NewzIntel.com

Category: Federal Bureau of Investigation

  • MIL-OSI Security: Armed Crips Member Receives Six Years in Prison

    Source: US FBI

    RALEIGH, N.C. – A Greenville gang member was sentenced to 72 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.  Leonard Williams Jr., 36, pled guilty to the charges on February 18, 2025. 

    According to court documents and other information presented in court, the Greenville Regional Drug Task Force conducted several controlled purchases of cocaine from Williams Jr. during July and August 2024. On August 12, 2024, law enforcement searched a residence associated with Williams Jr. on Ward Street and found more than an ounce of cocaine and a loaded .40 caliber handgun in the bedroom.  According to law enforcement, Williams Jr. is a validated member of the 83 set of the Crips street gang.  Williams Jr. has a prior conviction from 2016 for conspiracy to commit second degree murder.

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

    Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Greenville Regional Drug Task Force investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case.

    Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-CR-00072.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Armed Crips Member Receives Six Years in Prison

    Source: US FBI

    RALEIGH, N.C. – A Greenville gang member was sentenced to 72 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.  Leonard Williams Jr., 36, pled guilty to the charges on February 18, 2025. 

    According to court documents and other information presented in court, the Greenville Regional Drug Task Force conducted several controlled purchases of cocaine from Williams Jr. during July and August 2024. On August 12, 2024, law enforcement searched a residence associated with Williams Jr. on Ward Street and found more than an ounce of cocaine and a loaded .40 caliber handgun in the bedroom.  According to law enforcement, Williams Jr. is a validated member of the 83 set of the Crips street gang.  Williams Jr. has a prior conviction from 2016 for conspiracy to commit second degree murder.

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

    Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Greenville Regional Drug Task Force investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case.

    Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-CR-00072.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Headed to Prison: Disbarred South Florida Lawyer Who Stole Client Funds

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – A federal district judge in Ft. Lauderdale sentenced disbarred lawyer John Spencer Jenkins yesterday to 33 months’ imprisonment for misusing more than three quarters of a million dollars of his clients’ money.  

    According to plea documents and information provided during the sentencing hearing, Jenkins’ clients wired funds into his law firm’s Interest on Trust Account (“IOTA”) business account and general business account for the purpose of receiving legal services from Jenkins. In relation to his representation of one client’s estate, Jenkins admitted that the executor of the estate wired funds into his business accounts so that Jenkins would manage the distribution of the assets among his client’s designees.  However, Jenkins wired those funds into separate accounts for his own personal use.

    During the sentencing hearing, Judge David S. Leibowitz emphasized the importance of holding accountable people with Bar cards because they are uniquely situated with holding the public’s trust as licensed attorneys.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami made the announcement.

    FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Altanese Phenelus prosecuted it.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-CR-60172-DSL.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former High-Ranking New York State Government Employee and her Husband Charged with Accepting Kickbacks in PPE Fraud Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Linda Sun Falsified Information to Cause Approval of NYS Contracts Awarded to Businesses Operated by her Family Member and her Husband

    BROOKLYN, NY – A federal grand jury in Brooklyn yesterday returned a second superseding indictment that added charges against Linda Sun and her husband and co-defendant Chris Hu related to a fraudulent scheme involving procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) by the New York State (NYS) government at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.  As part of the scheme, Sun steered contracts to vendors with whom she had undisclosed personal connections, and she and Hu received millions of dollars from the vendors, including some in the form of kickbacks, which Sun did not disclose to the NYS government.  The new charges against Sun and Hu include honest services wire fraud, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, bribery, and conspiracy to defraud the United States.  Additionally, Hu is charged with tax evasion.  The defendants will be arraigned on Monday, June 30, 2025.

    Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI New York), announced the new charges.

    “As alleged, Linda Sun not only acted as unregistered agent of the government of the People’s Republic of China, but also enriched herself to the tune of millions of dollars when New York State was at its most vulnerable at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “When masks, gloves, and other protective supplies were hard to find, Sun abused her position of trust to steer contracts to her associates so that she and her husband could share in the profits.  We demand better from our public servants, and this Office will continue to hold accountable public officials who enrich themselves at the expense of the New York taxpayers.”

    Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, the New York State Office of the Inspector General, the New York State Police, and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) for their work on the case.  He also thanked the New York State Executive Chamber for its cooperation with the investigation.

    “During a global pandemic, Linda Sun allegedly leveraged her authority within the New York State government to secretly steer contracts to selective PPE vendors in exchange for millions of dollars in kickbacks to her and her husband,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia.  “This alleged scheme not only created an unearned and undisclosed benefit for the defendants and their relatives, but it also exploited the state’s critical need for resources in a health crisis. The FBI will never tolerate any public official who abuses their position to profit at the expense of others, especially when their objectives align with foreign agendas.”

    “Not only did Sun allegedly use Chinese money and her influence in New York State to benefit the Chinese government, it is further alleged that she used her position to steer multi-million-dollar contracts to companies controlled by family members and friends.  With this investigation, this husband-and-wife team with supposed ties to corruption has been rooted out, and they will soon understand that in legitimate government spending, there is no friends and family discount,” stated IRS-CI New York Special Agent in Charge Chavis.

    As alleged in the superseding indictment, at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and while working with the team of NYS government employees responsible for obtaining PPE, Sun used her position of influence with the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to coordinate the NYS government’s purchase of PPE from vendors located in the PRC.  In addition to certain vendors referred by the PRC government, Sun referred two vendors (the Cousin Company and the Associate Company) that were not recommended by the PRC government but rather had ties to Sun and Hu, while claiming falsely that these, too, were referrals from components of the PRC government.  In reality, the Cousin Company was operated by one of Sun’s second cousins, and the Associate Company was operated by Hu and one of Hu’s business associates.  With Sun’s assistance, the Cousin Company and the Associate Company each entered into multiple contracts with the NYS government worth millions of dollars apiece.

    Sun, the Associate Company, and the Cousin Company did not disclose to the NYS government (1) the fact that Sun and Hu had relationships with the Associate Company and the Cousin Company, or (2) that Sun and Hu received a portion of the profits that the Associate Company and the Cousin Company made as a result of their contracts with the NYS government for PPE, including through kickback payments from the Cousin Company.

    To conceal her relationship with the Cousin Company from procurement authorities at the NYS government, Sun falsified a document to suggest that the Jiangsu Department of Commerce had recommended the Cousin Company.  On or about March 20, 2020, Sun and other NYS government officials received an email from the U.S. representative to the Jiangsu Trade & Business Representative Office in Albany, New York suggesting four PRC-based vendors who were able to provide PPE for the NYS government.  On or about March 21, 2020, Sun forwarded herself an altered version of the email in which she replaced the first suggested vendor—a vendor that produced ventilators—with the Cousin Company and wrote that the Cousin Company was recommended by the Jiangsu Department of Commerce.

