NewzIntel.com

Category: Federal Bureau of Investigation

  • MIL-OSI Security: Turtle Creek Resident Pleads Guilty to Narcotics Trafficking and Unlawful Possession of Firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics and firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    Timothy Mollett, 34, pleaded guilty to Counts One, Six, Thirteen, and Fourteen of the Superseding Indictment before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan on March 19, 2025.

    In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from in and around April 2019 to in and around July 2021, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Mollett conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of cocaine, 28 grams or more of a mixture of crack, and quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Mollett was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that he distributed to others. Further, in and around July 2021, Mollett unlawfully possessed a firearm as a convicted felon, and did so in furtherance of his drug trafficking crime. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.

    Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for July 24, 2025. The law provides for a total maximum sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

    Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Mollett. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, Cambria County District Attorney’s Office, Indiana County District Attorney’s Office, Cambria County Sheriff’s Office, Cambria Township Police Department, Indiana Borough Police Department, Johnstown Police Department, Upper Yoder Township Police Department, Richland Police Department, Ferndale Police Department, and other local law enforcement agencies.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational 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.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Johnstown Woman Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Heroin and Crack

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    Sandra Box, 59, pleaded guilty to Count One of the Superseding Indictment before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan on March 19, 2025.

    In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from in and around February 2021 to in and around April 2021, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Box conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute quantities of heroin and crack. Box was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that she distributed to others.

    Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for July 24, 2025. The law provides for a total maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

    Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Box. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, Cambria County District Attorney’s Office, Indiana County District Attorney’s Office, Cambria County Sheriff’s Office, Cambria Township Police Department, Indiana Borough Police Department, Johnstown Police Department, Upper Yoder Township Police Department, Richland Police Department, Ferndale Police Department, and other local law enforcement agencies.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational 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.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Utah County Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison After Running a $1.6 Million Affinity Fraud Scheme

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

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Jacob Welch Dalton, 28, of Saratoga Springs, Utah, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release, and ordered by the court to pay $1,553,806 in restitution.  Dalton defrauded approximately 45 investors in a securities fraud scheme by obtaining investments from people that he knew personally or through social media.

    The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Jill N. Parrish, comes after Dalton pleaded guilty to securities fraud on September 30, 2024.

    According to court documents and statement made at Dalton’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, from October 2022 to December 2023, Dalton lied to investors to unlawfully obtain money and property by selling securities, that is investments in his company, Rogue Liquidity, LLC.  As part of the scheme, Dalton provided falsified documents and fictitious information to investors electronically and by telephone. Dalton lied to investors about Rogue Liquidity, LLC, and its success by claiming it operated as an investment liquidity fund that pooled investor funds for guaranteed risk free return on principal and investment of up to 60%. Rather, the company had no liquidity pool and investors’ funds were used almost entirely for his own use. He also lied and created fictitious investor track records to obtain investor funds.

    Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah made the announcement.

    The case was investigated jointly by the Utah Division of Securities and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Provo Resident Agency.

    Assistant United States Attorney Mark E. Woolf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: 13/2025・Notice of Annual General Meeting of Trifork Group AG

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Company announcement no. 13 / 2025
    Schindellegi, Switzerland – 21 March 2025

    Notice of Annual General Meeting of Trifork Group AG

    The Annual General Meeting 2025 of Trifork Group AG (the “AGM”) will be held on 15 April 2025 at 12:00 p.m. CEST at Grabenstrasse 2, 6340 Baar, Switzerland.

    The AGM will be streamed live on the internet. Shareholders who wish to participate in the livestream shall register on the e-voting platform of Computershare no later than 11 April 2025 at 11.59 p.m. CEST.

    All relevant documentation for the AGM is available on Trifork’s investor website: https://investor.trifork.com/

    The documents include:

    • Invitation to the AGM (including agenda and motions of the Board of Directors);
    • Annual report 2024 (including the remuneration report 2024, the ESG report 2024 (sustainability statements), the consolidated financial statements 2024, the annual financial statements 2024 and the respective reports of the auditors);
    • Presentation of the new Board member Lars Stugemo standing for election;

    Olivier Jaquet has decided not to stand for a re-election at the upcoming AGM.
    The Board of Directors and Executive Management expresses their highest appreciations for Olivier’s services and are thankful for his valuable contributions towards the Company over the last six years and accompanying the growth story of Trifork Group, including the IPO in May 2021.

    Shareholders registered in the share register on the publication date of this notice convening the AGM will receive an invitation for the AGM by mail along with individual login codes to the voting platform of the AGM.

    Information and questions
    Frederik Svanholm, Group Investment Director, frsv@trifork.com, +41 79 357 73 17

    About Trifork
    Trifork is a pioneering global technology partner, empowering enterprise and public sector customers with innovative solutions. With 1,229 professionals across 73 business units in 16 countries, Trifork delivers expertise in inspiring, building, and running advanced software solutions across diverse sectors, including public administration, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, energy, financial services, retail, and real estate. Trifork Labs, the Group’s R&D hub, drives innovation by investing in and developing synergistic and high-potential technology companies. Trifork Group AG is a publicly listed company on Nasdaq Copenhagen. Learn more at trifork.com.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Cleveland Men Indicted For Trying To Send Firearms To Drug Cartel Members In Mexico

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

    Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the  unsealing of an indictment charging Yarquimedes Rodriguez Hilario (32, Cleveland, OH) and Adison Lopez-Ramirez (34, Cleveland, OH) with conspiring to traffic firearms and money laundering. If convicted on all counts, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit assets that are traceable to proceeds of the offense. 

    According to the indictment and other court documents filed during this investigation, since 2021, undercover agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), posing as Mexican cartel members, were introduced to Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario because he was a trafficker of firearms that could be smuggled to Mexico. Undercover communications with Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario and others discussed the purchase of AR-15s and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. One of the coconspirators described that he sold AR-15s and AK-47s to El Salvadorans and had cocaine available for distribution. Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario further offered fentanyl to one of the agents to make pills.

    Beginning in late-2021, members of the conspiracy sold or arranged the sale of at least 90 rifles and one Mac-10-type machine gun with a silencer to undercover agents in the Middle District of Florida and Cleveland, Ohio. On October 21, 2021, Adison Lopez-Ramirez delivered nine .223/5.56 caliber rifles and one 9mm rifle to undercover ATF agents in St. Petersburg, Florida, in exchange for $16,000. Soon after the sale, federal agents followed Lopez-Ramirez as he deposited $9,000 from the sale into the bank account of Yarquimedes Rodriguez Hilario, the brother of Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario.

    In November 2022, an undercover agent told Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario that his associates in Mexico were “battling and losing” and needed to purchase more firearms. On March 2, 2023, Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario arranged to deliver 40 AM-15 multi-caliber firearms to the agents. Saleh Yusuf Saleh, who acquired and assembled the parts to make the firearms, arrived at the meeting with Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario and the agents. After an undercover agent inspected one of the boxes of firearms, both Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario and Saleh were arrested.

    In March 2024, Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario was sentenced to 13 years and 4 months’ imprisonment. In November 2024, Saleh Yusuf Saleh previously was sentenced to 5 years and 8 months in federal prison. 

