NewzIntel.com

Category: Federal Bureau of Investigation

  • MIL-OSI Security: Boone Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Attempting to Transfer Obscene Material to a Minor

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

    DES MOINES, Iowa – A Boone man was sentenced on March 28, 2025, to five years in federal prison for attempted transfer of obscene material to a person he believed to be a minor.

    According to public court documents, Travis Lee Morgan, 40, used a Facebook account to communicate with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old female, but was instead a law enforcement officer. Between June and August 2023, Morgan sent numerous videos and images to the female, including images of his genitals and himself engaged in a sex act, and discussed in-person sex acts Morgan desired to occur with the minor female.

    After completing his term of imprisonment, Morgan will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

    United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the FBI Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force, the Altoona Police Department, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety-Division of Criminal Investigation-Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, with assistance from the Boone Police Department and the Boone 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 the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the resources tab.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Charles County Man Pleads Guilty to Four Armed Commercial Robberies

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

    Greenbelt, Maryland – Today, Daniel Michael Harris, Sr., 43, of Waldorf, Maryland, pleaded guilty to committing an armed robbery while using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

    Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the plea with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office; Chief Malik Aziz, Prince George’s County Police Department; Sheriff Troy D. Berry, Charles County Sheriff’s Office; and Chief Marc Yamada, Montgomery County Police Department. 

    According to his guilty plea, Harris and his co-conspirators planned and committed armed robberies of two businesses in Prince George’s County, one business in Charles County, and one business in Montgomery County.  On March 23, and March 28, 2023, Harris and his co-conspirators robbed two convenience stores in Prince George’s County and stole cash from the registers and several packs of cigarettes.  Harris brandished a pistol-grip shotgun during both robberies.

    Then on April 5, 2023, Harris and his co-conspirators robbed a convenience store in Charles County and stole cash from the registers and the wallet and phone of a store employee.  Harris also brandished a pistol-grip shotgun and held the store employee at gunpoint while pinning a customer into a wall corner with his forearm.

    On April 6, 2023, Harris and his co-conspirators robbed a convenience store in Montgomery County, stealing cash from the register and a store employee’s purse and phone.  Harris also brandished the same pistol-grip shotgun used in the earlier robberies.

    Then on April 12, 2023, a Prince George’s County Police Department officer observed the getaway vehicle used by Harris and his co-conspirators in two of the robberies, resulting in a traffic stop.  The occupants of the vehicle fled and escaped.  Law enforcement recovered several items from the vehicle and submitted the items for Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) testing.  A subsequent DNA report revealed a high stringency match between Harris and a DNA sample from a bottle recovered from the vehicle.

    On November 9, 2023, Charles County Sherriff’s Office detectives obtained and executed a search warrant for Harris’s storage unit.  Detectives accessed the storage unit and identified the clothing items Harris wore and the same pistol-grip shotgun he used during the robberies.

    Harris and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, he faces 13 to 17 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow scheduled the sentencing for Friday, July 18, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.

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

    U.S. Attorney Hayes praised the FBI, Prince George’s County Police Department, Charles County Sheriff’s Office, and Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan S. McKoy who is prosecuting the 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-Evening Report: Cities that want to attract business might want to focus less on financial incentives and more on making people feel safe

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kaitlyn DeGhetto, Associate Professor of Management, University of Dayton

    To attract business investment, American cities and states offer companies billions of dollars in incentives, such as tax credits. As the theory goes, when governments create a business-friendly environment, it encourages investment, leading to job creation and economic growth.

    While this theory may seem logical on its face, it’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation. Business investment follows employees, not just the other way around. In fact, our research suggests workers care less about whether a city has business-friendly policies and more about how safe they feel living in it. And interestingly, we found that politics influence people’s risk perceptions more than hard data such as crime statistics.

    Our findings have major implications for cities and businesses. If people choose where to live and work based on perceived safety rather than economic incentives, then entrepreneurs and city leaders may need to rethink how they approach growth and investment.

    The many faces of risk

    We are management professors who surveyed more than 500 employees and entrepreneurs from across the country to better understand how they rate 25 large U.S. cities on various dimensions of risk.

    We asked about three different types of risk: risk related to crime, government function and social issues. Risk related to government function includes corruption and instability, while risk related to social issues includes potential infringements on individual rights.

    We found that people’s views of risk weren’t driven primarily by objective statistics, such as FBI crime data. Instead, they were shaped by factors such as media representations, word of mouth and geographic stereotypes.

    For example, studies suggest that crime in Denver has been rising, and U.S. News and World Report recently ranked it as the 10th most dangerous city based on FBI crime reports. However, the employees and entrepreneurs we surveyed ranked Denver as the safest city in the country.

    It’s all politics

    We found that political perspectives were the main factor biasing the rankings. For example, conservative-leaning employees and entrepreneurs believed that Portland, Oregon, is dangerous, ranking it as America’s ninth-riskiest city. In contrast, those who are liberal-leaning ranked it as the second-safest city in the country.

    Both of these beliefs can’t be accurate. Instead, when basing the ranking on objective crime data from the FBI, U.S. News ranked Portland the 15th most dangerous city in the country.

    When assessing risk related to how the government functions, conservatives praised politicians in Nashville, Charlotte and Dallas, while the liberals praised those in Denver, Minneapolis and Portland. Similarly, when considering risk related to social issues, conservatives said New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco were “risky,” while the liberals said Tampa, Miami and Houston should be avoided.

    Our findings also suggest that political perspectives influence the types of risk that employers and employees care about. For example, conservatives tend to care more about crime-related risk than liberals, and liberals care more about risk related to social issues.

    Now what?

    We’re not advocating that city leaders drop financial incentives altogether, or that employers ignore them. Evidence suggests that financial incentives and other business-friendly policies may be effective at attracting businesses and strengthening local economies.

    However, our research suggests that when individuals are making important life decisions about where to live, work and invest, a city’s level of risk matters. Importantly, beliefs about risk are subjective and are biased by political perspectives.

    In our view, city leaders must recognize and address concerns about crime, governance and social issues while actively working to improve public perceptions of their cities. Likewise, businesses may want to consider investing in cities that are less politically polarized when making investment decisions.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Cities that want to attract business might want to focus less on financial incentives and more on making people feel safe – https://theconversation.com/cities-that-want-to-attract-business-might-want-to-focus-less-on-financial-incentives-and-more-on-making-people-feel-safe-250247

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Dallas Conducts Federal Civil Rights Training with San Angelo-Area Law Enforcement

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

    SAN ANGELO, TX—The FBI Dallas Field Office and FBI San Angelo Resident Agency partnered with the Angelo State University Police Department (ASUPD) to serve as the host for federal civil rights training for regional law enforcement this week.

    The interactive training explains how federal criminal statues related to law enforcement misconduct applies to local and state agencies, and outlines the roles of the FBI and Department of Justice. Presentation materials included body camera footage, scenario-based discussions and case study review.

    Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock explained, “Training is critical to the continued education of our law enforcement population to recognize and prevent potential civil rights violations. We are grateful for Angelo State University Police Department’s commitment to host this session for regional law enforcement, and thank them for their continued partnership.”

    The FBI is the primary federal agency responsible for investigating allegations regarding possible violations of federal civil rights statutes and works closely with its partners to prevent and address hate crimes and color of law violations.

    More than 25 law enforcement officers from 10 departments participated.

    For additional information on the FBI’s Civil Rights program please visit https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/civil-rights.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bank Contractor Admits to Conspiracy to Load Debit Cards with Fraudulent Funds

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

    HOUSTON – A 23-year-old Houston woman has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Jaysha Victorian worked for a bank contractor from late 2020 to early 2021. She used her access to the systems of a national banking institution to load prepaid debit cards with fraudulent funds. These included prepaid cards that were used to provide unemployment benefits, including for the state of California. 