    On or about March 24, 2020, in an email with the subject line “Already VERIFIED by Linda Sun,” Sun wrote to NYS procurement officials that the Cousin Company “came recommended by Jiangsu Chamber of Commerce,” that the representative had helped “screen potential vendors,” and that the Cousin Company’s surgical mask was the “gold standard.”  Below Sun’s message was what purported to be quoted text from the Jiangsu Chamber of Commerce’s email recommending vendors. However, the email in the quoted text was the altered email.

    In connection with the Cousin Company contracts with the NYS government, a spreadsheet maintained on Sun and Hu’s personal computer indicated that the Cousin provided payments to Hu (and Sun) totaling approximately $2.3 million during 2020 and 2021.  These kickbacks from the Cousin Company represented taxable income.  Hu did not report these payments as income to the U.S. government, as required, or pay taxes on this income in Forms 1040 for 2020 and 2021 that he filed on behalf of himself and Sun.

    In part, Hu laundered the income from the Cousin Company by having the Cousin make $1.5 million in payments in three $500,000 increments from another entity that the Cousin owned (the Cousin Entity) to U.S. accounts at a financial institution.  Hu created these accounts in a close relative’s name instead of his own on April 29, 2020, two days before the final $6 million payment from NYS government to the Cousin Company.

    Sun also arranged for the Associate Company to be a vendor for NYS government contracts.  On March 14, 2020, Sun wrote an email with the subject “Mask suppliers” to other members of the NYS government PPE task force with procurement authority and listed the Associate Company as a potential supplier.  Sun subsequently communicated with the Associate Company by email to obtain a price quote for the contract and provided a status update to the NYS government about the contracts with the Associate Company.

    A computer owned by the defendants contained a NYS internal document tracking various state PPE contracts, broken out by vendor.  One of the fields in the document contained, for each company, an answer to the question “why did we do business with this vendor?”  For the Associate Company, the answer to the question was listed as: “referred by Chinese chamber of commerce.”  However, there was no such referral for the Associate Company.

    According to a spreadsheet found in one of Hu’s electronic accounts, the total profits Hu expected to reap from the contracts that the Associate Company and the Cousin Company had with the NYS Department of Health totaled $8,029,741.  Hu marked the column for these expected profits with the word “me.”

    The new charges are in addition to the existing charges against Sun, which include violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money laundering, and the existing charges against Hu, which include money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, as well as conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of means of identification.  The charges in the superseding indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander A. Solomon, Robert M. Pollack, and Amanda Shami are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Trial Attorney Eli Ross from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Litigation Analyst Emma Tavangari. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Mantell of the Office’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters.

    The Defendants:

    LINDA SUN, also known as “Wen Sun,” “Ling Da Sun,” and “Linda Hu”
    Age: 41
    Manhasset, New York

    CHRIS HU
    Age: 40
    Manhasset, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-346 (S-2) (BMC)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Burley Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    POCATELLO – Michael Allen Montoya, 40, of Burley, was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child, Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott announced today.

    According to court records, the investigation began when the FBI became aware that a person, later identified as Montoya, was distributing child sexual abuse material through an online social media platform. The FBI also learned that during online chat conversations, Montoya had discussed his sexual interest in children and had exchanged child sexual abuse material with other offenders. The FBI referred the investigation to the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (“ICAC”). The ICAC obtained a federal search warrant for Montoya’s Burley residence. During a forensic examination of Montoya’s electronic devices, ICAC located numerous files of child sexual abuse material. ICAC also discovered that Montoya had produced explicit images and videos of himself sexually abusing an infant and an 8-year-old child in his care.

    “Law enforcement in Idaho has zero tolerance for those that target children for abuse and exploitation.” Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott said. “As this case illustrates, images of child sexual abuse material are not just images – they are evidence of sexual abuse committed by predators like this defendant. I am thankful that we have outstanding professionals in the ICAC, the FBI, and our office that are dedicated to protecting Idaho’s children and ensuring this type of abhorrent conduct results in significant prison sentences.”

    “Our commitment to protecting children from abuse is unwavering,” said Idaho Attorney General Labrador. “I am grateful for our ICAC Task Force and the partnership we have with Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott’s office. By working together, we can continue making Idaho safer by investigating, arresting, and prosecuting one bad guy at a time.”

    Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also sentenced Montoya to lifetime supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution to his victims. Montoya will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of the conviction.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott commended the cooperative efforts of the Idaho ICAC Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Rupert Police Department, the Idaho State Police, the Minidoka County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office, which led to the charge. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kassandra McGrady and Erin Blackadar.

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

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four People Sentenced for Kidnapping and Stealing $7000 From 83-Year-Old Veteran

    Source: US FBI

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Four people have been sentenced to prison for kidnapping an 83-year-old Arlington man and taking $7,000 from him.

    According to court documents, on Dec. 30, 2023, Phillip Anderson, 37, Anthony Brockington, 22, Damien Griffin, 23, and K’la Hargrove, 27, traveled to the victim’s home intending to rob him. Hargrove’s boyfriend, who was incarcerated, owed $4,000 to Anderson for drugs, and had performed yardwork and handiwork for the victim. Hargrove, who had previously met the victim through her boyfriend, contacted the victim and arrived at the residence first. After the victim allowed Hargrove into his home, some of her co-conspirators, all of whom were armed, forced their way inside the home, assaulted the victim, and held him at gunpoint while demanding he give them money.

    When the victim explained he didn’t have enough cash in his home, the co-conspirators kidnapped the victim and took him to a “trap house” in Washington, where they physically restrained the victim and continued to assault him. The victim was forced to transfer $7,000 to the bank account of an associate of Griffin. While the victim was being held, Griffin used the victim’s credit card to make purchases from McDonalds, DoorDash, and a gas station, and attempted to purchase gift cards at a CVS Pharmacy. During the night of Dec. 31, 2023, Griffin and Brockington, at Anderson’s direction, returned to the victim’s home, broke into a locker, and stole firearms. They transferred the firearms to Anderson, who later sold them.

    On Jan. 1, 2024, the victim escaped from the trap house and returned to his home. A neighbor called 911 to report the kidnapping, and the victim was taken to a hospital for treatment. The kidnappers caused the victim to sustain fractures to his sternum and hands, broken ribs, and bruises and lacerations to his head and face.

    On Oct. 30, 2024, Griffin pled guilty to conspiracy to kidnap. On Jan. 30, he was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison.

    Anderson pled guilty on Jan. 16, to conspiracy to kidnap and kidnapping. On May 1, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

    On Jan. 30, Brockington pled guilty to kidnapping and aiding and abetting kidnapping. On May 1, he was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison.

    Hargrove pled guilty on March 13 to aiding and abetting kidnapping. She was sentenced today to six years in prison.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Emily Odom, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.

    The Arlington County Police Department provided valuable assistance in the investigation.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Sehar F. Sabir and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Cristina Stam prosecuted the case.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-196.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Rapid City Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison for Voluntary Manslaughter

    Source: US FBI

    RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on June 18, 2025.

    Luke Standing Bear, age 19, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    A federal grand jury indicted Standing Bear in July 2024. He pleaded guilty on March 21, 2025.