    Image 1: Firearms from the October 21, 2021 Sale

     Images 2-3: Firearms from March 10, 2022 Sale

    Images 4-5: Firearms from May 26, 2022 Sale

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and 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 (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The Cleveland offices of ATF, HSI, DEA, and FBI, with assistance from the Cleveland Police Department and Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, provided critical support in the apprehension of the defendants. It is being prosecuted by Dan Baeza.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America which streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Three More Defendants Plead Guilty in Large Bank Fraud Conspiracy

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBANY, NEW YORK – Davon Hunter, age 27, of Richmond, Virginia, Christian Quivers, age 20, of Richmond, and Crystal Kurschner, age 44, of Brooklyn, New York, have pled guilty for their respective roles in a bank fraud conspiracy. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

    As part of their pleas, Hunter, Quivers, and Kurschner each admitted that they were members of a conspiracy to defraud financial institutions all over the country by obtaining the personal identifying information (“PII”) of victims and using lower-level “workers” to impersonate the identity-theft victims to conduct fraudulent banking transactions in their names.  As part of a plea agreement entered today, Quivers admitted that he was a supervisor in the conspiracy and relayed instructions he obtained from supervisors, including Oluwaseun Adekoya, Kani Bassie, and Hunter, to lower-level members of the conspiracy who impersonated identity-theft victims and conducted fraudulent transactions in their names.  As part of a plea agreement entered earlier this week, Kurschner admitted that she was a “worker” who impersonated identity-theft victims and provided most of the fraud proceeds to her supervisors.  Earlier this month, Hunter admitted that he was a manager of the conspiracy who received directions and PII from supervisors including Adekoya and Bassie and orchestrated fraudulent transactions on their behalf.

    Hunter and Quivers each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.  Kurschner pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. 

    These remaining defendants are charged as follows in the second superseding indictment: 

    • Adekoya, age 39, a Nigerian citizen living in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of money laundering conspiracy, and nine counts of aggravated identity theft;
    • Bassie, age 36, of Brooklyn, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of money laundering conspiracy, and two counts of aggravated identity theft; and
    • Jermon Brooks, age 20, of Richmond, Virginia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

    As to these defendants, the charges in the second superseding indictment are merely accusations. These remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    The prosecution is the result of an ongoing investigation led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI-Albany, which began after the May 2022 arrest of Daniyan, Gaysha Kennedy, age 46, of Brooklyn, and Victor Barriera, age 64, of the Bronx, by the Cohoes Police Department after the trio traveled to the Capital Region to commit bank fraud.  According to documents previously filed in the case, the investigation has uncovered over $1.7 million in fraudulent transactions to date.  Eleven defendants have pled guilty and forfeited hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds, luxury apparel, and jewelry.

    At sentencing later this year, Hunter, Quivers, and Kurschner each face a maximum term of 30 years’ incarceration for the bank fraud conspiracy, and Hunter and Quivers each face a mandatory consecutive term of 2 years’ incarceration for their convictions of aggravated identity theft.  The defendants will be ordered to pay restitution and will also face a term of post-incarceration supervised release of up to 5 years. 

    FBI Albany is investigating the case, with assistance from the FBI Field Offices in New York, Newark, Richmond and Resident Agencies in Westchester, New York; Brooklyn/Queens, New York; Garrett Mountain, New Jersey; and Fort Walton Beach, Florida.  Additional assistance was provided by other law enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement & Removal Operations (New York Field Office & Albany sub-office); U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (Buffalo Field Office & St. Albans Resident Office); U.S. Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General; New York law enforcement agencies including the New York State Police; Cohoes PD; Colonie PD; Elmira PD; Corning PD; Plattsburgh PD; Florida law enforcement agencies including the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office; the Pennsylvania State Police; Alabama law enforcement agencies including the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Gasden PD, and Rainbow City PD; Georgia law enforcement agencies including the Georgia State Patrol, Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, and Morrow PD; Kansas law enforcement agencies including Lawrence PD and Overland Park PD; New Hampshire law enforcement agencies including Rochester PD, Manchester PD, and Amherst PD; the Delaware State Police; Maryland law enforcement agencies including the Maryland State Police, Harford County Sheriff’s Office and Baltimore County Sheriff’s Office; Wisconsin law enforcement agencies including Onalaska PD and Eau Claire PD; and Indiana law enforcement agencies including the Allen County Sheriff’s Office.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin S. Clark and Joshua R. Rosenthal are prosecuting this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Zadeh Kicks Owner and Chief Financial Officer Plead Guilty in $80 Million Wire Fraud and Bank Fraud Conspiracy

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    EUGENE, Ore.— The former owner and former chief financial officer of Zadeh Kicks LLC, a now-defunct Oregon corporation that sold limited edition and collectible sneakers online, pleaded guilty today for perpetrating a fraud scheme that cost customers more than $65 million in unfulfilled orders and defrauded financial institutions out of more than $15 million.

    Michael Malekzadeh, 42, a Eugene resident, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiring to commit bank fraud. Bethany Mockerman, 42, also of Eugene, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bank fraud.

    According to court documents, Malekzadeh started his business in 2013 by purchasing limited edition and collectible sneakers to resell online. Beginning as early as January 2020, Zadeh Kicks began offering preorders of sneakers before their public release dates, allowing Malekzadeh to collect money upfront before fulfilling orders. Malekzadeh advertised, sold, and collected payments from customers for preorders knowing he could not satisfy all orders placed. By April 2022, Malekzadeh owed customers more than $65 million in undelivered sneakers.

    In her role as chief financial officer at Zadeh Kicks, Mockerman conspired with Malekzadeh to provide false and altered financial information to numerous financial institutions—including providing altered bank statements—on more than 15 bank loan applications. Together, Mockerman and Malekzadeh received more than $15 million in loans from these applications.

    During the investigation, agents seized millions of dollars in cash and luxury goods that Malekzadeh acquired with the proceeds of his fraud, including luxury watches, jewelry and hundreds of handbags. Additionally, almost $7.5 million was seized from the sale of Malekzadeh’s residence in Eugene, his watches, and luxury cars manufactured by Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche.

    On July 29, 2022, Malekzadeh was charged by criminal information with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and money laundering, and Mockerman was charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

    Malekzadeh faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release for wire fraud, and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine and five years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Mockerman faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine and five years of supervised release. Malekzadeh will be sentenced on August 12, 2025, and Mockerman will be sentenced on August 26, 2025, before a U.S. District Judge.

    As part of their plea agreements, Malekzadeh and Mockerman have agreed to pay restitution in full to their victims and if needed forfeit any criminally-derived proceeds and property used to facilitate their crimes identified by the government prior to sentencing.

    This case was investigated by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Oregon Intellectual Property Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Gavin W. Bruce, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. Forfeiture proceedings are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katie C. de Villiers, also of the District of Oregon.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Eastern European Organized Crime Leaders Convicted Of Murder-For-Hire Targeting U.S.-Based Journalist On Behalf Of The Iranian Government

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    The Iranian Government Hired Polad Omarov and Rafat Amirov to Kill Masih Alinejad in Exchange for $500,000

    Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Leslie R. Backschies, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today that a jury returned guilty verdicts against RAFAT AMIROV, a/k/a “Farkhaddin Mirzoev,” a/k/a “Pᴎᴍ,”  a/k/a “Rome,” and POLAD OMAROV, a/k/a “Araz Aliyev,” a/k/a “Polad Qaqa,” a/k/a “Haci Qaqa,” on all five counts in the Superseding Indictment, which included murder-for-hire and attempted murder in aid of racketeering charges, in a trial before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon.  AMIROV and OMAROV are scheduled to be sentenced on September 17, 2025.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “For years, the Government of Iran has attempted to silence an outspoken Iranian journalist, author, activist and critic of their regime through any means necessary, including harassment, violence, intimidation, and even attempted murder.  Chillingly, the plot to murder this Iranian dissident culminated over 6,000 miles from Iran, on U.S. soil, right here in New York, when a hitman with an AK-47 camped outside her home to kill her.  I commend the career prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners at the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division for their tireless work in bringing these defendants to justice.  This verdict should send a clear message around the world:  if you target U.S. citizens, we will find you, no matter where you are, and bring you to justice.”

    FBI Assistant Director in Charge Leslie R. Backschies said: “The convictions of Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov send a clear message to all foreign governments who violate our laws and attempt to commit violence against Americans — they and their proxies will face justice for any attempt to silence Americans on U.S. soil.  The Iranian government’s shameless conduct and attempt to violate our laws and assassinate a critic of their human rights atrocities will not be tolerated.  The FBI is determined to disrupt any effort by foreign governments to use violence to repress our citizens’ freedoms, here or abroad.”

