NewzIntel.com

Category: Federal Bureau of Investigation

  • MIL-OSI Security: Texas Insurance Broker Sentenced in Scheme to Defraud Paycheck Protection Program

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NASHVILLE – Shelby Lynn Hill, 54, of Crystal Beach, Texas, was sentenced earlier this week to one year and a day in prison for fraudulently obtaining and misusing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, announced Robert E. McGuire, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. Hill also was ordered to repay $264,645 in restitution and a forfeiture money judgment, and she will be on supervised release for one year after she serves her sentence. Hill pled guilty in June 2024 to one count of wire fraud.

    Hill obtained several fraudulent PPP loans while living in Crossville, Tennessee. According to court documents and evidence presented to the court, Hill fraudulently obtained a $220,645 PPP loan for a fictitious business, Plateau Angus Farms, in 2020. She claimed to be the owner and operator of a cattle farm in Crossville. Hill told the PPP lender that Plateau Angus Farms employed 14 people and that its monthly payroll expenses exceeded $88,000. Hill submitted fake documents, including Forms W-2, and Tennessee Secretary of State records, as proof of her business. Hill received a $42,700 PPP loan for a second fictitious company, Premium Persians of the Plateau. She also misused the PPP loan proceeds awarded to a third company, Shelby Lynn Hill, MD PLLC, using a portion of the PPP loan to begin installation of a personal swimming pool.

    Hill was employed as a health insurance broker at the time she applied for the PPP loans. Some of the individuals she listed as employees on the Plateau Angus Farms PPP loan application were potential health insurance customers. Hill admitted that she was not authorized to use their names or personal identifiers to obtain PPP loans.

    The Paycheck Protection Program was created under the CARES Act and was intended to incentivize small businesses to keep their employees on payroll during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The PPP program was administered and guaranteed by the Small Business Association, a federal government entity.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cookeville Resident Agency, Nashville Field Office, investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie N. Toussaint prosecuted the case.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Charged with Drug Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican national was charged in federal court today following his arrest during the execution of a federal search warrant yesterday.

    Jose Valencia-Soriano, 23, was charged in a three-count criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of Kansas City, Mo., on Friday, March 28.  As set forth in the attached complaint, Valencia-Soriano is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, and one count of being an alien in possession of a firearm  Valencia-Soriano was arrested yesterday and remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing.

    According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, on Thursday, March 27, agents with the Kansas City Field Division of the FBI, assisted by agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, were executing a federal search warrant at a home in the Kansas City area. According to the affidavit, during the execution of this warrant, Valencia-Soriano was discovered at the location, in addition to approximately 102 lbs. of finished crystal methamphetamine, over 406 lbs. of liquids containing methamphetamine in various states, three firearms in the main bedroom, and $48,634 in cash.  Two of the firearms recovered had been listed as stolen.  The underlying investigation is out of the St. Louis area and is primarily being handled by the St. Louis Field Division of the FBI.

    “FBI St. Louis prioritized this drug trafficking investigation after we confirmed this defendant entered the U.S. illegally,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. “With the help of our law enforcement partners, we seized a large quantity of illicit drugs to include 100 pounds of finished crystal meth and 406 pounds of liquid that contained meth.”

    “This case serves as an important reminder that, in addition to fentanyl, large quantities of other dangerous drugs, in this case methamphetamine, are still a significant problem in our community.  This office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively prosecute every one of these cases with the goal of making our communities a safer place to live,” said Acting United States Attorney Jeffrey P. Ray for the Western District of Missouri.

    A courtesy copy of the complaint is attached to this release.

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

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Foley. It was investigated by the Kansas City and St. Louis Field Divisions of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Rolla Area Drug Enforcement. HSI and KCMOPD also assisted with the execution of the warrant yesterday.

    Operation Take Back America

    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).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Oklahoma Man Sentenced to Serve 45 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Children

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    OKLAHOMA CITY – An Oklahoma man was sentenced in a federal court in Midland, Texas, on March 27, 2025, to 540 months in prison for charges related to sexual exploitation of children.

    According to court documents, on Jan. 30, 2024, JONATHON CHASE RUSSELL, 36, of Elk City, posted in a messaging app 15 images that depicted two minor females engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The next day, Russell sent three of the images to an undercover federal investigator, stating that the two minors were three and 11 years old. Further investigation led FBI agents to identify Russell’s IP addresses and locate him at a hotel in Midland. On Feb. 8, 2024, agents executed a warrant on his hotel room, where they discovered pairs of children’s underwear and a green tactical backpack that contained sexual devices. Agents also discovered a smartphone, which had been hidden underneath a refrigerator and which forensic examination revealed contained a substantial collection of images depicting sexual abuse of minor children.  

    The Western District of Texas filed a three-count indictment on Feb. 28, 2024, charging Russell with possession of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Russell was also indicted in the Western District of Oklahoma on April 3, 2024, for one count of production of visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. His Oklahoma case was transferred to Midland, and on Aug. 19, 2024, Russell pleaded guilty to the count charged in the Western District of Oklahoma indictment and to all three counts charged in the Western District of Texas via a superseding indictment.

    “This defendant’s abhorrent behavior has been put to an end thanks to cooperation between federal prosecutors and law enforcement across the country,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma. “The lengthy sentence imposed is yet another example of the Department’s focus on protecting children and serving justice to those who seek to target the most vulnerable in our communities.”

    “The lengthy sentence imposed in this case reflects the immense damage this individual inflicted on multiple children, who will be plagued by these experiences for the rest of their lives,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “Along with our law enforcement partners and, when necessary, across districts, we will continue to hold accountable the predators who harm the lives of children through illicit sexual crimes.”

    “The significant sentence imposed on Jonathan Chase Russell sends a clear message that there are serious consequences for those individuals who exploit children. Russell will serve the next 45 years in federal prison for his incomprehensible acts,” said John Morales, FBI El Paso Special Agent in Charge. “We remain committed in working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who victimize the most vulnerable members of our society, our children, from infants to toddlers to young children to teenagers, we will hunt you down and serve justice for these horrendous crimes.”

    The FBI El Paso and Oklahoma City field offices investigated the case with assistance from the Elk City Police Department.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Ganz prosecuted the case for the Western District of Oklahoma, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Haywood prosecuted the case for the Western District of Texas. 

    This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    Reference is made to public filings for additional information. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ponce Man and Local Business Indicted for Bank Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A Ponce man was arrested on March 25, 2025, on criminal charges related to various schemes involving bank fraud and money laundering. One company that he operated, Rossy Sport Bar Panorámico, LLC, was also indicted for its role in the bank fraud scheme.

    According to court documents, in 2020 and 2022, Melvin E. Rivera-Oliveras, 40, executed a scheme and artifice to defraud multiple federally insured financial institutions in Puerto Rico. Rivera-Oliveras attempted to conduct fraudulent refund transactions for more than $7 million using multiple debit cards at various companies that he managed and operated.

    After acquiring point of sale (POS) systems, Rivera-Oliveras conducted fraudulent refund transactions and was able to gain temporary access to the funds and to spend a portion of the funds that did not belong to him.

    In July 2022, Rivera-Oliveras submitted fraudulent transactions in an attempt to obtain over $270,000 via fraudulent refund transactions using a debit card associated with Rossy Sport Bar Panorámico, which was another company he was managing. The proceeds of that scheme were deposited into an account held by Rossy Sport Bar Panorámico.

    With the proceeds of these crimes, Rivera-Oliveras purchased multiple vehicles, including a Cadillac CTS, a Ford Transit Connect XL, and a Mercedes Benz C Class. In addition, Rivera-Oliveras made multiple bank transactions in excess of $10,000.

    “The defendant created and executed a complex scheme to defraud banks and businesses,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “I commend the FBI agents and law enforcement partners who uncovered this web of illegal financial transactions.”

    “These crimes strike at the heart of public trust and financial stability. Bank fraud may not always leave a specific victim with empty pockets, but make no mistake, it erodes the very systems that uphold our economy,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “Thanks to the outstanding work of our agents and partners, this scheme was uncovered. To those who believe they can conceal their fraud behind layers of deception, know that the FBI will not rest until you are brought to justice.”

    If convicted, Rivera-Oliveras faces the following penalties: up to 30 years in prison for bank and wire fraud; and up to ten years for money laundering. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation is in charge of the investigation of the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie Christine Amy from the Financial Fraud & Public Corruption Section is prosecuting the case.

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

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: WEEK TEN WINS: President Trump Fuels America’s Golden Age

    Source: The White House

    Ten weeks into his second term, President Donald J. Trump keeps delivering transformative wins for the American people — empowering our workers, securing our nation, and cementing our leadership as the envy of the world.

    Here is a non-comprehensive list of wins in week ten:

    • President Trump’s effort to secure the homeland continued in force.
      • The Trump Administration directed the successful apprehension of a key MS-13 gang leader — an illegal immigrant living in Virginia and operating as one of the top three MS-13 leaders in the U.S.
      • ICE arrested 370+ illegal immigrants as part of a major operation in Massachusetts — many of whom have serious criminal convictions and charges, including murder, child rape, fentanyl trafficking, and armed robbery.
    • President Trump imposed a 25% tariff on imports of foreign automobiles and certain auto parts to end unfair trade practices and protect national security.
      • United Auto Workers: “We applaud the Trump administration for stepping up to end the free trade disaster that has devastated working class communities for decades. Ending the race to the bottom in the auto industry starts with fixing our broken trade deals, and the Trump administration has made history with today’s actions.”
    • President Trump imposed a 25% tariff on all goods from countries that import Venezuelan oil to sever the financial lifelines of the corrupt Maduro regime.
    • President Trump’s unrelenting pursuit of American manufacturing dominance continued to deliver results.
      • Hyundai announced a $20 billion investment in the U.S., which will create 14,000 new jobs. The investment includes $5.8 billion for a new steel plant in Louisiana, which will create nearly 1,500 jobs.
      • Schneider Electric announced it will invest $700 million over the next four years in U.S. energy infrastructure.
      • Rolls-Royce is expected to shift production to the U.S. and expand its domestic workforce.
      • Vietnam announced it will cut duties on U.S. imports, including liquefied natural gas and automobiles.
    • President Trump continued to pursue peace through strength around the world.
      • U.S. airstrikes eliminated dozens of ISIS jihadis hiding within a cave complex in Somalia.
      • Following U.S.-led negotiations, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a Black Sea ceasefire.
    • President Trump’s economic agenda delivered more relief for Americans.
      • Large egg prices have dropped nearly 60% since last month amid the Trump Administration’s efforts to combat the avian bird flu and repopulate the chicken supply.
      • New data showed new home sales rose 5.1% over last year — with median home prices down 1.5% over last year and 3% over January.
    • The President signed several key executive orders to improve our nation.
      • President Trump signed an executive order aimed at making Washington, D.C., safe, beautiful, and the greatest capital city in the world.
      • President Trump signed an executive order on election integrity, including requiring proof of citizenship in voter registration, setting standards for voting equipment, identifying election fraud, and banning foreign interference in elections.
      • President Trump signed executive orders to protect America’s bank account against waste, fraud, and abuse and modernize payments.
      • President Trump signed an executive order exempting agencies with national security missions from federal collective bargaining requirements in order to bolster border, national, and energy security.
      • President Trump signed an executive order to remove anti-American propaganda from federal museums and national parks.
      • President Trump ordered the immediate declassification of all FBI files related to the sham Crossfire Hurricane investigation.
    • The Department of the Interior disbursed $350 million in energy revenues from the Gulf of America to oil-and-gas-producing states, including Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
    • The Department of the Interior announced nearly $40 million in total receipts from its first oil and gas lease sales of the year.
    • The Department of Commerce blacklisted more than 50 Chinese companies in a bid to reduce the Chinese Communist Party’s intellectual property theft.
    • The Department of Housing and Urban Development canceled taxpayer-backed mortgages for illegal immigrants.
    • The Department of Energy slashed unnecessary bureaucratic red tape that accounted for 60% of costs when building and purchasing new laboratories.
    • The Department of Health and Human Services axed $300 million in grants to California related to radical gender ideology and DEI.
    • The Department of Health and Human Services formally warned California for allowing graphic sex education, including about sex toys and “role-plays,” to be taught to children as young as ten years old.
    • The Department of Education revoked waivers that allowed certain colleges to divert federal funds intended for low-income students and students with disabilities to illegal immigrants.
    • The Department of Education launched an investigation into the California Department of Education for withholding information from parents about their child’s gender identity.
    • The Department of Education launched an investigation into Portland Public Schools and the Oregon School Activities Association for allowing a male student athlete to compete in a girls’ track and field competition.
    • The Department of Agriculture reinstated critical reports canceled by the Biden Administration, including the July Cattle Report and the County Estimates for Crops and Livestock — giving farmers the data needed to make important decisions for their operations.
    • The Department of Agriculture announced an investigation into California for possible noncompliance with President Trump’s executive order on radical transgender ideology.
    • The Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against additional Iranian intelligence officers involved in the probable death and cover-up of FBI Special Agent Bob Levinson.
    • The Department of Labor canceled nearly $600 million in “America Last” grants, including millions for “gender equity in the Mexican workplace” and “assisting foreign migrant workers” in Malaysia.
    • The Department of Justice seized hundreds of thousands of dollars of cryptocurrency intended to support Hamas and other terrorist organizations.
    • The Environmental Protection Agency terminated a $2 billion Biden-era grant to a non-governmental organization linked to partisan politics.
    • The Environmental Protection Agency announced it “successfully completed its mission assignment in Western North Carolina following Hurricane Helene.”
    • The Office of Management and Budget cut a wasteful $3 billion Biden-era slush fund.
    • The Small Business Administration announced actions to reverse Biden-era mismanagement of its Core 7(a) loan program.
    • The U.S. Coast Guard awarded a $1 billion contract for dozens of heavy icebreaker ships — which play a critical role in the defense of American interests.
    • The University of Michigan announced it will end its “diversity, equity, and inclusion”-related programming following President Trump’s executive order earlier this year.
    • President Trump’s nominees continue to be confirmed at a rapid pace, with the Senate confirming Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios, National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, and Office of Management and Budget Deputy Director Dan Bishop.
    • President Trump pardoned Devon Archer, a former business partner of Hunter Biden whose key testimony in the Biden corruption scandal made him a target for prosecution by the Biden Administration.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Mann, Neguse Reintroduce Legislation to Address Health Care Shortage

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Tracey Mann (Kansas, 1)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Tracey Mann (KS-01) and Joe Neguse (CO-02) led 11 of their colleagues in reintroducing legislation to address the nation’s health care workforce shortage. The States Handling Access to Reciprocity for Employment (SHARE) Act of 2025 would require the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to provide criminal record history information to state agencies conducting a background check for the purposes of an interstate compact. This technical amendment would improve the current licensing process for health care providers and increase the number of licensed providers able to serve communities across state lines. 

    “We need flexibility in our health care systems to ensure rural communities like those in the Big First have access to good, quality care,” said Rep. Mann “As hospitals and care giving facilities across rural America navigate the challenges of recruiting and retaining health care providers, Congress should correct this technical error and remove processes that only make that challenge harder. Our bill expedites the licensure process for providers by allowing the FBI to share background checks across state lines and empower health care providers to serve rural communities where care is most needed without being handcuffed by where a state ends or begins. If we want to improve the health of those in the Big First, and in rural areas and communities around the country, we must expand employment opportunities for our rural health care providers.”

    The SHARE Act would make a technical correction to modernize a vital component of the licensure process for health care providers by: 

    • Removing red tape and reducing administrative burden: This legislation authorizes the FBI to share criminal history record information between states for licensure purposes.
    • Maintaining states’ rights to determine provider eligibility: This legislation allows cooperation between states while protecting each state’s authority to determine whether a provider is eligible to practice in the state.
    • Addressing the workforce shortage: This legislation extends the reach of health care professionals, eliminating the time necessary for state-to-state checks, improving access to medical specialists, and leveraging the use of new medical technologies like telehealth. 

    Joining Reps. Mann and Neguse in introducing the SHARE Act are Reps. Don Davis (NC-01), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Dan Crenshaw (TX-02), Dan Meuser (PA-09), Sam Graves (MO-06), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Lauren Boebert (CO-04), Michael McCaul (TX-10), Stephanie Bice (OK-05), Tony Wied (WI-08), and Derek Schmidt (KS-02).  

    The SHARE Act is supported by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA), ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education, Alliance for Connected Care, American Academy of Audiology, American Academy of Physician Associates, American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, American Association for Respiratory Care, American Counseling Association, American Dental Association, American Healthcare Association, American Medical Association (AMA), American Occupational Therapy Association, American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), APTA Tennessee, American Psychological Association, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, American Telemedicine Association & ATA Action, Ascension, Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas, Association of Dental Support Organizations, Association of Social Work Boards, Avera Health, Bellin+Gunderson Health System, BJC HealthCare, Bon Secours Mercy Health, Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care, Council of State Governments, Counseling Compact Commission, EMS Compact Commission, Essentia Health, Federation of Podiatric Medical Boards, Federation of State Medical Boards, Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy, Healthcare Leadership Council, Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice, Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators, Interstate Healthcare Collaborative, Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission, Kansas Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Kansas Psychological Association, Marshfield Clinic Health System, Mercy, National Academies of Practice (NAP), National Association of School Psychologists, National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, National Council of State Boards of Nursing, National Rural Health Association, Occupational Therapy Compact Commission, Physical Therapy Compact Commission, Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact Commission, Pyramid Healthcare, Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative, Sanford Health, School Social Work Association of America, SSM Health, Talkiatry, Trinity Health, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UnityPoint Health, Vermont Board of Medical Practice, and Wyoming Medical Society.  

    “The EMS Compact strongly supports the SHARE Act as a critical measure to enhance public safety and strengthen the EMS workforce,” said Donnie Woodyard, MAML, NRP, Executive Director of the United States EMS Compact. “It is essential for public protection that state licensing officials have the ability to review criminal history records for all applicants. This fundamental safeguard ensures that only qualified and vetted EMS clinicians are entrusted with patient care, reinforcing the integrity and reliability of our nation’s emergency medical services.”

    “The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) stands in strong support of the SHARE Act and looks forward to the 119th Congress’s consideration of this important legislation,” said Phil Dickison, PhD, RN, Chief Executive Officer of NCSBN. “The SHARE Act represents a critical step forward in facilitating greater access to care for patients across the country. The legislation will ensure state boards of nursing can vet applicants for multistate licensure to promote safe cross-border practice.”

    “The Occupational Therapy Compact Commission (OTCC) supports the SHARE Act because it is a crucial step toward ensuring public safety across states that participate in interstate occupational compacts,” said Amanda Perry, OTCC Executive Director. “This act fosters a more secure and trustworthy collaboration while strengthening the integrity of professional licensing, promoting accountability, and protecting citizens from potential harm. For the purposes of making informed licensing decisions, state licensing authorities should be afforded timely and relevant information regarding potential licensees’ criminal history that would affect safe practices within professions.”

    “APTA-Tennessee endorses the SHARE Act, and we hope the 119th Congress will approve this bipartisan legislation,” said Sarah Suddarth, APTA Tennessee President. “The SHARE Act will provide Tennesseans in medically underserved areas with greater access to physical therapy care by ensuring that PTs and other healthcare providers are quickly enabled to treat patients in multiple states.”  

    “The Council of State Governments has worked to develop professional licensure compacts in coordination with numerous state, federal, and professional partners,” said Dan Logsdon, Director, National Center for Interstate Compacts. “These combined efforts have contributed to states gaining greater access to qualified professionals across the nation and the essential services they provide. 52 states and territories have enacted at least one of these compacts with each state enacting at least 6, on average. CSG recognizes the importance of passage of the SHARE Act to ensure states can fully operationalize the licensure compacts they have enacted. The states clearly realize the need for improved licensure portability and increasing their healthcare workforce and as a result recognize the importance of the SHARE Act. CSG stands in support of the SHARE Act and the efforts across the nation to ensure its successful passage by Congress.” 

    “The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) strongly supports the SHARE Act,” said Katie Jordan, CEO of the American Occupational Therapy Association. “Occupational therapy practitioners are vital to helping individuals live independent, meaningful lives. The SHARE Act will allow practitioners to bring their expertise where it is needed most, ensuring timely access to care for patients and families. We applaud this legislation as a step toward a more flexible and modern healthcare system.”   