    On July 6, 2024, Standing Bear was in his neighborhood, in the Eastridge community in Pine Ridge, where he tried to fight several other men. The victim, who was one of the men whom Standing Bear tried to fight, told Standing Bear to go home. Standing Bear went back to his house and armed himself with a knife. Standing Bear returned to the scene of the first argument and got into another argument with the victim. Standing Bear was disarmed by bystanders, but then retrieved a second knife from his home and returned again to the street where the victim was standing. Standing Bear approached the victim after being insulted and stabbed the victim one time in the ribs. The victim took one step and collapsed to the ground. The knife had pierced several internal organs and the victim’s aorta. The victim survived the flight to the hospital in Rapid City but died during surgery.

    This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

    This case was investigated by the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case.

    Standing Bear was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Tajik Men Charged with Smuggling Illegal Aliens Into the U.S. for Financial Gain

    Source: US FBI

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Bekhzod Rakhmatov, 30, of Maineville, Ohio, and Munis Khojiev, 31, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were arrested and charged by indictment with attempting to bring an alien to the United States for private financial gain and conspiring to bring aliens to the United States for private financial gain, arising from a human smuggling scheme. Both defendants are Tajik nationals who entered the United States on the same day without legal authorization.

    The indictment alleges that, as part of their conspiracy, the defendants assisted in smuggling Co-Conspirator #1 into the United States, and then received referrals through Co-Conspirator #1 to smuggle additional illegal aliens into the U.S.

    As further alleged, from about December 2022 to about May 2025, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere, Rakhmatov and Khojiev engaged with other individuals to obtain visas and passports to enable illegal aliens to travel throughout various countries with the goal of arriving at the United States-Mexico border. The defendants solicited and received funds from, and on behalf of, illegal aliens, as payment for smuggling the illegal aliens into the United States.

    If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum possible sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment on each count.

    The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Danielle Bateman and Everett Witherell.

    The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Tajik Men Charged with Smuggling Illegal Aliens Into the U.S. for Financial Gain

    Source: US FBI

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Bekhzod Rakhmatov, 30, of Maineville, Ohio, and Munis Khojiev, 31, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were arrested and charged by indictment with attempting to bring an alien to the United States for private financial gain and conspiring to bring aliens to the United States for private financial gain, arising from a human smuggling scheme. Both defendants are Tajik nationals who entered the United States on the same day without legal authorization.

    The indictment alleges that, as part of their conspiracy, the defendants assisted in smuggling Co-Conspirator #1 into the United States, and then received referrals through Co-Conspirator #1 to smuggle additional illegal aliens into the U.S.

    As further alleged, from about December 2022 to about May 2025, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere, Rakhmatov and Khojiev engaged with other individuals to obtain visas and passports to enable illegal aliens to travel throughout various countries with the goal of arriving at the United States-Mexico border. The defendants solicited and received funds from, and on behalf of, illegal aliens, as payment for smuggling the illegal aliens into the United States.

    If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum possible sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment on each count.

    The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Danielle Bateman and Everett Witherell.

    The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tri-Cities Man Who Strangled and Assaulted His Girlfriend Sentenced to Federal Prison

    Source: US FBI

    Yakima, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that Jordan Michael Gunlock, age 33, was sentenced after pleading guilty to strangling and assaulting his girlfriend. United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke imposed a sentence of 24 months in prison to be followed by 3 years supervised release.

    According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, in November 2023, Gunlock got into an argument with his girlfriend at her home in Wapato, Washington, after she moved his jacket. During the argument, Gunlock grabbed his girlfriend by the back of the head and pulled her hair, injuring her.  After Gunlock stopped pulling her hair, the girlfriend told Gunlock to leave her home. Gunlock initially refused, but fled the residence after his girlfriend called for law enforcement to respond.

    In November 2024, Gunlock and his girlfriend were staying at the Legends Hotel Casino in Toppenish, Washington. While in their room, Gunlock put his hands on his girlfriend’s neck and strangled her. After Gunlock stopped strangling his girlfriend, she left the hotel room and went to the hotel lobby.  While sitting in the hotel lobby, the girlfriend was crying and gasping for air. Legends employees approached the girlfriend and called for law enforcement to respond.  Gunlock’s strangulation assault left red marks on her neck that were still visible to law enforcement later that evening.

    In asking for the 2-year sentence, Assistant United States Attorney Bree Black Horse noted that Gunlock has repeatedly assaulted and threatened to harm his girlfriend and members of her family if she left Gunlock or did not act had he directed.  AUSA Black Horse argued that the 2-year sentence of imprisonment in a federal facility followed by 3 years of supervised release as well as a federal no-contact order with his girlfriend would deter future acts of Intimate Partner Violence perpetrated by Gunlock against his girlfriend.

    At the sentencing hearing Judge Dimke noted that at the time of his arrest, Gunlock was located at his girlfriend’s residence in violation of a state court domestic violence protection order and that he had pressured her not to cooperate with state and federal authorities pursuing domestic violence assault charges against him.  The Court specifically noted text messages from Gunlock indicating that he believed if his girlfriend did not show up to court that domestic violence charges against him would be “dropped.”  In sentencing Gunlock to 2 years imprisonment, the Court stated it wanted to send a message that it takes domestic violence crimes on the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation seriously, and that interfering with the criminal justice system and demonstrating a lack of respect for court orders would result in serious consequences.

    “Protecting victims and ensuring their safety is a top priority for our office, particularly in cases involving intimate partner violence in Indian Country,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard R. Barker. “This prosecution reflects our ongoing commitment to working with Tribal partners to hold offenders accountable and to disrupt cycles of abuse that threaten the safety and well-being of Native women. Prosecution of MMIP-adjacent cases like this one is critical to protecting our Tribal communities throughout Eastern Washington.”

    “Mr. Gunlock’s sentencing demonstrates the FBI’s continued commitment to the safety of the state’s tribal communities,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office.  “Domestic violence cannot and will not be tolerated, and the FBI will continue to work diligently with our partners to bring justice for the victims of these deplorable crimes.”

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

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bree Black Horse. 

    1:25-cr-02005-MKD

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Omak, Washington, Man Who Shot at a Person on the Colville Reservation Sentenced to Federal Prison

    Source: US FBI

    Spokane, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that William Luquin Xhurape, 34, of Omak, Washington, was sentenced after pleading guilty to a charge of Felon in Possession of a Firearm. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice imposed a sentence of 57 months in prison to be followed 3 years of supervised release.

    According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, on April 1, 2024, Xhurape, who is a convicted felon and not allowed to possess firearms, pulled out a .22 caliber handgun and fired six shots into the ground outside the front door of a trailer on the Colville Reservation. Xhurape then pointed the firearm at the head of a person inside the trailer and fired two shots. The person quickly moved to avoid the shots.

    “I am grateful for the excellent partnership between the FBI, Tribal Police, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office on this case,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney, Rich Barker.  When we share information and work together, we can achieve so much in our efforts toward public safety within Eastern Washington’s incredible Native American nations and communities.