    The cards were distributed to other recipients, who withdrew the funds at ATMs and other locations. In total, Victorian credited at least 187 cards with nearly $8.6 million in fraudulent funds. Over $7.6 million of that amount had been withdrawn or spent before the bank could freeze the cards.

    Victorian admitted she used some of the funds to conduct ATM transactions on her own, including a $1,000 withdrawal at a branch in Houston.

    She also received approximately $300,000 in cash proceeds from her role in the scheme.  

    U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen will impose sentencing July 7. At that time, Victorian faces up to five years in prison and a possible $250,000 fine.

    She was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing. 

    The FBI, Houston Police Department, Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General’s Covid Fraud Unit and Department of Labor conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brad Gray and Karen Lansden are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sixteen Charged in Sweeping Houston-Based Multimillion-Dollar Illegal Gambling and Money Laundering Conspiracy

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

    “Operation Double Down” leads to seizure of over $16 million in currency, accounts, and assets, as well as arrest of illegal aliens

    HOUSTON – Several Houston-area residents are now in custody on various charges including conspiracy, operating illegal game rooms, bribery and money laundering in one of the largest ever law enforcement operations in the Southern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    They are expected to make their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina Bryan at 2 p.m.

    In addition to those indicted in the scheme, authorities also arrested 31 illegal aliens on various immigration and firearms charges during the operation April 2. One of those included an illegal alien who allegedly assaulted a law enforcement officer.

    The indictment, returned March 26 and unsealed upon the arrests, alleges Nizar Ali, 61, Richmond, and others allegedly conspired to own, operate or assist in the operation of illegal game rooms. All also conspired to conduct financial transactions to conceal and disguise the nature and source of the proceeds of the illegal gambling business, which totaled more than $22 million, according to the charges.

    More than 700 law enforcement officers from 18 agencies served a total of 45 search and 40 seizure warrants at locations throughout Houston and the surrounding area. The locations included 30 illegal game rooms with names such as El Portal and Yellow Building.

    During the operation, authorities recovered more than $4.5 million in cash as well as $5 million in property and vehicles, 2000 slot machines, 100 Rolex watches and eight firearms. Law enforcement also seized approximately $6.5 million from bank accounts and other financial institutions pursuant to the court-issued warrants.

    In addition to Ali, others taken into custody include Naeem Ali, 33, and Amer Khan, 68, both of Richmond; Ishan Dhuka, 33, and Sahil Karovalia, 32, both of Rosenberg; Sarfarez Maredia, 38, and Shoaib Maredia, 40, both of Sugar Land; Yolanda Figueroa, 40, Pasadena; Viviana Alvarado, 45, LaPorte; and Anabel Eloisa Guevarra, 46, Precela Solis, 27, Maria Delarosa, 53, Claudia Calderon, 37, and Lucia Hernandez, 34, all of Houston.

    Two others – Sayed Ali, 59, Richmond, and Stephanie Huerta, 35, Houston – are considered fugitives and warrants remain outstanding for their arrests.

    All are charged with conspiracy, operating an illegal gambling business and interstate travel in aid of racketeering which each carry possible prison terms of five years as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering which has a maximum 20-year possible prison term.

    Ali is also charged with 32 counts of federal program bribery for allegedly paying more than $500,000 to an undercover officer in an attempt to protect the illicit game rooms from law enforcement intervention. If convicted, he faces up to 10 more years in prison on each count.

    With the exception of the money laundering charge which has the possibility of a $500,000 maximum fine or twice the value of the property involved, the remaining counts carry a maximum $250,000 potential fine.

    Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) led the investigation along with IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) and the assistance of Houston Police Department (HPD); FBI; High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program; Harris County Constable’s Office – Precinct One; Harris County District Attorney’s Office; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Drug Enforcement Administration. Other agencies providing support include ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations, Customs and Border Protection, sheriff’s offices in Harris and Montgomery Counties, Houston Fire Department, Texas Attorney General’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety and police departments in Baytown and Pasadena.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Mark McIntyre, John Marck and Carolyn Ferko are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon Fyffe and Tyler Foster are handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.

    An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Washington Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Murder on the Colville Reservation

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

    Spokane, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Steven Joseph Zacherle, age 38, to 204 months in prison for Second Degree Murder in Indian Country and Threats in Interstate Commerce. Judge Rice also imposed 5 years of supervised release and restitution payable to the Colville Confederated Tribes for the murder victim’s funeral expenses.

    According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing, on the evening of October 18, 2022, Zacherle was in a domestic dispute with his intimate partner (Victim 1) near a gas station on the Colville Indian Reservation. During the dispute, Victim 1 drove away from the area without Zacherle, who had gone inside a nearby store.

    When Zacherle realized Victim 1 had left him, he began calling and texting her, demanding she return, or he was going to “kill” and “hurt people.” About the same time as Zacherle was making these threats to Victim 1, Dion Boyd, an elder within the Colville Tribe, exited the nearby gas station. Zacherle and Mr. Boyd walked the same direction for a short distance. Zacherle then attacked Mr. Boyd, striking him in the head.

    Within minutes of that attack, Zacherle called Victim 1 and referenced the assault, bragging that he had knocked someone out.  He then asked Victim 1 whether she wanted to see what Zacherle had done.  Victim 1 reported that she could hear garbled breathing and snorting on the phone line.

    Shortly after the assault, Omak Police and first responders located Mr. Boyd, who was unresponsive and face down, bleeding from his head. Medical providers later determined Mr. Boyd was braindead and that Mr. Boyd would never recover from the injuries Zacherle inflicted. Mr. Boyd’s family spent the next twenty days at Mr. Boyd’s bedside in the hospital hoping for a miracle, but Mr. Boyd ultimately died as a result of the injuries sustained in the assault.  The Medical Examiner determined Mr. Boyd suffered a severe brain hematoma and cracked skull because of the unprovoked attack.

    “My heart goes out to the Boyd family, who have suffered so much pain as a result of Mr. Zacherle’s unprovoked attack,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Barker. “My office is fully committed to working federal, state, local, and Tribal leaders to fully prosecuting violent crimes on Tribal land. The victims and survivors of these terrible crimes deserve nothing less.”

    At sentencing, MMIP AUSA Bree Black Horse explained “Mr. Boyd’s family and friends have uniformly described Mr. Boyd as a kind, generous person who helped raise his younger siblings and later his own children. Mr. Boyd also served his Tribe as an IT technician, ensuring Colville Tribal members living in rural areas could have cell service.”

    In recommending the Court impose a 17-year sentence, MMIP AUSA Black Horse explained “Mr. Boyd’s violent and senseless death at the hands of Zacherle has severely impacted the large family Mr. Boyd has left behind. And, Mr. Boyd is now among the disproportionate number of murdered Indigenous people and Mr. Boyd’s family has joined the ranks of too many other MMIP families throughout Eastern Washington and elsewhere.”

    “This appalling attack was truly senseless.” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “Mr. Zacherle displayed a shocking disregard for the value of human life when he took his frustrations out on an innocent bystander, recklessly costing that person his life.  The Colville Indian Reservation is a safer place with him off the streets.”

    This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which aims to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people through the resolution of MMIP cases and communication, coordination, and collaboration with federal, Tribal, state, and local partners.  The Department views this work as a priority for its law enforcement components.  Through the MMIP Regional Outreach Program, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify MMIP cases and issues in Tribal communities and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.

    This case was investigated by the FBI and the Colville Tribal Police Department. It was prosecuted by Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker and Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Assistant United States Attorney Bree R. Black Horse.

    2:23-cr-00007-TOR

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Cities that want to attract business might want to focus less on financial incentives and more on making people feel safe

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Kaitlyn DeGhetto, Associate Professor of Management, University of Dayton

    To attract business investment, American cities and states offer companies billions of dollars in incentives, such as tax credits. As the theory goes, when governments create a business-friendly environment, it encourages investment, leading to job creation and economic growth.