    As reflected in the Superseding Indictment and the evidence presented at trial:

    AMIROV and OMAROV were high-ranking members of an Azeri faction of the Russian Mob (the “Organization”) who worked with other members of the Organization to attempt to kill Masih Alinejad on instructions from high-ranking members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (“IRGC”). Alinejad has previously been the target of plots by the Government of Iran to intimidate, harass, and kidnap her for her work as a journalist, author, and human rights activist who has publicized the Government of Iran’s human rights abuses around the world.  As recently as 2020 and 2021, Iranian intelligence officials and assets plotted to kidnap Alinejad from within the U.S. for rendition to Iran in an effort to silence her criticism of the Iranian regime.

    After these brazen efforts to kidnap Alinejad from the U.S. failed, the IRGC turned to AMIROV and OMAROV to locate, surveil, and murder her.  Beginning in approximately July 2022, AMIROV sent targeting information—which he had received directly from IRGC officials in Iran—about Alinejad to OMAROV.  In turn, OMAROV communicated this information to Khalid Mehdiyev, another member of the Organization who had been residing in Yonkers, New York, so that Mehdiyev could surveil Alinejad and murder her. In turn, Mehdiyev sent photographs and videos of Alinejad’s residence to OMAROV, who shared these materials with AMIROV and the IRGC officials who orchestrated the plot in Iran.  AMIROV and OMAROV then arranged for a $30,000 cash payment to Mehdiyev, who used a portion of this payment to buy an AK-47 style assault rifle, two magazines, and at least 66 rounds of ammunition; as Mehdiyev boasted in electronic communications, a “war machine” he could use to kill Alinejad.

    In late July 2022, Mehdiyev repeatedly traveled to Alinejad’s neighborhood to surveil her.  Mehdiyev sent reports of his surveillance to OMAROV, who passed them to AMIROV.  On July 24, 2022, Mehdiyev reported to OMAROV from Alinejad’s residence that he was “at the crime scene.”  On July 27, 2022, OMAROV told AMIROV that Mehdiyev was ready to kill Alinejad, writing “this matter will be over today.  I told them to make a birthday present for me.  I pressured them, they will sleep there this night.”  On July 28, 2022, Mehdiyev sent OMAROV a video taken from inside the car that Mehdiyev was driving with the assault rifle and a message reading “we are ready.”  AMIROV sent an image of the interior of Alinejad’s home to OMAROV to be forwarded to Mehdiyev, writing “this is the house where she stays.”  As OMAROV continued to update AMIROV about Mehdiyev’s readiness, AMIROV cautioned OMAROV “let him keep the car clean.”  When Mehdiyev subsequently drove from where he was surveilling the residence, he was stopped after a traffic violation and, during a subsequent search of the vehicle, police officers found the assault rifle, 66 rounds of ammunition, approximately $1,100 in cash, and a black ski mask.

    After Mehdiyev was arrested and placed into custody, OMAROV contacted Mehdiyev’s mother and threatened to kill her and her other son if she did not locate Mehdiyev. 

    *               *                *

    AMIROV, 46, of Iran; OMAROV, 40, of the country of Georgia, were convicted on five counts:  murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison (Count One); conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison (Count Two); conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison (Count Three); attempted murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison (Count Four); and possession and use of a firearm in connection with the attempted murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison (Count Five).

    Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and its New York Field Office Counterintelligence-Cyber Division and the New York FBI Iran Threat Task Force.  Mr. Podolsky also thanked the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) and the NYPD Intelligence Bureau, as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, for their assistance. Mr. Podolsky also thanked the authorities in the Czech Republic.

    This case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Lockard, Jacob H. Gutwillig, and Matthew J.C. Hellman are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from paralegal specialist Owen Foley and Trial Attorneys Christopher Rigali and Leslie Esbrook of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man arrested in Arizona for making bomb threats in Alaska

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A man was arrested March 6 in Flagstaff, Arizona, after a federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment in December 2024 charging him with making six bomb threats targeting locations in Alaska in 2023.

    According to court documents, on Oct. 17, 2023, Christopher Gilbert, 33, used a phone to make bomb threats targeting the Ted Stevens International Airport and Fairview Elementary School in Anchorage, and the Maniilaq Health Center in Kotzebue. On Dec. 8, 2023, Gilbert also used a phone to make bomb threats targeting the Ted Stevens International Airport and O’Malley Elementary School in Anchorage, and Harborview Elementary School in Juneau.

    Court documents allege that during the phone calls, he demanded a hospital be evacuated, that there were bombs in a school and that he had hidden a pipe bomb on a plane. On at least one occasion, the threats were allegedly made in retaliation because a family member refused to give him money.

    Gilbert is charged with six counts of making bomb threats in interstate commerce. The defendant made his initial court appearance today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona and will be transported to Alaska. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI Anchorage Field Office is investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney William Taylor is prosecuting the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona.

    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 USA: ICE San Francisco, federal partners target transnational criminal organizations in major enforcement action

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    SAN FRANCISCO – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement along with the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and U.S. Probation, conducted a multi-agency operation March 11 targeting the disruption of cartel related narcotics and firearms distribution as well as others identified as criminal threats to the South Lake Tahoe, California community.

    Gang members affiliated with Sureno and MS-13 known for their involvement in drug and weapons trafficking were among those arrested in the one-day operation along with other individuals with convictions for possession for sale of narcotics or controlled substances, selling or modifying firearms, narcotics trafficking, DUI, false imprisonment, and possession of obscene material depicting minors in sexual conduct.

    “Collaborative enforcement actions of this scale demonstrate a whole government approach with enhanced intelligence-driven investigations followed by coordinated law enforcement action,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations San Francisco acting Field Office Director Polly Kaiser. “We will continue to leverage our resources and staff to disrupt and remove those that pose a risk to public safety.” 

    The arrested individuals are currently being processed for federal prosecution and removal proceedings, where applicable.

    For more information, visit www.ice.gov or follow @EROSanFrancisco on social media.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Maryland MS-13 Gang Members Indicted For Murder In Aid Of Racketeering

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has charged Manuel Erazo Alvarado, a/k/a “Castigo,” 46, and Erick Guillen Pleitez, a/k/a “Kilo,” both of Annapolis, Maryland, with Murder in Aid of Racketeering.  The indictment was returned on February 13, 2025.  Erazo Alvarado made his initial appearance yesterday in the United States District Court in Baltimore, Maryland and Guillen Pleitez made his initial appearance on March 6, 2025 in the same courthouse.

    According to court documents, La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, is an international criminal organization composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland and throughout the United States.

    It is alleged that in 2017, the defendants were members or associates of MS-13 in Maryland.  During that time, the defendants engaged in narcotics distribution, collected extortion payments, or “rent,” and engaged in acts of violence.  On or about August 29, 2017, the defendants participated in the murder of an individual to maintain and increase their positions in the gang.  If convicted, the defendants face either a mandatory life sentence or death. 

    Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Kelly O. Hayes, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Chief Amal E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department; Chief Edward Jackson of the Annapolis Police Department; and Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr. Superintendent of the Maryland State Police made the announcement today.

    The FBI, HSI and Anne Arundel County Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) are investigating the case.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Kenneth S. Clark and James Hammond, along with Criminal Division Trial Attorneys Matthew Hoff and Amanda Kotula of the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section 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).

    This case is also part of an OCDETF investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational 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.

    PSN is 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.

    Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement.  The FBI and HSI both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know.  You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.

    An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Oklahoma Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Destroy Satanic Temple in Salem with a Pipe Bomb

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – An Oklahoma man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to throwing a pipe bomb at The Satanic Temple (TST) in Salem, Mass. on April 8, 2024. 

    Sean Patrick Palmer, 49, of Perkins, Okla., pleaded guilty to one count of using an explosive device to damage and attempt to damage a building used in interstate or foreign commerce. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for June 12, 2025. Palmer was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024. He was charged by criminal complaint and arrested on April 17, 2024, in Perkins, Okla. 