    “The American Academy of Physician Associates strongly supports the SHARE Act,” said AAPA CEO Lisa M. Gables, CPA. “By removing the red tape and administrative burdens on licensure compacts, this legislation will promote workforce development and strengthen the labor market. It will also improve consumer access to highly qualified practitioners and leverage the use of new medical technologies, such as telehealth. The SHARE act would have a major impact on increasing access to healthcare while allowing states to protect their authority to determine who is eligible to practice in the state.”

    “The Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators (ICNLCA) encourages enactment of the SHARE Act,” said Pam Zickafoose, EdD, MSN, RN, Chair of ICNLCA. “The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) enables nurses in compact states to hold a multistate license which authorizes practice in 43 jurisdictions currently. This model of licensure makes it possible for nurses to assist in other jurisdictions without any impediments or delays. Federal criminal background checks are the gold standard for public protection in occupational licensure and are a requirement for a nurse to obtain a multistate license. The SHARE Act will enable states to continue to implement and advance the NLC, therefore bringing vital nursing services to patients in need.”

    “The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission (IMLCC) strongly supports the SHARE Act. The Act is needed so that the FBI will have clear guidance about how the information provided enhances public safety, while supporting the public protection mission of the IMLCC member boards. Our member boards depend on reliable access to the criminal background information, which at times in the past and currently for 4 of our member boards, that access has been denied. Our member boards have been maintaining and protecting the information they receive for over 7 years.”

    “The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association thanks Representatives Mann and Neguse for reintroducing the SHARE Act, and Senators Blackburn and Welch for introducing companion legislation in the Senate for the first time,” said 2025 ASHA President Bernadette Mayfield-Clarke, PhD, CCC-SLP. “ASHA strongly supports the implementation of the Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact (ASLP-IC), which is currently adopted by 34 states and 1 territory to allow licensed audiologists and speech-language pathologists to obtain a privilege to practice across state lines in other ASLP-IC member states. As the ASLP-IC anticipates beginning to issue compact privileges to practice later this year, the SHARE Act is vital to ensuring that participating states can receive important information such as background check status and results so practice privileges can be issued. This will help increase access to care in underserved or geographically isolated populations through telepractice, as well as facilitate continuity of care when clients, patients, and/or students relocate or travel to another compact state. ASHA looks forward to working with the sponsors to pass the SHARE Act.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin, Blumenthal, Hirono, Padilla Send Letter To Deputy Director Bongino Raising Concerns Over His Ability To Lead The FBI

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    March 28, 2025

    Senators to FBI Deputy Director Bongino: “As the newly appointed Deputy Director, your past public statements raise concerns about your ability to impartially lead the Bureau and credibly command the respect of its workforce”

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Alex Padilla (D-CA), sent a letter to the Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Dan Bongino, raising serious concerns over his ability to lead the Bureau with FBI Director Kash Patel. Deputy Director Bongino is a former conservative political commentator, podcast host, and conspiracy theorist peddler. The position of the FBI Deputy Director is not Senate-confirmed.

    The Senators wrote, “As the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) finalizes its new leadership structure, we are deeply concerned that Director Kash Patel’s senior leadership team is unprepared forthe challenges of managing our nation’s premier law enforcement agency and its approximately 38,000 public servants.”

    “As the newly appointed Deputy Director, your past public statements—which include inflammatory remarks and unsubstantiated accusations against the FBI, including calling for the Bureau’s disbandment—raise concerns about your ability to impartially lead the Bureau and credibly command the respect of its workforce. Your record, on the other hand, does not reflect the expertise required to manage the FBI’s complex and expansive operations,” the Senators continued.

    In the letter, the Senators ask for clarification regarding Deputy Director Bongino’s past controversial comments including when he said on his podcast, “The only thing that is going to stop the FBI from doing what they’re doing now, which is become full-time activists and bouncers, in many cases, thugs for the Democrat [sic] party, is imposing real material losses on them (emphasis added). Fire everyone involved in this stuff. Everyone—no excuses. Disband the entity.”

    On November 14, 2024, Deputy Director Bongino described the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and the placement of pipe bombs outside of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Republican National Committee (RNC) headquarters as an “inside job” and said, “There is a massive cover-up, because the person who planted those pipe bombs—they don’t want you to know who it was, because it’s either a connected anti-Trump insider, or this was an inside job. Those bombs were planted there. This was a setup. I have zero doubt… And whoever goes into FBI… you better get an answer… about why.” He continued to say, “It is clear, this all adds up to they know who this person is. They just don’t want you to know who this it is. Later in the podcast, Bongino went on to say that “the FBI knew the entire time the identity of this person and then tried to unknow it, because it was an insider and an inside attack and a plot to, you know, stop Republicans from questioning the election results.”

    The Senators continued, “Your claim that the FBI is responsible for a cover-up is an extremely serious allegation that you have an obligation either to substantiate or repudiate. Now that you have access to the information you have long claimed that the FBI possesses, can you answer who was responsible for the pipe bombs on January 6, 2021 and provide evidence proving their identity to the public and Congress? If no, will you apologize to the men and women of the FBI for spreading this dangerous and irresponsible lie?”

    The Senators asked for clarification of these statements by April 11, 2025.

    The full text of the letter can be found here and below:

    Dear Deputy Director Bongino:

    As the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) finalizes its new leadership structure, we are deeply concerned that Director Kash Patel’s senior leadership team is unprepared for the challenges of managing our nation’s premier law enforcement agency and its approximately 38,000 public servants. As the newly appointed Deputy Director, your past public statements—which include inflammatory remarks and unsubstantiated accusations against the FBI, including calling for the Bureau’s disbandment—raise concerns about your ability to impartially lead the Bureau and credibly command the respect of its workforce. The Deputy Director oversees all FBI domestic and international investigative and intelligence activities and has historically been a career agent with extensive experience in the Bureau. Your record, on the other hand, does not reflect the expertise required to manage the FBI’s complex and expansive operations. To help address these concerns, we ask that you answer the following questions by April 11, 2025:

    1. You previously said, “We don’t just fire the people who did this. Everyone who stood by and did nothing while the Department of Justice and the FBI have been ravaged, ravaged by ‘corruptocrats’ [sic].Everyone gets fired. Everyone (emphasis added).” As Deputy Director, do you still believe that every one of the FBI’s employees who “stood by” should be fired? How do you intend to determine which of the FBI’s approximately 38,000 employees “stood by”?
    2. On September 26, 2022, you said on your podcast: “The only thing that is going to stop the FBI from doing what they’re doing now, which is become full-time activists and bouncers, in many cases, thugs for the Democrat [sic] party, is imposing real material losses on them (emphasis added). Fire everyone involved in this stuff. Everyone—no excuses. Disband the entity.” Now that you are a member of the Bureau’s senior leadership team, do you believe the thousands of personnel who report to you still need to suffer “real material losses”? Do you still believe the FBI should be disbanded? If yes, how do you plan on implementing such an agenda?
    3. On August 29, 2024, in response to the FBI releasing information about the Butler assassination attempt, you posted: “Folks, the FBI is at it again. I don’t trust these people at all.” How can the FBI’s career law enforcement personnel earn your trust in light of this statement? Conversely, how do you intend to earn their trust when you have spent years attacking their integrity?
    4. On November 14, 2024, you described the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and the placement of pipe bombs outside of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Republican National Committee (RNC) headquarters as an “inside job” and said:

    There is a massive cover-up, because the person who planted those pipe bombs—they don’t want you to know who it was, because it’s either a connected anti-Trump insider, or this was an inside job. Those bombs were planted there. This was a setup. I have zero doubt…. And whoever goes into FBI… you better get an answer… about why.

    Now that you are inside the FBI, have you seen evidence to prove your implausible and outrageous allegation that the January 6 attack was an “inside job”? If yes, when do you plan to provide that evidence to the public and Congress? If no, will you apologize to the American people for perpetuating this baseless conspiracy theory?

    1. Earlier this year, you said on your podcast about the unsolved January 6, 2021 pipe bombs case:

    It is clear, this all adds up to they know who this person is. They just don’t want you to know who this it is. Later in the podcast, you went on to say that “the FBI knew the entire time the identity of this person and then tried to unknow it, because it was an insider and an inside attack and a plot to, you know, stop Republicans from questioning the election results.

    You then claimed that “they did conduct an investigation, a legitimate one, for probably a couple of weeks because a friend of mine, who’s a federal agent, was involved in it. And they told him, once they started to hone in on who it was, to stand down.” We are disappointed that the pipe bomb case remains unsolved, given the significant danger this threat presented to the public, staff, and elected officials at the RNC and DNC on January 6, 2021. Your claim that the FBI is responsible for a cover-up is an extremely serious allegation that you have an obligation either to substantiate or repudiate. Now that you have access to the information you have long claimed that the FBI possesses, can you answer who was responsible for the pipe bombs on January 6, 2021 and provide evidence proving their identity to the public and Congress? If no, will you apologize to the men and women of the FBI for spreading this dangerous and irresponsible lie?

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

    Sincerely,

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 03/28/2025 Blackburn, Welch, King Introduce Bicameral States Handling Access to Reciprocity for Employment (SHARE) Act to Improve Interstate Health Care Workforce Licensing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Angus King (I-Maine) introduced the States Handling Access to Reciprocity for Employment (SHARE) Act, bipartisan legislation to improve interstate health care workforce licensing and improve access to care across America by cutting through red tape. Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Tracey Mann (R-Kan.) and Joe Neguse (D-Colo.).

    “Bureaucratic red tape is delaying critical healthcare workers from serving rural Tennessee, leaving working families without the timely treatment they need,” said Senator Blackburn. “The?SHARE Act delivers a commonsense reform by streamlining background check recognition across states, ensuring patients get proper care while showing Washington can work smarter for everyday people.” 

    “There is no question that the health care industry is facing workforce shortages—and that’s especially true for rural states like Vermont. That’s why it makes no sense that a licensing agency in Vermont can’t see the status of a background check, slowing down valuable time onboarding a new health care provider. The SHARE Act is a good-faith effort to cut through red tape in a commonsense way. This bill would remove a bureaucratic hoop and improve patients’ access to the health care they need while protecting their safety. It is important we find common ground on ways to make Washington work better for working families, which is why I’m pleased to partner with my colleague Senator Blackburn on this bill,” said Sen. Peter Welch. 