    “As a convicted felon, Mr. Xhurape was well aware of the consequences of possessing a firearm,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “His reckless use of a weapon nearly ended in tragedy, and I am thankful no one was injured. The FBI and our partners continue to strive together towards making our state’s tribal lands a safer place.”

    This case was investigated by the FBI and the Colville Tribal Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Ellis.

    2:24-cr-00078-TOR

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican Drug Trafficker Caught with 84 Pounds of Methamphetamine and Thousands of Fentanyl Pills Sentenced to Federal Prison

    Source: US FBI

    Yakima, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard Barker announced that Jose Bautista Andrade, age 46, of Mexico, was sentenced after pleading guilty to fentanyl trafficking charges. Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian imposed a sentence of 132 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.

    According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) developed information that Andrade was working for drug dealer based in Mexico. Andrade would make regular trips to pick up dugs in California, store the drugs at his home and storage units in the Yakima area, then deliver the drugs to customers in Western Washington and accept payment from customers.

    In October and November 2023, the FBI conducted two controlled purchases for total of four pounds of methamphetamine from Andrade. Both purchases took place at the Tacoma mall.

    On February 6, 2024, law enforcement agents executed search warrants at Andrade’s home and a storage unit. In total, agents located nearly 5 pounds of fentanyl pills, approximately 84 pounds of methamphetamine, and four firearms.

    At the sentencing hearing Chief Judge Bastian noted the large amount of drugs in this case and that Andrade was a major player in the drug trafficking operation.

    “Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Seal did an outstanding job bringing this case to a successful resolution,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard R. Barker. “His meticulous preparation and tenacious advocacy ensured that a major fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficker was held accountable. Prosecuting cases like this—where the scale of drug trafficking threatens the health and safety of entire communities—is essential to our mission, and AUSA Seal’s work exemplifies the dedication and excellence we strive for in the Eastern District of Washington.”

    “Even in small quantities, fentanyl and other dangerous drugs can kill, destroying lives and devastating communities. However, Mr. Bautista Andrade was found to possess not small quantities but several dozen pounds of methamphetamine and thousands of fentanyl pills,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “By removing this drug trafficker and his supplies from the streets, our investigators have undoubtedly made Yakima a safer place. I am grateful to them for their diligent work on this case and continued dedication to removing this toxin from our neighborhoods.”

    This case was investigated by the FBI, the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, and the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin D. Seal.

    1:24-cr-02064-SAB

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Repeat Domestic Abuser Sentenced to Federal Prison for Assaulting and Strangling His Partner

    Source: US FBI

    Yakima, Washington – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington announced today that Anthony John Maldonado, age 32, was sentenced after pleading guilty to assaulting his partner. Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian imposed a sentence of 15 months to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.  The Court also issued a 3-year federal no-contact order for the protection of the victim following Maldonado’s term of imprisonment.

    According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, on April 6, 2024, Maldonado and his partner E.J., were at E.J.’s apartment in Wapato, Washington, when they began to argue in a bedroom. During the argument, Maldonado punched E.J in the head and she fell to the floor. Maldonado kicked and punched E.J. while she was on the floor. Maldonado then began to strangle E.J. once she was on the ground. E.J. then bit Maldonado on the arm and escaped to the kitchen where she called the police.

    Maldonado consistently assaulted and harassed E.J. during their eight-year relationship resulting in domestic violence charges and convictions in Yakama Nation Tribal Court. Just two months before the assault that resulted in federal charges, Maldonado entered into a Deferred Sentence Agreement in Yakama Nation Tribal Court on domestic violence charges that included a requirement that he not “harm or harass E.J.”  At sentencing, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Bastian found that the Yakama Nation Tribal Court “no harm or harass order” in place at the time of the strangulation assault represented a “court protection order” under the Violence Against Women Act.

    At sentencing, MMIP Assistant United States Attorney Bree Black Horse stated “an assault involving non-fatal strangulation is a very serious offense,” explaining that “research shows a history of non-fatal strangulation is one of the most accurate predictors for the subsequent homicide of victims of domestic violence.”  ASUA Black Horse also highlighted that “Indigenous women like the victim in this case experience crime victimization and Intimate Partner Violence at higher rates than non-Indian people,” and that “Intimate Partner Violence is an important factor in the rates of homicide in Tribal communities, particularly for Indigenous women and girls.”

    “The pattern of traumatic abuse and domestic violence Mr. Maldonado inflicted on his partner is unconscionable, and the FBI will remain steadfast in its dedication to rooting out this type of violence in our tribal communities,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “I am proud of the work of our investigators and Tribal partners to ensure Mr. Maldonado was held accountable for his actions.”

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

    This case was investigated by the FBI. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bree R. Black Horse. 

    1:24-cr-02057-SAB

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Philadelphia Vertical Farmer Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Tax Evasion

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty yesterday to wire fraud and tax evasion.

    The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: John (Jack) Griffin of Philadelphia was the principal and founder of Second Story Farming Inc., which did business as Metropolis Farms. Second Story Farming had several lines of business, including growing crops in vertical farms to sell to customers, developing sustainable vertical farming technologies, and selling vertical farming systems to customers. Vertical farming refers to a practice of growing crops vertically and in horizontally stacked layers.

    In 2017, Griffin, through Second Story Farming, sold vertical farming systems along with the equipment, supplies, materials, and operational instructions necessary to operate them to two companies. Before entering into the contracts, Griffin provided financial projections to them that grossly overstated the anticipated revenues that could be generated by the vertical farms and grossly understated the anticipated expenses necessary to operate the vertical farms. In reliance on the financial projections, the companies each paid Second Story Farming to set up vertical farms for them. Rather than use those funds to provide them with vertical farms, Griffin used most of the money to pay his own personal expenses and operate Second Story Farming’s research and development line of business.

    In 2017, Griffin earned income from his work at Second Story Farming. Despite being legally required to file a tax return for that year, Griffin did not do so. Griffin tried to conceal that he received any income in 2017 by, among other things, withdrawing cash and paying personal expense from his business’s bank accounts and transferring funds from his business to his wife, and withdrawing cash from Second Story Farming’s business bank account.  

    Griffin is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 22. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each of the wire fraud charges and a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the tax evasion charge. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney David Metcalf for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating the case.

    Trial Attorney Catriona Coppler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis Weber for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania are prosecuting the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Atlanta Men who Robbed Greenville Jewelry Store Sentenced to Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    GREENVILLE, S.C. — Two Atlanta men have been sentenced to federal prison for the armed robbery of a Greenville jewelry store. Tony Nico Clark, 35, was sentenced to nine years and Dedrek Jaquon Hale, 30, was sentenced to nine-and-a-half years.  

    Evidence obtained in the investigation showed that on the afternoon of May 17, 2023, three men robbed a jewelry store located in Greenville. The robbery began when Clark, who was not wearing a mask, approached the door to the store that was locked between guests and was allowed in. Clark then held the door for two masked men, who rushed into the store brandishing handguns and ordering the employees and customers to the floor.