    TST is a non-theistic religious organization headquartered in Salem, Mass. According to the charging documents, at approximately 4:14 a.m. on April 8, 2024, surveillance cameras captured a man, subsequently identified as Palmer, walking towards TST wearing a black face covering, a tan-colored tactical vest and gloves. As Palmer approached TST, he ignited a pipe bomb – a type of improvised explosive device or “IED” – threw it at TST’s main entrance, and then ran away. The IED did not fully detonate and therefore caused only minor damage to TST’s exterior. 

    According to the charging documents, the pipe bomb was constructed from a roughly two-foot section of plastic pipe covered with metal nails attached to the pipe with duct tape. The inside of the pipe was filled with smokeless gunpowder. During the investigation, Palmer’s DNA was found on the outside of the IED.

    A six-page handwritten note was found in a flower bed adjacent to TST, near the area where Palmer threw the IED. Among other things, the letter stated: 

    DEAR SATANIST
    ELOHIM SEND ME 7 MONTHS AGO TO GIVE YOU
    PEACEFUL MESSAGE TO HOPE YOU REPENT. YOU SAY
    NO, ELOHIM NOW SEND ME TO SMITE SATAN AND I
    HAPPY TO OBEY. AND ELOHIM WANT ME TO CONTACT
    YOU TO TELL YOU REPENT. TURN FROM SIN. ELOHIM
    NO LIKE THIS PLACE AND PLAN TO DESTROY IT. MAYBE
    SALEM TOO? ELOHIM SEND ME TO FIGHT CRYBABY
    SATAN, BUT WANT ME TO MAKE HARD EFFORT SO NO
    ONE DIES. I OBEY.

    The charge of using fire or an explosive to cause damage to a building used in interstate or foreign commerce provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Lucas J. Miller, Chief of the Salem Police Department made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Massachusetts State Police; Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Oklahoma City Field Office; Payne County Sherriff’s Office; Oklahoma Highway Patrol; the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma; and Stillwater (Okla.) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason A. Casey of the National Security Unit is prosecuting the case.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: City Man Who Robbed Northeast Philadelphia Business, Carjacked a Mother and Daughter Outside Their Home Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Amir Harvey, 25, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond to 96 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and restitution of $717, in connection with the armed robbery of a commercial business and a carjacking, both in Northeast Philadelphia.

    Harvey was arrested and charged by complaint in September of 2022 and then indicted in October of that year. In October 2024, he pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery, carjacking, and possession of ammunition by a felon.

    As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, on September 9, 2022, at approximately 11 p.m., he and three others approached the Hook and Reel restaurant, located at 9763 Roosevelt Boulevard. Upon encountering an employee of the restaurant outside, Harvey entered and held the employee at gunpoint, ransacked the office, stole about $400 from the cash drawers, and fled.

    In the early morning hours of September 19, 2022, Philadelphia police officers responded to a report of a robbery in progress on the 8900 block of Maxwell Place, where the victim reported that her car had just been stolen by an armed individual as she and her teenage daughter were about to leave for school.

    The victim stated that around 6:15 a.m., she started her vehicle using an application on her cell phone. A short time later, she and her daughter exited their house and walked to the car parked in the front driveway, when they were approached by an armed individual, later identified as the defendant, who pointed an imitation firearm, fitted with a high-capacity magazine, at their heads.

    The defendant grabbed the victim’s keys and purse and sped away in her vehicle. The victim then used its location tracking feature on her cell phone app and informed police, who responded to that location on the 2000 block of Griffith Street, about 2½ miles from the victim’s home. Using neighborhood video surveillance footage, investigators traced the movement of the victim’s vehicle and the defendant to a nearby apartment complex.

    “This armed robbery and carjacking were violent crimes targeting absolutely innocent victims,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Amir Harvey ambushed a restaurant employee on a break, and a mother and daughter heading off to school. Offenses like these inject fear into our community and affect our quality of life. The Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force is working every day to hold perpetrators accountable. Public safety is our top priority.”

    “Amir Harvey is going to federal prison for many years for this brazen and calculated carjacking and robbery,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “We hope this case deters those willing to use violence in our community. Working with our partners in our Carjacking Task Force and applying ATF’s unique forensic and investigative tools, we will continue to prevent and prosecute violent crime and make our streets safer.”

    The swift action to investigate and federally charge this defendant is the work of the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force, which comprises members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Violent Crime Unit; the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Philadelphia Police Department. The goal of the Task Force is to stem the wave of armed carjackings and violent crimes through investigative and enforcement techniques meant to identify, and refer for federal prosecution, all who terrorize innocent victims through commission of these offenses within Philadelphia and surrounding areas.

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert E. Eckert and Lauren E. Stram.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Little Rock Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison After Being Convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

          LITTLE ROCK—A Little Rock man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison today after a jury convicted him of committing multiple drug crimes. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.

          Marquis Hunt, 42, Hunt was indicted by a federal grand jury on a third superseding indictment on August 6, 2024. An investigation revealed that on July 8, 2022, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made contact with Hunt at a residence in southwest Little Rock. Hunt was detained while a search warrant was obtained and executed. During a search, agents located more than 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 16 pounds of fentanyl throughout the residence, as well as distributable amounts of cocaine and marijuana. Through further investigation, it was discovered that the fentanyl was distributed or sprayed on shredded vegetable material with a mixture of the prescription painkiller tramadol, which made it appear to be a form of synthetic marijuana or “K2.” During the jury trial, Hunt acknowledged selling drugs, but then denied selling the drugs located at the residence.

          After a three-day jury trial, a federal grand jury found Hunt guilty of four federal narcotics violations: possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

          In addition to the 360-month prison term, Judge Moody also sentenced Hunt to five years’ supervised release, and $400 in special assessments. There is no parole in the federal system.       

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

          The investigation was conducted by the FBI with assistance from the Arkansas State Police and Arkansas State Crime Laboratory. The and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda Fields and Reese Lancaster.

    # # #

    Additional information about the office of the

    United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

    https://www.justice.gov/edar

    X (formerly known as Twitter):

    @USAO_EDAR 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Chatham County man sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to violent robbery, shooting of a store employee

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAVANNAH, GA:  A Chatham County man has been sentenced to federal prison for the armed robbery of a grocery store employee that left two people wounded.

    Jordan Richardson, 25, of Savannah, was sentenced to 240 months in prison after pleading guilty to Interference with Commerce by Robbery, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Possession and Discharge of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence, said Tara M. Lyons, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker also ordered Richardson to pay $23,793 in restitution and to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

    “Jordan Richardson wounded two people during his brief but violent criminal outburst,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lyons. “His crime illustrates the importance of keeping our community safe by taking guns out of the hands of those who are prohibited from possessing them.”

    As described in court documents and testimony, in July 2022, Richardson waited outside the Jones Red and White Food Store on Ogeechee Road in Savannah for an employee to exit the business with a cash deposit. Richardson brandished a pistol and attempted to rob the employee, who drove away as Richardson fired a shot. Richardson, in his own vehicle, then chased the employee and fired at least six times at the employee’s vehicle when it stopped at an intersection, wounding the employee and a nearby worker. Richardson then took the deposit bag and fled.

    Several days later, Savannah police officers captured Richardson after an extended vehicle chase through neighborhood streets in which he crashed into two patrol cars. During searches subsequent to the robbery, investigators found the Glock pistol used in the robbery and shootings.

    At the time of the robbery, Richardson was on probation for a prior state conviction that included robbery and gun possession. His probation was revoked after his arrest, and Richardson was remanded to custody in the Georgia Department of Corrections pending federal sentencing. 

    “The blatant violence Richardson committed against these store employees followed by the complete disregard for the safety of the public and the police officers during the commission of his crimes is completely reprehensible,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is proud to work with our local partners to convict repeat offenders, like Richardson, at the federal level, where he faces a stiff penalty with no opportunity for parole.”