    “No matter where you choose to live, you deserve access to quality health care — and boosting our medical workforce is a smart way to do that,” said Senator King. “Communities all across Maine — especially those in rural areas — are facing an unprecedented shortage of health care workers, making it difficult to deliver care. The bipartisan?SHARE Act?would address the health care workforce shortage by allowing health care workers in neighboring states to more easily serve patients across state lines.?This is a commonsense way to increase access via telehealth, streamline the hiring and onboarding processes, eliminating the bureaucratic red tape that stands between rural Maine people and their care providers.”

    “We need flexibility in our health care systems to ensure rural communities like those in the Big First have access to good, quality care,” said Rep. Mann “As hospitals and care giving facilities across rural America navigate the challenges of recruiting and retaining health care providers, Congress should correct this technical error and remove processes that only make that challenge harder. Our bill expedites the licensure process for providers by allowing the FBI to share background checks across state lines and empower health care providers to serve rural communities where care is most needed without being handcuffed by where a state ends or begins. If we want to improve the health of those in the Big First, and in rural areas and communities around the country, we must expand employment opportunities for our rural health care providers.” 

    The States Handling Access to Reciprocity for Employment (SHARE) Act amends existing federal law to authorize the FBI to conduct criminal background checks for state licensing agencies and reduce bureaucratic red tape, which can create a barrier to care. Many of these inter-state compacts (or legislatively enacted agreements between states) face a roadblock, as some state regulatory agencies have been denied, or had their authorization revoked, to obtain FBI criminal background checks for verification of a licensee’s eligibility.   

    The legislation ensures criminal history record information is maintained in the same manner as requests for all occupational licenses handled at the state level. In accordance with how compact commissions already operate, the SHARE Act specifies that criminal history record information cannot be shared with any entity other than a state licensing agency which requests the criminal background check. 

    The States Handling Access to Reciprocity for Employment (SHARE) Act is supported by the Alliance for Connected Care; American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA); American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Tennessee;  American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); Council of State Governments (CSG); EMS Compact; Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB); Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators (ICNLCA); Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission (IMLCC); National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN); Occupational Therapy Compact Commission; and Vermont Board of Medical Practice. 

    “The Alliance for Connected Care believes that one of the most promising capabilities of telehealth is creating health care access where it is currently limited – including through more care across state lines.  We applaud the leaders of the SHARE Act for introducing legislation that would help to reduce barriers to this care,” said Chris Adamec, Executive Director, Alliance for Connected Care. 

    “The American Academy of Physician Associates strongly supports the SHARE Act,” said AAPA CEO Lisa M. Gables, CPA.  “By removing the red tape and administrative burdens on licensure compacts, this legislation will promote workforce development and strengthen the labor market. It will also improve consumer access to highly qualified practitioners and leverage the use of new medical technologies, such as telehealth. The SHARE Act would have a major impact on increasing access to healthcare while allowing states to protect their authority to determine who is eligible to practice in the state.” 

    “The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) strongly supports the SHARE Act. Occupational therapy practitioners are vital to helping individuals live independent, meaningful lives. The SHARE Act will allow practitioners to bring their expertise where it is needed most, ensuring timely access to care for patients and families. We applaud this legislation as a step toward a more flexible and modern healthcare system.” said Katie Jordan, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA, CEO, AOTA.   

    “APTA-Tennessee endorses the SHARE Act, and we hope the 119th Congress will approve this bipartisan legislation.  TheSHARE Act will provide Tennesseans in medically underserved areas with greater access to physical therapy care by ensuring that PTs and other healthcare providers are quickly enabled to treat patients in multiple states,” said Sarah Suddarth, APTA Tennessee President.   

    “The Council of State Governments has worked to develop professional licensure compacts in coordination with numerous state, federal, and professional partners. These combined efforts have contributed to states gaining greater access to qualified professionals across the nation and the essential services they provide. 52 states and territories have enacted at least one of these compacts with each state enacting at least 6, on average. CSG recognizes the importance of passage of the SHARE Actto ensure states can fully operationalize the licensure compacts they have enacted. The states clearly realize the need for improved licensure portability and increasing their healthcare workforce and as a result recognize the importance of the SHARE Act. CSG stands in support of the SHARE Act and the efforts across the nation to ensure its successful passage by Congress,” said Dan Logsdon, Director, National Center for Interstate Compacts. 

    “The EMS Compact strongly supports the SHARE Act as a critical measure to enhance public safety and strengthen the EMS workforce,” said Donnie Woodyard, MAML, NRP, Executive Director of the United States EMS Compact. “It is essential for public protection that state licensing officials have the ability to review criminal history records for all applicants. This fundamental safeguard ensures that only qualified and vetted EMS clinicians are entrusted with patient care, reinforcing the integrity and reliability of our nation’s emergency medical services.”  

    “The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) strongly supports the SHARE Act as a critical step toward addressing our nation’s healthcare workforce shortage and enhancing patient access to care,” said Humayun J. Chaudhry, DO, MACP, President and CEO of FSMB. “The SHARE Act will ensure state medical boards have the information necessary to make licensing decisions and support the interstate practice of medicine.” 

    “The Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators (ICNLCA) encourages enactment of the SHARE Act. The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) enables nurses in compact states to hold a multi-state license which authorizes practice in 43 jurisdictions currently.  This model of licensure makes it possible for nurses to assist in other jurisdictions without any impediments or delays,” said Pam Zickafoose, EdD, MSN, RN, Chair of ICNLCA. “Federal criminal background checks are the gold standard for public protection in occupational licensure and are a requirement for a nurse to obtain a multistate license. The SHARE Act will enable states to continue to implement and advance the NLC, therefore bringing vital nursing services to patients in need,” said the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators (ICNLCA). 

    The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission (IMLCC) strongly supports the SHARE Act. The Act is needed so that the FBI will have clear guidance about how the information provided enhances public safety, while supporting the public protection mission of the IMLCC member boards.  Our member boards depend on reliable access to the criminal background information, which at times in the past and currently for 4 of our member boards, that access has been denied.  Our member boards have been maintaining and protecting the information they receive for over 7 years,” said the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission (IMLCC). 

    “The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) stands in strong support of the SHARE Act and looks forward to the 119th Congress’s consideration of this important legislation. The SHARE Act represents a critical step forward in facilitating greater access to care for patients across the country,” said Phil Dickison, PhD, RN, Chief Executive Officer of NCSBN. “The legislation will ensure state boards of nursing can vet applicants for multistate licensure to promote safe cross-border practice.” 

    “The Occupational Therapy Compact Commission (OTCC) supports the SHARE Act because it is a crucial step toward ensuring public safety across states that participate in interstate occupational compacts.  This act fosters a more secure and trustworthy collaboration while strengthening the integrity of professional licensing, promoting accountability, and protecting citizens from potential harm.  For the purposes of making informed licensing decisions, state licensing authorities should be afforded timely and relevant information regarding potential licensees’ criminal history that would affect safe practices within professions,” said Amanda Perry, OTCC Executive Director. 

    “Passage of the SHARE Act will benefit both physicians and patients by supporting greater mobility for physicians and expanding access to care for all Vermonters, especially those in our rural communities.” said David K. Herlihy, Executive Director, Vermont Board of Medical Practice. 

    Learn more about the States Handling Access to Reciprocity for Employment (SHARE) Act. 

    View and download the bill text. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Individual Indicted and Arrested for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and Cocaine

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On March 27, 2025, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned a three-count indictment charging Carlos A. Guerra-Colón with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

    According to court documents, Carlos A. Guerra-Colón, beginning on a date unknown, but no later than March 18, 2025, conspired and agreed with others to knowingly possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.

    While conducting inspection duties, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) employees identified a suspicious package that, upon examination, contained 2.365 kilograms of fentanyl. On March 18, 2025, Guerra-Colón went to the United States Postal Service (USPS) Aguadilla Main Post Office to pick up the package containing the fentanyl. When Guerra-Colón exited the post office, USPIS agents proceeded to arrest him. After he was detained, agents conducted a search of Guerra-Colón’s vehicle that resulted in the seizure of 24 zip lock bags containing cocaine.

    “Eliminating drug trafficking networks is critical to our ongoing efforts to combat the fentanyl crisis in America and save lives,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “Our office will prosecute fentanyl traffickers and dealers to the fullest extent of the law.”

    “Fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction disguised as a drug, it kills indiscriminately and fuels the suffering of countless families,” said DEA Caribbean Division Special Agent in Charge Michael A. Miranda. “The DEA will not stop. We will pursue every trafficker, dismantle every network, and enforce every law with unwavering resolve to protect our communities and save lives.”

    If convicted the defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment with a statutory maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is in charge of the investigation with the collaboration of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB). 

    Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) and Chief of the Transnational Organized Crime Section Max J. Pérez-Bouret; Deputy Chief of the Transnational Organized Crime Section, AUSA María L. Montañez-Concepción; and AUSA Luis A. Valentín are prosecuting the case.

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

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

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 90 Border-Related Cases This Week

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 90 border-related cases this week, including charges of transportation of illegal aliens, reentering the U.S. after deportation, deported alien found in the United States, and importation of controlled substances.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).

    In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.

    A sample of border-related arrests this week includes:

    • Mexican national Aurora Karina Sanchez Quioano was arrested on March 23, 2025, and charged with illegally entering the U.S. after being previously deported after the U.S. Coast Guard reported a vessel onshore at Dog Beach in Ocean Beach. When a U.S. Border Patrol agent arrived at Dog Beach following the report, citizens pointed him towards a jogging trail where he found Sanchez soaking wet.  Sanchez was previously deported on August 8, 2024.    
    • On March 23, 2025, Angel Alonso Peralta Fuerte and Juan Jose Diaz-Guerena, both citizens of Mexico, were arrested and charged with alien smuggling for financial gain after the vessel they were operating with 19 individuals on board was detained by the U.S. Coast Guard. All 19 passengers on the vessel admitted that they are citizens of Mexico without lawful documents allowing them to enter the United States and were arrested by San Diego based U.S. Border Patrol Agents.  Peralta was previously deported on February 26, 2025, less than a month prior to this arrest. Two of the individuals on the vessel were also charged with attempted reentry of removed alien based on their prior criminal and immigration history.  According to the complaint, several individuals of the boat stated they were paying between $3,000-15,000 if successfully smuggled into the United States.
    • Xavier Garcia, a United States citizen, was arrested on March 26, 2025, when he attempted to cross into the U.S. from Mexico at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry on drug importation charges. According to a federal complaint, he was the driver and registered owner of a vehicle in which Customs and Border Protection officials found 503 packages containing more than 500 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the engine area, seats, spare tire, doors, roof, tailgate, and center console of his vehicle.

