator ordered them out of the car at gunpoint.  Realizing Clanton and his co-conspirator were not FBI agents, the victims sped away and escaped unharmed.

    July 12, 2023 Robbery of the Owner of an Ice Cream Store in Brooklyn

    Clanton and a co-conspirator waited outside a TD Bank in Brooklyn for the victim (Victim-6) to leave with a bag of cash.  They followed Victim-6 to his home where the co-conspirator took a bag containing over $6,000 at gunpoint.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew M. Roddin and Matthew Skurnik are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Timothy Migliaro.

    The Defendant:

    TONY CLANTON (also known as “Tone”)
    Age:  51
    Staten Island, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-328 (S-1) (KAM)

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Jaremy Smith Sentenced to Life in Prison for New Mexico State Officer’s Murder

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUEJaremy Smith has been sentenced to life in prison for a violent crime spree that culminated with the murder of Officer Justin Hare in New Mexico.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    On March 15, 2024, Smith encountered NMSP Officer Justin Hare in Tucumcari, New Mexico, when Officer Hare stopped to assist Smith with a flat tire on the BMW. When Officer Hare pulled over behind the BMW, Smith exited the driver’s side of his car and approached the passenger window of Officer Hare’s patrol car. After a short discussion, Officer Hare asked Smith to walk to the front of the patrol vehicle. Instead, Smith shot Officer Hare, who slumped to the right in the driver’s seat. Smith then moved to the driver’s side of the patrol vehicle and shot Officer Hare two additional times before entering the driver’s seat and driving away with Hare still inside the vehicle.

    Screenshot of Exhibit 1 (00:01:02) depicting Smith walking to driver’s side window of the patrol vehicle

    At some point, the vehicle’s distress system was activated. Smith drove westbound on I-40 before exiting on a frontage road and removing Officer Hare from the vehicle, leaving him on the side of the road, and drove away. Smith drove the patrol vehicle for another 10 minutes, eventually crashing the patrol unit into shrubbery along the north frontage road of Interstate 40 in Guadalupe County, New Mexico.

    When Officer Hare did not respond to the dispatcher’s check for an update, a second officer was sent to the scene. While en route, the second officer received the distress signal from Officer Hare’s handheld radio. The officer then spotted Officer Hare’s patrol unit driving in the opposite direction at high speed along the frontage road. The second officer attempted to catch up with Officer Hare’s unit, but before he could, Smith crashed the patrol vehicle. Upon approaching the crashed vehicle, the officer found it empty, with no sign of Smith or Officer Hare. The officer then began a search of the area and found Officer Hare, still alive. Officer Hare was rushed to Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari, where he was pronounced dead at 7:21 a.m.

    After crashing the stolen patrol car, Smith fled on foot, stole a flatbed truck in Cuervo, and drove to Albuquerque. Smith was heading to Albuquerque because he had a former girlfriend who lived there.

    Smith’s capture came on March 17, 2024, when a gas station clerk in Albuquerque recognized the unusual spelling of his name from police advisory messages when he presented identification to make a purchase, and the clerk contacted law enforcement. Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Deputies quickly arrived, and Smith attempted to ambush them before fleeing through a residential neighborhood. During the chase, Smith discarded the firearm used to kill Officer Hare, which was later recovered. Law enforcement also found the stolen flatbed truck, with ammunition inside, and further linked Smith to the crime spree.

    “Jaremy Smith’s violent crime spree left a trail of destruction across state lines, endangering the lives of both the public and first responders,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellsion. “Today’s sentence serves as a powerful reminder that violence against those who serve and protect the public will not be tolerated. Officer Justin Hare, a hero who saw someone in need and selflessly stepped in to help, paid the ultimate price. We honor his memory by ensuring that Jaremy Smith will never again be able to endanger the lives of others. Our focus remains on securing justice for victims and holding violent criminals fully accountable for their actions.”

    “Every day, first responders answer the call to protect others- often at great personal risk. The loss of Officer Hare is a heartbreaking reminder of that reality,” said Raul Bujanda Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office. “While this sentence does not undo the pain inflicted upon our community, we hope it brings a sense of resolution to his family. We will continue to work with our partners to pursue violent offenders with every tool at our disposal.”

    “Jaremy Smith, in a cruel and calculated act of evil, ambushed Officer Justin Hare, executing him and leaving him to die alone in the cold after stealing his patrol vehicle,” said Chief Troy Weisler of the New Mexico State Police. “Thanks to the courage of community members and the tireless efforts of our local and federal partners, Smith was swiftly apprehended and brought to justice. With today’s sentencing, the court has sent a clear and unwavering message: anyone who harms those who protect and serve will face the full and unrelenting weight of justice. While no sentence can bring Justin back, our officers will rest easier knowing that Jeremy Smith will never again walk free and will spend the rest of his life exactly where he belongs.”

    On January 17, 2025, Smith pled guilty to carjacking resulting in death, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, kidnapping resulting in death, being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, and possession of a stolen firearm.

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The FBI Albuquerque Field Office and New Mexico State Police investigated this case with assistance from the Tenth Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Mysliwiec and Jack Burkhead prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hagerstown Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Swatting Charges

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

    Baltimore, Maryland – Owen Jarboe, 19, of Hagerstown, Maryland, has pled guilty to conspiracy, cyberstalking, interstate threatening communications, and threats to damage or destroy by means of fire and explosives.

    Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office.

    According to the guilty plea, from December 2023 through January 18, 2024, Jarboe along with other co-conspirators, knowingly and unlawfully conspired to place swatting calls to multiple police and emergency departments across the United States. Swatting is a form of criminal harassment that involves deceiving an emergency service into sending a police or emergency service response team to another person’s location.

    Jarboe helped create an online group known as “Purgatory.” The group used multiple online social-media platforms, including Telegram and Instagram, to coordinate and plan swatting activities and to announce swats that they had conducted.  Jarboe and his co-conspirators often used shared scripts to obscure their phone numbers and identities.

    Swatting incidents perpetrated as part of this scheme include threatening to burn down a residential trailer park in Alabama and shoot a teacher and unnamed students at a Delaware high school. Other swatting occurrences include false allegations about multiple homicide events and shooting threats of individuals at a residence in Eastman, Georgia, and bombing and shooting threats of Albany International Airport in New York and an Ohio casino.

    “Swatting is a very serious offense – one that can easily become dangerous for law enforcement and the victims involved,” Hayes said.  “Emergency personnel work hard every day to ensure that first responders are dispatched to render aid to those who truly need it. Mr. Jarboe and his co-conspirators’ actions showed a complete disregard for law enforcement, the victims, and those who actually needed emergency assistance during these incidents.”

    “Jarboe’s crimes are despicable and dangerous. He put our brave first responders and countless innocent lives at risk while creating unnecessary fear in many different communities,”  DelBagno said. “Jarboe’s guilty plea shows that the FBI will not tolerate swatting or hoax threats and will make sure anyone committing these crimes is found and charged to the full extent of the law.”

    Jarboe is facing a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count of conspiracy, cyberstalking, and interstate threat, and a maximum sentence of 10 years for each charge to damage or destroy by means of fire and explosive. 

    Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  A federal district court judge determines sentencing after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for Wednesday, July 23, at 10 a.m.