    “I am extremely proud of our officers, investigators, and our federal partners involved in this case,” said Lenny B. Gunther, Savannah Chief of Police. “Due to their hard work and expertise, Mr. Richardson is being held accountable for his actions.”

    The case was investigated by the Savannah Police Department and the FBI, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Makeia R. Jonese and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley R. Thompson. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Elizabeth Man Sentenced To 60 Months In Prison For Illegally Possessing A Gun

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK, N.J. – An Elizabeth man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm, U.S. Attorney John Giordano announced.

    Stanley Claiborne, 28, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin to an Indictment charging him with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Judge Padin imposed the sentence in Newark federal court.   

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

    On the morning of July 14, 2022, members of the United States Marshals Service apprehended Claiborne near Market and Broad Streets in downtown Newark based on two unrelated arrest warrants.  Claiborne was in possession of a loaded gun at the time of his arrest. Claiborne was previously convicted of unlawful possession of a handgun in New Jersey Superior Court, among other felony convictions, and is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Padin sentenced Claiborne to 3 years of supervised release.

    “This case is an excellent example of state and federal authorities partnering together to aggressively combat illegal gun possession in New Jersey” 

    U.S. Attorney John Giordano

    “The arrest of Stanley Claiborne and prosecution for possessing an illegal firearm is a testament to the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Attorney’s Office commitment to justice and safety for our communities throughout the state,” said Juan Mattos Jr., U.S. Marshal for the District of New Jersey.

    U.S. Attorney John Giordano credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Newark Field Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, the United States Marshals Service (USMS), under the direction of Marshal Juan Mattos Jr., and the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

    The investigation was also conducted as part of the USMS’s New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force (NY/NJ RFTF). The NY/NJ RFTF was formed in 2002 and has made an extraordinary impact on the investigation and apprehension of the region’s most dangerous and violent fugitives.

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

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

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clara Kim and Thomas S. Kearney of the Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

                                                               ###

    Defense counsel: Lorraine Gauli-Rufo, Verona, New Jersey

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: 11 Defendants Sentenced in Connection with Cleveland Drug Trafficking Organization

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Suitcases stuffed with drugs were flown from L.A. to sell on Cleveland streets

    CLEVELAND – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio has announced sentencings in connection with a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that transported suitcases stuffed with illegal drugs from California to Ohio. Eleven defendants were charged with numerous federal crime violations, including Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy, in a superseding indictment on Feb. 22, 2024, with the initial indictment issued on Sept. 20, 2023.

    According to court documents, from about May 2021 to about Nov. 29, 2022, the defendants played different roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy. Jerry Baker, aka Jerry Bogarty, 34, of Cleveland, established a criminal organization primarily active on the city’s east side. He led the day-to-day operations of the organization, directing members and associates to generate income by engaging in illegal activities including drug trafficking, extortion, and robbery. Baker determined who was allowed to traffic narcotics on behalf of the enterprise and who was permitted to collect and launder the proceeds. Some enterprise members conspired and attempted to threaten others with acts of violence, including extortion, robbery, and assault, in attempts to collect outstanding debts.

    Overall, the DTO received more than 600 pounds of marijuana from a major supplier based in California. Walter Sornoza, 50, of Los Angeles, led a nationwide distribution network that he named “Empire Genetics.” To get the drugs to Cleveland, enterprise associates would fly from California to Ohio and check-in their baggage, which were suitcases filled with packaged marijuana. The drugs would then be delivered to Cleveland-based members of the organization. Baker directed associates to launder the cash profits from the marijuana sales by converting the proceeds into money orders. Another associate was responsible for flying from Cleveland to Los Angeles to hand the money orders and cash over to the Sornoza enterprise as payment for the marijuana supply received.

    Baker also purchased a small business in Cleveland, “In & Out Tires,” which served as a hub for members and associates to store and distribute drugs. During the investigation, agents also seized several firearms scattered throughout the business, which were intended to be used for protection of the drug enterprise. Other items recovered included money order receipts, packing materials, suitcases, and other supplies used to transport, store and distribute marijuana.

    The defendants were each sentenced to imprisonment and/or probation by U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Gaughan after pleading guilty to their roles in the drug trafficking conspiracy.

    • Baker was sentenced to 168 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to launder money, RICO conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute, and distribution, of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin, maintaining a drug premise, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after imprisonment.
    • Deshaun Martin, 36, of Cleveland, was sentenced to 87 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, RICO conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and cocaine base (crack), and for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was also ordered to serve four years of supervised release after imprisonment.
    • Sornoza was sentenced to 108 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and possession with intent to distribute, and distribution, of marijuana. He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after imprisonment.
    • Noblys Garcia, aka Flaco, 43, of Studio City, California, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, distribution of marijuana, and possession with intent to distribute, and distribution, of marijuana. He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after imprisonment.
    • Sidne Spencer, 28, of North Hollywood, California, was sentenced to two years of probation for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and marijuana.
    • Keveon Lewis, 44, of Corona, California, was sentenced to six months in prison and six months location monitoring for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and distribution of marijuana. He was also ordered to serve two years of supervised release after imprisonment.
    • Moniqka Hazzard, 32, of Riverside, California, was sentenced to 30 days in prison and seven months location monitoring for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. She was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment.
    • Jerry Baker Sr., 55, of Cleveland, was sentenced to three years of probation for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and for maintaining a drug premise.
    • Antonio Lanier, 35, of Cleveland, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and RICO conspiracy. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment.
    • Herman Wilson, 43, of Katy, Texas, was sentenced to two years of probation for conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
    • Ajeremiah Baker, aka AJ, 20, of Garfield Heights, Ohio, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for RICO conspiracy. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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 Cleveland Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle major criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations, including criminal gangs, transnational drug cartels, racketeering organizations, and other groups engaged in illicit activities that present a threat to public safety and national security and are related to the illegal smuggling and trafficking of narcotics or other controlled substances, weapons, humans, or the illegal concealment or transfer of proceeds derived from such illicit activities in the Northern District of Ohio. The OCDETF Cleveland Strike Force is composed of agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), United States Marshals Service (USMS), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), along with task force officers from numerous local law enforcement agencies, including the Cleveland Division of Police. Prosecutions are led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

    This case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division, IRS Criminal Investigation, ATF Cleveland Division, U.S. Marshals Service Cleveland, the Cleveland Division of Police, and the Los Angeles Police Department Narcotics Unit. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret A. Sweeney for the Northern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Brian Lynch of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: March Federal Grand Jury 2024-B Indictments Announced

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the March Federal Grand Jury 2024-B Indictments.

    The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.

    Dylan Ray Alexander. Second Degree Murder in Indian Country;   Carrying, Using, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition (superseding). Alexander, 31, of Bartlesville and a member of the Cherokee Nation, is charged with unlawfully killing Kevin Holden and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Additionally, Alexander is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bartlesville Police Department, and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Dunn and Tara Heign are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-052

    Daniel Allen Ash; Amber Dawn Murphy.Second Degree Murder in Indian Country (Count 1); Child Neglect in Indian Country (Counts 2 through 5); Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under 12 Years of Age in Indian Country; (Count 6); Second Degree Murder in Indian Country (Count 7); Child Neglect in Indian Country (Counts 8 through 11). Both from Commerce, Ash, 32, and Murphy, 30, a member of the Cherokee Nation, are charged with unlawfully killing a minor child in Sep. 2024 and willfully neglecting the health, safety, and welfare of four minor children. Ash is further charged with engaging in a sexual act with a minor child under 12 years old. The FBI and Quapaw Nation Marshal Service are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Hockenbury is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-088

    Eric Lee Blanchard. Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country; Production of Child Pornography; Coercion and Enticement of a Minor. Blanchard, 21, of Broken Arrow and a member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe, is charged with knowingly engaging in sexual activity with a minor under 16 years old and coercing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce material showing the sexual abuse of children. Further, he is charged with coercing and enticing a minor child to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Homeland Security Investigations, Rogers County Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and Broken Arrow Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Robert is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-094