    Federal law enforcement has focused immigration prosecutions on undocumented aliens who are engaged in criminal activity in the U.S., including those who commit drug and firearms crimes, who have serious criminal records, or who have active warrants for their arrest. Federal authorities have also been prioritizing investigations and prosecutions against drug, firearm, and human smugglers and those who endanger and threaten the safety of our communities and the law enforcement officers who protect the community.

    The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.

    Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: South Florida Man Pleads Guilty To Smuggling Fentanyl And Other Contraband Into Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Ocala, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Jose Santos Pardo (25, Homestead) has pleaded guilty to possession of contraband by a federal inmate. Santos Pardo faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. 

    A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment against Santos Pardo on March 18, 2025.

    According to court records, in 2022, Santos Pardo was an inmate at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex (FCC Coleman). He was assigned to a low security section of the prison where inmates are not confined by fencing. On the night of November 19, 2022, a correctional officer observed Santos Pardo running along the side of the road toward his housing unit carrying two duffle bags and a trash bag. Federal Bureau of Prisons staff confronted Santos Pardo and searched the bags. The bags contained contraband including drugs, tobacco, several bottles of alcohol, and 14 cellphones. During an interview with law enforcement, Santos Pardo admitted that he had picked up the bags from the road to bring them back to his housing unit. FCC Coleman inmates are prohibited from possessing these items because they threaten the order, discipline, and security of the prison, or the life, health, and safety of federal prisoners and staff.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Facing Federal Charges Following Montgomery Dry Cleaner Business Robbery

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                Montgomery, Ala. – A Montgomery, Alabama man has been charged with federal crimes for his alleged role in the March 10, 2025, robbery of a Montgomery dry cleaning business, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson. On March 26, 2025, law enforcement arrested 58-year-old Zedekiah Sykes, on charges of armed robbery, carjacking, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a federal crime of violence. The United States District Court in Montgomery unsealed Sykes’ criminal complaint today.

                The arrest took place after an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Montgomery Police Department, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), and the Metro Area Crime Suppression (MACS) Task Force, with assistance from the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. Sykes will make his initial appearance in federal court this afternoon at 1:00pm.

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

                If convicted on all charges, Sykes faces a sentence of seven years to life in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul Markovits.

                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).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Russell Fry’s Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act Passes out of House Judiciary Committee

    Source:

    Rep. Russell Fry’s Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act Passes out of House Judiciary Committee

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Russell Fry (SC-07) announced that his Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act passed out of the House Judiciary Committee. Under current law, federal agencies are required to destroy retired firearms so they are rendered inoperable and incapable of being reused. This process costs the federal government millions of dollars and trickles down to American taxpayers.

    Allowing current and retired federal law enforcement officers in good standing to purchase retired firearms is a commonsense, cost-saving measure that benefits both law enforcement and American taxpayers.

    “The Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act not only saves American taxpayers millions of dollars but also creates a system in which law enforcement officers in good standing can exercise their Second Amendment rights by purchasing their retired service weapons,” said Congressman Fry. “This legislation is a practical measure that recognizes the service of our federal officers while also encouraging responsible use of government resources.”

    This bill is endorsed by the National Association of Police Organizations, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the National Treasury Employees Union, and the FBI Agents Association.

    “This bill is a common-sense measure with numerous benefits. Allowing federal officers and agents to buy back their service weapons serves as a force multiplier in our communities, reduces material waste, and saves taxpayer dollars,” said Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association President Mathew Silverman. “Many agencies have already implemented similar buyback programs, and officers across other agencies have long advocated for this initiative. We commend Representative Fry for his leadership in advancing this effort in advance of National Police Week.”

    “The Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act establishes a commonsense program that allows federal law enforcement officers to purchase retired service weapons,” said Bill Johnson, Executive Director of the National Association of Police Organizations. “These weapons would otherwise be unnecessarily destroyed at a great cost to the federal taxpayer. NAPO thanks Congressman Fry for his leadership on this bill.”

    “The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents frontline Customs and Border Protection Officers at ports of entry around the country, endorses the Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act,” said Doreen Greenwald, National President of NTEU. “We commend Rep. Russell Fry and other cosponsors for this commonsense legislation that would allow federal law enforcement officers to purchase their retired service handguns, under certain conditions, and save the government the cost of destroying them. Bringing this bill up for debate during Police Week is especially appropriate, as it shows these highly trained officers a level of respect and professionalism that they have earned and deserve.”

    “The FBIAA is pleased that the Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act has been introduced and we hope Congress will move swiftly to pass the bill into law,” said Natalie Bara, President of the FBI Agents Association. “Federal law enforcement officers should be allowed to purchase retired service weapons, and the bill is recognition of the responsibility, professionalism and commitment to public safety that is required of FBI Special Agents and other federal law enforcement officers. Congress should enact this legislation as soon as possible.”

    In addition, the following groups sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee in support of the bill:

    • Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies

    • Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association

    • Major Cities Chiefs Association

    • Major County Sheriffs of America

    • National Association of Police Organizations

    • National Narcotics Officers’ Associations’ Coalition

    • Sergeants Benevolent Association NYPD

    Full text of the Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act can be found here.

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

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Chicago Businessman Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Defrauding Financial Institutions out of More Than $3 Million

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHICAGO — A Chicago businessman has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for scheming to defraud multiple financial institutions out of more than $3 million.

    DAVID IZSAK, 50, of Chicago, was a licensed real estate professional and the sole proprietor of Skokie, Ill.-based Premier Assets Inc. and Premier Properties Enterprises, Inc.  From 2005 to 2018, Izsak engaged in a scheme to defraud financial institutions by obtaining residential loans through false statements, concealing other unpaid loans, and falsely obtaining credit.  As part of the scheme, Izsak submitted or caused to be submitted to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds fictitious lien releases that purported to be from lenders stating the loans were paid in full.  The bogus lien releases included false names of attorneys and bank employees. In one instance, after causing a lien to be released, Izsak sold the property to an unsuspecting buyer.  In another instance, he obtained six mortgages on a single property, obtaining a new loan after fictitiously releasing the prior loan without repaying it.

    Izsak also obtained a loan to buy a 57-foot yacht known as the “Flying Lady” by submitting fraudulent tax returns and financial information to the lender.  The yacht was seized by federal authorities in 2019.

    A jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago in 2023 convicted Izsak on ten counts of financial institution fraud.  U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah imposed the prison sentence on Tuesday during a hearing in federal court.

    The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Chicago Field Office, and Ruth M. Mendonça, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

    “Izsak engaged in blatantly fraudulent conduct for many years,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly Moheb argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “The entire purpose of the scheme was to line his own pockets, so that he could live a lifestyle he didn’t earn.”

    Two other individuals – YALE SCHIFF, of Riverwoods, Ill., and his brother, JASON SCHIFF, of Lincolnwood, Ill. – were also convicted as part of the federal investigation.  Yale Schiff was sentenced in January to three years in prison for fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in mortgage and vehicle loans and using stolen identities to secure credit from financial institutions.  Jason Schiff pleaded guilty to causing a false report and statement to be made to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Jason Schiff was sentenced to three years of probation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Fifth-Grade Teacher at San Gabriel Valley School Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RIVERSIDE, California – A former elementary school teacher who worked at a school district in the San Gabriel Valley was sentenced today to 48 months in federal prison for possessing more than 400 videos containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

    Steven Pilar, 47, of Las Vegas, was sentenced by United States District Judge Sunshine S. Sykes, who also ordered him to pay $115,000 in restitution.

    Pilar pleaded guilty in December 2024 to one count of possession of child pornography. He has been in federal custody since August 2024.

    In February and April of 2020, Pilar used his computer and a peer-to-peer file-sharing program called BitTorrent to download videos and images containing CSAM via the internet. Specifically, Pilar – at this then-home in Victorville – knowingly received and downloaded approximately 444 videos containing CSAM, and knowingly possessed the videos for a time before deleting them. 

    At the time of download and possession, Pilar knew these videos and images contained visual depictions of actual children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. 

    Many of the videos and images that Pilar knowingly downloaded involved a pre-pubescent minor and a minor who had not attained 12 years of age, sadistic and masochistic conduct, and sexual abuse and exploitation of an infant and toddler.

    Pilar was employed as a fifth-grade teacher working in the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District at the time of the offense. He no longer works at the school.

    In April 2020, Pilar was arrested on state charges, which were later dropped so a federal case could be pursued.

    “His actions caused direct and significant harm to the victims in this case, and his offense is aggravated by fact that he was teaching young children at the time,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “In fact, when [Pilar] downloaded and viewed the CSAM, he took part of a perpetual re-victimization of the victims.”

    The FBI and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorney Joshua J. Lee of the General Crimes Section prosecuted this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Victoria contractor imprisoned for defrauding investors of millions in material scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HOUSTON – A 62-year-old man has been sentenced for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Michael Wayne Galvan pleaded guilty Sept. 26, 2024.

    U.S. District Judge Charles Eskridge has now ordered Galvan to serve 27 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay nearly $3 million in restitution. At the hearing, the court considered victim statements regarding the seriousness of Galvan’s offense, including the lasting impact of his crimes and the negative consequences they continue to suffer. 

    Galvan, operating as a high-end contractor under MWG Ventures LLC dba MGB Builders, fraudulently obtained over $2.8 million from at least six private investors. In some cases, Galvan found future victims when he volunteered as a vice president of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR).

    From February 2016 to March 2018, Galvan used his position with HLSR to find victims, many of whom were likewise in volunteer leadership positions. To solicit short-term loans, he offered opportunities to earn 10 to 12 percent interest through his contracting business. Galvan falsely represented he would use the money to purchase materials such as exotic tiles and granite from China and other overseas countries for his construction business.

    At the time of his plea, Galvan admitted he did not use the money for its intended purpose. The scheme unraveled when he ran out of victims and money. In total, he defrauded multiple victims of $2,878,661.30 and was ordered to pay restitution in that amount.

    He was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

    The FBI conducted the investigation.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christian Latham and Thomas Carter prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. –  A former Kansas City, MO man plead guilty in federal court today to conspiring to commit bank fraud against two local financial institutions.