    One of the masked men, who remains unidentified, broke display cases using a hammer, while Hale used his handgun to smash the glass on the cases. Surveillance footage showed the men pointing their guns at employees and customers as they snatched jewelry from the broken cases. Clark stood nearby calmly calling out the time remaining before the men needed to exit the store. The robbers fled in a waiting car and returned to the Atlanta area.

    Through careful investigation, law enforcement was able to tie Clark and Hale to the robbery using DNA and other physical evidence. Clark and Hale were arrested in October of 2024 and, in March of this year, pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce and to using firearms in furtherance of a violent crime.

    United States District Judge Jacquelyn D. Austin sentenced Clark to 110 months imprisonment, and sentenced Hale to 115 months imprisonment, with both sentences to be followed by five-year terms of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. The court also ordered each defendant to make restitution of over $140,000.

    The investigation was led by the FBI Columbia field office, with assistance from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office and the Greenville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Schoen is prosecuting the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Atlanta Men who Robbed Greenville Jewelry Store Sentenced to Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    GREENVILLE, S.C. — Two Atlanta men have been sentenced to federal prison for the armed robbery of a Greenville jewelry store. Tony Nico Clark, 35, was sentenced to nine years and Dedrek Jaquon Hale, 30, was sentenced to nine-and-a-half years.  

    Evidence obtained in the investigation showed that on the afternoon of May 17, 2023, three men robbed a jewelry store located in Greenville. The robbery began when Clark, who was not wearing a mask, approached the door to the store that was locked between guests and was allowed in. Clark then held the door for two masked men, who rushed into the store brandishing handguns and ordering the employees and customers to the floor.

    One of the masked men, who remains unidentified, broke display cases using a hammer, while Hale used his handgun to smash the glass on the cases. Surveillance footage showed the men pointing their guns at employees and customers as they snatched jewelry from the broken cases. Clark stood nearby calmly calling out the time remaining before the men needed to exit the store. The robbers fled in a waiting car and returned to the Atlanta area.

    Through careful investigation, law enforcement was able to tie Clark and Hale to the robbery using DNA and other physical evidence. Clark and Hale were arrested in October of 2024 and, in March of this year, pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce and to using firearms in furtherance of a violent crime.

    United States District Judge Jacquelyn D. Austin sentenced Clark to 110 months imprisonment, and sentenced Hale to 115 months imprisonment, with both sentences to be followed by five-year terms of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. The court also ordered each defendant to make restitution of over $140,000.

    The investigation was led by the FBI Columbia field office, with assistance from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office and the Greenville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Schoen is prosecuting the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Cuban men arrested for roles in nationwide multimillion-dollar auto theft ring

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    McALLEN, Texas – Two Cuban nationals have been taken into custody on charges related to the exportation of stolen motor vehicles, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Sadiel Noa-Aguila, 42, and Miguel Baez-Echevarria, 36, resided in Pharr and Las Vegas, Nevada, respectively. 

    Noa-Aguila is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker in McAllen at 9 a.m., while Baez is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brenda Wexler in Las Vegas.  

    According to the criminal complaint unsealed upon their arrests, authorities launched an investigation in 2024 that uncovered a large ring linked to numerous vehicle thefts nationwide. The charges allege the vehicles were primarily stolen from major metropolitan airports and surrounding areas, including Las Vegas; Phoenix, Arizona; Salt Lake City, Utah; Denver, Colorado; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Texas cities including Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston.

    As part of the scheme, co-conspirators allegedly used electronic devices to steal the vehicles and reprogram key fobs. They then equipped the vehicles with fraudulent license plates or altered vehicle identification numbers before reselling them, according to the charges. Several vehicles were also allegedly exported to Mexico through ports of entry in Hidalgo County and El Paso. 

    Noa-Aguila allegedly attempted to export one of the vehicles, a 2022 GMC Sierra AT4 through a port of entry in Hidalgo County Oct. 1, 2024. It had been reported stolen in Denver the previous month, according to the allegations.

    The charges allege Baez is linked to the theft of at least 15 additional vehicles and estimates the organization stole vehicles worth millions of dollars in total.

    Both are charged with aiding and abetting the exportation of stolen motor vehicles which carries a maximum 10-year-prison term, upon conviction. Baez also faces charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering for which he could receive up to 20 years in federal prison.  

    Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Homeland Security Investigations and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are conducting the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Customs and Border Protection, ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations, Texas Department of Public Safety, Dallas Fort Worth Airport Department of Public Safety, Tarrant County District Attorneys’ Office and Tarrant County Regional Auto Crimes Task Force as well as sheriff’s offices in El Paso and Hidalgo Counties; Otero County, New Mexico; Broward County, Florida; and police departments in El Paso, Houston and Pharr; Las Vegas; Phoenix; Salt Lake City; and Denver.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Roberto Lopez Jr. is 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhood.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Cuban men arrested for roles in nationwide multimillion-dollar auto theft ring

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    McALLEN, Texas – Two Cuban nationals have been taken into custody on charges related to the exportation of stolen motor vehicles, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Sadiel Noa-Aguila, 42, and Miguel Baez-Echevarria, 36, resided in Pharr and Las Vegas, Nevada, respectively. 

    Noa-Aguila is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker in McAllen at 9 a.m., while Baez is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brenda Wexler in Las Vegas.  

    According to the criminal complaint unsealed upon their arrests, authorities launched an investigation in 2024 that uncovered a large ring linked to numerous vehicle thefts nationwide. The charges allege the vehicles were primarily stolen from major metropolitan airports and surrounding areas, including Las Vegas; Phoenix, Arizona; Salt Lake City, Utah; Denver, Colorado; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Texas cities including Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston.

    As part of the scheme, co-conspirators allegedly used electronic devices to steal the vehicles and reprogram key fobs. They then equipped the vehicles with fraudulent license plates or altered vehicle identification numbers before reselling them, according to the charges. Several vehicles were also allegedly exported to Mexico through ports of entry in Hidalgo County and El Paso. 

    Noa-Aguila allegedly attempted to export one of the vehicles, a 2022 GMC Sierra AT4 through a port of entry in Hidalgo County Oct. 1, 2024. It had been reported stolen in Denver the previous month, according to the allegations.

    The charges allege Baez is linked to the theft of at least 15 additional vehicles and estimates the organization stole vehicles worth millions of dollars in total.

    Both are charged with aiding and abetting the exportation of stolen motor vehicles which carries a maximum 10-year-prison term, upon conviction. Baez also faces charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering for which he could receive up to 20 years in federal prison.  

    Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Homeland Security Investigations and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are conducting the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Customs and Border Protection, ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations, Texas Department of Public Safety, Dallas Fort Worth Airport Department of Public Safety, Tarrant County District Attorneys’ Office and Tarrant County Regional Auto Crimes Task Force as well as sheriff’s offices in El Paso and Hidalgo Counties; Otero County, New Mexico; Broward County, Florida; and police departments in El Paso, Houston and Pharr; Las Vegas; Phoenix; Salt Lake City; and Denver.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Roberto Lopez Jr. is 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhood.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Wakpala Woman Sentenced to 13 Years in Federal Prison for Killing Her Mother within the Standing Rock Reservation

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ABERDEEN – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Wakpala, South Dakota, woman convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on June 23, 2025.