    U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI for its outstanding work in the investigation.  Additionally, Ms. Hayes praised the Joint Terrorism Task Force, Columbus; Ohio Police Department; Newark, Delaware Police Department; Lenoir City, Tennessee Police Department; Albany, New York Police Department; Albany County, New York Sheriff’s Office; Fairburn City, Georgia Police Department; Bethel Park, Pennsylvania Police Department; Giles County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office; Blue Springs, Missouri Police Department; Tarboro, North Carolina Police Department; Boston, Massachusetts Police Department; Dodge County, Georgia Sheriff’s Office; Houston County, Alabama Sheriff’s Office; and the FBI’s Mobile, Richmond, Boston, Charlotte, and Cincinnati Field Offices for their valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert I. Goldaris and Patricia C. McLane who are 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: Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PROVIDENCE – A Pawtucket man convicted of providing fentanyl to a member of a drug trafficking conspiracy has been sentenced to five years in federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.

    Calvin Tavarez, 30, previously admitted to a federal judge that on at least two occasions he supplied fentanyl to a member of the conspiracy.

    Tavarez pleaded guilty on January 29, 2025, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 60 months of incarceration to be followed by four years of federal supervised release.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Peter I. Roklan and Stacey A. Erickson.

    The matter was investigated by the Rhode Island FBI Safe Streets Task Force. The Safe Streets Task Force consists of agents and law enforcement officers from the FBI, Rhode Island State Police, the Cranston, Woonsocket, Pawtucket, West Warwick, and Central Falls Police Departments, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Georgia Man Charged With Sending Threatening Letter to Spiritual Mission in Suburban Chicago

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHICAGO — A Georgia man has been charged with sending a threatening letter to a spiritual mission in suburban Chicago.

    A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges JIMIL PARMAR, 33, of Lawrenceville, Ga., with one count of mailing a threatening communication.  Parmar was arrested last week in the Northern District of Georgia. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 2, 2025, in U.S. District Court in Atlanta.

    According to the complaint, Parmar mailed a letter in July 2023 to the Sant Nirankari Mission in West Chicago, Ill.  The letter stated, “CANCEL US CANADA TOUR IMMEDIATELY SRS ATTACK PLANNED,” the complaint states.  The threat coincided with a visit by the Mission’s spiritual leader, Satguru Mata Sudiksha Ji Maharaj, who was touring the United States and Canada that summer and had appearances scheduled in the Chicago and Atlanta areas. 

    At least four other Sant Nirankari Missions in the United States that month received what appeared to be identical letters, the complaint states.  The federal investigation is being led by the FBI and remains active.

    The complaint and arrest were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Atlanta Field Office of the FBI.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kavitha J. Babu.

    “When a threat of mass violence occurs, our Office will find, arrest, and prosecute those responsible to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros.  “This case demonstrates our Office’s commitment to hold accountable those who seek to intimidate and instill fear in members of our community.”

    “The subject’s alleged actions serve as a disturbing reminder of the hatred that many marginalized people encounter simply because of their beliefs,” said FBI SAC DePodesta.  “We extend our appreciation to the FBI Atlanta Field Office and all of our dedicated law enforcement partners who work tirelessly to apprehend those who dare to threaten the safety of our communities.”

    The charge in the complaint is punishable by up to five years in federal prison.  The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Walgreens Agrees To Pay Up to $350M for Illegally Filling Unlawful Opioid Prescriptions and Submitting False Claims

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WASHINGTON — The Justice Department, together with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), today announced a $300 million settlement with Walgreens Boots Alliance, Walgreen Co., and various subsidiaries (collectively, Walgreens) to resolve allegations that the national chain pharmacy illegally filled millions of invalid prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and then sought payment for many of those invalid prescriptions by Medicare and other federal health care programs in violation of the False Claims Act (FCA). The settlement amount is based on Walgreens’s ability to pay. Walgreens will owe the United States an additional $50 million if the company is sold, merged, or transferred prior to fiscal year 2032.

    The government’s complaint, filed on Jan. 16 and amended April 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleges that from approximately August 2012 through March 1, 2023, Walgreens, one of the nation’s largest pharmacy chains, knowingly filled millions of unlawful controlled substance prescriptions. These unlawful prescriptions included prescriptions for excessive quantities of opioids, opioid prescriptions filled significantly early, and prescriptions for the especially dangerous and abused combination of three drugs known as a “trinity.” Walgreens pharmacists allegedly filled these prescriptions despite clear red flags indicating a high likelihood that the prescriptions were invalid because they lacked a legitimate medical purpose or were not issued in the usual course of professional practice. 

    The complaint further alleges that Walgreens pressured its pharmacists to fill prescriptions quickly and without taking the time needed to confirm that each prescription was lawful. Walgreens’s compliance officials also allegedly ignored substantial evidence that its stores were dispensing unlawful prescriptions and even intentionally deprived its own pharmacists of crucial information, including by refusing to share internal data regarding prescribers with pharmacists and preventing pharmacists from warning one another about certain problematic prescribers.

    In light of the settlement, the United States has moved to dismiss its complaint. Walgreens will also move to dismiss a related declaratory judgment action filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

    “Pharmacies have a legal responsibility to prescribe controlled substances in a safe and professional manner, not dispense dangerous drugs just for profit,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice is committed to ending the opioid crisis and holding bad actors accountable for their failure to protect patients from addiction.”

    “This settlement resolves allegations that, for years, Walgreens failed to meet its obligations when dispensing dangerous opioids and other drugs,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Granston of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to hold accountable those entities and individuals whose actions contributed to the opioid crisis, whether through illegal prescribing, marketing, dispensing or distributing activities.”

    “Importantly, Walgreens’s agreements with the DEA and HHS-OIG provide swift relief in the form of monitoring and claims review that will improve Walgreens’s practices immediately,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois. “Our office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that opioids are properly dispensed and that taxpayer funds are only spent on legitimate pharmacy claims.”

    “This landmark civil settlement is the largest Controlled Substances Act resolution in our district’s history and once again confirms the high priority our office has placed upon confronting those responsible for the opioid crisis here,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “We are grateful for the energy and collaborative spirit brought to this effort by our colleagues in the DEA, the Department of Justice Civil Frauds Section and Consumer Protection Branch, and the United States Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Illinois, District of Maryland, Eastern District of New York, and Eastern District of Virginia.”  

    “With the power to dispense potentially harmful substances comes the responsibility to ensure that every prescription is legitimate before it is filled,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “When pharmacies fail that responsibility, this office will work with others across the country to hold accountable those who put patients and communities at risk.”

    “This settlement holds Walgreens accountable for failing to comply with its critical responsibility to prevent the diversion of opioids and other controlled substances,” said U.S. Attorney John J. Durham for the Eastern District of New York. “The settlement also underscores our office’s continued commitment to ensure that all persons and businesses that fill controlled-substance prescriptions adhere to the requirements of the Controlled Substances Act that are designed to prevent highly addictive medications from being used for illegitimate purposes.”    

    “Strict compliance with the law is essential to safeguarding the public, who rely on carefully considered and limited prescriptions for their health and wellbeing,” said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Those companies and individuals authorized to provide controlled substances have a professional responsibility to ensure that the prescriptions they fill are within the course of professional practice and regulations. Medically unnecessary prescriptions are a cost ultimately borne by the taxpayers and consumers. As we continue to address the opioid crisis here in Virginia and across the nation, we are determined to ensure pharmacies and pharmacists operate within the law.”