    While this theory may seem logical on its face, it’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation. Business investment follows employees, not just the other way around. In fact, our research suggests workers care less about whether a city has business-friendly policies and more about how safe they feel living in it. And interestingly, we found that politics influence people’s risk perceptions more than hard data such as crime statistics.

    Our findings have major implications for cities and businesses. If people choose where to live and work based on perceived safety rather than economic incentives, then entrepreneurs and city leaders may need to rethink how they approach growth and investment.

    The many faces of risk

    We are management professors who surveyed more than 500 employees and entrepreneurs from across the country to better understand how they rate 25 large U.S. cities on various dimensions of risk.

    We asked about three different types of risk: risk related to crime, government function and social issues. Risk related to government function includes corruption and instability, while risk related to social issues includes potential infringements on individual rights.

    We found that people’s views of risk weren’t driven primarily by objective statistics, such as FBI crime data. Instead, they were shaped by factors such as media representations, word of mouth and geographic stereotypes.

    For example, studies suggest that crime in Denver has been rising, and U.S. News and World Report recently ranked it as the 10th most dangerous city based on FBI crime reports. However, the employees and entrepreneurs we surveyed ranked Denver as the safest city in the country.

    It’s all politics

    We found that political perspectives were the main factor biasing the rankings. For example, conservative-leaning employees and entrepreneurs believed that Portland, Oregon, is dangerous, ranking it as America’s ninth-riskiest city. In contrast, those who are liberal-leaning ranked it as the second-safest city in the country.

    Both of these beliefs can’t be accurate. Instead, when basing the ranking on objective crime data from the FBI, U.S. News ranked Portland the 15th most dangerous city in the country.

    When assessing risk related to how the government functions, conservatives praised politicians in Nashville, Charlotte and Dallas, while the liberals praised those in Denver, Minneapolis and Portland. Similarly, when considering risk related to social issues, conservatives said New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco were “risky,” while the liberals said Tampa, Miami and Houston should be avoided.

    Our findings also suggest that political perspectives influence the types of risk that employers and employees care about. For example, conservatives tend to care more about crime-related risk than liberals, and liberals care more about risk related to social issues.

    Now what?

    We’re not advocating that city leaders drop financial incentives altogether, or that employers ignore them. Evidence suggests that financial incentives and other business-friendly policies may be effective at attracting businesses and strengthening local economies.

    However, our research suggests that when individuals are making important life decisions about where to live, work and invest, a city’s level of risk matters. Importantly, beliefs about risk are subjective and are biased by political perspectives.

    In our view, city leaders must recognize and address concerns about crime, governance and social issues while actively working to improve public perceptions of their cities. Likewise, businesses may want to consider investing in cities that are less politically polarized when making investment decisions.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Cities that want to attract business might want to focus less on financial incentives and more on making people feel safe – https://theconversation.com/cities-that-want-to-attract-business-might-want-to-focus-less-on-financial-incentives-and-more-on-making-people-feel-safe-250247

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The ‘courage to be’ in uncertain times − how one 20th-century philosopher defined bravery

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Mordechai Gordon, Professor of Education, Quinnipiac University

    Over the past few weeks, as negotiations for a ceasefire in Ukraine drag on, I’ve thought back to Feb. 28, 2025: the day of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s heated visit to the Oval Office.

    Zelenskyy has called the tone of the meeting “regrettable” as he tries to salvage support for Ukraine. But in some ways, he has stood by his decision to speak up as President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated his country, calling it ungrateful for foreign assistance. “In that conversation, I was defending the dignity of Ukraine,” he told Time magazine.

    Watching Zelenskyy left me thinking about political courage. Philosophers have written about bravery for thousands of years, but what is it?

    Plato, for instance, wrote about courage as an important virtue that can assist political leaders. Plato scholar Linda Rabieh argues that courage is the ability to be steadfast in the moment of truth. Angela Hobbs, a British scholar, says that courage might be called “spiritedness”: the ability to act boldly in adverse situations.

    Some of my own recent research in philosophy of education has also focused on courage. In particular, I have been interested in Paul Tillich’s notion of the “courage to be,” as well as its implications for politics and education. Tillich was a German philosopher and theologian who left the country after the Nazis rose to power.

    Tillich Park in New Harmony, Ind., dedicated to the philosopher and theologian.
    christina rutz/Flickr, CC BY-SA

    More than a mindset

    Born in a village in eastern Germany in 1886, Tillich lived in a Europe ravaged by two world wars. As such, he experienced firsthand the fundamental anxiety that many felt during this period of prolonged violence and destruction.

    In the early 1930s, Tillich wrote “The Socialist Decision,” which can be interpreted as a challenge to right-wing populist movements. The Nazis banned the book, and he soon immigrated to the United States, where he would spend the rest of his life and write his most important philosophical and theological works.

    Tillich’s book “The Courage to Be,” published in 1952, is based on a series of lectures that he delivered at Yale University. Tillich was inspired to address courage, since he viewed this concept as one that integrates theological, sociological and philosophical problems. Moreover, Tillich suggests that this concept was useful for understanding societies’ challenges after World War II.

    Tillich moved to the U.S. in the 1930s, after the Nazis’ rise to power.
    Fritz Eschen/ullstein bild via Getty Images

    At its core, the book springs from an attempt to respond to anxiety: people’s anxious search for meaning and security, especially as many people lost faith in the religious traditions that once anchored their sense of purpose and reality. There is courage, Tillich writes, in affirming oneself despite that sense of emptiness, and despite the knowledge that our lives are short and uncertain.

    Tillich defines “the courage to be” as “the ethical act in which man affirms his own being in spite of those elements of his existence which conflict with his essential self-affirmation.” In other words, it is not simply an attitude or disposition. The courage to be is a deed – the ability to stay true to oneself.

    When it comes to ethics or politics, Tillich’s idea of courage entails the ability to sacrifice things such as pleasure, happiness and, in the most extreme cases, one’s life for some higher cause. Such acts of courage are praiseworthy because they suggest that the most ethically essential parts – the noble aspects – of our being are prevailing over the less essential.

    In spite of, a part of

    What Tillich calls “courage to be” consists of two indivisible parts or aspects.

    The first is what he refers to as “the courage to be in spite of”: courageously choosing to affirm one’s essential being, one’s core values, despite tough and even daunting forces of resistance.

    Martin Luther King Jr.’s struggle for civil rights during the 1960s provides a good example of this aspect of the courage to be. Documentary evidence indicates that the FBI tried to destroy his reputation with blackmail and wiretaps, not to mention the close to 30 times he was jailed.

    Martin Luther King Jr., kneeling on left, leads marchers singing and praying during a protest against segregated housing policies in Chicago in August 1966.
    AP Photo/File

    The second aspect Tillich describes in his book is “the courage to be as a part,” to partake in something larger than oneself. Tillich writes that “the self is self only because it has a world, a structured universe, to which it belongs.” The courage to be as a part could mean participating in a political movement, a religious community, a worker strike, or any other initiative that involves people coming together for a common purpose.

    For Tillich, these types of courage should not be considered separate qualities but two interrelated aspects of the courage to be.

    At Zelenskyy’s meeting in the Oval Office, I believe we witnessed a leader embodying both senses of the courage to be. As a president, Zelenskyy stood up for the right of his country to defend itself in the face of Russia’s assault. He remained steadfast in spite of efforts by Trump and Vance to pressure him to accept an agreement that would not have provided security guarantees for Ukraine.

    Yet it seemed to me the plainspoken, animated Zelenskyy also displayed Tillich’s notion of the courage to be as a part. He acted not only as an individual, or a politician, but as a Ukrainian trying to defend his country from an invader − a cause that has inspired protests around the globe.