    Malania Rose Fast Horse, age 25, was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    Fast Horse was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2025. She pleaded guilty on March 6, 2025.

    Fast Horse quarreled with her mother in their Wakpala, South Dakota, home, within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, on Christmas Eve 2024. Fast Horse lost her temper and stabbed her mother several times in the chest, arm, and hand. Fast Horse ambled to her grandmother’s home next door and told her grandmother and brother she had stabbed her mother. She then grabbed some cigarettes and left. Fast Horse’s brother ran next door, finding his mother lying in a pool of blood on the floor, alive but incoherent. Although EMS was promptly dispatched, Fast Horse’s mother later succumbed to her injuries.

    This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court.

    This case was investigated by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

    Fast Horse was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Wakpala Woman Sentenced to 13 Years in Federal Prison for Killing Her Mother within the Standing Rock Reservation

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ABERDEEN – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Wakpala, South Dakota, woman convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on June 23, 2025.

    Malania Rose Fast Horse, age 25, was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    Fast Horse was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2025. She pleaded guilty on March 6, 2025.

    Fast Horse quarreled with her mother in their Wakpala, South Dakota, home, within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, on Christmas Eve 2024. Fast Horse lost her temper and stabbed her mother several times in the chest, arm, and hand. Fast Horse ambled to her grandmother’s home next door and told her grandmother and brother she had stabbed her mother. She then grabbed some cigarettes and left. Fast Horse’s brother ran next door, finding his mother lying in a pool of blood on the floor, alive but incoherent. Although EMS was promptly dispatched, Fast Horse’s mother later succumbed to her injuries.

    This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court.

    This case was investigated by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

    Fast Horse was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Nigerian National Pleads Guilty to Role in Romance Scam and Money Laundering Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant tricked a Massachusetts resident into wiring more than $2.5 million abroad

    BOSTON – A Nigerian national pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to his involvement in the theft of more than $2.5 million from six romance scam victims by transferring their money to cryptocurrency accounts that he controlled.  

    Charles Uchenna Nwadavid, 35, of Abuja, Nigeria, pleaded guilty to mail fraud, aiding and abetting money laundering and money laundering. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Sept. 23, 2025. Nwadavid was arrested in April 2025 after arriving on a flight from the United Kingdom to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. In January 2024, a federal grand jury in Boston indicted Nwadavid on charges of mail fraud and money laundering.

    According to the charging documents, “romance scams” recruit victims through advertisements for online relationships on dating or social media websites. Individuals perpetuating romance scams create fictitious profiles and then use them to gain victims’ trust through a purported romantic relationship. Perpetrators then direct their victims to send money or to conduct financial transactions involving other victims’ money under false pretenses, such as an urgent need for money to secure a multi-million dollar inheritance or to pay for an unexpected hospitalization.  

    Between in or about 2016 and September 2019, Nwadavid participated in romance scams that tricked victims into sending money abroad. In an effort to conceal the ultimate recipient of the victims’ funds, a victim from Massachusetts was tricked into receiving funds from five other victims around the United States. The victim then passed the funds to Nwadavid through a series of cryptocurrency transactions. Nwadavid repeatedly accessed accounts in the victim’s name from overseas, to transfer the victims’ funds to accounts he controlled at LocalBitcoins, an online cryptocurrency platform.  

    The mail fraud charge provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the loss to the victim, restitution and forfeiture. The money laundering charges provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the laundering transactions, restitution and forfeiture. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. 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 and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth B. Kosto and Mackenzie A. Queenin of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Nigerian National Pleads Guilty to Role in Romance Scam and Money Laundering Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant tricked a Massachusetts resident into wiring more than $2.5 million abroad

    BOSTON – A Nigerian national pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to his involvement in the theft of more than $2.5 million from six romance scam victims by transferring their money to cryptocurrency accounts that he controlled.  

    Charles Uchenna Nwadavid, 35, of Abuja, Nigeria, pleaded guilty to mail fraud, aiding and abetting money laundering and money laundering. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Sept. 23, 2025. Nwadavid was arrested in April 2025 after arriving on a flight from the United Kingdom to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. In January 2024, a federal grand jury in Boston indicted Nwadavid on charges of mail fraud and money laundering.

    According to the charging documents, “romance scams” recruit victims through advertisements for online relationships on dating or social media websites. Individuals perpetuating romance scams create fictitious profiles and then use them to gain victims’ trust through a purported romantic relationship. Perpetrators then direct their victims to send money or to conduct financial transactions involving other victims’ money under false pretenses, such as an urgent need for money to secure a multi-million dollar inheritance or to pay for an unexpected hospitalization.  

    Between in or about 2016 and September 2019, Nwadavid participated in romance scams that tricked victims into sending money abroad. In an effort to conceal the ultimate recipient of the victims’ funds, a victim from Massachusetts was tricked into receiving funds from five other victims around the United States. The victim then passed the funds to Nwadavid through a series of cryptocurrency transactions. Nwadavid repeatedly accessed accounts in the victim’s name from overseas, to transfer the victims’ funds to accounts he controlled at LocalBitcoins, an online cryptocurrency platform.  

    The mail fraud charge provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the loss to the victim, restitution and forfeiture. The money laundering charges provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the laundering transactions, restitution and forfeiture. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. 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 and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth B. Kosto and Mackenzie A. Queenin of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four SoCal Residents Sentenced for Their Roles in an Armed Robbery and Carjacking at Car Repair Shop in San Bernardino County

    Source: US FBI

    Three Southern California residents on June 23 were sentenced to prison for their roles in a 2024 armed robbery and carjacking at a Bloomington, California, auto repair shop and ordered to pay $11,980 in restitution.

    All four defendants were found guilty by a jury of participating in an armed robbery and carjacking of a car repair business in Bloomington, California, in which one victim was pistol-whipped into near unconsciousness. At the conclusion of a 13-day trial, a federal jury on late June 18 returned a guilty verdict on all counts against the following defendants:

    • Marcos Guerrero, 49, of Glendora, California, was sentenced to 219 months in federal prison.
    • Elijah Gafare, 36, of West Covina, California, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
    • Cinthia Leal, 39, of Glendora, California, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison.
    • A fourth defendant, Vincent Solarez, 59, of Upland, California, was sentenced to four years in prison on June 2. Solarez was also ordered to pay $11,980 in restitution.

    All four defendants were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), one count of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of carjacking.

    Guerrero, Gafare, and Leal also were found guilty of witness tampering and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of and in relation to a crime of violence. Guerrero, further, was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

    According to evidence presented at trial, Guerrero, Gafare, Leal, and Solarez participated in an armed robbery of a car repair shop in Bloomington, California, in the early morning hours of March 12, 2024. During the robbery, two of the defendants brandished firearms, and one of the defendants pistol-whipped one of the victims into near-unconsciousness.