    In addition to the monetary payments announced today, Walgreens has entered into agreements with DEA and HHS-OIG to address its future obligations in dispensing controlled substances. Walgreens and DEA entered into a memorandum of agreement that requires the company to implement and maintain certain compliance measures for the next seven years. Walgreens must maintain policies and procedures requiring pharmacists to confirm the validity of controlled substance prescriptions prior to dispensing controlled substances, provide annual training to pharmacy employees regarding their legal obligations relating to controlled substances, verify that pharmacy staffing is sufficient to enable pharmacy employees to comply with those legal obligations, and maintain a system for blocking prescriptions from prescribers whom Walgreens becomes aware are writing illegitimate controlled substance prescriptions. Walgreens has also entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with HHS-OIG, which further requires Walgreens to establish and maintain a compliance program that includes written policies and procedures, training, board oversight, and periodic reporting to HHS-OIG related to Walgreens’s dispensing of controlled substances. 

    “Pharmacies have an obligation to ensure that every prescription for highly addictive controlled substances is legitimate and issued responsibly in compliance with the Controlled Substances Act,” said DEA Acting Administrator Derek Maltz. “When one of the nation’s largest pharmacies fails at this obligation, they jeopardize the health and safety of their customers and place the American public in danger. The DEA remains committed to protecting all Americans from unscrupulous practices that prioritize profit over patient safety.”

    “Pharmacies that neglect their legal duties and their critical role in delivering safe and appropriate medications to enrollees of federal health care programs, and instead exploit these programs for market advantage, squander taxpayer dollars and put patient safety at risk,” said Acting Inspector General Juliet T. Hodgkins of HHS-OIG. “HHS-OIG and our law enforcement partners will use every tool in our arsenal to prevent these outcomes. This settlement and corporate integrity agreement reflect HHS-OIG’s commitment to ensuring compliance, correcting failures in oversight, and protecting the foundation of federally-funded health care.”

    “In the midst of the opioid crisis that has plagued our nation, we rely on pharmacies to prevent not facilitate the unlawful distribution of these potentially harmful substances,” said Norbert E. Vint, Deputy Inspector General Performing the Duties of the Inspector General at OPM OIG. “We applaud our investigative staff, law enforcement partners, and partners at the Department of Justice for their hard work and unwavering commitment to protecting patients from harm.”

    The civil settlement resolves four cases brought under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the FCA by former Walgreens employees. The FCA authorizes whistleblowers to sue on behalf of the United States and receive a share of any recovery. It also permits the United States to intervene and take over such lawsuits, as it did here. The relators will receive a 17.25% share of the government’s FCA recovery in this matter.

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

    The DEA, HHS-OIG, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Defense Health Agency (DHA), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Inspector General, FBI Chicago Field Office, and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Colorado, Southern District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Eastern District of Washington, Southern District of Alabama, Southern District of Illinois, Central District of Illinois, District of Arizona, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, District of Puerto Rico, and Eastern District of Louisianaprovided substantial assistance in the investigation.

    The United States is represented in this matter by attorneys from the Justice Department’s Civil Division Consumer Protection Branch (Assistant Director Amy DeLine and Trial Attorney Nicole Frazer) and Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section (Assistant Director Natalie Waites and Trial Attorney Joshua Barron), as well as from the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Illinois (Assistant U.S. Attorney Valerie R. Raedy), Middle District of Florida (Chief of the Civil Division Randy Harwell and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Tapie), District of Maryland (Chief of the Civil Division Thomas Corcoran), Eastern District of New York (Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot M. Schachner) and Eastern District of Virginia (Assistant U.S. Attorney John Beerbower). Fraud Section senior financial analyst Karen Sharp provided support for the matter.

    The claims asserted against defendants are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Yakama Man Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison for Sexual Abuse in Indian Country of an Incapacitated Teenager

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Yakima, Washington – Acting U.S. Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that on April 14, 2025, United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced Darius Morningstar Speedis, age 20, of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, to 72 months in federal prison for Sexual Abuse in Indian Country. Judge Dimke also imposed 10 years of supervised release and required Speedis to register as a sex offender.  

    According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, in early November 2022, Speedis sexually assaulted a 16-year-old Native American woman who had become intoxicated and incapacitated. The assault occurred after several teenagers, including the victim and Speedis, consumed alcohol – at least some of which was provided by Speedis. The sexual assault occurred on the Yakama Nation.

    Although the victim had no independent recollection of the sexual assault, Speedis had recorded the assault and then sent a video to the victim.  That video, however, later was deleted and was not recovered by law enforcement.

    At sentencing, Judge Dimke took into account the abuse of trust involved in the sexual assault, including the recording of the sexual assault, as well as Speedis’ age and reported remorse before pronouncing sentence.  Judge Dimke also noted the “epidemic” of sexual abuse occurring on the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation.

    “Sexual violence has no place in any community, and it is especially devastating when it targets vulnerable victims and occurs within communities already impacted by an epidemic of abuse,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard R. Barker. “This sentence reflects the seriousness of Mr.  Speedis’ conduct and our unwavering commitment to seeking justice for victims of sexual assault. My office will continue working closely with our Tribal partners to hold offenders accountable and support survivors on their path to healing.”

    “Not only did Mr. Speedis sexually assault this victim, he recorded that assault and then sent it to her.” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “I hope his acknowledgement of guilt can aid in the victim’s recovery from this disturbing episode. The FBI is committed to justice for Native Women, who too often are targets of crimes of violence.”

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Yakama Nation Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Letitia A. Sikes.

    1:24-cr-02043-MKD.

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Subcontractor Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Bribe General Services Administration Official

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Greenbelt, Maryland – Today, a Mt. Airy, Maryland, man pled guilty to conspiring to bribe a U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) official, wire fraud in connection with an Economic Injury Disaster Loan, and possession of a machine gun with an obliterated serial number.

    According to court documents, Christopher Brackins, 51, conspired to bribe Public Official A, a former GSA contracting officer’s representative.  GSA is a federal agency that manages federal property.  Brackins owned a general construction company that performed subcontracting work on GSA projects.

    Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s (DOJ) Criminal Division; Deputy Inspector General Robert Erickson, GSA Office of Inspector General (GSA-OIG); Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Baltimore Field Office; Acting Inspector General Steven A. Stebbins, U.S. Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DOD-OIG); and Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG).

    As outlined in court documents, between 2018 and 2021, Brackins provided approximately $50,000 worth of money and other things of value to Public Official A in exchange for Public Official A’s role in directing GSA projects to Brackins’s company.  For example, in late 2018, as part of the bribery scheme, Brackins paid a fraudulently inflated bonus to one of his employees. Brackins then directed the employee to pay Public Official A $8,000 in cash from the fraudulently inflated bonus check.  Similarly, in early 2021, Brackins paid Public Official A $25,000, at Public Official A’s direction, using an intermediary who accepted the payments through the intermediary’s air-conditioning repair business.  The defendant and his company earned an estimated $133,413 in profits from this scheme.

    Brackins pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a federal public official.  He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison followed by up to three years of supervised release.  Brackins also pled guilty to wire fraud and possession of a machine gun, which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years and 10 years in prison, respectively, and up to three years of supervised release each.  U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman has scheduled sentencing for Wednesday, September 10, at 2 p.m.

    Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the GSA-OIG, FBI, DOD-OIG, and DHS-OIG for their work in the investigation.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Crespo and DOJ Trial Attorney Jonathan E. Jacobson who are prosecuting the federal case. 

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

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lexington Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

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

    Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that Roberto Ceja, Jr., 33, of Lexington, Nebraska, was sentenced on April 16, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Ceja to 66 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Ceja is released from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.