    Mordechai Gordon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. The ‘courage to be’ in uncertain times − how one 20th-century philosopher defined bravery – https://theconversation.com/the-courage-to-be-in-uncertain-times-how-one-20th-century-philosopher-defined-bravery-250576

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Rensselaer Felon Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing Ammunition

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBANY, NEW YORK – James Edwards, age 30, of Rensselaer, New York, pled guilty today to unlawfully possessing multiple rounds of ammunition.

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

    In pleading guilty, Edwards admitted that on October 8, 2024, inside of his Rensselaer residence, he unlawfully possessed more than 40 rounds of various caliber ammunition.  A prior felony conviction prevented Edwards from lawfully possessing the ammunition. 

    When he is sentenced on August 5, 2025, Edwards faces a maximum term of fifteen years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release up to three years.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. 

    The FBI is investigating the case with the assistance of the Rensselaer Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss is prosecuting the case, as a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods.

    Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Rolla, ND, Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Sexual Abuse of a Minor

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Fargo – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl announced that Jace Fox, age 25, from Rolla, ND, appeared in United States District Court on April 4, 2025, and was sentenced by Chief Judge Peter Welte to serve 51 months in federal prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release.  Fox was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment fee.

    As reflected in court documents, in or about February 2022, Jane Doe submitted to a forensic interview during which time she disclosed that Fox sexually abused her when she was 13 years of age.  At the time of the conduct, Fox was 20 years of age.  During a subsequent investigation, other minors made similar disclosures about having been sexually abused by Fox.

    Fox was later interviewed by the FBI in January 2023, during which he initially denied knowing Jane Doe.  Eventually, Fox admitted to knowing the victim, but he denied having sexually abused her.  Despite his denial, Fox plead guilty to the sexual abuse of Jane Doe on November 19, 2024.

    “This was a despicable crime committed against one of the most vulnerable members of our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “The FBI and our partners are fully committed to protecting children from abuse and ensuring those who exploit or harm them face justice swiftly.”

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office, District of North Dakota. 

                                                                                                                                 # # #

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Georgia man sentenced to over 4 years in prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BILLINGS – An Atlanta, Georgia man who defrauded banks in multiple states was sentenced today to 57 months in prison to be followed by 5 years supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.  The defendant was also ordered to pay $161,401.17 in restitution.

    Stanford Wilvin Lightfoot, 33, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

    U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that for approximately 5 months in 2023, Stanford Lightfoot was a member of a large fraud ring that had been defrauding banks in Montana, Maine and Missouri.  In each location, Lightfoot and other coconspirators would travel to the state from the base of operations in Atlanta, Georgia.  Once there, they would recruit local homeless individuals who possessed valid ID cards.  They would then take these homeless individuals to local banks and provide them with fraudulent checks from real accounts.  These checks all possessed forged signatures of real people and were, therefore, means of identification.  The homeless individuals would then attempt to cash the checks and, if successful, would provide the money to Lightfoot and his coconspirators.  If the homeless individuals were caught by police, they would be abandoned to take the blame.  In Montana, Lightfoot hit multiple banks in Belgrade, Bozeman, and Livingston utilizing local homeless individuals to forge checks in excess of $20,000.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case and the investigation was conducted by the FBI, Livingston Police Department, Belgrade Police Department, and Bozeman Police Department.

    XXX

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Louisiana Woman Who Provided a Child for Pornographic Photoshoot Pleads Guilty

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    A Louisiana woman pleaded guilty today to receiving child sexual abuse material produced by a photographer she arranged to take the images.

    According to court documents, Hannah Kinchen, 40, of Gonzales, coordinated with a photographer, who self-identified as a “pedophile,” to conduct photoshoots for the minor victim’s modeling career. During the photoshoots, Kinchen allowed and assisted the photographer in posing the minor victim wearing scanty attire, including thongs and G-strings. The photographer sent and Kinchen received most of the images through a file-sharing website on the internet. Some of the resulting images qualified as child pornography and some were later sold.

    Kinchen pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography. She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 15 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Head of the Justic Department’s Criminal Division, Matthew R. Galeotti; Acting U.S. Attorney April M. Leon for the Middle District of Louisiana; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI New Orleans Division – Baton Rouge Resident Agency investigated the case.

    Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen L. Craig for the Middle District of Louisiana are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from CEOS Trial Attorney Charles Schmitz.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Louisiana Woman Who Provided a Child for Pornographic Photoshoot Pleads Guilty

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    A Louisiana woman pleaded guilty today to receiving child sexual abuse material produced by a photographer she arranged to take the images.

    According to court documents, Hannah Kinchen, 40, of Gonzales, coordinated with a photographer, who self-identified as a “pedophile,” to conduct photoshoots for the minor victim’s modeling career. During the photoshoots, Kinchen allowed and assisted the photographer in posing the minor victim wearing scanty attire, including thongs and G-strings. The photographer sent and Kinchen received most of the images through a file-sharing website on the internet. Some of the resulting images qualified as child pornography and some were later sold.

    Kinchen pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography. She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 15 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Head of the Justic Department’s Criminal Division, Matthew R. Galeotti; Acting U.S. Attorney April M. Leon for the Middle District of Louisiana; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI New Orleans Division – Baton Rouge Resident Agency investigated the case.

    Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen L. Craig for the Middle District of Louisiana are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from CEOS Trial Attorney Charles Schmitz.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Jury convicts Marion County drug dealer

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Following a two-day trial, a jury found a Centralia man guilty of federal charges for distributing cocaine and fentanyl in Marion County.

    A federal jury convicted Broderick K. Currie, also known as Broderick K. Wooters, 36, of one count of distribution of a controlled substance: cocaine and one count of distribution of a controlled substance: fentanyl.

    “As a career offender, this defendant has sold drugs in southern Illinois and caused irrevocable harm to families for many years,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “The lethality of fentanyl cannot be understated, and another dealer off the streets is a win for our region.”

    The evidence presented at trial proved Broderick sold nearly 12 grams of cocaine and one gram of fentanyl to a confidential source in February 2024 in Marion County.

    “The conviction of the defendant provides an opportunity to remind everyone that the mission of the Springfield Southern Illinois TOC-West Task Force is to relentlessly pursue and destroy drug trafficking organizations operating in the Southern Illinois region,” said FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson. “If you are distributing controlled substances, especially deadly fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine, we will find you and hold you accountable.”

    Currie’s distribution charges are punishable by up to 30 years’ imprisonment per count. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 12.

    The FBI Springfield Field Office’s Southern Illinois TOC-West Task Force led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dan Carraway and Dan Kapsak prosecuted the case. The TOC-West Task Force has multiple members, this investigation was supported by Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Carlyle Police Department, Mt. Vernon Police Department, and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

    The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the U.S. using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Sheriff’s Deputy Sentenced to 65 Years in Prison for Child Sex Crimes

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Monday sentenced a former Phelps County Sheriff’s deputy to 65 years in prison for soliciting and/or receiving sex acts and child sexual abuse material from multiple minors and destroying evidence to impede the FBI.

    Judge Schelp also ordered Justin Bradley Durham, of Rolla, to pay $79,160 in restitution to victims. Durham pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in October to one count of production of child pornography, two counts of receiving child pornography and three counts of destroying records in a federal investigation.

    Durham admitted requesting and receiving a sexually explicit video from a 15-year-old in 2013. He later provided $200 to the victim after she engaged in sex acts with him. He also admitted engaging in sex acts multiple times with a 17-year-old victim, including in his patrol vehicle. He exchanged sexually explicit images and videos with her. Durham met the second victim in 2016 when her friend contacted the police and he responded to the call.

    The FBI interviewed Durham in 2023 after learning that his PayPal account had been used to send money to another account associated with the sale of child pornography. Durham denied purchasing child pornography and claimed that he hadn’t accessed his Dropbox account for years. He refused agents’ request to search his cell phone. Two days later, Durham bought a new phone, destroyed his old phone and deleted about 37 gigabytes of data in his Dropbox account before deactivating it. Among those files were hundreds of sexually explicit images and videos, including files containing child sexual abuse material. Durham was terminated by the Sheriff’s Department on Aug. 9, 2023, and arrested by them. In jail, he told FBI agents that he also destroyed a laptop computer, threw away his phone and conducted a “digital footprint scrub” of his online accounts, his plea agreement says.

    Durham also sent sexual letters to inmates at the Phelps County Jail, solicited sexually explicit images from other women, including a woman who was on parole, according to a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman.

    “Justin Durham avoided detection by exploiting what he knew about law enforcement. He often targeted vulnerable victims, some of whom suffered from mental health issues, poverty, or sexual abuse,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. “We applaud the bravery of the two victims who came forward to help end Durham’s disgraceful abuse.”

    Sheriff Michael P. Kirn expressed his firm belief that accountability and transparency are essential in maintaining public trust. “The actions of individuals like Justin Durham are not representative of our dedicated law enforcement community. We will continue to ensure that justice is served and that ethical standards are upheld,” he asserted.

    “This case serves as a reminder that the law applies equally to all, and the commitment to justice remains paramount. The Sheriff’s Office will continue to advocate for integrity and accountability within the law enforcement community and beyond,” Sheriff Kirk said.

    The FBI and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman is prosecuting the case.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Fairbanks man guilty of firearms crimes

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

    FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A federal jury in Alaska convicted a Fairbanks man Wednesday of being a felon in possession of a firearm and violent felon in possession of body armor after a three-day trial.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in October 2006, George Moises Romero Jr, 37, was convicted of Murder in the Second Degree, Robbery in the Second Degree and Assault in the Third Degree in the Anchorage Superior Court. The Court sentenced Romero to 24 years imprisonment but he received discretionary parole and was released in 2019.

    On June 4, 2024, a parole violation warrant was issued for Romero’s arrest. The Fairbanks Area Criminal Suppression Unit was tasked with apprehending Mr. Romero. To find him, law enforcement obtained a warrant to obtain real-time location data for Romero’s phone. As the SWAT team got ready to execute a search warrant for the Romero’s location, Romero evaded surveillance and moved to a new location in the Goldstream Valley.

    On June 6, 2024, Alaska State Troopers launched a helicopter equipped with high powered cameras and located the vehicle Romero used to flee the original location. The helicopter monitored the vehicle and occupants while the SWAT team moved into their new position. The helicopter observed Romero getting dropped off at a wooded location with what appeared to be camping equipment.

    As Romero began to walk into the woods, Troopers contacted him and arrested him. The Troopers discovered Romero was wearing body armor and had two loaded firearms on his person, as well as loaded magazines and ammunition. Romero had a third firearm and additional ammunition in a duffle bag he was carrying. 

    U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska, Alaska State Trooper Colonel Maurice Hughes, Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Seattle Field Division made the announcement.

    The Alaska State Troopers, Fairbanks Area Narcotics Team (FANT), FBI Anchorage Field Office, Fairbanks Resident Agency and ATF Anchorage Field Office investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Vosacek and Trial Attorneys from the Antitrust Division, David Bernhardt and Lauren Weed are prosecuting the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Member of Lummi Nation charged federally with illegal firearms possession and killing protected bald eagles

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Seattle – A 38-year-old member of the Lummi Nation will appear in federal court this afternoon charged with illegal firearms possession and two violations of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Joel David Ridley was arrested by Lummi Nation Police on February 23, 2025. Police responded to reports of gunshots and encountered Ridley with a dead eagle in his SUV. 

    According to the criminal complaint, a witness on the Lummi Reservation was walking his dog when he heard a gunshot. As he walked home, the witness heard a second shot and saw a person pick up an eagle from the ground.  As the witness was on the phone with police, he saw another eagle fall from a tree on his property. The eagle was badly injured. Police captured the surviving eagle and later transported it to the Humane Society.

    Shortly after meeting with the witness, police encountered an SUV in the area that matched the description provided by the reporting party. The vehicle quickly turned into a driveway. A records check revealed the vehicle belonged to Ridley. When police responded to the residence, they observed a dead eagle in the back seat of Ridley’s vehicle. Officers subsequently spoke with Ridley in the driveway and arrested him. 

    Police obtained a search warrant for Ridley’s vehicle. Inside, officers found a dead eagle and a .22 caliber Savage rifle concealed between the rear seats. Ridely is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2003 conviction for Assault in the First Degree in Whatcom County Superior Court.

    Both eagles were taken to the Washington State Humane Society in Bellingham and found to have suffered gunshot wounds. The surviving eagle was too injured to recover and was euthanized. Both eagles were judged to be juvenile bald eagles.

    While the Lummi Tribe is permitted to possess, distribute, and transport bald or golden eagles found dead within Indian Country, the permit does not authorize the taking of eagles by gunshot, poison, or trapping.

    Unlawful Possession of a Firearm is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  Violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

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

    The case is being investigated by the Lummi Nation Police Department and the FBI.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Celia Lee. AUSA Lee serves as a Tribal Liaison for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Five Individuals Face Federal Charges Following Multi-Agency Immigration Enforcement Operations (DOJ)

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

    TLANTA – Five individuals have been charged in the Northern District of Georgia with firearms-related offenses during a multi-agency immigration enforcement operation in metro-Atlanta during the past week. The operations involved coordinated investigations led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable support from several local law enforcement partners. In addition to the individuals charged federally, law enforcement seized more than a dozen firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in connection with the operations.

    “Our office is proud to support our law enforcement partners in this effort and other enforcement initiatives to protect our communities and safeguard our national security,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “This initiative sends a strong message to those engaged in criminal activity, whether regarding immigration-related or firearms offenses, that the ongoing and determined coordinated efforts of our federal and local law enforcement partners will achieve measurable results in making our communities safer.”

    “The successful enforcement actions taken during this multi-agency operation underscore HSI’s unwavering commitment to upholding immigration laws and targeting illegal aliens allegedly possessing and trafficking in firearms,” said Steven N. Schrank, special agent in charge of HSI Atlanta, which covers Georgia and Alabama. “By leveraging our partnerships and resources, we are identifying and apprehending those who exploit our immigration system to engage in criminal activities that threaten public safety and national security.”

    “ATF along with our federal law enforcement partners will utilize all resources to investigate firearms trafficking by transnational criminal organizations and cartels,” said Special Agent in Charge Benjamin Gibbons. “The success of these investigative efforts could not be accomplished without cohesive partnerships, which keep our communities safe.”

    “The DEA, along with our law enforcement partners, are sending a clear message to the Mexican drug cartels and their criminal associates, that keeping our communities safe is our highest priority,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. 

    “FBI Atlanta is dedicated to supporting our federal partners in achieving our mutual objective of ensuring the safety of our communities,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This case clearly illustrates the success that can be achieved when federal agencies unite their resources and expertise to combat violent criminals.”

    According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges, and other information presented in court: From March 24 to April 2, 2025, federal law enforcement agencies conducted a series of enforcement operations targeting individuals allegedly committing firearms and other violations, including those illegally present in the United States.  During the operation, law enforcement seized 13 firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.  Significantly, resulting investigations revealed that many of the firearms were bound for Mexico.

    The following defendants have been charged in connection with the operations:

    Hernandez Mora made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda T. Walker on April 1, 2025.  Gonzales-Hoppo made her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge John K. Larkins, III on March 28, 2025.  Vick, Macias Montes and Sambrano also made their initial appearances before Judge Larkins on March 27, 2025. 

    Members of the public are reminded that the Criminal Complaints and Indictment only contain charges.  The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

    These cases are being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations, and Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Secret Service, Georgia State Patrol, Sandy Springs Police Department, Doraville Police Department, Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Clayton County Police Department, South Fulton Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Gwinnett County Police Department, Clarkston Police Department and East Point Police Department.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys with the Northern District of Georgia, including those assigned to the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN), provided valuable support for these operations.