    The defendants kept the victims hostage and threatened to kill them if the victims didn’t hand over cash, their car, and if they ever called law enforcement. In total, defendants stole several thousand dollars in cash and the business surveillance system, in addition to the victim’s car and other property.

    Law enforcement tracked the defendants down and arrested them in May and June of 2024.

    On May 30, 2024, Guerrero illegally possessed a .45-caliber firearm and dozens of rounds of ammunition. He isn’t permitted to possess firearms and ammunition because his criminal history includes convictions in San Bernardino County Superior Court for home invasion robbery, first-degree residential burglary, false imprisonment by violence, possession of a firearm by a felon, and evading a police officer.

    The FBI Inland Violent Crimes Suppression Task Force and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department investigated this matter.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua J. Lee and Neil P. Thakor of the General Crimes Section, and Tritia L. Yuen of the Riverside Branch Office, are prosecuting this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Philadelphia Vertical Farmer Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Tax Evasion

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty yesterday to wire fraud and tax evasion.

    The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: John (Jack) Griffin of Philadelphia was the principal and founder of Second Story Farming Inc., which did business as Metropolis Farms. Second Story Farming had several lines of business, including growing crops in vertical farms to sell to customers, developing sustainable vertical farming technologies, and selling vertical farming systems to customers. Vertical farming refers to a practice of growing crops vertically and in horizontally stacked layers.

    In 2017, Griffin, through Second Story Farming, sold vertical farming systems along with the equipment, supplies, materials, and operational instructions necessary to operate them to two companies. Before entering into the contracts, Griffin provided financial projections to them that grossly overstated the anticipated revenues that could be generated by the vertical farms and grossly understated the anticipated expenses necessary to operate the vertical farms. In reliance on the financial projections, the companies each paid Second Story Farming to set up vertical farms for them. Rather than use those funds to provide them with vertical farms, Griffin used most of the money to pay his own personal expenses and operate Second Story Farming’s research and development line of business.

    In 2017, Griffin earned income from his work at Second Story Farming. Despite being legally required to file a tax return for that year, Griffin did not do so. Griffin tried to conceal that he received any income in 2017 by, among other things, withdrawing cash and paying personal expense from his business’s bank accounts and transferring funds from his business to his wife, and withdrawing cash from Second Story Farming’s business bank account.  

    Griffin is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 22. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each of the wire fraud charges and a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the tax evasion charge. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney David Metcalf for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating the case.

    Trial Attorney Catriona Coppler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis Weber for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: International Arms Dealer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Export Firearms to Russia

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    Defendant Unlawfully Exported American-Made Firearms Through JFK International Airport

    Yesterday in federal court in Brooklyn, Sergei Zharnovnikov, 46, of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit export violations. The defendant exported firearms and ammunition worth over $1.5 million from the United States to Russia, in violation of U.S. law. When sentenced, Zharnovnikov faces up to 20 years in prison.

    “By his own admission, Zharnovnikov willfully violated U.S. export controls to smuggle American-made firearms into Russia,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to disrupt illicit arms networks and prosecute those who illegally transfer U.S. weaponry abroad.”

    “The defendant admitted that he purchased American-made, military-grade firearms and re-exported them to Russia,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella for the Eastern District of New York. “Today’s guilty plea is the culmination of extensive investigative work, showing that this office will not allow merchants of lethal weapons and Russia to flout U.S. sanctions.”

    According to court filings and statements made during the plea proceeding, the defendant is the owner of an arms dealer located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyzstan Company-1). Since at least March 2020, the defendant, together with others, has conspired to export firearms controlled by the U.S. Department of Commerce from the United States to Russia. The defendant exported $1,582,836.52 worth of U.S.-manufactured firearms and ammunition from the United States to Russia without the required licenses from the Department of Commerce. In one transaction, he entered into a five‑year, $900,000 contract with a company in the United States (U.S. Company‑1) to purchase and export U.S. Company-1 firearms to Kyrgyzstan. DOC issued a license for U.S. Company-1 to export firearms to Kyrgyzstan Company-1. The license, however, explicitly prohibited the export or re-export of the firearms to Russia. Nevertheless, the defendant exported and re-exported U.S. Company‑1 firearms, including semi‑automatic hybrid rifle-pistols, to Russia via Kyrgyzstan without the necessary approvals.

    According to an export filing, in connection with the defendant’s contract with U.S. Company-1, U.S. Company-1 exported semi-automatic rifles from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Kyrgyzstan Company-1 on or about July 10, 2022. On or about Nov. 14, 2022, the General Director of a Russian company that is a client of the defendant executed a tax form listing the same semi‑automatic rifle‑pistols that U.S. Company‑1 had exported to Kyrgyzstan Company‑1, the defendant’s company. The defendant did not apply for, obtain, or possess a license to export or re-export the semi‑automatic pistol-rifles to Russia.

    The defendant traveled from Kyrgyzstan to the United States on or about Jan. 18, 2025. The defendant traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he attended the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show to meet with U.S. arms dealers.

    The FBI New York Field Office and U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security Office of Export Enforcement are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen H. Sise for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Leslie Esbrook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Litigation Analyst Rebecca Roth. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: International Arms Dealer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Export Firearms to Russia

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Defendant Unlawfully Exported American-Made Firearms Through JFK International Airport

    Yesterday in federal court in Brooklyn, Sergei Zharnovnikov, 46, of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit export violations. The defendant exported firearms and ammunition worth over $1.5 million from the United States to Russia, in violation of U.S. law. When sentenced, Zharnovnikov faces up to 20 years in prison.

    “By his own admission, Zharnovnikov willfully violated U.S. export controls to smuggle American-made firearms into Russia,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to disrupt illicit arms networks and prosecute those who illegally transfer U.S. weaponry abroad.”

    “The defendant admitted that he purchased American-made, military-grade firearms and re-exported them to Russia,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella for the Eastern District of New York. “Today’s guilty plea is the culmination of extensive investigative work, showing that this office will not allow merchants of lethal weapons and Russia to flout U.S. sanctions.”

    According to court filings and statements made during the plea proceeding, the defendant is the owner of an arms dealer located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyzstan Company-1). Since at least March 2020, the defendant, together with others, has conspired to export firearms controlled by the U.S. Department of Commerce from the United States to Russia. The defendant exported $1,582,836.52 worth of U.S.-manufactured firearms and ammunition from the United States to Russia without the required licenses from the Department of Commerce. In one transaction, he entered into a five‑year, $900,000 contract with a company in the United States (U.S. Company‑1) to purchase and export U.S. Company-1 firearms to Kyrgyzstan. DOC issued a license for U.S. Company-1 to export firearms to Kyrgyzstan Company-1. The license, however, explicitly prohibited the export or re-export of the firearms to Russia. Nevertheless, the defendant exported and re-exported U.S. Company‑1 firearms, including semi‑automatic hybrid rifle-pistols, to Russia via Kyrgyzstan without the necessary approvals.