    This case involved a Title III wiretap investigation that involved three of Ceja’s cell phones. Co-conspirators were also intercepted involving discussions about narcotics and meeting under surveillance. As part of the investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted three undercover buys from Liban Mohamud Adan who investigators learned was being supplied by Ceja. Ceja was responsible for distributing 88 grams of actual methamphetamine in the Lexington area.

    Liban Mohamud Adan pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.  He was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment followed by a 5-year term of supervised release.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Nebraska State Patrol, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI USA: Walgreens Agrees to Pay Up to $350M for Illegally Filling Unlawful Opioid Prescriptions and for Submitting False Claims to the Federal Government

    Source: US State of California

    Note: View settlement here.

    The Justice Department, together with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), today announced a $300 million settlement with Walgreens Boots Alliance, Walgreen Co., and various subsidiaries (collectively, Walgreens) to resolve allegations that the national chain pharmacy illegally filled millions of invalid prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and then sought payment for many of those invalid prescriptions by Medicare and other federal health care programs in violation of the False Claims Act (FCA). The settlement amount is based on Walgreens’s ability to pay. Walgreens will owe the United States an additional $50 million if the company is sold, merged, or transferred prior to fiscal year 2032.

    The government’s complaint, filed on Jan. 16 and amended April 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleges that from approximately August 2012 through March 1, 2023, Walgreens, one of the nation’s largest pharmacy chains, knowingly filled millions of unlawful controlled substance prescriptions. These unlawful prescriptions included prescriptions for excessive quantities of opioids, opioid prescriptions filled significantly early, and prescriptions for the especially dangerous and abused combination of three drugs known as a “trinity.” Walgreens pharmacists allegedly filled these prescriptions despite clear red flags indicating a high likelihood that the prescriptions were invalid because they lacked a legitimate medical purpose or were not issued in the usual course of professional practice. 

    The complaint further alleges that Walgreens pressured its pharmacists to fill prescriptions quickly and without taking the time needed to confirm that each prescription was lawful. Walgreens’s compliance officials also allegedly ignored substantial evidence that its stores were dispensing unlawful prescriptions and even intentionally deprived its own pharmacists of crucial information, including by refusing to share internal data regarding prescribers with pharmacists and preventing pharmacists from warning one another about certain problematic prescribers.

    In light of Friday’s settlement, the United States has moved to dismiss its complaint. Walgreens will also move to dismiss a related declaratory judgment action filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

    “Pharmacies have a legal responsibility to prescribe controlled substances in a safe and professional manner, not dispense dangerous drugs just for profit,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice is committed to ending the opioid crisis and holding bad actors accountable for their failure to protect patients from addiction.”

    “This settlement resolves allegations that, for years, Walgreens failed to meet its obligations when dispensing dangerous opioids and other drugs,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Granston of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to hold accountable those entities and individuals whose actions contributed to the opioid crisis, whether through illegal prescribing, marketing, dispensing or distributing activities.”

    “Importantly, Walgreens’s agreements with the DEA and HHS-OIG provide swift relief in the form of monitoring and claims review that will improve Walgreens’s practices immediately,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois. “Our office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that opioids are properly dispensed and that taxpayer funds are only spent on legitimate pharmacy claims.”

    “This landmark civil settlement is the largest Controlled Substances Act resolution in our district’s history and once again confirms the high priority our office has placed upon confronting those responsible for the opioid crisis here,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “We are grateful for the energy and collaborative spirit brought to this effort by our colleagues in the DEA, the Department of Justice Civil Frauds Section and Consumer Protection Branch, and the United States Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Illinois, District of Maryland, Eastern District of New York, and Eastern District of Virginia.” 

    “With the power to dispense potentially harmful substances comes the responsibility to ensure that every prescription is legitimate before it is filled,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “When pharmacies fail that responsibility, this office will work with others across the country to hold accountable those who put patients and communities at risk.”

    “This settlement holds Walgreens accountable for failing to comply with its critical responsibility to prevent the diversion of opioids and other controlled substances,” said U.S. Attorney John J. Durham for the Eastern District of New York. “The settlement also underscores our office’s continued commitment to ensure that all persons and businesses that fill controlled-substance prescriptions adhere to the requirements of the Controlled Substances Act that are designed to prevent highly addictive medications from being used for illegitimate purposes.”    

    “Strict compliance with the law is essential to safeguarding the public, who rely on carefully considered and limited prescriptions for their health and wellbeing,” said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Those companies and individuals authorized to provide controlled substances have a professional responsibility to ensure that the prescriptions they fill are within the course of professional practice and regulations. Medically unnecessary prescriptions are a cost ultimately borne by the taxpayers and consumers. As we continue to address the opioid crisis here in Virginia and across the nation, we are determined to ensure pharmacies and pharmacists operate within the law.”

    In addition to the monetary payments announced today, Walgreens has entered into agreements with DEA and HHS-OIG to address its future obligations in dispensing controlled substances. Walgreens and DEA entered into a memorandum of agreement that requires the company to implement and maintain certain compliance measures for the next seven years. Walgreens must maintain policies and procedures requiring pharmacists to confirm the validity of controlled substance prescriptions prior to dispensing controlled substances, provide annual training to pharmacy employees regarding their legal obligations relating to controlled substances, verify that pharmacy staffing is sufficient to enable pharmacy employees to comply with those legal obligations, and maintain a system for blocking prescriptions from prescribers whom Walgreens becomes aware are writing illegitimate controlled substance prescriptions. Walgreens has also entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with HHS-OIG, which further requires Walgreens to establish and maintain a compliance program that includes written policies and procedures, training, board oversight, and periodic reporting to HHS-OIG related to Walgreens’s dispensing of controlled substances. 

    “Pharmacies have an obligation to ensure that every prescription for highly addictive controlled substances is legitimate and issued responsibly in compliance with the Controlled Substances Act,” said DEA Acting Administrator Derek Maltz. “When one of the nation’s largest pharmacies fails at this obligation, they jeopardize the health and safety of their customers and place the American public in danger. The DEA remains committed to protecting all Americans from unscrupulous practices that prioritize profit over patient safety.”

    “Pharmacies that neglect their legal duties and their critical role in delivering safe and appropriate medications to enrollees of federal health care programs, and instead exploit these programs for market advantage, squander taxpayer dollars and put patient safety at risk,” said Acting Inspector General Juliet T. Hodgkins of HHS-OIG. “HHS-OIG and our law enforcement partners will use every tool in our arsenal to prevent these outcomes. This settlement and corporate integrity agreement reflect HHS-OIG’s commitment to ensuring compliance, correcting failures in oversight, and protecting the foundation of federally-funded health care.”

    “In the midst of the opioid crisis that has plagued our nation, we rely on pharmacies to prevent not facilitate the unlawful distribution of these potentially harmful substances,” said Norbert E. Vint, Deputy Inspector General Performing the Duties of the Inspector General at OPM OIG. “We applaud our investigative staff, law enforcement partners, and partners at the Department of Justice for their hard work and unwavering commitment to protecting patients from harm.”

    The civil settlement resolves four cases brought under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the FCA by former Walgreens employees. The FCA authorizes whistleblowers to sue on behalf of the United States and receive a share of any recovery. It also permits the United States to intervene and take over such lawsuits, as it did here. The relators will receive a 17.25% share of the government’s FCA recovery in this matter.