    Gerald Humphrey Jr., 30, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Judge Jill A. Morris to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

    By pleading guilty today, Humphrey, Jr. admitted that he knowingly and willfully joined in an agreement to commit bank fraud by defrauding FDIC-insured financial institutions of money.  On July 1, 2022, an investigator with a local financial institution contacted FBI Kansas City to report an alleged check fraud scheme in the Kansas City area. The fraud scheme consisted of individuals being recruited via social media to voluntarily provide their debit cards and PIN numbers to the fraudsters. The fraudsters would then deposit fraudulent checks into the customers’ accounts. The investigator determined that similar check card stocks were used, similar dollar values were used on the checks, and the same two individuals, eventually identified, with one of them being the defendant, Gerald Humphrey Jr., were seen in surveillance videos making the deposits. These co-defendants would make cash withdrawals at ATMs, debit card purchases, and transfer money via Cash App. Through its investigation, the FBI was able to determine that two FDIC insured financial institutions in the Kansas City area where being targeted as victims of this scheme.  The evidence discovered in the investigation indicated the scheme began in April 2022 and continued until at least September 2022 with the actual loss incurred being approximately $90,000 with an intended loss of approximately $400,000.

    Under federal statutes, Humphrey Jr. is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole.  The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentence of the defendant will be determined by the court based upon the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.  A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Ketchmark. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of criminal investigators from the two financial institutions.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Unseals Charges for Theft of Texas Republican Party Data

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    AUSTIN, Texas – The Department of Justice announced the unsealing of charges against Canadian national Aubrey Cottle, 37, of Oshawa, Ontario, in connection with the theft of data relating to the Texas Republican Party in 2021. Canadian authorities arrested Cottle on Wednesday and are pursuing charges under Canadian law.

    A criminal complaint filed in the Western District of Texas alleges Cottle gained unauthorized access to a third-party hosting company’s computer system to deface and download a backup of Texas Republican Party’s web server, which contained personal identifying information. The information was distributed and made available for download online. Cottle allegedly claimed responsibility for the attack on social media. A search of Cottle’s electronic devices revealed he was in possession of the data stolen from the Texas Republican Party.

    Cottle has been charged with unlawfully transferring, possessing, or using a means of identification with the intent to commit, or aid or abet, or in connection with, unlawful activity under state or federal law. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

    The FBI Austin Cyber Task Force is investigating the case, with valuable assistance from the Ontario Provincial Police and the Durham Regional Police Service.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Karthik Srinivasan is prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance.

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

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Files More Than 250 New Immigration Cases This Week in the Western District of Texas

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN ANTONIO – Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 261 immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from March 21 through March 27.

    Among the new cases, Guatemalan national Noe Mardoquero Calel-Cabinal was pulled over March 24 on Highway 85 near Dilley by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper. The area is known to be commonly used to smuggle undocumented aliens further into the U.S. from Mexico. A U.S. Border Patrol agent stopped to assist with the traffic stop. Calel-Cabinal allegedly presented a Guatemalan identification card, did not have proper immigration documentation to be in the U.S. legally, and could not provide a reason for being in the area that aligned with his travel route. A criminal complaint alleges that Calel-Cabinal later confessed to being in the area to pick up and transport four illegal aliens to San Antonio and would be paid $1,300 per illegal alien. A review of his cell phone allegedly confirmed Calel-Cabinal’s confession and he was charged with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens.

    In El Paso, Mexican national Luis Francisco Alarcon-Sanchez allegedly stated at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry on March 22 that he was a U.S. citizen born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and was returning to Albuquerque to visit his ex-wife and mother. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer received a system alert for prior deport and further procedures confirmed that Alarcon-Sanchez had been previously removed on May 16, 2024. A criminal complaint alleges that Alarcon-Sanchez admitted he is affiliated with the Paisas Gang. In addition to the 2024 removal, records show he was removed from Texas to Mexico in 2015, 2003, and in 1998 following an aggravated felony conviction.

    Mexican national Jesus Barraza-Frias was also arrested in El Paso. He was allegedly located less than a mile east of the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry without immigration documents allowing him to be or remain in the U.S. legally. Barraza-Frias was just removed from the U.S. on Nov. 27, 2024, after being convicted for illegal re-entry in El Paso. He now has three total removals as well as a domestic violence/harassment conviction in Lamar, Colorado from 2007, a 2002 disorderly conduct conviction as a juvenile in Lamar, and a sexual assault conviction as a juvenile in Prowers County, Colorado from 2001.

    In Del Rio, Honduran national Carlos Alejandro Varela-Avila was arrested March 20 and charged with re-entry after deportation from the United States. A criminal complaint alleges that Varela-Avila was previously deported on April 16, 2024 through Alexandria, Louisiana and has five prior removals and a criminal record that includes aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

    Another Honduran national, Alba Jeannet Medina-Chavez, was arrested March 23 near Del Rio after being previously deported Dec. 29, 2014 through Phoenix, Arizona. A criminal complaint reflects five prior removals for Medina-Chavez as well as a criminal history that includes child cruelty, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, and assault against an elderly or disabled individual.

    Amir Hassan Riley was also arrested March 23 near Eagle Pass. According to a criminal complaint, U.S. Border Patrol agents inspected a vehicle drive by Riley at a Highway 57 checkpoint and allegedly located three illegal aliens from Honduras and Yemen concealed in the rear seat and trunk of the vehicle. Further investigation allegedly led to the discovery of two more illegal aliens at a motel. The complaint alleges that Riley said he responded to a job post on Facebook and coordinated to pick up people at pinned locations in Eagle Pass. Riley is charged with one count of conspiring with others to transport illegal aliens within the United States.

    A Mexican national is charged in Pecos with illegal re-entry. Ibrahim Villanueva was arrested by Presidio Border Patrol agents after being previously removed on June 6, 2024 through El Paso. Villanueva’s criminal and immigration history indicate four total deportations and a 2007 felony conviction for aggravated sexual assault of a child in Odessa.

    In Austin, Mexican national Cesario Bueno-Figueroa was arrested March 23 and charged with driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a crash. If convicted, criminal records show that this would be at least his third DWI. He previously served 18 months in jail after he was arrested for driving under the influence of liquor in 2010, and 65 days for the same charge in 2018. Bueno-Figueroa has also served 30 days in jail after being arrested in 2012 for illegal entry and 97 days in 2018 for illegal re-entry. Bueno-Figueroa is federally charged with illegal re-entry.

    These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

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

    Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: 23 Lubbock-Area Defendants Charged in Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Trafficking Cases

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Twenty-three alleged methamphetamine and fentanyl traffickers in Lubbock, Texas, have been federally charged with drug crimes, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.

    The defendants, charged in nine indictments, were apprehended on Wednesday, March 26th.  Initial appearances began today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Amanda ‘Amy’ R. Burch.

    This investigation began in March 2023.  Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized over 43 kilograms of methamphetamine, 285.4 grams of fentanyl (approx. 1,902 pills), 335.5 grams of cocaine, 2,296.7 grams of marijuana, and six firearms.  The 285.4 grams of seized fentanyl equals potentially 21,662 lethal doses of fentanyl.

    Those charged in the indictments include:

    •    Vida Tamor Overstreet, 49, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, unlawful use of communication facility, distribution of methamphetamine

    •    Patrick Wayne Frazier aka Pat Pat, 38, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine

    •    Juantay Dewayne Frazier aka Broadway, 39, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, unlawful use of communication facility, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

    •    David Wayne Frazier aka Dinky, 39, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, unlawful use of communication facility, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

    •    Santiago Daniel Baltazar aka Chago, 26, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl

    •    Walter Wood, 36, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl

    •    Santos Moncada aka Tos, 28, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine

    •    Jessie Franco, 41, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

    •    Shondra Christine Walker, 40, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

    •    Orian Emanuel Garcia, 35, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

    •    Rudolfo Luna aka Roy Luna, 43, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine

    •    Adam Lee Arredondo, 37, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

    •    Justin Lee Dominguez, 37, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine

    •    Anthony James Lockett, 44, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, distribution of     methamphetamine

    •    Rita Adelita Castillo, 44, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine

    •    Paul Wayne Frazier, 38, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

    •    Charles Andre Sykes, 41, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

    •    Heather Jane Whitehead, 40, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

    •    Henry Tienda, Jr., 35, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

    •    Gary Dewayne Bolton aka Bay Bay, 36, charged with distribution of fentanyl

    •    Arhmad Rashad Fountain aka Ra Ra, 47, charged with distribution of methamphetamine

    •    Rubith Diaz Rodriguez, age 24, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

    •    Tyler Kristian Piseno, 37, charged with distribution of fentanyl.

    “Cooperation of local, state and federal law enforcement led to success in disrupting a drug trafficking organization,” said Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “These arrests will have a considerable impact on the distribution of methamphetamine in the greater-Lubbock area, and law enforcement will continue work together to ensure the safety and security of our communities.”

    “This operation sends a clear message that we will not tolerate the flow of illegal drugs into our neighborhoods,” said Eduardo A. Chavez, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA.  “By working together at every level of law enforcement, we are leveraging all available resources to destroy these criminal networks and commit to safeguard our communities from drug trafficking and violent crime.”

    An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence.  All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

    If convicted, some of the defendants face up to life in federal prison.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham praised the joint efforts of all law enforcement agencies involved in the case, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office – Lubbock Resident Agency, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Office – Lubbock Resident Office, the Caprock HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Lubbock Police Department, the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Anti-Gang Center, the Levelland Police Department, and the Hockley County Sheriff’s Office.  The cases are being prosecuted by the West Texas Branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.

    This prosecution stems from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transitional criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.  

    This investigation 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).
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Former Colombian Navy Lieutenant Sentenced to 15 Years for Helping Sell Locations of Navy Drug Interdiction Vessels to International Drug Traffickers

    Source: US State of Vermont

    On Wednesday, Cesar Augusto Romero Caballero, of Colombia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by U.S. District Court Judge James Moody Jr. for conspiracy to distribute cocaine having reasonable cause to believe it would be unlawfully imported into the United States. Romero Caballero pleaded guilty on April 8, 2024.

    According to court documents, Caballero, 35, was a former member of the Colombian Navy. In exchange for money, he recruited active-duty members of the Colombian Navy to secretly plant global positioning system (GPS) tracking devices in Colombian Navy vessels. Transnational Criminal Organizations used the location data derived from these tracking devices to direct vessels filled with cocaine bound for the United States around Colombian Navy ships and patrols.