    According to an export filing, in connection with the defendant’s contract with U.S. Company-1, U.S. Company-1 exported semi-automatic rifles from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Kyrgyzstan Company-1 on or about July 10, 2022. On or about Nov. 14, 2022, the General Director of a Russian company that is a client of the defendant executed a tax form listing the same semi‑automatic rifle‑pistols that U.S. Company‑1 had exported to Kyrgyzstan Company‑1, the defendant’s company. The defendant did not apply for, obtain, or possess a license to export or re-export the semi‑automatic pistol-rifles to Russia.

    The defendant traveled from Kyrgyzstan to the United States on or about Jan. 18, 2025. The defendant traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he attended the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show to meet with U.S. arms dealers.

    The FBI New York Field Office and U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security Office of Export Enforcement are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen H. Sise for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Leslie Esbrook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Litigation Analyst Rebecca Roth. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: International Arms Dealer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Export Firearms to Russia

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Defendant Unlawfully Exported American-Made Firearms Through JFK International Airport

    Yesterday in federal court in Brooklyn, Sergei Zharnovnikov, 46, of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit export violations. The defendant exported firearms and ammunition worth over $1.5 million from the United States to Russia, in violation of U.S. law. When sentenced, Zharnovnikov faces up to 20 years in prison.

    “By his own admission, Zharnovnikov willfully violated U.S. export controls to smuggle American-made firearms into Russia,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to disrupt illicit arms networks and prosecute those who illegally transfer U.S. weaponry abroad.”

    “The defendant admitted that he purchased American-made, military-grade firearms and re-exported them to Russia,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella for the Eastern District of New York. “Today’s guilty plea is the culmination of extensive investigative work, showing that this office will not allow merchants of lethal weapons and Russia to flout U.S. sanctions.”

    According to court filings and statements made during the plea proceeding, the defendant is the owner of an arms dealer located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyzstan Company-1). Since at least March 2020, the defendant, together with others, has conspired to export firearms controlled by the U.S. Department of Commerce from the United States to Russia. The defendant exported $1,582,836.52 worth of U.S.-manufactured firearms and ammunition from the United States to Russia without the required licenses from the Department of Commerce. In one transaction, he entered into a five‑year, $900,000 contract with a company in the United States (U.S. Company‑1) to purchase and export U.S. Company-1 firearms to Kyrgyzstan. DOC issued a license for U.S. Company-1 to export firearms to Kyrgyzstan Company-1. The license, however, explicitly prohibited the export or re-export of the firearms to Russia. Nevertheless, the defendant exported and re-exported U.S. Company‑1 firearms, including semi‑automatic hybrid rifle-pistols, to Russia via Kyrgyzstan without the necessary approvals.

    According to an export filing, in connection with the defendant’s contract with U.S. Company-1, U.S. Company-1 exported semi-automatic rifles from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Kyrgyzstan Company-1 on or about July 10, 2022. On or about Nov. 14, 2022, the General Director of a Russian company that is a client of the defendant executed a tax form listing the same semi‑automatic rifle‑pistols that U.S. Company‑1 had exported to Kyrgyzstan Company‑1, the defendant’s company. The defendant did not apply for, obtain, or possess a license to export or re-export the semi‑automatic pistol-rifles to Russia.

    The defendant traveled from Kyrgyzstan to the United States on or about Jan. 18, 2025. The defendant traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he attended the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show to meet with U.S. arms dealers.

    The FBI New York Field Office and U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security Office of Export Enforcement are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen H. Sise for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Leslie Esbrook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Litigation Analyst Rebecca Roth. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Venezuelan National Residing Unlawfully in the U.S. Indicted on Federal Charges

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

    TOLEDO, Ohio – A federal grand jury has returned a four-count indictment charging Anthony Emmanuel Labrador-Sierra, 24, a Venezuelan national residing in Perrysburg, Ohio, with possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully in the United States, making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, and making or using false writings or documents.

    According to the indictment, the defendant is accused of submitting a false date of birth to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on federal applications for Temporary Protective Status and Employment Authorization Documents in 2024 and 2025.

    In the original criminal complaint and underlying affidavit filed May 22, 2025, investigators learned that Perrysburg Schools reported to the Perrysburg Police Department that they received information that Labrador-Sierra, a student attending Perrysburg High School, was actually a 24-year-old man who enrolled under false pretenses.

    The grand jury further charges that Labrador-Sierra was in possession of a Taurus G3C 9mm, semiautomatic pistol, which he did not have lawful status to purchase or own in the United States, and that he submitted false information on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Form 4473 to purchase the firearm. Among the alleged false statements the defendant submitted that were intended and likely to deceive the licensed firearms dealer at the point of sale, were that:

    • He was a United States citizen or national.
    • He was not illegally or unlawfully in the United States.
    • He was not an alien who had entered the United States under a nonimmigrant visa.

    If convicted, Labrador-Sierra faces up to 15 years in prison for possession of a firearm by an alien; 10 years in prison for making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm; and up to five years in prison for making or using false writings or documents.

    This case is being investigated by the City of Perrysburg Police Department, United States Border Patrol−Sandusky Bay Station, the FBI Toledo Field Office, and the ATF, with assistance from the Wood County Prosecutor’s Office.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert N. Melching and Tracey Tangeman for the Northern District of Ohio, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Dobson.

    This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with knowledge and information about this matter, please call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or visit fbi.gov/tips.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: KC Man Pleads Guilty for Computer Hacking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has pleaded guilty for hacking into the computer system at an area nonprofit.

    Nicholas Michael Kloster, 32, admitted during his plea that he caused reckless damage to a protected computer owned by an area nonprofit during unauthorized access. Kloster admitted that he entered the premises of a nonprofit corporation on May 20, 2024. Kloster entered an area that is not available to the public and accessed a computer with access to the company’s network.

    Kloster specifically admitted that he utilized a boot disk to access the computer through multiple user accounts. By accessing the computer in this manner, Kloster was able to circumvent the password requirements by changing the password assigned to one or more users. Kloster was then able to install a virtual private network on this computer. Since Kloster’s intrusion into its computer and its network, the company has sustained significant losses in an attempt to remediate the effects from this intrusion.

    Under federal statutes, Kloster is subject to a sentence of up to five years’ imprisonment in federal prison without parole, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and an order of restitution. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Heberle and Patrick D. Daly. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Murder Charge Filed Against Teen Who Struck Another Person with a Car

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Kyree Young, 17, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged with first degree murder while armed – felony murder, that occurred on the morning of May 7, 2025, in Northwest D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. 

                Young made his initial appearance before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Robert J. Hildum today, where Judge Hildum found probable cause that Young committed the offense of first-degree murder while armed – felony murder and ordered that Young be held without bond pending trial. The United States is still investigating Young’s accomplices. 

                According to court documents, Young followed the victim from an ATM and struck him with a vehicle, robbed him, and tried to access his financial accounts at the same ATM he had been using earlier. The victim died at the scene.  Police later recovered the vehicle and gathered other evidence that led to Young’s identification.

                This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington Field Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Carter.

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

    MIL Security OSI –