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

    The DEA, HHS-OIG, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Defense Health Agency (DHA), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Inspector General, FBI Chicago Field Office, and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Colorado, Southern District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Eastern District of Washington, Southern District of Alabama, Southern District of Illinois, Central District of Illinois, District of Arizona, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, District of Puerto Rico, and Eastern District of Louisiana provided substantial assistance in the investigation.

    The United States is represented in this matter by attorneys from the Justice Department’s Civil Division Consumer Protection Branch (Assistant Director Amy DeLine and Trial Attorney Nicole Frazer) and Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section (Assistant Director Natalie Waites and Trial Attorney Joshua Barron), as well as from the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Illinois (Assistant U.S. Attorney Valerie R. Raedy), Middle District of Florida (Chief of the Civil Division Randy Harwell and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Tapie), District of Maryland (Chief of the Civil Division Thomas Corcoran), Eastern District of New York (Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot M. Schachner) and Eastern District of Virginia (Assistant U.S. Attorney John Beerbower). Fraud Section senior financial analyst Karen Sharp provided support for the matter.

    The claims asserted against defendants are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

    Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Additional information about the Fraud Section of the Civil Division and its enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/civil/fraud-section.  

    For information about the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, visit:

    For information about the federal agencies involved in this investigation and their work to combat the opioid crisis and federal healthcare fraud, visit:

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lolo Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Distributing Child Pornography

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

    MISSOULA – A Lolo man who received and distributed child pornography was sentenced today to 240 months in prison to be followed by lifetime supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    Erik Robert Salazar, 29, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography.

    U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that on September 13, 2023, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) detectives received a Cyber Tipline Report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The report originated from Snapchat, who reported to NCMEC that a user, later identified as Salazar, had uploaded two images of child sexual abuse material to their servers on August 19, 2023.

    Through legal process, detectives determined the Snapchat account in question belonged to Salazar. Detectives received the remaining contents of Salazar’s Snapchat account and reviewed his communications with other parties.

    Salazar’s communications were replete with contact with minor females on dates ranging from September 2015 to October 31, 2023. Salazar consistently requested images and videos of those minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Some of the minors sent Salazar images and videos in response to his requests. Additionally, Salazar used Snapchat to send some of these minors images and videos depicting other minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. For example, beginning on August 4, 2023, Salazar began to communicate on Snapchat with a minor female (MV1) who was then 15 years old. In their communications, MV1 informed Salazar of her age, which Salazar indicated sexually excited him. Throughout the communications, Salazar solicited nude images of MV1, which she sent. MV1 also reported that Salazar sent her at least one video of a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct. MV1 reported Salazar told her he wanted to have a baby with her and asked MV1 if she would allow him to perform similar acts on their future daughter.

    Salazar was arrested in Missoula, Montana, for a related offense on October 31, 2023, and was interviewed by detectives. He admitted the Snapchat account involved in the cyber tip belonged to him and that he received images depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct using the account.

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

    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.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Kalispell Man Sentenced to Mor Than 10 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Drugs on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation

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

    GREAT FALLS – A Kalispell man who conspired to distribute drugs on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 128 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    Cameron Lee Richard Carr, 34, pleaded guilty in September 2024 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that in early November 2023, law enforcement received information Carr was trafficking illegal drugs from Kalispell, Montana to Browning, Montana. On November 28, 2023, Carr was observed leaving the Going to the Sun Inn in Browning. A Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services officer saw Carr run a stop sign and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Carr fled before eventually stopping his vehicle and attempting to run away on foot. He was apprehended by the officer and arrested. The officer saw Carr reach for his waistband when he was arrested, so the officer searched him for weapons before placing him in a patrol vehicle. The officer recovered suspected meth and fentanyl from and noticed a 9 mm Ruger handgun on the ground near the area where Carr was apprehended.

    Law enforcement searched Carr’s vehicle and seized 11 additional firearms, 500 grams of methamphetamine, 168 grams of fentanyl in pill and powder form, and small amounts of heroin, oxycodone, morphine, and cocaine. On December 1, 2023, during an interview with law enforcement, Carr admitted distributing drugs in Browning.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case and the investigation was conducted by the FBI, DEA, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, and the Glacier County Sheriff’s Office.

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

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Convicts California Man of Assaulting a Federal Officer

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

    Salt Lake City, Utah – A federal jury in Salt Lake City returned a guilty verdict against a California man after he assaulted a federal officer while law enforcement attempted to arrest him on an outstanding warrant.

    Gabriel Gigena, 41, of Valley Springs, CA, was charged by indictment on July 10, 2024.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on Saturday May 4, 2024, members of the United States Marshal Service (USMS) were summoned to assist with the apprehension of Gigena, who was wanted for a warrant issued by the State of California. Law enforcement learned Gigena was at a park with his twin three-year-old daughters in Park City, Utah. In a briefing, members of the arrest team outlined their goal to take Gigena into custody while ensuring the safety of his children and others.

    According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, as Gigena walked down a parking lot, two task force officers with the USMS were tasked with apprehending Gigena and securing the children. However, security concerns hastened law enforcement’s approach, which resulted in officers charging at and tackling Gigena. During the tackle, one of the officers pushed Gigena’s hands away from the two young girls. As this officer and Gigena fell to the ground Gigena placed his arm around the officer’s neck and started to strangle him. The officer testified in court that Gigena applied maximum force to his neck. Other officers on scene called out “police” and told Gigena to stop. Meanwhile, additional agents arrived on scene in vehicles that had flashing red and blue lights. These additional officers also assisted in taking control of Gigena. At one point, another officer displayed and threatened the use of a taser to get Gigena to comply. Another officer gained control of Gigena’s arm and removed it from the officer’s neck. Officers testified that Gigena never relented his assault or resistance of law enforcement until he was forced to do so.

    According to witness testimony, Gigena made multiple statements about being the “chief of the Indian people” and that they were not allowed to arrest him. Gigena was taken into custody soon after the assault.

    “His resistance was aimed at injuring the officer,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Yeates during closing arguments. “Despite multiple warnings, despite multiple commands, the defendant fought to the bitter end until he was finally placed in handcuffs.”

    Gigena’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 1, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. in courtroom 8.3 before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Ted Stewart at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

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

    The case is being investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Sam Pead and J. Drew Yeates of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, 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.
     

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Walgreens Agrees to Pay Up to $350M for Illegally Filling Unlawful Opioid Prescriptions and for Submitting False Claims to the Federal Government

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    Note: View settlement here.

    The Justice Department, together with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), today announced a $300 million settlement with Walgreens Boots Alliance, Walgreen Co., and various subsidiaries (collectively, Walgreens) to resolve allegations that the national chain pharmacy illegally filled millions of invalid prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and then sought payment for many of those invalid prescriptions by Medicare and other federal health care programs in violation of the False Claims Act (FCA). The settlement amount is based on Walgreens’s ability to pay. Walgreens will owe the United States an additional $50 million if the company is sold, merged, or transferred prior to fiscal year 2032.

    The government’s complaint, filed on Jan. 16 and amended April 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleges that from approximately August 2012 through March 1, 2023, Walgreens, one of the nation’s largest pharmacy chains, knowingly filled millions of unlawful controlled substance prescriptions. These unlawful prescriptions included prescriptions for excessive quantities of opioids, opioid prescriptions filled significantly early, and prescriptions for the especially dangerous and abused combination of three drugs known as a “trinity.” Walgreens pharmacists allegedly filled these prescriptions despite clear red flags indicating a high likelihood that the prescriptions were invalid because they lacked a legitimate medical purpose or were not issued in the usual course of professional practice. 