    Pedro Vazquez Camacho. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Camacho, 52, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Jun. 2009. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Mackenzie is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-089

    Kenneth Troy Cooper. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition (superseding). Cooper, 58, of Drumright, is charged with possessing several firearms and various rounds of ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Creek Country Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Hockenbury is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-006

    Leonardo Giovanni Segura Curiel. Drug Conspiracy; Distribution of Fentanyl. Curiel, 26, a Mexican national, is charged with conspiring to distribute fentanyl and intentionally distributing fentanyl. Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Tulsa Police Department, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Mackenzie is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-082

    Karina Garcia-Salazar; Jorge Augusto Prieto-Gamboa. Conspiracy to Transfer Identification Documents; Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Use or Transfer Five or More Documents; Aggravated Identity Theft. Garcia-Salazar, 46, of Tulsa, Prieto-Gamboa, 40, a Mexican National, are charged with conspiring to make false identification documents in exchange for payment. They further conspired to knowingly possess with intent to transfer more than five identification documents, such as a United States Permanent Resident Card or Social Security Card, without lawful authority. Garcia-Salazar is additionally charged with unlawfully possessing and using the identification of others to create counterfeit permanent resident and social security cards. Homeland Security Investigations, Office of the Inspector General – Social Security Investigations, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Greenough is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-099

    Hayden Barclay Greene. Abusive Sexual Contact by Force or Threat in Indian Country; Assault of an Intimate/Dating Partner by Strangling and Suffocating in Indian Country; Assault by Striking, Beating, and Wounding in Indian Country (Misdemeanor). Greene, 47, of Tulsa and a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is charged with engaging in a sexual act by force and threat. Additionally, Greene allegedly strangled an intimate dating partner and physically assaulted a second victim. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey Todd is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-095

    Phyllis Christine Henson. Felon in Possession of a Firearm; Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Henson, 63, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm, knowing she was previously convicted of a felony. She is charged with knowingly possessing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and marijuana with intent to distribute. Additionally, Henson possessed a firearm while involved in drug trafficking and maintained a residence for the purposes of drug distribution. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Attila Bogdan is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-096

    Patrick Kanaley; Teia Newberry. Drug Conspiracy; Distribution of Methamphetamine. Kanaley, 47, and Newberry, 45, of Tulsa, are charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine from May 2024 through Jan. 2025. They are further charged with intentionally distributing a substance that contains a detectable amount of methamphetamine. The FBI and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyson McCoy is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-097

    Steven Shain McDaniel. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. McDaniel, 49, of Tulsa, is charged with knowingly possessing more than 500 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Attila Bogdan is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-098

    Jimmie Dewayne Martin. Possession of Child Pornography in Indian Country (Count 1); Production of Child Pornography (Counts 2 through 4). Martin, 75, of Tulsa and a member of the Cherokee Nation, is charged with possessing visual images and videos depicting children under 12 years old engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Further, Martin is charged with using three minor children to produce images or videos that show the child engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The Tulsa Police Department is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Wright and Ashley Robert are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-086

    Geovani Narvaez-Ramirez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Narvaez-Ramirez, 29, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Feb. 2017. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ammon Brisolara is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-090

    Adrian Marquez Rodriguez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien; Aggravated Identity Theft (superseding). Rodriguez, 46, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Nov. 2005. He is further charged with unlawfully using another person’s identification to stay in the United States. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office and Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Mackenzie is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-054

    Jose Juan Salas-Esparza. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Salas-Esparza, 47, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Dec. 2014. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Augustus Forster is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-091

    E’Mari Yatel Stancle. Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute; Carrying, Using, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime. Stancle, 27, of Muskogee, is charged with knowingly possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute and discharging a firearm while drug trafficking. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Flesher is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-105

    Joseph Austin Wagener. Theft in Indian Country – Over $1,000. Wagener, 34, of Tulsa, is charged with stealing personal property exceeding $1,000 in value. The Homeland Security Investigations and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Bailey is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-100

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: York County Tax Preparer Indicted for Submission of Fraudulent PPP Loan Applications and Destruction of Records

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Dommonick T. Chatman, age 49, of York, Pennsylvania, was indicted on twenty counts of bank fraud and one count of destroying records in a federal investigation.

    According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that Chatman either submitted or caused to be submitted false and fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications and supporting documentation in order to obtain funds for his clients and kickback payments to himself.

    The PPP program was created by the March 2020 CARES Act, as part of the United States government’s efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the public’s health and economic well-being. The PPP program was designed to help small businesses facing financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. PPP funds were offered in forgivable loans, provided that certain criteria are met, including use of the funds for employee payroll, mortgage interest, lease, and utilities expenses.

               According to the indictment, Chatman operated a business located in York, PA, known as The Chatman Group, LLC, through which he offered tax-preparation services. It is alleged that Chatman discussed the PPP and funds available through the PPP with existing and prospective clients of his company. If the clients decided to move forward with PPP loan applications, Chatman prepared a PPP loan application for and on behalf of a client or directed an employee of The Chatman Group to prepare an application using information that he provided. Chatman then knowingly inserted false and fraudulent information into clients’ applications and supporting documentation. For example, several loan applications were supported by a Schedule C—an official IRS tax form for the reporting of business income by a sole proprietor—claiming over $100,000 in gross receipts when, in reality, the taxpayer either did not file a Schedule C for the corresponding tax year or filed a Schedule C reporting gross receipts of less than $15,000.

    A financial institution, including at times an unnamed financial institution headquartered in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, then approved such loans in reliance on the documentation submitted to it.

    The indictment contains twenty individual charges of bank fraud, each of which is based on an allegedly false and fraudulent PPP loan application filed during March and April 2021. Most of the applications were for a requested amount of approximately $20,833, which was the maximum possible amount for a sole proprietor with no employees. 

    The indictment also alleges that in November and December 2022, after being contacted and interviewed by members of federal law enforcement, Chatman knowingly destroyed records—including electronically stored PPP loan applications of clients and a hard copy list of PPP loan applications of clients—with the intent to obstruct a federal grand jury investigation. 

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma is prosecuting the case. 

    The maximum penalty under federal law for bank fraud is 30 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. The maximum penalty for destruction of records in a federal investigation is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

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

    On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

    # # #

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Conviction Affirmed for Man Who Kidnapped, Murdered 80-year-old Horry County Woman

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RICHMOND, Va. — The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the 2022 conviction of Dominique Devonah Brand for kidnapping resulting in death, carjacking resulting in death, and using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in a manner constituting murder.

    In a written opinion, the court affirmed Brand’s convictions following a multi-day bench trial in September 2022. Evidence presented at trial established that on Sunday, March 28, 2021, Brand entered the Nichols, South Carolina, home of Mary Ann Elvington, a retired elementary school teacher and stalwart in her church and community. In the days prior, Brand had burglarized another nearby residence, stealing a shotgun, in addition to burglarizing and vandalizing a local church. Brand forced Ms. Elvington to drive him from her house to Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, and back into South Carolina. During this trip, Brand sat behind Ms. Elvington with the shotgun before forcing her into the back seat and driving her to a remote crossroads in Marion County. Once there, he marched her behind an abandoned grocery store, held the shotgun to the back of her head, and pulled the trigger, executing her. Brand then drove Ms. Elvington’s car to Marion, where he hid it behind an abandoned club. Ms. Elvington’s body was located the following evening. During a post-arrest statement to authorities, Brand denied committing the murder, but his guilt was proven at trial with DNA evidence, cell phone analytics, and crime scene analysis.

    “We are pleased that the Fourth Circuit has affirmed the convictions we proved beyond a reasonable doubt in the senseless kidnapping and murder of Ms. Mary Ann Elvington,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews for the District of South Carolina. “This has been a painful ordeal for her loved ones, and we send our continued support to Ms. Elvington’s family.”