    “This foreign national committed serious crimes to enable the flow of drugs into our country,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This sentencing reflects the Department of Justice’s ironclad commitment to not only hunting down criminals, but ensuring that they suffer severe legal consequences following their apprehension.”

    “Our teams focus on sophisticated and violent drug trafficking organizations and work countless investigative hours,” said Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Field Division. “I am proud of our team’s efforts and thankful for our law enforcement partners who brought this case to conclusion.”

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Stoia for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted this case.

    The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia, provided significant assistance.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi- jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.

    The specific mission of the OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations involved in large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering, and related activities. The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Convicted Felon Sentenced To 20 Years For Illegally Possessing A Pistol And Ammunition Used In Two Murders

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

    Savannah, Georgia – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney for the Middle District of Florida and Acting United States Attorney Tara M. Lyons for the Southern District of Georgia announce that Chief U.S. District Judge R. Stan Baker has sentenced Victor McMillar (33, Savannah) to 20 years in prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Judge Baker also recommended that McMillar serve his prison sentence at a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility as far from Savannah as possible. A federal jury found McMillar guilty on October 24, 2024. 

    According to court documents and trial testimony, on November 3, 2018, McMillar fired eleven .40 caliber rounds from a Smith & Wesson pistol into the vehicle driven by a husband and wife down a residential street in Savannah. The couple was shot multiple times, and both were both transported to a hospital. The husband died from his gunshot wounds. His wife survived but suffered permanent injury. Two days later, McMillar shot and killed an acquaintance who had witnessed the first murder. This time McMillar used a Glock .40 caliber pistol and fired eleven times. The acquaintance was found dead in the street, struck by at least three bullets to his head. McMillar planted the Smith & Wesson pistol on the body of the second victim. DNA swabs taken from the Smith & Wesson pistol would later match to McMillar. 

    Following the murders, McMillar was arrested by the Savannah Police Department and later indicted for the murders. McMillar was acquitted in Chatham County Superior Court on October 17, 2023. Following the acquittal, McMillar was indicted by a federal grand jury for two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. 

    Prosecutors from the Middle District of Florida were assigned as Special Assistant United States Attorneys to prosecute McMillar. During preparation for trial, special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) discovered that McMillar had attempted to erase a cellphone left at the first murder scene. The ATF agents obtained a search warrant for McMillar’s iCloud account, which McMillar failed to delete. McMillar’s iCloud account had several pictures of firearms taken on October 22, 2018, including a photograph of a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol, identical to the murder weapon. Additional cellphone forensic evidence placed McMillar at the scene of both murders.

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Savannah Police Department. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Lasry and Frank Talbot.

    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.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz, Frankel, Lawmakers Urge Trump Administration To Reverse Illegal Gutting Of U.S. Agency For Global Media

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    Lawmakers: These Actions Are Not Just Illegal And Wasteful, They Run Counter To Our Interests of Promoting Free Expression, Combating Censorship

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, and U.S. Representative Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security and Department of State, led a bicameral letter urging United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) Acting CEO Victor Morales and Special Advisor Kari Lake to rescind the Trump administration’s illegal actions to dismantle the agency, terminate grants for several government-funded outlets worldwide, and place Voice of America and other federal staff on administrative leave. In addition to Schatz and Frankel, the letter was signed by Democratic members of the their respective committees including U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), as well as U.S. Representatives Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Norma Torres (D-Calif.), and Mike Quigley (D-Ill.).

    “Congress reaffirmed its commitment to your agency, its mission, and its personnel by funding the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) at $866.9 million in the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extension Act, 2025, and expects that each of the entities will continue their unique mission of broadcasting content to audiences around the world,” the lawmakers wrote. “Your decisions to terminate the grants to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia (RFA) (in addition to withholding funds for the BenarNews service), Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and Open Technology Fund; place on administrative leave Voice of America (VOA), Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Technology, Services, and Innovation, and other federal staff; cancel hundreds of contracts; and pull transmissions from the air violate several provisions in the appropriations bill.”

    The lawmakers continued, “These actions are not just illegal and wasteful, they run counter to our interests. America’s authoritarian adversaries are investing billions in state-backed media, targeting the same countries USAGM entities reach. With an audience of 427 million people speaking more than 60 languages, USAGM networks are a trusted and reliable source of information in the face of state censorship, including in the People’s Republic of China, Iran, Russia, North Korea, Cuba, and Afghanistan, and across Eastern Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The technology developed by the Open Technology Fund and used across grantees will leave users who are dependent on their tools to circumvent censorship stranded. Once America loses the trust of these audiences, it will be difficult to get it back.”

    “We respectfully request that you rescind the actions you have taken to date and refrain from any further downsizing or terminations, and that you ensure you are in compliance with your legal requirements, including to consult and notify Congress of any proposed changes and to meet congressional spending directives,” the lawmakers concluded.

    The full text of the letter is below and available here.

    Dear Acting CEO Morales and Ms. Lake:

    You are at the helm of an agency with a critical mission to increase freedom of expression, circumvent censorship, and deliver objective, accurate, and relevant information to hundreds of millions of people worldwide. This mission directly supports U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.

    Given its importance, we write to express our concerns with the decisions you have made in response to the March 14, 2025 Executive Order titled “Executive Order on Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy.”

    Congress reaffirmed its commitment to your agency, its mission, and its personnel by funding the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) at $866.9 million in the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extension Act, 2025, and expects that each of the entities will continue their unique mission of broadcasting content to audiences around the world. Your decisions to terminate the grants to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia (RFA) (in addition to withholding funds for the BenarNews service), Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and Open Technology Fund; place on administrative leave Voice of America (VOA), Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Technology, Services, and Innovation, and other federal staff; cancel hundreds of contracts; and pull transmissions from the air violate several provisions in the appropriations bill. This includes sections 7015 and 7063, and the provisions under the United States Agency for Global Media heading, of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024, as carried forward by the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extension Act, 2025.

    Additionally, the actions you have taken to significantly downsize the agency, including termination of the new building lease and closeout costs, will cost the U.S. taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars.

    These actions are not just illegal and wasteful, they run counter to our interests. America’s authoritarian adversaries are investing billions in state-backed media, targeting the same countries USAGM entities reach. With an audience of 427 million people speaking more than 60 languages, USAGM networks are a trusted and reliable source of information in the face of state censorship, including in the People’s Republic of China, Iran, Russia, North Korea, Cuba, and Afghanistan, and across Eastern Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The technology developed by the Open Technology Fund and used across grantees will leave users who are dependent on their tools to circumvent censorship stranded. Once America loses the trust of these audiences, it will be difficult to get it back.

    In 2020, when then-USAGM CEO Michael Pack instituted mass firings, then-Senator Rubio led a bipartisan effort to have such actions reversed. In the letter, Senator Rubio and colleagues stated:

    “We are at a critical moment in history where malign actors including Russia, China, and Iran, are using advanced tools and technology to undermine global democratic norms, spreading disinformation, and severely restricting their own free press to hamper access to independent news for their citizens. As these and other authoritarian regimes further crack down domestically, their citizens turn to outside media as their only trustworthy source of unbiased, accurate news.”

    This is no less true today.

    We are equally troubled that these actions put staff across all of those entities, who have faithfully served the interests of the U.S. government, at risk if they are forced to return to authoritarian countries where they may be subject to harassment, persecution, or arbitrary arrest. The agency appears to have no plan in place to address these risks. Already, 1,300 VOA staff and 75 percent of RFA U.S.-based staff have been put on leave.

    We respectfully request that you rescind the actions you have taken to date and refrain from any further downsizing or terminations, and that you ensure you are in compliance with your legal requirements, including to consult and notify Congress of any proposed changes and to meet congressional spending directives. We request that you respond to this letter no later than April 4, 2025 confirming your intent to do so.

    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Colombian Navy Lieutenant Sentenced to 15 Years for Helping Sell Locations of Navy Drug Interdiction Vessels to International Drug Traffickers

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    On Wednesday, Cesar Augusto Romero Caballero, of Colombia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by U.S. District Court Judge James Moody Jr. for conspiracy to distribute cocaine having reasonable cause to believe it would be unlawfully imported into the United States. Romero Caballero pleaded guilty on April 8, 2024.

    According to court documents, Caballero, 35, was a former member of the Colombian Navy. In exchange for money, he recruited active-duty members of the Colombian Navy to secretly plant global positioning system (GPS) tracking devices in Colombian Navy vessels. Transnational Criminal Organizations used the location data derived from these tracking devices to direct vessels filled with cocaine bound for the United States around Colombian Navy ships and patrols.

    “This foreign national committed serious crimes to enable the flow of drugs into our country,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This sentencing reflects the Department of Justice’s ironclad commitment to not only hunting down criminals, but ensuring that they suffer severe legal consequences following their apprehension.”

    “Our teams focus on sophisticated and violent drug trafficking organizations and work countless investigative hours,” said Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Field Division. “I am proud of our team’s efforts and thankful for our law enforcement partners who brought this case to conclusion.”

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Stoia for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted this case.

    The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia, provided significant assistance.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi- jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.

    The specific mission of the OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations involved in large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering, and related activities. The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former federal officer sentenced for smuggling aliens and receiving bribes from cartel

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LAREDO, Texas – A former Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer has been sentenced to federal prison in two separate cases for allowing aliens and cocaine across the border, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Emanuel Isac Celedon, 37, Laredo, pleaded guilty March 11, 2024, for his role in illegally smuggling illegal aliens into the United States through the Lincoln Juarez Port of Entry (POE) in Laredo. He also admitted to bribery and attempted importation of cocaine for accepting money to allow what he thought was cocaine to cross into the United States from Mexico. 

    U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana has now imposed a total of 117 months in prison for both cases to be immediately followed by four years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a money judgment of $17,980. At the hearing, the court noted Celedon’s job was to protect the United States from introduction of controlled substances and people not authorized to be in the country, and that he had failed in both regards. Judge Saldana added that Celedon was deeply involved in the organization and appeared to want to go even deeper.

    “Anybody who aids or works for the cartel is going to find themselves on the wrong end of a federal indictment,” said Ganjei. “This case was especially troubling given the position of trust the defendant held. His criminal conduct stands in stark contrast to the heroic work the men and women of CBP are doing every day to keep our border and ports secure.”

    While employed as a CBP Officer in Laredo in 2023, Celedon sought contacts within the Mexican criminal organization known as the Cartel del Noreste in order to smuggle drugs and aliens through his inspection lane in exchange for monetary payment.