    The complaint further alleges that Walgreens pressured its pharmacists to fill prescriptions quickly and without taking the time needed to confirm that each prescription was lawful. Walgreens’s compliance officials also allegedly ignored substantial evidence that its stores were dispensing unlawful prescriptions and even intentionally deprived its own pharmacists of crucial information, including by refusing to share internal data regarding prescribers with pharmacists and preventing pharmacists from warning one another about certain problematic prescribers.

    In light of Friday’s settlement, the United States has moved to dismiss its complaint. Walgreens will also move to dismiss a related declaratory judgment action filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

    “Pharmacies have a legal responsibility to prescribe controlled substances in a safe and professional manner, not dispense dangerous drugs just for profit,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice is committed to ending the opioid crisis and holding bad actors accountable for their failure to protect patients from addiction.”

    “This settlement resolves allegations that, for years, Walgreens failed to meet its obligations when dispensing dangerous opioids and other drugs,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Granston of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to hold accountable those entities and individuals whose actions contributed to the opioid crisis, whether through illegal prescribing, marketing, dispensing or distributing activities.”

    “Importantly, Walgreens’s agreements with the DEA and HHS-OIG provide swift relief in the form of monitoring and claims review that will improve Walgreens’s practices immediately,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois. “Our office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that opioids are properly dispensed and that taxpayer funds are only spent on legitimate pharmacy claims.”

    “This landmark civil settlement is the largest Controlled Substances Act resolution in our district’s history and once again confirms the high priority our office has placed upon confronting those responsible for the opioid crisis here,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “We are grateful for the energy and collaborative spirit brought to this effort by our colleagues in the DEA, the Department of Justice Civil Frauds Section and Consumer Protection Branch, and the United States Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Illinois, District of Maryland, Eastern District of New York, and Eastern District of Virginia.” 

    “With the power to dispense potentially harmful substances comes the responsibility to ensure that every prescription is legitimate before it is filled,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “When pharmacies fail that responsibility, this office will work with others across the country to hold accountable those who put patients and communities at risk.”

    “This settlement holds Walgreens accountable for failing to comply with its critical responsibility to prevent the diversion of opioids and other controlled substances,” said U.S. Attorney John J. Durham for the Eastern District of New York. “The settlement also underscores our office’s continued commitment to ensure that all persons and businesses that fill controlled-substance prescriptions adhere to the requirements of the Controlled Substances Act that are designed to prevent highly addictive medications from being used for illegitimate purposes.”    

    “Strict compliance with the law is essential to safeguarding the public, who rely on carefully considered and limited prescriptions for their health and wellbeing,” said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Those companies and individuals authorized to provide controlled substances have a professional responsibility to ensure that the prescriptions they fill are within the course of professional practice and regulations. Medically unnecessary prescriptions are a cost ultimately borne by the taxpayers and consumers. As we continue to address the opioid crisis here in Virginia and across the nation, we are determined to ensure pharmacies and pharmacists operate within the law.”

    In addition to the monetary payments announced today, Walgreens has entered into agreements with DEA and HHS-OIG to address its future obligations in dispensing controlled substances. Walgreens and DEA entered into a memorandum of agreement that requires the company to implement and maintain certain compliance measures for the next seven years. Walgreens must maintain policies and procedures requiring pharmacists to confirm the validity of controlled substance prescriptions prior to dispensing controlled substances, provide annual training to pharmacy employees regarding their legal obligations relating to controlled substances, verify that pharmacy staffing is sufficient to enable pharmacy employees to comply with those legal obligations, and maintain a system for blocking prescriptions from prescribers whom Walgreens becomes aware are writing illegitimate controlled substance prescriptions. Walgreens has also entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with HHS-OIG, which further requires Walgreens to establish and maintain a compliance program that includes written policies and procedures, training, board oversight, and periodic reporting to HHS-OIG related to Walgreens’s dispensing of controlled substances. 

    “Pharmacies have an obligation to ensure that every prescription for highly addictive controlled substances is legitimate and issued responsibly in compliance with the Controlled Substances Act,” said DEA Acting Administrator Derek Maltz. “When one of the nation’s largest pharmacies fails at this obligation, they jeopardize the health and safety of their customers and place the American public in danger. The DEA remains committed to protecting all Americans from unscrupulous practices that prioritize profit over patient safety.”

    “Pharmacies that neglect their legal duties and their critical role in delivering safe and appropriate medications to enrollees of federal health care programs, and instead exploit these programs for market advantage, squander taxpayer dollars and put patient safety at risk,” said Acting Inspector General Juliet T. Hodgkins of HHS-OIG. “HHS-OIG and our law enforcement partners will use every tool in our arsenal to prevent these outcomes. This settlement and corporate integrity agreement reflect HHS-OIG’s commitment to ensuring compliance, correcting failures in oversight, and protecting the foundation of federally-funded health care.”

    “In the midst of the opioid crisis that has plagued our nation, we rely on pharmacies to prevent not facilitate the unlawful distribution of these potentially harmful substances,” said Norbert E. Vint, Deputy Inspector General Performing the Duties of the Inspector General at OPM OIG. “We applaud our investigative staff, law enforcement partners, and partners at the Department of Justice for their hard work and unwavering commitment to protecting patients from harm.”

    The civil settlement resolves four cases brought under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the FCA by former Walgreens employees. The FCA authorizes whistleblowers to sue on behalf of the United States and receive a share of any recovery. It also permits the United States to intervene and take over such lawsuits, as it did here. The relators will receive a 17.25% share of the government’s FCA recovery in this matter.

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

    The DEA, HHS-OIG, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Defense Health Agency (DHA), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Inspector General, FBI Chicago Field Office, and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Colorado, Southern District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Eastern District of Washington, Southern District of Alabama, Southern District of Illinois, Central District of Illinois, District of Arizona, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, District of Puerto Rico, and Eastern District of Louisiana provided substantial assistance in the investigation.

    The United States is represented in this matter by attorneys from the Justice Department’s Civil Division Consumer Protection Branch (Assistant Director Amy DeLine and Trial Attorney Nicole Frazer) and Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section (Assistant Director Natalie Waites and Trial Attorney Joshua Barron), as well as from the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Illinois (Assistant U.S. Attorney Valerie R. Raedy), Middle District of Florida (Chief of the Civil Division Randy Harwell and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Tapie), District of Maryland (Chief of the Civil Division Thomas Corcoran), Eastern District of New York (Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot M. Schachner) and Eastern District of Virginia (Assistant U.S. Attorney John Beerbower). Fraud Section senior financial analyst Karen Sharp provided support for the matter.

    The claims asserted against defendants are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

    Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Additional information about the Fraud Section of the Civil Division and its enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/civil/fraud-section.  

    For information about the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, visit:

    For information about the federal agencies involved in this investigation and their work to combat the opioid crisis and federal healthcare fraud, visit:

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Oshkosh Man Indicted on Production of Child Pornography Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on April 15, 2025, a federal grand jury issued an indictment alleging that Bradley D. Hounsell (age: 43) of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, “attempted to and did employ a minor under the age of 18, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct” in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2251(a), 2251(e), and 2(a).

    According to the unsealed indictment, between on or about November 4, 2023, and November 8, 2023, Hounsell is alleged to have employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced a minor for the purpose transporting child pornography via the internet. If convicted of the offense, Hounsell faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and up to 30 years of incarceration. He may also be fined up to $250,000 and would be required to register as a sex offender under state and federal law.