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

    The specific mission of the David G. Wilhelm Atlanta OCDETF Strike Force (Atlanta Strike Force) is to eliminate transnational organized crime syndicates and major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the Northern District of Georgia. To accomplish this mission, the Atlanta Strike Force will target these organizations’ leaders, focusing on targets designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets, Regional Priority Organization Targets, and their associates.  The Atlanta Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from ATF, DEA, FBI, HSI, USMS, USPIS, and IRS, as well as numerous state and local agencies; and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.

    For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6280.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Pain Management Clinic Owners and Operators Indicted on Health Care Fraud Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PROVIDENCE – The owners and operators of a Warwick pain management clinic have been indicted by a federal grand jury on health care fraud charges for allegedly defrauding government and private health care insurers, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.

    Brandon Nowak, 32, and Jason Simmons, 33, both of Foster, RI, and officers and operators of Alternative Integrative Medicine, LLC, d/b/a Aim Health, are charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and fourteen counts of health care fraud.

    It is alleged that beginning in October 2020, Nowak and Simmons conspired to and did intentionally and repeatedly submit fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicare Advantage, Medicaid Managed Care, and four private insurers in order to collect payments for certain purportedly “medically necessary” services that were not actually provided to patients.

    The indictment also alleges that patients were routinely informed that massage therapy was a service covered by their insurance, when in fact it was not. In order to receive insurance payment for massage therapy provided by a massage therapist, the defendants allegedly billed insurers for covered services such as acupuncture, physical therapy, and evaluation and management office visits, none of which the patients actually received.

    Additionally, it is alleged that the defendants submitted claims for services such as infrared therapy, hot and cold therapy, therapeutic activity, and self-care/home management training that were not provided to the patients and for which AIM Health did not employ appropriate providers.

    The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned in U.S. District Court on April 11, 2025. A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dulce Donovan, with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney John P. McAdams.

    The matter was investigated by the U.S. Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General.

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  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE, law enforcement partners arrest MS-13 gang member in Virginia, wanted in El Salvador for extortion, blackmail, terrorist affiliation

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, working with law enforcement partners from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration and Virginia State Police, apprehended an illegal Salvadoran national and documented member of the notorious MS-13 street gang wanted in El Salvador for extortion, blackmail and terrorist affiliation. Officers from ICE Washington, D.C.; agents from FBI Washington, D.C.; DEA Washington, D.C. and officials from VSP arrested Silvia Lorena Bonilla-De Jandres, 40, in Alexandria, Feb. 25.

    “Silvia Lorena Bonilla-De Jandres is not only the member of a transnational criminal enterprise known for violence, she has also apparently attempted to flee justice in her home country and hide out in Northern Virginia,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C. Field Office Director Russ Hott. “We will not allow our Washington, D.C. and Virginia communities to become safe havens for the world’s bad actors. ICE Washington, D.C. remains dedicated to our mission of prioritizing public safety and protecting our residents by arresting and removing illegal alien offenders.”

    U.S. Border Patrol arrested Bonilla after she illegally entered the United States, Feb. 21, 2016, near Rio Grande Valley, Texas. USBP placed Bonilla into removal proceedings. Authorities in El Salvador issued a warrant for Bonilla’s arrest, Aug. 28, 2017, charging her with aggravated extortion, blackmail and terrorist affiliation due to her documented MS-13 membership. Interpol issued a red notice for Bonilla, Nov. 24, 2017.

    On July 11, 2025, a Department of Justice immigration judge ordered Bonilla removed from the United States to El Salvador.

    Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

    Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in our communities on X: @EROWashington.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Andrew S. Boutros Takes Oath of Office As United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHICAGO — Andrew S. Boutros, who served as a federal prosecutor in Chicago for nearly eight years before entering private law practice, took the Oath of Office today as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

    U.S. District Chief Judge Virginia M. Kendall administered the Oath of Office after Attorney General Pamela Bondi appointed Mr. Boutros as the United States Attorney.  Mr. Boutros signed the Oath of Office this morning.

    “I am humbled and honored to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros.  “I am grateful to President Donald J. Trump, Attorney General Bondi, as well as the many others involved in my selection for their trust and confidence in me.  As U.S. Attorney, I am committed to working alongside old and new colleagues to tackle the important problems that face our District.  In addition, I look forward to working with our law enforcement partners to continue the Office’s longstanding tradition of pursuing justice on behalf of the citizens of the Northern District of Illinois.”

    Mr. Boutros has selected Morris Pasqual, who for the past two years served as Acting United States Attorney, to be the Office’s First Assistant United States Attorney, a leadership role Mr. Pasqual previously held.

    As an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 2008 to 2015, U.S. Attorney Boutros investigated and prosecuted hundreds of cases, many of which involved matters of national and international significance.  U.S. Attorney Boutros’s notable convictions included the world’s largest online drug trafficker on the dark web, one of the country’s “Top Ten Most Wanted” mortgage fraud defendants, and the owner of a Chicago hospital who thwarted collection of more than $188 million in civil judgments. U.S. Attorney Boutros also successfully prosecuted a series of cases involving unprecedented criminal violations of international trade, customs, and anti-dumping laws.

    U.S. Attorney Boutros received numerous awards and accolades for his work as a federal prosecutor.  The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association selected him as the National Prosecutor of the Year, presenting him with the National Prosecutorial Award.  The American Bar Association honored U.S. Attorney Boutros with the Criminal Justice Section’s Norm Maleng Minister of Justice Award for best exemplifying the prosecutor’s duty to seek justice.  U.S. Attorney Boutros also received honors from the FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

    From 2015 until his appointment as United States Attorney, U.S. Attorney Boutros worked in private law practice in Chicago, holding various leadership roles.  For 15 consecutive years, U.S. Attorney Boutros has taught an advanced criminal law course at the University of Chicago Law School.  While practicing law full time, Mr. Boutros has also written and spoken extensively on criminal law and criminal law adjacent topics, including publishing two books, authoring nearly 160 articles and book chapters, and presenting at 90 speaking engagements.

    U.S. Attorney Boutros earned a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Virginia Tech, and his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Two More Sentenced in Federal Pandemic Fraud Unemployment Benefit Scheme

    Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)

    ABINGDON, Va. – Two more of the 17 defendants charged with conspiring to defraud the United States, commit program fraud, and commit mail fraud in connection to a scheme involving  filing  fraudulent claims for pandemic unemployment benefits, were sentenced last week in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.

    Last week, Clinton Michael Altizer and Jeramy Blake Farmer were each sentenced to 12 months and 1 day for their roles in the conspiracy.

    Previously sentenced as part of the conspiracy were:  Christopher Webb, 20 months; Russell Stiltner, 24 months; Jessica  Lester, 19 months; Cara Camille Bailey, 19 months; Justin Meadows, 18 months; Terrence Vilacha, 18 months; Joseph Hass, 27 months; Brian Addair, 24 months; and Stephanie Amber Barton and Hayleigh McKenzie Wolfe were each sentenced to 12 months and 1 day.

    Jonathan Webb, the individual charged with recruiting others to file fraudulent claims, mostly inmates at local jails, was sentenced to 48 months was ordered to pay $150,218 in restitution.

    All defendants were also ordered to pay restitution to the Virginia Employment Commission for the amount of their individual fraudulent claims.

    According to court documents, between March 2020 and September 2021, Josef Brown, Jonathan Webb, and Crystal Shaw developed a scheme to file fraudulent claims and recertifications for pandemic unemployment befits via the Virginia Employment Commission website. The scheme involved the collection of personal identification information (PII) of inmates housed at SWVRJA-Haysi and Abingdon, as well as personal friends and acquaintances of Brown, Webb, and Shaw. The conspirators used that information to file fraudulent claims and recertifications for pandemic unemployment benefits for incarcerated individuals and others who were ineligible for the benefits.

    In all, the defendants stole $341,205 in pandemic relief to which they were not entitled.

    As part of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Task Force, this investigation was conducted by the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General were charged with identifying major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending. According to the United States Department of Labor, Virginia paid approximately $1.1 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021.

    Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee, Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced the sentences.

    Agencies that assisted with this investigation included the Dickenson County Sheriff’s Office, the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority, the FBI, U.S. Department of Labor, and the Virginia Employment Commission.

    Special Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Danielle Stone are prosecuting the case for the United States.

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  • MIL-OSI USA: U.S. Adversaries Trying to Exploit Trump’s Mass-Firings to Recruit Ousted Gov’t Employees as Spies

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
    WASHINGTON, DC – With the Trump Administration arbitrarily laying off tens of thousands of skilled government workers, many with security clearances and expertise in critical fields, foreign government intelligence agencies are ratcheting up efforts to increase spies.
    According to intelligence recently distributed by the U.S. Coast Guard Counterintelligence Service: “New intelligence indicates agents from China, Russia, and other countries have set their sights on recently fired probationary workers, or those with security clearances, hoping to obtain valuable information about U.S. critical infrastructure or national security interests.”
    U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) says it is just one more example of how the Trump Administration short-sighted, chaotic approach to slashing government is making America less safe.
    “Espionage threats against America are rising as Donald Trump continues to weaken U.S. national security and enable America’s adversaries to conduct foreign malign influence operations.  The Trump Administration is handing foreign-linked entities a target-rich environment to recruit willing or unwitting participation in their intelligence gathering operations.  We know China, Russia, and others are trying to exploit the Trump Administration’s missteps and they’re increasingly targeting those who have been fired or could soon be ousted – especially defense workers,” said Reed, the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and an ex officio member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.  “Russia, China, and others are using sophisticated methods and deceptive techniques and fronts to try to lure unsuspecting, recently laid off U.S. government employees into divulging sensitive information.  And when U.S. government employees see how careless Trump’s Secretary of Defense, national security advisor, and National Director of Intelligence are with sensitive information on group chats, they may do the same.  We can’t let that happen.  President Trump also allows a lot of unvetted people to influence him and apparently direct him to take specific actions, like firing the head of the NSA.  That is very worrisome.”
    Last week, President Trump abruptly fired the director of the National Security Agency without explanation and has also targeted the CIA, FBI, and DOJ for mass-layoffs, including the purging of career civil servants who the Trump Administration deems insufficiently loyal to the MAGA political agenda.
    According to CNN: “A document produced by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service said the intelligence community assessed with “high confidence” that foreign adversaries were trying to recruit federal employees and “capitalize” on the Trump administration’s plans for mass layoffs, according to a partly redacted copy reviewed by CNN.
    “It added that foreign intelligence officers were being directed to look for potential sources on LinkedIn, TikTok, RedNote and Reddit.
    “At least one foreign intelligence officer directed an asset to create a company profile on Linkedin and post a job advertisement, and to actively pursue federal employees who indicate they are “open to work,” the NCIS document says.”
    All intelligence agencies use similar exploits.  Countries with high levels of internal division, economic turmoil, and vulnerable populations may be more susceptible.
    Senator Reed stressed that the increased risk of Americans becoming foreign intelligence assets is not a matter of loyalty, but a matter of sophisticated intelligence tactics designed to trick American workers, such as the use of fake job ads or realistic front companies.
    Reuters noted: “Max Lesser, a senior analyst on emerging threats with the Washington-based think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said some companies placing recruitment ads were “part of a broader network of fake consulting and headhunting firms targeting former government employees and AI researchers.”
    The story continued: “Asked about the research, three intelligence analysts told Reuters the network appeared to be a prime example of how foreign-linked entities are trying to gather intelligence from staff fired or forced into retirement by President Donald Trump and billionaire tech tycoon Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
    “Once employed by the network, federal employees could then be asked to share increasingly sensitive information about government operations, or recommend additional people who might be targeted for willing or unwitting participation, the analysts said.””
    The Coast Guard’s bulletin noted a telltale sign of foreign agents attempting to recruit former government officials is if something that is too good to be true, it probably is.
    “Your contact might overly praise or focus on your skills/experience, especially if your government affiliation is known,” the notice stated, adding that flattery, scarcity, and a sense for urgency might be an indicator as well.
    An active-duty U.S. army sergeant was recently charged with selling and transmitting sensitive military and national defense secrets to co-conspirators working on behalf of China.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Trenton Man Sentenced To 168 Months In Prison For Assaulting, Robbing And Discharging A Firearm At A Federal Agent (DOJ)

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

    RENTON, N.J. – A Trenton man was sentenced to 168 months in prison for assaulting a federal agent with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

    Jabree Johnson, 30, of Trenton, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp to a three-count indictment charging him with one count of assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon, one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon of an individual with custody of federal property, and one count of using and carrying a firearm during and relation to a crime of violence, in which the firearm was discharged. 

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

    On March 22, 2021, federal law enforcement officers were conducting an investigation of firearms trafficking and other illegal activities in and around Trenton and Hamilton, New Jersey. In connection with the investigation, a federal law enforcement agent, working in an undercover capacity, arranged to purchase multiple firearms from an individual later identified as Johnson.

    After arriving at an agreed-upon location for the firearms transaction, Johnson entered the undercover federal agent’s vehicle, and handed the agent a black, semi-automatic firearm. The undercover federal agent inspected the firearm and then returned it to Johnson and requested to see the other firearms that Johnson had agreed to sell. Instead, Johnson pointed the loaded firearm directly at the undercover federal agent and demanded money from the agent. In response, the undercover federal agent provided Johnson with an amount of U.S. currency that the agent had on him to purchase the guns. Johnson then ordered the undercover federal agent out of the vehicle at gunpoint. The agent exited the vehicle as ordered and immediately drew his/her service-issued firearm and fired at Johnson, striking Johnson in the shoulder. Johnson also fired his handgun multiple times at the undercover federal agent.  Johnson fled the area with the money. Johnson was later identified at a local hospital as the individual who had assaulted and robbed the undercover federal agent at gunpoint and placed under arrest.    

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Shipp sentenced Johnson to five years of supervised release and ordered him to forfeit the firearm using during the commission of the crimes.

    U.S. Attorney Alina Habba credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, Trenton Satellite Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr.; special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge­­­­ Terence G. Reilly; officers of the Trenton Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Steve E. Wilson; officers of the Hamilton Township Police Division, under the direction of Police Chief Kenneth DeBoskey; troopers of the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; and detectives and prosecutors of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Agnew of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton.

                                                                           ###

    Defense Counsel: Mark Catanzaro, Esq.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Boone County Schools Maintenance Supervisor Pleads Guilty to $3.4 Million Fraud Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Michael David Barker, 47, of Foster, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Barker admitted to a scheme to defraud the Boone County Schools system by more than $3.4 million while employed as the maintenance director.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, from about November 2019 through December 2023, Barker ordered custodial and janitorial supplies for Boone County Schools from Jesse Marks and his company, Rush Enterprises. These supplies included hand soap, trash can liners, face masks, face shields, and hand sanitizer.

    Barker admitted that he and Marks agreed that Rush Enterprises would overbill the Boone County Board of Education for these supplies. As part of this scheme, Barker approved invoices on behalf of Rush Enterprises that significantly inflated the number of products that were actually delivered to Boone County Schools. Barker submitted these fraudulent invoices to the Boone County Board of Education, which relied on them to mail checks to Rush Enterprises using the United States Mail.

    Marks deposited the checks from Boone County Schools into the business bank account for Rush Enterprises, wrote himself checks on that account that he cashed at various banks, and personally delivered some of that cash to Barker in manila envelopes. Barker admitted that he spent the cash delivered by Marks to buy vehicles and equipment and make substantial improvements to his residence in Foster.

    Marks deducted the cost of the products actually delivered to Boone County Schools from the proceeds of the overbilling scheme. Boone County Schools paid Rush Enterprises $4,310,714.82 from in or about November 2019 through in or about December 2023. Barker admitted that approximately 80 percent of the total payments received by Rush Enterprises, or $3,448,571.85, was based on fraudulent invoices.

    Barker is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Barker also owes $3,400,000 in restitution.

    “Mr. Barker took advantage of COVID-19 pandemic relief funds and put his own greed above the interests of the Boone County School system and the children it serves,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston. “His actions caused serious reputable harm and diminished the trust in the Boone County School system.”

    Marks, 65, of Rush, Kentucky, pleaded guilty on February 27, 2025, to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 28, 2025.

    Barker’s parents, Michael P. Barker, 68, and Lana Barker, 66, both of Foster, pleaded guilty on March 3, 2025, to structuring transactions with one or more domestic financial institutions. They admitted to making 11 cash deposits to their bank accounts totaling $97,215 starting on or about November 7, 2023, through on or about November 28, 2023. Financial institutions are required to report cash deposits of more than $10,000, and federal law prohibits structuring multiple cash deposits to avoid this reporting requirement. The deposits were in amounts ranging from $8,000 to $9,500 specifically to avoid the currency reporting requirement. The structuring scheme was uncovered by the same investigation that resulted in the indictment of their son. Michael P. Barker is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2025, and Lana Barker is scheduled to be sentenced on July 1, 2025.

    Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Education-Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the West Virginia State Police, and the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO) Public Integrity and Fraud Unit (PIFU), and the assistance provided by the West Virginia Department of Education.

    “This case is a result of outstanding teamwork and reflects the tireless dedication of this office and its law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who stole from the American people during a national emergency,” Johnston said. “We will continue to pursue all available avenues to recover defrauded public funds and identify and prosecute those responsible.”

    United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Gabriel Price is prosecuting the case.

    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. 2:24-cr-194.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Waterbury Man Guilty of Firearm Offense Related to Gun Trafficking Operation (DOJ)

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

    arc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced a federal jury in New Haven today found LUIS PEREZ, 46, of Waterbury, guilty of a firearm offense related to an extensive gun trafficking investigation.

    According to court documents, statements made in previous court proceedings, and evidence presented during the trial, in May 2023, members of the FBI Waterbury Safe Streets Task Force conducted three controlled purchases of a total of nine firearms, and one controlled purchase of cocaine, from Perez.  An expanded investigation revealed that Perez was acquiring numerous firearms, most of which were purchased by straw purchasers from licensed gun dealers in Kansas and then shipped through the U.S. Mail to a stash location maintained by Perez’s associate, Algelly Diaz, in Hartford.  Perez then sold the firearms, which included assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, to others throughout Connecticut.  Perez and Diaz are previously convicted felons who cannot lawfully purchase or possess firearms.

    The investigation further revealed that, between August 2020 and May 2023, one of Perez’s co-conspirators purchased at least 73 firearms from a licensed gun dealer in Deerfield, Kansas. 

    Perez and Diaz were arrested on May 19, 2023.  On that date, investigators executed search warrants at locations in Connecticut, Kansas, and California.  A search of Perez’s residence and vehicle revealed nine firearms; more than 200 rounds of ammunition; distribution quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl/heroin; items used to process and package narcotics for street sale; and more than $7,000 in cash.  In addition, a search of Diaz’s residence revealed approximately 90 rounds of ammunition, and a search of a package that was shipped to Diaz and seized from the mail stream revealed an additional three firearms.

    The jury found Perez guilty of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  On March 19, 2025, Perez pleaded guilty to the other nine counts of the indictment in which he was charged, including one count of firearms trafficking conspiracy, three counts of firearms trafficking, two counts of mailing nonmailable firearms, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine.

    At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Perez faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.

    Perez has been detained since his arrest.

    Diaz pleaded guilty and, on February 4, 2025, was sentenced to 48 months of imprisonment.  Three others charged as a result of this investigation also pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

    This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Connecticut State Police; and the Waterbury, Meriden, Hartford, Manchester, East Hartford, West Hartford, and Chino (Calif.) Police Departments.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Christopher J. Lembo through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Finds Redwood Falls Man Guilty of Possession of Firearms and Ammunition, Trafficking Marijuana

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MINNEAPOLIS– On Friday, April 4, 2025, a federal jury convicted Andrew David Munsinger, 41, a resident of Redwood Falls, Minnesota, of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition as a felon and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

    According to evidence presented at trial, Munsinger was a member of the Aryan Freedom Network, a white supremacist organization, and he was the subject of a year-long FBI investigation that gathered multiple audio- and video-recordings of Munsinger possessing and shooting firearms, purchasing and using ammunition, and admitting that he could not legally possess a firearm. On February 7, 2024, FBI agents executed search warrants at Munsinger’s residence in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, his two vehicles, and a farm near Lake Lilliam, Minnesota. Law enforcement seized a total five firearms, including two personally made semi-automatic rifles, two shotguns, and a nine-millimeter pistol, hundreds of rounds and casings of ammunition, multiple high-capacity magazines and other firearm accessories, and a tactical bullet-resistant vest. They also discovered over five pounds of marijuana in heat-sealed packages, a marijuana grow operation, and $24,300 cash in $100-bill denominations. Because Munsinger has prior felony convictions, he was prohibited from legally possessing firearms or ammunition.

    “The safety and security of Minnesotans is of the upmost importance to my office. We will ensure Munsinger—and all others who bring violence and drugs to Minnesota—sees federal justice,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “We are grateful to the FBI for their work on this this investigation.”

    “A convicted felon with a cache of firearms, ammunition, and drugs is a clear threat to public safety,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “The FBI and our partners will not tolerate individuals who break the law and promote extremist views that incite violence. Together, we will continue to disrupt violent extremists and prevent convicted felons from arming themselves and endangering others.”

    After a five-day jury trial before Judge John R. Tunheim in U.S. District Court, Munsinger was convicted of one count of being a felon in possession of firearms, one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition, and one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

    This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Bejar and Raphael B. Coburn tried the case. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Buffalo Man Arrested on Gun and Drug Charges

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

    UFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Jeremy Hodge, 39, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey E. Intravatola, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on April 4, 2025, a search warrant was executed at Hodge’s Ernst Avenue residence and his vehicle. Investigators seized a loaded 9mm firearm, a loaded magazine, ammunition, quantities of suspected heroin and fentanyl, and drug paraphernalia. Hodge was arrested at the scene. He has three prior felony convictions and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

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

    Hodge made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was detained.

    The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Albuquerque Man Sentenced for Sexual Exploitation of Minor and Child Pornography Production

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexually exploiting a 13-year-old girl and producing child pornography.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    According to court records, Kevin Vallo, 41, was on supervised released after serving a sentence for first degree murder when he used the social media app, Telegram, to communicate with Jane Doe, a 13-year-old girl, while falsely claiming to be 16 years old. On February 19, 2024, Vallo persuaded Jane Doe and two other minors to visit his Albuquerque apartment where he engaged in sexual acts with Jane Doe and another minor. Vallo also recorded explicit videos of him engaging in sexual acts with Jane Doe. Vallo later sent the explicit videos to Jane Doe via Telegram.

    The investigation began when one of the other minors disclosed the abuse during a medical appointment. Law enforcement identified Vallo through witness accounts and executed a search warrant on May 9, 2024, recovering multiple videos of Vallo engaging in sexual acts with Jane Doe from Vallo‘s phone. During a subsequent interview, Vallo admitted to the sexual encounters and to recording the acts.

    Upon his release, Vallo will be subject to 30 months of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.

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

    The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jesse Pecoraro is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

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