    United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon presided over the trial and imposed two concurrent life sentences for the carjacking and kidnapping convictions, plus 10 consecutive years for using a firearm during the commission of these offenses. Brand, now 33, is in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons at USP Hazelton in West Virginia.

    The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office with significant assistance from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), Horry County Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Marion Police Department, Lake View Police Department, and Nichols Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Everett McMillian and Kathleen Stoughton prosecuted the case along with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Hixson, who also serves as the Deputy Solicitor for the 15th Judicial Circuit.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to Over 20 Years in Federal Prison

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

    A woman who worked with others to distribute a significant amount of methamphetamine was sentenced March 17, 2025, to more than 24 years in federal prison.

    Candace Sue Thein, age 42, from Dike, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 3, 2024 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of distribution of a controlled substance.  

    Evidence disclosed at sentencing showed that, from December 2023 through May 22, 2024, Thein worked with others to receive numerous packages of ice methamphetamine and marijuana from a source of supply in California.  In total, the group received over 50 pounds of methamphetamine from the source of supply in California, which the group then redistributed to individuals in Waterloo, Dike, Reinbeck, and Hudson, Iowa.  Law enforcement searched several of the residences of individuals receiving these packages, including Thein’s residence in Dike, on May 22, 2024.  In the early morning hours of June 15, 2024, Thein and two other individuals went to the residence of one of Thein’s drug customers, demanding money.  The two other individuals threatened to kill Thein’s drug customer, while Thein broke into the drug customer’s residence and stole his cellphone.   

    Thein was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Thein was sentenced to 292 months’ imprisonment, and she must also serve a three‑year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Thein is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison. 

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; United States Postal Service; the Tri‑County Drug Enforcement Task Force, consisting of the Waterloo Police Department, Cedar Falls Police Department, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Department, Evansdale Police Department, Waverly Police Department, Hudson Police Department, La Porte City Police Department, and the Bremer County Sheriff’s Department; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; the Mid‑Iowa Drug Trask Force; the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office; the Iowa State Patrol; and the Santa Ana, California Police Department.  

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

    The case file number is 24-CR-00052-CJW.

    Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Department of Defense Civilian Employee Pleads Guilty to Taking Classified Documents

    Source: US State of California

    A civilian electrical engineer for the Department of Defense pleaded guilty in federal court today to unauthorized removal and retention of classified material.

    According to court documents, Gokhan Gun, 51, of Falls Church, Virginia, was born in Istanbul, Turkey, and is a dual citizen of Turkey and the United States. Through his employment, Gun possessed a Top Secret security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) and received training on the proper handling and storage of classified information.

    Beginning in May 2024, Gun, without permission, removed at least five classified documents from his Department of Defense workspace with the intent to retain them at his primary residence, which was not an approved facility for the storage of classified information.

    On Aug. 9, 2024, Gun was scheduled to depart the United States on a morning flight to Mexico. However, FBI agents observed a ride share service arrive at the defendant’s residence and approached Gun. Agents observed inside Gun’s residence a backpack inside which they located a Top Secret document and a notebook with handwritten notes that mirrored a Top Secret report. In the dining room, agents located additional classified documents, one of which Gun printed on Aug. 7, 2024, just two days before his scheduled departure.

    Gun is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17 and faces up to five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia; Acting Assistant Director in Charge Phillip E. Bates of the FBI Washington Field Office and Executive Director Lee M. Russ of Air Force Office of Special Investigations Office of Special Projects (AFOSI) made the announcement.

    The FBI and AFOSI Office of Special Projects are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Gibbs for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorneys Adam L. Small and Chantelle Dial of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Salt Lake City 2025 Citizens Academy Nominations Now Open

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

    SALT LAKE CITY, UT—The FBI Salt Lake City Division is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Citizens Academy through April 18, 2025.

    The Citizens Academy is a six to eight week class that gives business, religious, civic, and community leaders an inside look at the FBI, with a goal of creating partnerships to better understand and protect the communities we serve.

    Classes will meet Wednesday evenings for six weeks, starting August 6, 2025. Topics may include terrorism, cyber-enabled crime, public corruption, civil rights, and financial crimes, among others. Participants will also get a hands-on experience in evidence collection. The session culminates on September 13, 2025, with a “range day” at the FBI’s shooting range.

    Attendees must be at least 21 years of age, live and/or work in Utah and consent to a limited background check.

    To self-nominate or submit a nomination for someone else, visit the following link: — FBI Citizens Academy Nomination Form—Salt Lake City

    Questions can be directed to our Community Outreach Specialist at SU_Outreach@fbi.gov

    To learn about other outreach programs, visit: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/saltlakecity/community-outreach

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Five Defendants Charged in Connection With Alien in Possession Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Baltimore, Maryland – Today, Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictments of five individuals on charges related to illegal aliens in possession of firearms and ammunition and firearms trafficking.

    Vielman Cabrera Arevalo, 20, of Guatemala; Erick Lozano Colindrez, 23, of Honduras; and Ludwin Fuentes Lopez, 22, of El Salvador, were indicted on Alien in Possession of a Firearm and/or Ammunition charges. Lester Araely Ramos Perez, 28, and Milton Leon-Morales, 27 — both from Guatemala — are charged with Firearms Trafficking and Aliens in Possession of a Firearm offenses.

    The indictments announced today 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.

    U.S. Attorney Hayes made the announcement with Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Baltimore Field Division (ATF); Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS); Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCoPD); and Chief Jason Lando, Frederick Police Department (FPD).

    According to the indictments, Ramos Perez, Leon-Morales, Arevalo, Lopez, and Colindrez are all illegal aliens unlawfully in the United States.  Ramos Perez and Leon-Morales are charged with conspiring with others to ship, transport, cause to be transported, and otherwise dispose of more than 35 firearms on January 22, 2025.  They are also charged with dealing firearms without a license, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and possessing firearms as illegal aliens unlawfully in the United States.

    Law enforcement found Arevalo in possession of two rounds of CBC 9mm Luger ammunition on December 14, 2023.  Similarly, authorities found Lopez in possession of a black Polymer 80 firearm and ammunition on July 20, 2024.   On November 15, 2024, authorities found Colindrez in possession of a Johnson Arms & Cycle Works .32 caliber revolver and one black 9mm polymer pistol along with approximately 23 rounds of ammunition. As a result, each of these defendants is charged in separate indictments for Alien in Possession of a Firearm and/or Ammunition.

    Upon a conviction, Ramos Perez and Leon-Morales face up to 15 years in prison on firearms trafficking charges, five years on dealing firearms without a license, 15 years in prison on the alien in possession charges, and 20 years on drug conspiracy charges. If Arevalo, Colindrez, and/or Lopez are convicted, they face up to 15 years in prison.

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

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

    U.S. Attorney Hayes commended HSI Baltimore; the FBI; ATF; DPSCS; BCoPD; and FPD for their work in connection with these investigations.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Kenneth Clark, Chief, Violent and Organized Crime, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Beim, Kim Hagan, and Jamie O’Donohue, who are prosecuting the federal cases.

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

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Guilty of Violating Federal Gun Control Act

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANARD WALTON (“WALTON”), age 41, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on March 12, 2025, before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to violating the Federal Gun Control Act, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.

    According to court records, on March 19, 2024, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at WALTON’s residence.  During the search, agents found a Springfield, nine-millimeter caliber semi-automatic pistol, in a kitchen cabinet wrapped in a towel.  In the kitchen, they also found approximately one and a half pounds of marijuana.  The agents located a hidden compartment under a set of stairs leading to the second story. In this hidden compartment, they found a Smith and Wesson, .40 caliber pistol, and approximately $37,941.00 of U.S. currency.  The Smith & Wesson firearm was confirmed to have been stolen.

    A records check showed that WALTON was a convicted felon who was prohibited from possessing firearms.  Court records confirmed that WALTON had at least five felony convictions, including a prior federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    On March 12, 2025, WALTON pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of the two firearms found during the March 19, 2024 search.