    During an undercover operation, Celedon expressed his interest in smuggling cocaine for payment, provided his duty schedule and gave instructions directing a loaded vehicle to his inspection lane at the port of entry. He then allowed the vehicle to safely cross into the United States. 

    Using his position as a CBP officer, Celedon allowed several kilograms of what he believed to be cocaine into the United States on two separate occasions in October 2023. In exchange, he received $6,000.

    Further investigation revealed Celedon also conspired with at least three others to bring illegal aliens into the United States without inspection. Celedon provided his daily lane assignment to Mexican national Homero Romero-Hernandez, 32, who passed the information to Jose Osvaldo Zapata-Vasquez, 25, another Mexican national with ties to the cartel. Zapata-Vasquez hired Cotulla resident Beatris Guadalupe Martinez, 22, to act as the driver.

    Zapata-Vasquez relayed instructions to Martinez based on information Celadon provided regarding when to pick up the aliens in Mexico and which lane to approach when making entry to the United States.

    The investigation revealed Martinez transported people through Celedon’s lane on at least nine separate occasions between September and November 2023. Each time, Celedon permitted entry without inspecting any of Martinez’s passengers. Additionally, on at least two of those dates, Celedon falsely inputted information into a CBP database in order to avoid sending Martinez to a mandatory secondary inspection.

    Celedon then asked Zapata-Vasquez and Romero-Hernandez to relay this to smugglers in Mexico in order to reassure them that he was doing his part to facilitate the cartel’s smuggling efforts. Law enforcement seized $1,980 in cash from Celedon at the time of his arrest, which he admitted were proceeds from human smuggling.

    Judge Saldana previously sentenced Zapata-Vasquez, Romero-Hernandez and Martinez to 46, 36, and 42 months in prison, respectively.

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

    The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – Office of Inspector General, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) and CBP – Office of Professional Responsibility conducted the investigation with assistance from the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, Texas Department of Public Safety, Border Patrol, Webb County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office and CBP Laredo Joint Forensic Center.

    The case is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation and coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA).

    OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

    JTFA, a partnership with DHS, has been elevated and expanded with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, District of Arizona, District of New Mexico and Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 355 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers and significant facilitators of alien smuggling, more than 320 U.S. convictions, more than 265 significant jail sentences imposed and forfeitures of substantial assets.

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

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Day and Arthur R. Jones prosecuted the cases.  

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Convicts Chicago Man of Sex Trafficking and Kidnapping Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted a Chicago man of violently sex trafficking five young victims, including a 15-year-old girl, and kidnapping two of them.

    The jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago on Tuesday convicted DENNIS WILLIAMS, 33, on all seven sex trafficking and kidnapping counts against him.  Williams faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of life.  U.S. District Judge Mary M. Rowland set sentencing for Oct. 7, 2025.

    The convictions were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department and the Lansing, Ill. Police Department. The government has been represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristen Totten, Sushma Raju, and Michelle Parthum.

    According to evidence presented at the week-long trial, Williams used threats, violence, drugs, and other coercive means to force five victims to engage in commercial sex.  Williams often restrained or assaulted the victims to force them to comply and turn over the proceeds to him.  Williams also caused a 17-year-old girl, whom he also assaulted repeatedly, to assist him in trafficking the victims.  Williams operated his sex trafficking operation in 2022 and 2023 out of his Chicago residence and motels in Lansing, Ill.

    On Aug. 2, 2022, Williams kidnapped one of his victims by luring her inside his truck and abruptly driving away.  The victim escaped by leaping from the moving vehicle.

    On Jan. 10, 2023, Williams kidnapped another of his victims by confining her to his closet overnight and then forcing her to engage in commercial sex with strangers.  The victim escaped by jumping out of a second-floor window and running a quarter mile to a Chicago Public Library branch.

    All five of Williams’ victims, including both of the kidnapping victims, testified about their ordeals at trial.

    If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678.  The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Midland Felon Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIDLAND, Texas – A Midland man was sentenced in federal court to 360 months in prison for child pornography production and drug and firearm offenses.

    According to court documents, Job Jasso Jr., 27, led a Midland County Sheriff’s Office deputy on a high-speed chase following an attempted traffic stop on March 13, 2024. Jasso crashed the vehicle and fled on foot, leaving a 17-year-old female in the passenger seat. A search of her phone revealed multiple sexually explicit photos of Jasso and the minor female.

    On March 25, 2024, the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force and other partnered agencies executed an arrest warrant at a hotel where Jasso was staying. Inside the room, Jasso and the minor victim from the March 13 incident were naked and taken into custody. Two firearms were seized during the arrest. An executed search warrant also revealed additional firearms, along with firearm accessories and ammunition, drug paraphernalia, 63.2 grams of fentanyl pills, and other related items. Review of a recovered smartphone found approximately 44 images and two videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and child exploitative material (CEM) depicting the minor victim. A search warrant return for a cloud storage account also uncovered 12 videos of CSAM and CEM of the minor victim.

    Jasso had previously been convicted in the 142nd District Court in Midland for aggravated kidnapping and received a sentence of five years’ confinement.

    On Aug. 28, 2024, Jasso was indicted for one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; one count of possession with intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl; one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime; and one count of possession of stolen firearms. A federal jury found him guilty of all four counts Nov. 6, 2024.

    A second indictment was filed Sept. 25, 2024, for two counts of production of child pornography. Jasso was also found guilty on both of those counts in a federal trial Dec. 10, 2024. U.S. District Judge David Counts sentenced Jasso to 360 months in prison for both child pornography charges, as well as a concurrent 300 months in prison for the other four counts. Judge Counts also ordered Jasso pay $55,000 in restitution.

    “Jasso has amassed a troubling criminal record over the years, carelessly placing others—including minors—in grave danger through his illicit actions,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “The 30-year sentence that he will now serve in federal prison is a significant penalty that appropriately fits the multiple offenses for which he was found guilty by a jury.”

    “This sentence serves as a reminder to all predators. We will not allow crimes against children to go unpunished,” said John Morales, FBI El Paso Special Agent in Charge. “While this significant sentence cannot repair the damage done, it is a warning to those who engage in this behavior: FBI and our law enforcement partners will be relentless in our pursuit of child predators.”

    The FBI, Texas Department of Public Safety, Odessa Police Department, and Midland County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Sloane prosecuted the case.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Deputy Director at District Office of Neighborhood and Safety Engagement Pleads Guilty to Bribery

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Official Accepted at Least $10,000 in Cash to Direct Contracts and Grants to Company

                WASHINGTON – Dana McDaniel, 44, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty today to bribery for accepting at least $10,000 in exchange for agreeing to use her position as Deputy Director at the District’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) to benefit another.

                The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Darrell Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations Washington DC Field Office, and District of Columbia Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas.

                U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras set a sentencing date for August 6, 2025.

                According to court documents, from January 2020 to April 2023, McDaniel served as the Deputy Director of ONSE. In that role, McDaniel managed agency programming and community-based services focused on providing resources and interventions for at-risk individuals in at-risk communities impacted by violence in the District, including the Violence Intervention (VI) Initiative, a collaborative community engagement strategy designed to support D.C. residents in reducing gun-related violence in their communities.

                Court documents show that, prior to September 2022 and continuing through at least August 2024, McDaniel accepted at least $10,000 in cash from a Maryland resident to direct contracts and grants to two different District of Columbia-based businesses associated with the Maryland resident. Those companies included a company that represented itself as a community-based initiative to serve high-risk youths and adults and operated throughout the District, and a company that provided VI services as part of ONSE’s VI initiative in Ward 5.

                McDaniel faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

                This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, with substantial assistance from Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations and the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General.

                It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca G. Ross, John Crabb, and Joshua Rothstein.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Covert Agent, NCMEC CyberTips Lead to 30-Month Sentence for Cornville Man Who Accessed Child Sexual Abuse Material

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

    BANGOR, Maine: A Cornville man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for accessing child sexual abuse material.

    U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Wade Willette, 46, to 30 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Willette pleaded guilty on October 3, 2024.

    According to court records, in August 2020, an individual using the Kik Messenger app contacted an FBI online covert employee (OCE) after the OCE posted on an online bulletin board known to be frequented by people with a sexual interest in children and/or child pornography. The username for the Kik account and associated email address were traced to Willette. In January 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a CyberTip from Kik revealing that the same username had uploaded three videos containing child sexual abuse material the previous month.

    In March 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at Willette’s residence, and FBI agents interviewed him. In the interview, he confirmed the Kik account was his, that he had searched for and viewed child sexual abuse material on his phone, and that he had engaged in online conversations about child pornography in the past. Two images of young children being sexually abused were recovered from his phone.

    The FBI investigated the case.

    To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – in legal terms, “child pornography” – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are shared or viewed. File a report with NCMEC at https://report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.

    Project Safe Childhood: 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’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, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Revere Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Armed Robberies of Two Local Convenience Stores

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

    BOSTON – A Revere man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for the armed robberies of two Boston-area convenience stores in less than one week.

    Jaquan Barrows, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to nine years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In December 2024, Barrows pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery interfering with interstate commerce, commonly referred to as Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of using and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to, and in furtherance of a crime of violence. In April 2024, Barrows was charged by criminal complaint.

    On the morning of March 29, 2024, a male wearing a mask, dark clothing and an orange safety vest entered a Revere convenience store brandishing a handgun. The suspect walked behind the counter, demanded cash from the cash register drawer, additional cash and a cell phone from the store clerk. The suspect struck the clerk in the head with the firearm, took an ice cream bar from a store freezer and fled the scene.  

    Less than one week later, on the morning of April 4, 2024, a male wearing a black mask and dark clothing entered an Everett convenience store and appeared to be shopping. After being asked to pay for his items, the suspect brandished a handgun, pointed it at the store clerk and demanded cash from the cash register drawer and fled the scene.  

    A subsequent investigation identified a Honda Pilot captured in the vicinity of the Revere convenience store. The vehicle was registered to an individual who resided with Barrows. Surveillance footage obtained from the Revere convenience store and from Barrows’ residence showed Barrows wearing clothing similar to the robber. During a search of Barrows’ residence on April 4, 2024, clothing items matching the robber from the Revere robbery, as well as a handgun were found. Barrows was immediately taken into custody.    

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Revere and Everett Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Maynard of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
     

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