    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 U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.

    An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove his guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.     

    # #  #

     

    For Additional Information Contact:

    Public Information Officer

    Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov

    414-297-1700

     

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    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bay Area Defendants Plead Guilty to Bank Robberies in the Eastern District of California and the East Bay

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

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Dontae Jerome Jones Jr., 20, and JoMya Mauriyne Futch, 21, each pleaded guilty today to one count of bank robbery, and Futch pleaded guilty to one count of perjury, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    On March 13, 2025, co-defendant Yasmin Charisse Millett, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery.

    According to court documents, between June 2023 and September 2024, Jones and Millett conspired to commit at least 10 bank robberies in Sacramento, Vallejo, Suisun City, Benicia, Concord, and Antioch. Jones and Millett worked together and with others, primarily women they recruited, such as Futch, to facilitate a patterned series of bank robberies. The participants drove to bank and credit union branches, entered the branches with threatening notes demanding money, presented the notes to branch employees, took cash, and exited the branches to a waiting getaway car. Generally, the notes would instruct the bank employees to provide money or “I will kill everyone in here.” After a successful robbery, the members of the conspiracy distributed the stolen money amongst themselves.

    Jones and Millett actively sought and groomed recruits to act as the note passers. Millett advertised the conspiracy on Instagram in videos and photographs of herself and other participants holding large amounts of cash. Jones and Millett sometimes directed recruits to wear dark sunglasses during the robberies to conceal their identities and carry purses in order to carry the stolen money away from the banks and credit unions.

    On July 17, 2023, Jones and Millett used a stolen white Audi A7 with dark tinted windows to pick up Futch and commit a bank robbery at a credit union in Suisun City. Jones and Millett provided Futch with instructions on how to commit the robbery. Jones and Millett waited in the vehicle while Futch entered the bank and handed an employee a note demanding money, threatening to shoot the employee if the employee did not comply with the demand. After reading the note, the employee gave Futch money. Futch returned to the waiting getaway vehicle and Jones, Millett, and Futch each took a portion of the stolen money.

    The next day, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of the stolen white Audi A7. Millett was driving the stolen car and Jones was the front seat passenger. During the traffic stop, law enforcement officers found bait money on Millett and Jones from the bank robbery that occurred the day before in Suisun City. The officers also found a crumpled post-it demand note on the driver’s seat that stated, “Don’t Make eye contact Don’t look suspicious Don’t Push emergency Button Put smile on your face or I will shoot.”

    On Aug. 15, 2024, Futch appeared as a witness under oath before a grand jury and knowingly made false statements. During her testimony, Futch stated that on July 17, 2023, she believed that she was going to open up a bank account for Millett—not commit a robbery. Futch further claimed that she had no clue that she was committing a bank robbery, and maintained throughout her testimony that she did not know about any plan to commit a bank robbery. However, these statements were false because Millett informed Futch about her plans to commit a bank robbery in the days leading up to July 17, 2023, and Futch had agreed to commit bank robberies with Millett and Jones.

    This case is the product of an investigation by FBI field offices in San Francisco and Sacramento, with assistance from the Police Departments of Sacramento, Vacaville, Suisun City, Vallejo, Antioch, Benicia, Concord, Hayward, and Fremont, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitnee Goins is prosecuting the case.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley is scheduled to sentence Jones and Futch on Aug. 7, 2025. Jones and Futch face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the bank robbery conviction. Futch faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for her perjury conviction. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. 

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Jersey Woman Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Residential Marijuana Grows in Sacramento and Placer Counties

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

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Xiu Ping Li, 48, residing in Skillman, New Jersey, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta to five years in prison and four years of supervised release for three counts of manufacturing marijuana, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to court documents, Li operated multiple residential marijuana grows in Sacramento and Placer Counties that yielded more than 8,000 marijuana plants and 21.4 pounds of processed marijuana found during the execution of search warrants in 2016 and 2017. Li also acknowledged using proceeds from a marijuana grow to buy another property to continue growing marijuana.

    This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, IRS Criminal Investigation, the Elk Grove Police Department, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sacramento Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Roger Yang prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Owner of Scott, LA Non-Profit Corporation and Two Daughters Indicted for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud

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

    LAFAYETTE, La. – A federal grand jury in Lafayette, Louisiana has returned an indictment charging a Lafayette man and his two daughters with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the Child and Adult Care Food Program (“the Program”), a federal program operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”), announced Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook.

    The indictment charges Brian Desormeaux, 64, and his two daughters, Amy Desormeaux Hernandez, 38, and Lenzi Desormeaux Babineaux, 34, each with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud. According to the indictment, Regional Nutrition Assistance, Inc. (“RNA”) was a Louisiana non-profit corporation located in Scott, Louisiana and was owned and operated by Brian Desormeaux and he served as its Executive Director. Amy Desoremaux Hernandez served as its Assistant Director and Lenzi Desormeaux Babineaux served as its Senior Program Manager.

    RNA was a “Sponsoring Organization” for the Program and was responsible for administering it in certain locations, including “Day Care Homes,” which are organized childcare programs for children enrolled in a private home. The Program authorizes assistance to states through grants-in-aid and other means to assist non-profit food service programs for children and adult participants in non-residential institutions that provide care. It is intended to provide aid to the participants and family or group day care homes to provide nutritious foods for the health and wellness of young children, older adults, and chronically impaired persons. 

    The indictment alleges that the defendants had access to KidKare/Minute Menu HX, the online portal used by Sponsoring Organizations to administer the Program. It is alleged that it was part of the conspiracy that defendant Amy Hernandez would access the online portal at the beginning of the month to change Day Care Home Providers to “inactive” status to avoid monitoring and oversight by the Louisiana Department of Education (“LDOE”). Then at the end of the month, she would change those “inactive” Day Care Home providers back to “active” status so that claims could be submitted to LDOE for reimbursement by USDA.

    Allegations in the indictment state that all three defendants submitted or caused the submission of false and fraudulent claims to LDOE for reimbursement from USDA, to include claims that children were being cared for and fed at Day Care Home providers when in fact, they were not. In fact, it is alleged that some of those Day Care Home providers were deceased at the time claims were made on their behalf. 

    The indictment also alleges that Lenzi Desormeaux Babineaux submitted false and fraudulent state fire marshal inspection reports for Day Care Home providers so that they would be in compliance with LDOE’s requirements for inclusion in the Program, which was necessary for reimbursements. The indictment further alleges that these three defendants submitted false and fraudulent claims seeking reimbursement they were not entitled to, causing LDOE and USDA to pay at least $400,000 in fraudulent claims.

    If convicted, each defendant faces not more than 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, on each count.

    The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Louisiana State Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren L. Gardner.

    An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Houston ISD Official and Contractor Guilty in Nine-Year, Multimillion-Dollar Fraud Scheme

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

    HOUSTON – A Houston federal jury has returned guilty verdicts against the former chief operating officer of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and an HISD contractor, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX).

    The jury deliberated for only six hours before convicting Brian Busby and Anthony Hutchison following a four-week trial. Both were convicted of conspiracy, bribery, filing false tax returns and witness tampering. Hutchison was also convicted of seven counts of wire fraud.

    Over the course of the trial, the jury heard testimony from over 50 witnesses regarding the 33 charged counts involving bribery, false invoicing schemes, witness tampering and tax violations. Five former HISD officials testified, all of whom received bribe payments – Rhonda Skillern-Jones, former HISD Board of Education president; Derrick Sanders, officer of construction services; Alfred Hoskins, general manager of facilities, maintenance and operations; Gerron Hall, area manager for maintenance – south; and Luis Tovar, area manager for maintenance – north. 

    They described the pressure Busby put on them to provide Hutchison’s companies more work with HISD as well as larger projects following Hurricane Harvey. They recounted how they received tens of thousands of dollars over the course of 2017 and 2018 or longer. 

    Skillern-Jones testified Busby told her she should use Hutchison’s company on school projects with the funds remaining from the school bond passed in 2012. They agreed that if the contract was given to Hutchison, then they could make some money off the projects. Following completion of the Holland Middle School and Pleasantville Elementary School projects, Busby met with Skillern-Jones outside of a Walmart parking lot to give her $12,000 in cash from Hutchison as the bribery payment for allocating her district’s portion of bond funds for projects Hutchison performed.

    Sanders, who also socialized with Busby and Hutchison, described taking trips to Las Vegas with them where he would be paid bribes and recounted their lavish purchases. On one occasion when Hutchison paid him, he exclaimed “next,” signaling Busby to come into the room for his payment. 

    Hoskins testified his maintenance team did not want to use Just Construction because it was often more expensive than other vendors, but Busby pressured him to give Hutchison’s company more work. Testimony further revealed they would bypass the rotation or bid process in selecting vendors and just provide work directly to Hutchison’s companies.

    The jury also saw a handwritten ledger seized from Hutchison’s residence which contained detailed notes of all HISD projects awarded to Just Construction. It included entries for bribe payments and locations where they were made.

    Detailed evidence also revealed the extensive invoicing fraud scheme Hutchison perpetrated through his company Southwest Wholesale. Since 2015, Southwest Wholesale had been the exclusive mowing and landscape contractor for HISD. The jury heard testimony demonstrating how Hutchison continuously overbilled for years for the approximately 150 schools he was contracted to mow. He also similarly charged HISD over twice the cost of what he paid for the supplies and marked that inflated charge up 20%. He consistently overbilled HISD over the course of years for a loss in excess of $6 million.

    Busby also made excessive cash deposits to over 18 bank accounts which was far more than his legitimate income. He attempted to explain it based on other sources of income, but the jury was not convinced it accounted for the close to $3 million cash deposits made over the course of five years that were not declared in his income tax returns for 2015-2019. 

    Hutchison similarly filed false tax returns in 2017 and 2018 wherein he deducted improper business expenses. Specifically, Hutchison obtained cash he used to pay bribes to HISD officials by writing company checks to vendors, who cashed the checks and provided the cash to him. He falsely stated on the memo line that they were in payment for work performed on HISD properties. He then caused the checks to be improperly deducted on corporate tax returns as business expenses. In reality, they were cashed to pay extensive gambling debts and cash bribe payments.

    Hoskins also testified about the steps Busby and Hutchison took to interfere with the investigation. Specifically, Busby called Hoskins and told him to tell investigators Busby had nothing to do with the award of the maintenance contract to Hutchison and his company. Hoskins also described how Hutchison advised him that police had a handwritten ledger with numbers on it and that Hoskins should say it was for gambling. 

    “HISD is the largest school district in the state, and the people of Houston trusted that district officials would spend their tax dollars wisely and carefully. Instead, Busby and Hutchinson defrauded the school district and the taxpayers of millions of dollars, doing so to line their own pockets,” said Ganjei. “People need to have faith in their public institutions, and they can become understandably cynical when they hear of public servants stealing from school kids by taking bribes and over-billing. SDTX aimed to restore that public trust by bringing this multi-year investigation to trial, which lasted over four weeks and involved over 50 witnesses. I’m proud of the trial team for delivering justice here, and I thank our incredible law enforcement partners.  Most of all, I’d like to thank the jury for devoting their precious time and attention over the past month. This case demonstrates that theft from schools won’t be tolerated and that the public can have confidence in their institutions.”

    “For years, Busby and Hutchison defrauded the largest public school system in Texas out of millions of dollars – money that was intended to benefit the students of HISD,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams of the FBI Houston Field Office. “In turn, Busby and Hutchison also defrauded the taxpayers whose hard-earned dollars were fraudulently diverted for their greed and personal gain. Public corruption cases like this one are challenging to investigate and prove and erode the trust we place on our public servants. At the end of the day, we want to make sure corrupt individuals like Busby and Hutchison are brought to justice. Today’s guilty verdict is a step towards that justice. I’m proud of FBI Houston’s public corruption squad for the results of its years-long investigation and thank them, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, for their commitment to this case and to its thousands of victims.”

    U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen presided over the trial and has set sentencing for July 28. At that time, Busby and Hutchison face up to five, 10 and 20 years, respectively, for the conspiracy, bribery and witness tampering charges. Hutchison also faces up to 20 years for each count of wire fraud. All charges also carry a $250,000 maximum possible fine.

    Skillern-Jones, 39, Houston; Sanders, 50, Hoskins, 58, Hall, 48, all of Missouri City; and Tovar, 39, Huffman have pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charges. They face up to five years in prison.

    Busby and Hutchison were permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing.

    The FBI and IRS – Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Johnson and Heather R. Winter are prosecuting the case. 

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force Turns 45

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

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation is marking the 45th anniversary of its first Joint Terrorism Task Force. Formed in New York in 1980, the first JTTF became a model for law enforcement cooperation across the nation. 
     
    Today, the FBI has a JTTF at each of its 55 field offices and at many of its smaller offices—about 280 locations in all. JTTFs gather investigators, intelligence analysts, linguists, and tactical experts from federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Task force members share intelligence and investigative leads and respond to threats and incidents. 
     
    “The JTTF model clearly demonstrates the power of law enforcement cooperation at all levels,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Preventing terrorism is a no-fail mission. Only by working together can we keep the nation safe.”
     
    The FBI’s JTTF model dates to the 1979, when the New York Police Department and the FBI’s New York Field Office tackled the surge in violent bank robberies by pooling resources and expertise through a joint task force. In 1980, when terrorist bombings, bomb threats, and other violence plagued the city, officials decided to imitate the bank robbery task force. They announced the formation of the first JTTF in April 1980.  
     
    The first JTTF had 10 special agents and 10 police officers. The number of task forces grew over the years, with 35 JTTFs operating by the time terrorists attacked on 9/11. Shortly after 9/11, the FBI required all field offices to establish a JTTF. By the end of 2024, JTTFs drew nearly 4,400 members from 528 state, local, territorial, and tribal agencies and 53 federal agencies. 
     
    The FBI established its National Joint Terrorism Task Force to support the local task forces in June of 2002. The NJTTF at FBI Headquarters enhances communication, coordination, and cooperation from partner agencies. 
     
    JTTFs have disrupted dozens of plots in the past four decades, including a plan to attack millennial celebrations in Los Angeles in 2000; a plan to detonate a car bomb in Times Square in New York in 2010; and plans to sow chaos in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2022 and 2023 by destroying energy facilities. 
     
    JTTFs are also among the first responders to arrive at the scenes of horrific violence—whether they are terrorist-based or not—and lead the investigations of terrorist incidents. 
     
    Among the cases JTTFs have investigated are the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York; the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998; the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000; the 9/11 attacks in 2001; the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013; the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, in 2015; the shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida in 2019; and the January 1, 2025, truck attack in New Orleans. 
     
    Additional Resources: 

    MIL Security OSI