    Judge Milazzo set sentencing for June 18, 2025. WALTON faces  up to fifteen years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a mandatory special assessment of $100.

    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.

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Slidell Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller, Senior Litigation Counsel and PSN Coordinator.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Madison County Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Cyberstalking, Extortion, and Production of Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HUNTSVILLE, Ala. –  A New Hope man was sentenced today for stalking and extorting a woman and producing child pornography involving two minor victims, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.

    U.S. District Court Judge Liles C. Burke sentenced Donald Wayne Carmody, 29, of New Hope, Alabama, to 480 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. In December, Carmody pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, extortion, and production of child pornography. These convictions will require Carmody to register as a sex offender in accordance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

    According to the plea agreement, Carmody used anonymous text messages to threaten to release pictures of the victim on the internet if she did not send him intimate photographs. Carmody also obtained the victim’s login credentials for her social media accounts and accessed their contents. After Carmody was arrested on cyberstalking and extortion charges for this conduct, investigators discovered a USB thumb drive belonging to him that contained images of child pornography involving two victims under the age of twelve. The FBI’s Video Forensic Analysis Unit compared the images from the thumb drive, which showed a person’s hand, to pictures of Carmody’s hands taken during the investigation. The Unit identified similar class and distinguishing characteristics between the images, demonstrating that the hand in the images on the thumb drive belonged to Carmody.    

    The FBI investigated the case. Valuable assistance was provided by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney John M. Hundscheid prosecuted the case.

    If you suspect or become aware of possible sexual exploitation of a child, please contact law enforcement. To alert the FBI Birmingham Office, call 205-326-6166. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org.

    The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. For more resources on cybercrime, visit www.ic3.gov.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former University of Michigan Football Quarterbacks Coach and Co-Offensive Coordinator Indicted on Charges of Unauthorized Access to Computers and Aggravated Identity Theft

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DETROIT – Former University of Michigan Co-Offensive Coordinator Matthew Weiss—age 42, of Ann Arbor—was charged today in a 24-count indictment alleging 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft, Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck announced.

    Beck was joined in the announcement by Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Detroit Field Office (Michigan)

    According to the indictment, between approximately 2015 and January 2023, Weiss gained unauthorized access to student athlete databases of more than 100 colleges and universities that were maintained by a third-party vendor. After gaining access to these databases, Weiss downloaded the personally identifiable information and medical data of more than 150,000 athletes.   Using the information that he obtained from the student athlete databases and his own internet research, Weiss was able to obtain access to the social media, email, and/or cloud storage accounts of more than 2,000 target athletes.   Weiss also illegally obtained access to the social media, email, and/or cloud storage accounts of more than 1,300 additional students and/or alumni from universities across the country.

    Once Weiss obtained access to these accounts, he downloaded personal, intimate digital photographs and videos that were never intended to be shared beyond intimate partners.

    “Our office will move aggressively to prosecute computer hacking to protect the private accounts of our citizens,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck. “We stand ready with our law enforcement partners to bring those who illegally invade the privacy of others to justice.” 

    “Today’s indictment of Matthew Weiss underscores the commitment and meticulous investigative efforts of our law enforcement professionals,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “The FBI Detroit Cyber Task Force, in close collaboration with the University of Michigan Police Department, worked relentlessly on this case to safeguard and protect our community.”

    If convicted, Weiss faces a maximum of five years imprisonment on each count of unauthorized access to computers and two years on each count of aggravated identity theft. Conviction on a count of aggravated identity theft triggers a two-year mandatory minimum sentence, to be served consecutive to the sentence imposed for the underlying offense.

    An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  It will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Wyse and Patrick Corbett. The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Controller Indicted for Embezzling Over $1 Million from Fresno Fruit Wholesaler

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    FRESNO, Calif. — On Feb. 27, 2025, a federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment against Sergio Zacarias Lopez, 57, a Mexican citizen residing in Fresno, charging him with bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and illegal re-entry of a removed alien, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. The indictment was unsealed following his arrest today.

    According to court documents, between January 2016 and June 2023, Zacarias Lopez abused his position as the accounting supervisor and controller to defraud a family-run Fresno fruit wholesaler. Zacarias Lopez would write multiple company checks payable to “cash” and then deposit them into his own personal bank account through local ATMs. He signed the fraudulent checks using the signatures of other employees with signatory authority, including one of the founders of the company. Through this scheme, Zacarias Lopez embezzled more than $1 million before he was eventually detected by one of the banks and terminated by the company. To secure his accounting role in the first place, Zacarias Lopez stole a valid social security number and used that along with other falsified employment documents to conceal his lack of legal status. The indictment also states that Zacarias Lopez was previously removed from the United States in 2000 and has not been permitted to return to the United States.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Calvin Lee is prosecuting the case.

    If convicted of bank fraud, Zacarias Lopez faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. If convicted of aggravated identity theft or illegal re-entry of a removed alien, he faces a penalty of two years in prison. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Department of Defense Civilian Employee Pleads Guilty to Taking Classified Documents

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    A civilian electrical engineer for the Department of Defense pleaded guilty in federal court today to unauthorized removal and retention of classified material.

    According to court documents, Gokhan Gun, 51, of Falls Church, Virginia, was born in Istanbul, Turkey, and is a dual citizen of Turkey and the United States. Through his employment, Gun possessed a Top Secret security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) and received training on the proper handling and storage of classified information.

    Beginning in May 2024, Gun, without permission, removed at least five classified documents from his Department of Defense workspace with the intent to retain them at his primary residence, which was not an approved facility for the storage of classified information.

    On Aug. 9, 2024, Gun was scheduled to depart the United States on a morning flight to Mexico. However, FBI agents observed a ride share service arrive at the defendant’s residence and approached Gun. Agents observed inside Gun’s residence a backpack inside which they located a Top Secret document and a notebook with handwritten notes that mirrored a Top Secret report. In the dining room, agents located additional classified documents, one of which Gun printed on Aug. 7, 2024, just two days before his scheduled departure.

    Gun is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17 and faces up to five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia; Acting Assistant Director in Charge Phillip E. Bates of the FBI Washington Field Office and Executive Director Lee M. Russ of Air Force Office of Special Investigations Office of Special Projects (AFOSI) made the announcement.

    The FBI and AFOSI Office of Special Projects are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Gibbs for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorneys Adam L. Small and Chantelle Dial of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to Over Twenty Years Federal Prison

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

    A woman who worked with others to distribute a significant amount of methamphetamine was sentenced March 17, 2025, to more than 24 years in federal prison.

    Candace Sue Thein, age 42, from Dike, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 3, 2024 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of distribution of a controlled substance.  

    Evidence disclosed at sentencing showed that, from December 2023 through May 22, 2024, Thein worked with others to receive numerous packages of ice methamphetamine and marijuana from a source of supply in California.  In total, the group received over 50 pounds of methamphetamine from the source of supply in California, which the group then redistributed to individuals in Waterloo, Dike, Reinbeck, and Hudson, Iowa.  Law enforcement searched several of the residences of individuals receiving these packages, including Thein’s residence in Dike, on May 22, 2024.  In the early morning hours of June 15, 2024, Thein and two other individuals went to the residence of one of Thein’s drug customers, demanding money.  The two other individuals threatened to kill Thein’s drug customer, while Thein broke into the drug customer’s residence and stole his cellphone.   

    Thein was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Thein was sentenced to 292 months’ imprisonment, and she must also serve a three‑year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Thein is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison. 

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; United States Postal Service; the Tri‑County Drug Enforcement Task Force, consisting of the Waterloo Police Department, Cedar Falls Police Department, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Department, Evansdale Police Department, Waverly Police Department, Hudson Police Department, La Porte City Police Department, and the Bremer County Sheriff’s Department; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; the Mid‑Iowa Drug Trask Force; the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office; the Iowa State Patrol; and the Santa Ana, California Police Department.  

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

    The case file number is 24-CR-00052-CJW.

    Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –