NewzIntel.com

Category: Federal Bureau of Investigation

  • MIL-OSI Security: Newton County Man Indicted for Illegally Possessing Firearm

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

    SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Diamond, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury this week for illegally possessing firearms after a prior felony conviction.

    Jason A. Duncan, 40, was charged with three counts of being a felon in possession of firearms, by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo. The indictment, which replaces a complaint filed on June 3, 2025, alleges that Duncan possessed a Palmetto State Armory rifle and a Taurus pistol on Aug. 19, 2024, a Hi-Point pistol on Oct. 3, 2024, and Glock pistol on Jan. 23, 2025. Duncan has prior felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law.

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

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the Joplin, Seneca, and Springfield, Mo., Police Departments.

    Operation Take Back America

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Cherokee County Man Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for Sex Trafficking Teens

    Source: US FBI

    TYLER, Texas – A Jacksonville man has been sentenced to life in federal prison for sex trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

    Desnique Deshawn Herndon, 28, was sentenced to seven life sentences by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker on June 18, 2025.  In 2023, Herndon was convicted by a jury of six counts of sex trafficking of children and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children following a five-day trial before Judge Barker.  Herndon remained in custody between the time of trial and sentencing.

    “Victimizing children through commercial sex trafficking is reprehensible and will be prosecuted vigorously in East Texas,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.  “We will not stand by and watch the lives of young people ruined by predators like Herndon to satisfy the wanton interests of commercial sex customers. Herndon’s life sentence demonstrates our society’s intolerance for such callous disregard for others. I want to thank our many law enforcement partners for their diligent work on this case.”

    “Sex trafficking is one of the most appalling crimes in our society, exploiting the most vulnerable among us. HSI remains committed to identifying traffickers, dismantling their criminal networks, and providing critical support to survivors,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Dallas Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard. “Through our victim-centered investigations, we will spare no resource to protect communities and seek justice for those victimized by this modern-day slavery. “

    According to information presented in court, beginning in 2019, Herndon engaged in trafficking multiple teenage girls for commercial sex acts. Herndon recruited the girls by social media, deceived them by promising riches, and placed them in hotels in the Tyler area.  He then posted advertisements on sex trafficking websites showing explicit photos of the girls and offering commercial sex acts. Some of Herndon’s victims were as young as 13 years old. During trial, jurors heard testimony that Herndon used co-conspirators to continue to run his operation while he was in jail so that the victims could earn money to pay his bond.

    Three of Herndon’s co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the offenses. Malcolm Kadeem Roberts, 29, of Tyler, was sentenced on November 16, 2023, to over 12 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children.  Roberts was also sentenced to 75 years in state prison in Smith County District Court for aggravated sexual assault of a child charges in relation to one of the minor victims in this case.  Tavarus D. Watkins, 29, of Jacksonville, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on November 16, 2023, for interstate transport of a minor for illegal sexual activity. Patrick Lamont Cross, Jr, 28, of Palestine, pleaded guilty on August 22, 2022, to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children.  Cross is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10, 2025.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States 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, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

    This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations’ Tyler Resident Agency, North Texas Trafficking Task Force, FBI Tyler Resident Agency, Texas DPS Criminal Investigations Division, Texas Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Unit, Tyler Police Department, Henderson County Sherriff’s Office, Cherokee County Sherriff’s Office, Jacksonville Police Department, Smith County Sheriff’s Office, Panola County Sheriff’s Office, Palestine Police Department, Abilene Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Locker and Alan Jackson, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Jiral.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Digging Out of Our Fiscal Hole

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson

    Neither Congress, the Administration, nor the public at large has fully acknowledged the depth of the fiscal hole we have dug, or what it will take to dig ourselves out of it. This is why I am releasing my report “FY 2025 Budget Reconciliation: Facts, Figures, and Analysis.”

    My report provides an analysis of different scenarios using various growth rates and spending levels to prove that, without returning to a much lower pre-pandemic spending level, there is virtually no hope of achieving a balanced budget. Republican leaders have repeatedly stated, “We don’t have a revenue problem; we have a spending problem.” It’s time to find out if they’re willing to fix it.

    Republicans must ask themselves whether they’re willing to address this spending problem. I hope the answer is yes — and I will continue doing everything I can to ensure it is.

    Access the entire 30-page report: The primary purpose of this report is to graphically show what so many Republican leaders have repeatedly stated, including President Trump in his November 2, 2011 tweet, “Washington has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.” 

    As outlined in this report, the House bill will not reduce the deficit — the numbers simply don’t support that claim. This is our once in a lifetime opportunity to balance the federal budget and reset spending. We have to clean up the enormous mess that Biden and the Democrats left for us.

    We are all committed to helping the President and America succeed. My higher loyalty is to my children and grandchildren. We are immorally mortgaging their future. It’s time to take a businesslike approach and work seriously to reduce spending and deficits.

    READ: Washington Examiner —> Ron Johnson ramps up “Big, Beautiful Bill” opposition with release of deficit report

    READ: The Daily Signal —>  Sen. Ron Johnson Proposes Alternative to “Big, Beautiful Bill”

    WATCH: Clay & Buck —> Senator Ron Johnson Brings His Charts to the D.C. Studio to Talk Cutting the Budget

    WATCH: Fox Business interview clip —> “We have to clean up the enormous mess that Biden and the Democrats left for us.”

    READ: Badger Institute —>  At center of America’s essential debate, Johnson says resist spending frenzy

     

    I’ve been holding regular telephone town halls this month. The next one is Monday, June 23 at 2pm CT.

    I hope all subscribers to my newsletter have signed up, but if not, here is the form. 

    You can always listen to the telephone town halls live online or on X and Facebook. 

    I appreciate everyone who takes the time to listen and ask thoughtful questions, even if we disagree. We have thousands of people on these calls and try to answer questions on a wide array of topics.

    Here are the time codes and topics covered during the June 16 telephone town hall. 

    8:55       Telephone Town Hall #122 begins
    10:30     Thoughts on Sen. Alex Padilla at DHS Sec. Noem press conference
    11:20     Will Trump’s bill get passed by July 4?
    12:15     Are you concerned Republicans are on the wrong track?
    14:30     How will you vote on funding for public television and radio?
    15:35     Will Trump’s cuts hurt constituents?
    19:30     Taxes on Social Security
    22:13     Abortion
    23:50     Affordable Care Act vs. Obamacare
    25:58     VA care and government run health care
    29:30     Why democrats are protesting
    32:40     Illegal immigrants
    35:20     National debt
    38:11     China owning farmland near military bases
    40:00     Federal budget and how to limit spending
    42:35     Spending for Veterans
    45:05     Israel/Iran war
    47:50     Holding people accountable for illegal immigration
    51:28     Army parade
    53:20     Taxing the rich
    56:25     Social Security and taxes
    58:55     Revenue from tariffs
    1:02:43  Closing remarks

    Congratulations to Matt Pronovost from Homestead High School in Mequon for earning a spot in the U.S. Senate Page Program this summer.

    Pages play an important role in the daily operation of the Senate. They live in Washington, D.C. and attend Page School while working in the U.S. Senate. Pages deliver correspondence and legislative material within the Capitol and Senate office buildings, prepare the Chamber for Senate sessions, and work on the Senate floor.

    Contact my office and the Senate Page Coordinator for more information on the program for 16 or 17-year-olds in their junior year of high school. We are now taking applications for Spring 2026.

    It was great to meet five homeschool families from the Richfield area who were touring Washington, D.C. this week. 

    Our office can help you book several different tours for your upcoming trip to make it truly special. From the Capitol to the White House to the FBI, check out my Visiting DCwebpage for more information. 

    Our staff presented a Certificate of Special Senatorial Recognition to the Executive Director of Community Action for the organization’s 60th anniversary. The group fights poverty in Rock and Walworth counties. 
     

    The Spirit Cultural Exchange visits Madison each year with J-1 visa participants (also known as the Exchange Visitor Visa) to tour the State Capitol. 

    My staff met with these students from around the world to talk about United States government at the state and federal level. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Guilty of Third Drug Trafficking Offense and Multiple Firearms Offenses

    Source: US FBI

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –ODINE DOMINICK (“DOMINICK”), age 34, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on June 10, 2025, the morning his jury trial was set to begin, before U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk to possession with the intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl and a quantity of marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 841(b)(1)(D); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i); and being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). 

    According to court documents, in the fall of 2023, law enforcement officers observed a photograph of DOMINICK with a rifle magazine in his waistband and a video of DOMINICK inside of a stolen car with a handgun.  On December 14, 2023, the New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at DOMINICK’s residence and found over 100 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin; vacuum sealed bags of marijuana weighing over a kilogram; eight digital scales; drug trafficking supplies; 400 rounds of various calibers of ammunition; and a loaded Glock Model 23 .40 caliber handgun with an extended magazine.

    Prior to his most recent arrest, DOMINICK had already been convicted of conspiracy to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine, in Orleans Parish, and being a felon in possesion of a firearm, in St. Bernard Parish.

    Because of his prior federal drug trafficking conviction, DOMINICK was charged with a sentencing enhancement.  As to Count 1, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, up to an $8,000,000 fine, and at least eight years of supervised release.  As to Count 2, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to all other sentences, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release.  As to Count 3, he faces up to 15 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.  Each count also carries a mandatory special assessment fee 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 New Orleans Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Missouri Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Travelling to Louisiana to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with 12-Year-Old Female

    Source: US FBI

    NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that ERIC CHARLES FULLER (“FULLER”), age 55, from Springfield, Missouri, was sentenced on June 10, 2025 by United States District Judge Greg Gerard Guidry to 57 months in prison, after previously pleading guilty to interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(b).  Additionally, Judge Guidry ordered FULLER to serve five (5) years of supervised release after imprisonment, register as a sex offender, and pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

    According to the court documents, on or about December 7, 2023, law enforcement personnel, operating online in an undercover capacity and pretending to be a twenty-nine-year-old mother with a twelve-year-old daughter, met FULLER on a social network and messaging application.  Over approximately the next month, on numerous occasions FULLER discussed his interest in engaging in various sexual acts with the “mother” and daughter,” culminating in FULLER making arrangements to travel from his residence in Springfield, Missouri, to the New Orleans area to engage in sexual contact, individually and collectively, with the “mother” and “daughter.”  During his conversation FULLER described the contact he anticipated as “highly taboo,” “highly illegal,” “risky,” “not the worst way to be,” and “a way to have a happier life.”  FULLER left Springfield, in his red, 2002 Chevrolet Prism, on about January 11, 2024, and arrived at a predetermined location in Mandeville, Louisiana on Friday, January 12, 2024, for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct with the individual FULLER believed to be a twelve-year-old female.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by United States 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, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, was in charge of the prosecution.

               

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Guilty of Being Felon in Possession of Firearms Stemming from New Orleans East Shooting

    Source: US FBI

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced today that DANTRELL MCZEAL (“MCZEAL”), age 34, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on May 27, 2025 to being a felon in possession of firearms, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).  MCZEAL faces a maximum term of imprisonment of fifteen (15) years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, a period of supervised release of up to 3 years, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.

    The Honorable District Judge Darrel James Papillion will sentence MCZEAL on September 9, 2025.

    According to court documents, in July 2022, MCZEAL and an unknown individual, were involved in a shootout with each other in the parking lot of a gas station located on the corner of Downman Road and Morrison Road in New Orleans.  MCZEAL was shot in the leg during the gunfire exchange and the unknown individual fled in his vehicle.  MCZEAL also fled, but lost control of his vehicle, and struck a light pole.  MCZEAL was observed limping away from his vehicle while in possession of a firearm.

    New Orleans Police Department officers later recovered a Glock Model 30GEN4, .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol from inside MCZEAL’s vehicle.  While on the scene, officers also observed a trail of blood outside of the vehicle leading to a nearby residence.  Later, officers received a call from a nearby resident stating that an unknown male, later identified as MCZEAL, had entered her residence.  The resident reported that MCZEAL had a firearm, later determined to be a Palmetto State Armory Model PA-15, .223 REM/5.56 x 45 milli-meter semi-automatic rifle.  Federal law prohibits convicted felons, such as MCZEAL , from possessing firearms.

    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 New Orleans Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the Violent Crime Unit.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Southern District of Texas charges 215 people in third week of June in relation to border enforcement efforts

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

    HOUSTON – A total of 204 new cases have been filed in the last week related to immigration, border security and related offenses from June 13-19, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. 

    Among those are 65 people who face charges of illegally reentering the country. The majority have prior felony convictions for narcotics, violent crime, prior immigration crimes and more. A total of 125 people are charged with illegally entering the country, while five cases allege various instances of human smuggling with the remainder involving other immigration crimes and more, including assault on officers.

    Two such charged include Adrian Alberto Castillo-Contador and Lorenzo Ramirez. Castillo-Contador, a Mexican national, allegedly attempted to make entry into the United States through the Hidalgo port of entry. The charges allege he failed to comply with commands and attempted to evade a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer. Castillo-Contador allegedly pushed the officer and caused injury but was apprehended before able to exit.

    In another case, authorities allegedly found Lorenzo Ramirez near an abandoned vehicle after a failed smuggling event near Weslaco. The criminal complaint alleges that as a Border Patrol (BP) agent approached him, Ramirez fled, and a foot chase ensued. Law enforcement caught him, but during the struggle, Ramirez punched and elbowed the agent in the thigh and head, respectively, according to the charges. Ramirez also allegedly kicked another agent in the leg. The charges further allege authorities had to taser him. Both men face up to eight years in federal prison if convicted for assaulting an officer.

    Also part of the new cases are several complaints alleging previous felons had illegally reentered the United States. Mexican nationals Ivan Edgar Martinez, Carlos Bartolo Santiago-Hernandez and Hugo Jimenez-Castillo had all been previously removed from the country on various dates between 2017-2014, acceding to their respective charges. However, all were allegedly found in the Rio Grande Valley area this week. Martinez and Santiago-Hernandez have convictions for illegal reentry, while Jimenez-Castillo had been sentenced to two years in prison for his driving while intoxicated conviction, according to the allegations. If convicted, all face up to 20 years in prison.

    Throughout the district, law enforcement partners made multiple arrests, including nearly two dozen charged in large drug and money laundering operation. Grand juries in Houston and McAllen returned the five separate, but related indictments in May. The charges allegedly involve cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine trafficking, firearms-related offenses and money laundering. The arrests are the culmination of multiple months-long Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigations dubbed Operation Red Ranger, Borrowed Time and Resurrection. During the investigation and operations, law enforcement also seized over 170 kilograms of cocaine and heroin, over two thousand kilograms methamphetamine, more than 100 firearms and nearly $3 million as well as four properties valued at $1.2 million.

    In Laredo, two cartel firearms traffickers have now been sent to federal prison. Mexican national Jorge Alberto Morales-Calvo received a 41-month-term, while Homero Arteaga Jr. previously received 57 months. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that the firearms were going to be smuggled across the border and delivered to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. On Sept. 18, 2024, they planned to purchase a Barrett .50 caliber rifle for $15,000 and a FN Herstal Belgium, 5.7 x 28 caliber pistol with a large capacity magazine for $850. They were both arrested as they tried to complete the transaction.

    “The Department of Justice is looking to hit the cartels from every angle and at every opportunity, which includes vigorously prosecuting not just the members of these terror groups, but those that enable them as well,” said Ganjei. “Those that arm or otherwise empower the cartels are going to the meet the full force of the federal criminal justice system.”

    In Corpus Christi, an Arkansas man was ordered to prison for 36 months for transporting illegal aliens in wheel well and fuel tank. The jury deliberated for less than 30 minutes following a less than two-day trial before finding Noel Mercado guilty on two counts of alien smuggling March 11. At the sentencing hearing, the court noted the egregious crime and said the smuggled individuals had been “treated like trash.” All the illegal aliens were from the countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala with no authority to be in the United States.

    “As we continue our successful campaign to secure the border, human smugglers are going to get increasingly desperate,” said Ganjei. “No matter how creative they think they are in their methods, our law enforcement partners are always one step ahead.”

    A Laredo felon was also sentenced for transporting illegal aliens. Braulio Ivan Rueda was ordered to serve 21 months after he had engaged in a high-speed chase. Rueda picked up several people running from the Rio Grande River into his SUV. When authorities tried to block the vehicle, four Guatemalan nationals fled towards the river. Rueda sped away and led authorities on a three-mile chase before stopping in a commercial parking lot and attempted to escape on foot. He admitted he needed money and agreed to smuggle the aliens for “easy money.”

    Also in Laredo, Anthony Jacob Garza was suspiciously driving a Ford Expedition about 20 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border in April. He admitted he stopped at a gas station, where authorities ultimately found three illegal aliens hiding under a blanket in the SUV’s cargo area. He had picked them up near a county road. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

    Two Mexican nationals and convicted felons, one who had previously assaulted public servant, are on their way back to prison for illegal reentry into the country. Abelino Hernandez-Torres was ordered to serve 60 months. He has prior convictions for illegal reentry as well as evading arrest with a motor vehicle and assault on a public servant. He was first ordered removed from the United States in 2015 and again in 2019 and 2020, and returned illegally.

    Authorities had encountered Hector Ruben Cardenas-Morales in jail following charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful restraint. He has other convictions, including burglary, evading arrest with a motor vehicle and illegal reentry and was last removed in 2023. At the sentencing hearing, the court noted how this was his fifth time coming back and was not serving himself by returning to the country or learning from his mistakes, stating “Sir, you have no future in the United States.” He was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison.

    These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Homeland Security Investigations, ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations, BP, CBP, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

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

    Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.  

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes. 

    An indictment or 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: HUMAN TRAFFICKING CONSPIRACY SPANNING FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND SOUTHERN ALABAMA DISMANTLED

    Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

    TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Kimberly Robinson Gandy, 47, of Gulfport, Mississippi, was found guilty on Wednesday afternoon, June 18, 2025, by a federal jury, of: Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion; Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion; and Money Laundering. Her codefendant, Chad Cornelius Seymore, 49, of Dothan, Alabama, pled as charged, on Monday, June 9, 2025, immediately prior to the scheduled trial, to: Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion; Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion; Receiving Benefits From Sex Trafficking; Interstate Travel In Aid of Racketeering; and Money Laundering. The guilty plea and verdict were announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

    U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the tireless efforts of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners who investigated this case, and the tenacious work of the federal prosecutors and support staff in my office, we have dismantled this sex trafficking conspiracy and obtained justice on behalf of its victims.  My office is committed to fulfilling the promise of President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to aggressively prosecute those who prey upon and profit from human trafficking victims. This outcome is a testament to the outstanding collaborative work of the Capital City Human Trafficking Task Force.”

    Court documents reflect that over a four-year period Seymore conspired with others to bond adult women out of county jail and then force them to commit commercial sex acts in Alabama and North Florida. Seymore recruited women suffering from drug addictions at hotels and through online advertisements. He threatened and physically abused his sex trafficking victims.  Gandy conspired with Seymore to traffic women in Panama City Beach and Destin. They used online money exchange platforms to transfer funds received from commercial sex acts.  

    Sentencing for Chad Seymore is scheduled for August 15, 2025, at 2:00 p.m.  Kim Gandy will be sentenced on September 15, 2025, at 1:30 p.m.   The defendants will be sentenced at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before Chief United States District Judge Alan C. Winsor.

    The convictions were the result of a joint investigation by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Dothan, Alabama Police Department, the Panama City Beach Police Department, the Panama City Police Department, with assistance from the United States Marshal’s Service, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama. The case is being prosecuted by First Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Spaven.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) 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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: HUMAN TRAFFICKING CONSPIRACY SPANNING FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND SOUTHERN ALABAMA DISMANTLED

    Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

    TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Kimberly Robinson Gandy, 47, of Gulfport, Mississippi, was found guilty on Wednesday afternoon, June 18, 2025, by a federal jury, of: Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion; Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion; and Money Laundering. Her codefendant, Chad Cornelius Seymore, 49, of Dothan, Alabama, pled as charged, on Monday, June 9, 2025, immediately prior to the scheduled trial, to: Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion; Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion; Receiving Benefits From Sex Trafficking; Interstate Travel In Aid of Racketeering; and Money Laundering. The guilty plea and verdict were announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

    U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the tireless efforts of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners who investigated this case, and the tenacious work of the federal prosecutors and support staff in my office, we have dismantled this sex trafficking conspiracy and obtained justice on behalf of its victims.  My office is committed to fulfilling the promise of President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to aggressively prosecute those who prey upon and profit from human trafficking victims. This outcome is a testament to the outstanding collaborative work of the Capital City Human Trafficking Task Force.”

    Court documents reflect that over a four-year period Seymore conspired with others to bond adult women out of county jail and then force them to commit commercial sex acts in Alabama and North Florida. Seymore recruited women suffering from drug addictions at hotels and through online advertisements. He threatened and physically abused his sex trafficking victims.  Gandy conspired with Seymore to traffic women in Panama City Beach and Destin. They used online money exchange platforms to transfer funds received from commercial sex acts.  

    Sentencing for Chad Seymore is scheduled for August 15, 2025, at 2:00 p.m.  Kim Gandy will be sentenced on September 15, 2025, at 1:30 p.m.   The defendants will be sentenced at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before Chief United States District Judge Alan C. Winsor.

    The convictions were the result of a joint investigation by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Dothan, Alabama Police Department, the Panama City Beach Police Department, the Panama City Police Department, with assistance from the United States Marshal’s Service, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama. The case is being prosecuted by First Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Spaven.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) 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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 116 Border-Related Cases the Week of June 13

    Source: US FBI

    SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 116 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.

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

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

    A sample of border-related arrests this week:

    • On June 9, Alejandro Garcia Rivera and Angel Bel Tran Zamora, both Mexican citizens, were arrested and charged with Attempted Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain and Aiding and Abetting after they were intercepted by the U.S. Coast guard off Point Loma as alleged captains of a smuggling boat; Gerardo Bejarano-Velazquez – who was also aboard the boat and had been previously deported to Mexico in 2018 in Nogales, Arizona – was arrested and charged with Attempted Entry After Deportation. Two other passengers were being held as material witnesses.
    • On June 10, 2025, Jose Pablo Lopez Lopez, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, when the defendant attempted to cross the border in his vehicle at the Tecate Port of Entry, Customs and Border Protection Officers found 113 packages containing 122 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in the door panels, spare tire, firewall and passenger seats.
    • On June 10, Juan Moreno Morales, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Attempted Entry after Deportation. According to a complaint, he tried to enter the U.S. at the San Ysidro Port of Entry aboard an ambulance. The defendant eventually admitted to using a bogus medical emergency as a scheme to enter the United States illegally. Moreno Morales was previously removed from the United States in 2000 and 2023.

    Also recently, a number of defendants with criminal records were convicted by a jury or sentenced for border-related crimes such as illegally re-entering the U.S. after previous deportation. Here are a few of those cases:

    • On June 9, Reymond Arias Valdez, a national of the Dominican Republic, who has multiple felony convictions for narcotics distribution in Massachusetts, was sentenced in federal court to 18 months in custody for illegally entering the U.S. In addition, Arias-Valdez has a previous felony unlawful reentry of a deported alien conviction from 2020.
    • On June 13, Carlos Fernando Gallegos-Camacho, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of being a deported alien found in the United States in 2022 and 2010, was sentenced in federal court to nine months in custody for again reentering the U.S. illegally.
    • On June 13, 2025, Monica Valdivia Ramirez, a Mexican national, was sentenced to 56 months in prison for importation of over 86,000 fentanyl pills into the United States, with an estimated street value of more than $800,000. She was found guilty by a federal jury in February.
    • On June 13, 2025, Francisco Luevano-Casillas – a Mexican national who was previously convicted of felony cocaine trafficking – was sentenced in federal court to 15 months in custody for illegally reentering the U.S. after deportation in May 2008. For the 2008 drug offense, Luevano-Casillas was sentenced to 96 months in prison.

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

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

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Largest Ever Seizure of Funds Related to Crypto Confidence Scams

    Source: US FBI

    United States Files Civil Forfeiture Complaint Against $225 Million in Funds Involved in Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud Money Laundering

                WASHINGTON – The U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture complaint in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against more than $225.3 million in cryptocurrency. According to the complaint, the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI used blockchain analysis and other investigative techniques to determine that the cryptocurrency is connected to the theft and laundering of funds from victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes, commonly referred to as cryptocurrency confidence scams.

                The civil action was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Shawn Bradstreet of the San Francisco Field Office, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the San Francisco Field Office.

                The complaint alleges that the cryptocurrency addresses that held the over $225.3 million in cryptocurrency were part of a sophisticated blockchain-based money laundering network that executed hundreds of thousands of transactions and was used to conceal the nature, source, control, and ownership of proceeds derived from cryptocurrency investment fraud. The scam operators dispersed proceeds across an extensive group of cryptocurrency addresses and accounts on the blockchain to conceal the source of the illicitly obtained funds.

                As part of the investigation of the laundering network, dozens of victims across the country were confirmed to have lost funds through the belief that they were making legitimate cryptocurrency investments, with more than 400 suspected victims around the world. The complaint discussed millions of dollars in victim losses.

                “Under my leadership, with the support of President Trump and Attorney General Bondi, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia is taking a leading role in the fight against crypto-confidence scams, partnering with law enforcement throughout the country to seize and forfeit stolen funds and rip them from the hands of foreign criminals, all with the eye toward making victims whole,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro.

                “Today’s civil forfeiture complaint is the latest action taken by the Department to protect the American public from fraudsters specializing in cryptocurrency-based scams, and it will not be the last,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These schemes harm American victims, costing them billions of dollars every year, and undermine faith in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Our investigators and prosecutors are relentlessly pursuing these scammers and their ill-gotten gains, and we will relentlessly pursue recovery of victim funds.”

                “This seizure of $225.3 million in funds linked to cryptocurrency investment scams marks the largest cryptocurrency seizure in U.S. Secret Service history,” said Special Agent in Charge Shawn Bradstreet of the U.S. Secret Service’s San Francisco Field Office. “These scams prey on trust, often resulting in extreme financial hardship for the victims. The U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and our private partners worked diligently to trace these illicit transactions, identify victims and seize these funds so that they can eventually be returned to their rightful owners.”

                “Cryptocurrency investment schemes can have devastating and long-lasting consequences for victims, far beyond just financial losses,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the San Francisco Field Office. “In this case, hundreds of victims lost millions of dollars to an elaborate scheme, and I commend the work of the FBI San Francisco investigative team and the United States Secret Service, San Francisco Office who worked tirelessly to return stolen assets to the victims. The FBI continues to aggressively pursue the criminals behind these heartless frauds, working alongside our federal partners and the private sector to disrupt malicious networks and recover funds for those targeted.”  

                According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2024 Internet Crime Report, cryptocurrency investment fraud caused more than $5.8 billion in reported losses in 2024 alone.

                This investigation is being handled by the U.S. Secret Service San Francisco Field Office and the FBI San Francisco Field Office. The Department of Justice thanks Tether for its proactive assistance in this investigation.

                This case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Rosenberg and Rick Blaylock, Jr., of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorneys Stefanie Schwartz and Ethan Cantor of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS).

                Members of the public who believe they are victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud and other cyber-enabled crime should contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://www.ic3.gov. If you believe you may be a victim of one of the scams alleged in the government’s complaint, add the code “BT06182025” in the narrative of your complaint, and if you have previously filed a related complaint, make note of the prior complaint in the narrative.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Waterbury Woman Pleads Guilty, Admits Multiple Fraud Schemes

    Source: US FBI

    David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MARLENIN VITO, 46, of Waterbury, pleaded guilty today in New Haven federal court to an offense stemming from multiple fraud schemes.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Vito was employed as Medicaid Coordinator at an assisted living facility (“Company A”) located in Stamford.  Vito’s responsibilities included assisting the residents in applying for nursing home level Medicaid reimbursements, monitoring the residents’ patient trust accounts, and ensuring compliance with Medicaid regulations.  She was also responsible for keeping journal entries for the residents’ trust accounts and to credit their accounts when funds were received, and for debiting patient accounts when payments were made on behalf of the residents or when cash was given to residents for incidental expenses.

    Between approximately December 2019 and May 2021, Vito defrauded Company A and its residents by generating checks from Company A’s system, forging a fellow employee’s signature on the checks, negotiating the fraudulent checks purportedly to give the cash proceeds to certain residents, and keeping the cash for her own use.  Vito then made false entries into Company A’s accounting ledger by debiting the fraudulently obtained cash from the residents’ respective trust accounts.  Many of the residents were not healthy enough or mentally capable of tracking their own expenses or monitoring the balances of their own trust accounts.

    In certain instances, Vito cancelled residents’ supplemental health insurance coverage, but continued to deduct funds from the trust accounts and took the funds for herself.  Also, when certain residents’ trust accounts were credited with Economic Impact Payments (“COVID-19 stimulus payments”), Vito took the funds for herself and then debited the residents’ accounts at a rate of approximately $60 a day until the stimulus funds were depleted.

    During the scheme, Vito fraudulently negotiated approximately 500 checks, stealing approximately $310,820.  When she was confronted by family members of certain residents, Vito created and provided to those family members false account statements that misrepresented the balances in the residents’ trust accounts.

    After she was terminated by Company A, Vito obtained employment as a bookkeeper and scheduler at an alarm company (“Company B”) located in White Plains, New York.  Vito stole from the company by making false representations about overtime for herself and her daughter, and by using company funds to order more than $10,000 worth of products to be delivered to her Waterbury residence.  Company B was defrauded of approximately $23,558 through these schemes.

    After she was terminated by Company B, Vito was employed as a bookkeeper at a law firm in Hartford (“Company C”).  Vito took fraudulently generated checks drawn on Company C’s bank account and issued as “Pay to the Order of ‘Petty Cash, ’” forged the signature of an authorized employee on the checks, cashed the checks, and kept the funds for herself.  She then recorded the fraudulently negotiated checks in Company C’s books and records as “Petty Cash.”  Vito stole approximately $27,179 from Company C.

    Vito pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.  She is scheduled to be sentenced on September 10.

    Vito is released on a $25,000 bond pending sentencing.

    This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Stamford Police Department, Hartford Police Department, Ridgefield Police Department, and the Putnam County (N.Y.) Sheriff’s Office.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael S. McGarry and Nathan J. Guevremont.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Previously Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 45 Years in Federal Prison for Exploiting Minors via Snapchat

    Source: US FBI

    INDIANAPOLIS— Darren Ringenberg, 30, of Louisville, Kentucky, a registered sex offender, was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison, followed by ten years of supervised release, after being convicted of two counts of sexual exploitation of a child while required to register as a sex offender.

    According to court documents, in 2019, Ringenberg was previously convicted in Kentucky of twenty counts of Possession of Matter Portraying a Sexual Performance by a Minor and was required to register as a sex offender for life.

    Then, after his release from the Kentucky offense, in June 2023, Ringenberg, using the Snapchat username “devil_hell6969,” communicated with a nine-year old girl living in Monroe County, Indiana and coerced her to send sexually explicit images and videos, threatening to hack into her social media accounts and remove all her friends if she did not comply. Ringenberg directed her as to what images to send, how to take the photos and told her that they could meet in person in the future. He also falsely claimed to be sixteen years old and would screen-record and save many of the images and conversations without the child’s knowledge.

    After receiving a tip about his illicit behavior online, law enforcement conducted judicially authorized searches of both Ringenberg’s Snapchat account and his residence in Louisville. Investigators found text messages, many of which were sexual in nature, between Ringenberg and various other unidentified minors, including the nine-year-old girl. Also located on his cell phone camera roll were many Snapchat screen recordings of minor victims engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

    “Sex offenders often use manipulation and threats to sexually exploit children with utter disregard for the lasting trauma they inflict. I urge parents and guardians to talk to the children in their lives about what they’re doing online and make sure they have trusted adults they can turn to for help,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “I commend the FBI and the Bloomington Police Department for their work to seek justice for this victim and protect other children from this online predator.”

    “This case is a tragic reminder that with today’s technology, predators can reach across state lines with a few clicks. While the distance didn’t help protect this child from harm, it did not stop the offender from being brought to justice,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain committed to protecting children and holding offenders accountable – no matter where they are.”

    The FBI and Bloomington Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by Chief U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Childress thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney MaryAnn T. Mindrum, who prosecuted this case.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

    If you are a victim of child sexual exploitation, please contact your local police department. Resources for victims of child exploitation can be found on our website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/project-safe-childhood

    ###

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  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE and federal partners arrest 17 illegal aliens during worksite inspection in Bethlehem, Pa.

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    BETHLEHEM, Pa. – On June 11, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia Allentown office and federal law enforcement partners, served a Notice of Inspection at the Five 10 Flats apartment complex, 510 East 3rd Street, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. During the inspection, 17 illegal aliens who were working at the property were encountered and administratively arrested for immigration violations. Those arrested included 13 citizens of Venezuela, two citizens of Mexico, one citizen of Ecuador and one citizen of Nicaragua.

    “Ensuring worksite compliance is a fundamental responsibility of Homeland Security Investigations,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia Edward V. Owens. “Our commitment to safeguarding public safety, national security, and economic stability is unwavering. Inspections like these are critical in targeting illegal employment practices that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets, and expose our critical infrastructure to exploitation.”

    This location is currently under restoration, with workers provided by a subcontractor, and not occupied by any tenants.

    Participating law enforcement partners included Enforcement and Removal Operations Philadelphia; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Allentown; Drug Enforcement Administration Allentown; Internal Revenue Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

    ICE is tasked with enforcing the business community’s compliance with federal employment eligibility requirements and conducts comprehensive worksite enforcement initiatives targeting employers who violate employment laws. During these operations, any alien determined to be in violation of U.S. Immigration laws may be subject to arrest, detention, and, if removable by final order, removal from the United States.

    Members of the public with information about suspected immigration violations or related criminal activity are encouraged to contact the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or submit information online via the ICE Tip Form.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Labrador Announces Arrest of North Idaho Man for Alleged Sexual Exploitation of a Child

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Home Newsroom AG Labrador Announces Arrest of North Idaho Man for Alleged Sexual Exploitation of a Child

    BOISE — Attorney General Raúl Labrador has announced investigators with his Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit arrested sixty-seven-year-old Kenneth Ely on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, for alleged sexual exploitation of a child. Kenneth Ely was charged with ten counts of possession of child exploitation material.  “Protecting children from exploitation across the state is one of our most important responsibilities in the Office of the Attorney General,” said Attorney General Labrador. “We will pursue every lead and work with our law enforcement partners across North Idaho to thoroughly investigate these allegations and ensure that those who allegedly harm children are held accountable under the law.” The Latah County Sheriff’s Office, Coeur d’Alene Police Department, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Lewiston Police Department, United States Secret Service, and the Moscow Police Department assisted the Idaho ICAC Task Force in the arrest. Anyone with information regarding the exploitation of children is encouraged to contact local police, the Attorney General’s ICAC Unit at 208-947-8700, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.  The Attorney General’s ICAC Unit works with the Idaho ICAC Task Force, a coalition of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, to investigate and prosecute individuals who use the internet to criminally exploit children. Parents, educators, and law enforcement officials can find more information and helpful resources at the ICAC website, ICACIdaho.org. The charges listed above are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ten New Jersey Law Enforcement Officers Graduate FBI National Academy

    Source: US FBI

    FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy congratulates 10 New Jersey law enforcement officers who graduated from the FBI National Academy, Session 294, at a ceremony held in Quantico, Virginia, on June 5.

    The graduates are:

    • Lt. Ronald Breuer — Monroe Township Police Department
    • Lt. Robert Ellis — Franklin Township Police Department
    • Capt. Michael Hurden, Jr. — Wall Township Police Department
    • Lt. Hugo Ribeiro — New Jersey State Police
    • Capt. Matthew Solovay — Princeton Police Department
    • Sgt. Ronald Stephensen — Hightstown Police Department
    • Capt. Patrick Walsh — Ocean City Police Department
    • Capt. Michael Sojka — Roselle Police Department
    • Capt. Leroy Marshall — Lakewood Police Department
    • Special Agent Stephen Jamison, FBI Newark private sector coordinator

    As FBI National Academy graduates, these officers enter a select group made up of less than 1% of the country’s law enforcement officers. They were hand-picked by their departments and, along with about 200 other officers, completed the 10-week course at the FBI training facility in Quantico, Virginia. Internationally known for its academic excellence, the National Academy offers advanced communication, leadership, and fitness training. Session 294 began on March 30.

    The FBI National Academy is dedicated to the improvement of law enforcement standards and has long been a benchmark for professional continuing education. Participants are drawn from every state in the union, from U.S. territories, and from over 150 partner nations. Police officers who attend the National Academy return to their communities better prepared to meet criminal challenges.

    The overall goal of the National Academy is to support, promote and enhance the personal and professional development of law enforcement leaders by preparing them for complex, dynamic and contemporary challenges through innovative techniques, facilitating excellence in education and research and forging partnerships throughout the world. The National Academy was created in 1935, with 23 students in the first class. It has grown over the years to the current enrollment of about 1,000 students a year. The FBI National Academy is one of the premier law enforcement academies in the world.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Riverside County Woman Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Running $1.7 Million COVID-19 Benefits Fraud She Advertised on Instagram

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    Click Here to Sign Up for SBA OIG Email Updates on Recent Investigative Cases, Audit Oversight Reports, and General News

    Click Here to View the Original U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Press Release

    An Inland Empire woman was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining $1.7 million in COVID-19 pandemic-related jobless benefits, federally-guaranteed small business loans, California Small Business COVID-19 relief grants, and Los Angeles County economic opportunity grants.

    Jasmine Unique Mallard-McCarter, 30, a.k.a. “JassyMC,” of Eastvale, was sentenced by United States District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, who also ordered her to pay $1,765,407 in restitution.

    McCarter pleaded guilty on February 28 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

    McCarter impersonated others to apply online for government benefits that she used for herself. McCarter also used the personal identifying information provided by her co-conspirators to apply for government benefits on their behalf, knowing those co-conspirators were not eligible for those benefits.

    McCarter charged fees to instruct others how to apply for government benefits for which they were not eligible without getting caught. Also, for a fee, McCarter served as a broker for counterfeit documents, such as Social Security cards, driver’s licenses, IRS Forms 1040, W-2s, bank statements, education degrees and transcripts, pay stubs, and doctors’ notes for handicapped placards. In some instances, the McCarter and her co-conspirators used the counterfeit documents to trick the government into paying unjustified benefits.

    McCarter advertised her fraud services on Instragram, using handles “JassyMc” and “EliteRealEstateandBusiness.” McCarter referred to herself as the “Jass of All Trades” in social media posts, because she could file fraudulent unemployment insurance applications, file grant applications, and broker counterfeit documents and identification in return for a fee.

    According to McCarter’s Instagram posts, she charged a fee for introducing customers to her connection at the California Department of Motor Vehicles, who could help bypass requirements for smog checks, insurance, and registration.

    The U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, Employee Development Department Investigations Division, U.S. Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and United States Secret Service investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Brown of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case.

    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 bolster 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.

    On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Central and Eastern Districts of California to jointly head one of the three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. The Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors, as well as those who committed instances of pandemic relief fraud. The Strike Force uses prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. Additional information regarding the Strike Force may be found at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-covid-19-fraud-strike-force-teams.

    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 OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Former JBLM soldier pleads guilty to attempting to share military secrets with China

    Source: US State of California

    A former U.S. Army Sergeant whose last duty post was Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in western Washington pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to two federal felonies, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 31, pleaded guilty to attempt to deliver national defense information and retention of national defense information. He faces up to ten years in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour on September 9, 2025.

    According to records filed in the case, Schmidt was an active-duty soldier from January 2015 to January 2020. His primary assignment was at JBLM in the 109th Military Intelligence Battalion. In his role, Schmidt had access to SECRET and TOP SECRET information. After his separation from the military, Schmidt reached out to the Chinese Consulate in Turkey and later, the Chinese security services via email offering national defense information.

    In March 2020, Schmidt traveled to Hong Kong and continued his efforts to provide Chinese intelligence with classified information he obtained from his military service. He created multiple lengthy documents describing various “high level secrets” he was offering to the Chinese government. He retained a device that allows for access to secure military computer networks and offered the device to Chinese authorities to assist them in efforts to gain access to such networks.

    Schmidt remained in China, primarily Hong Kong, until October 2023, when he flew to San Francisco. He was arrested at the airport.

    Attempt to deliver national defense information and retention of national defense information are both punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.    

    The FBI investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg is prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former JBLM soldier pleads guilty to attempting to share military secrets with China

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    A former U.S. Army Sergeant whose last duty post was Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in western Washington pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to two federal felonies, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 31, pleaded guilty to attempt to deliver national defense information and retention of national defense information. He faces up to ten years in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour on September 9, 2025.

    According to records filed in the case, Schmidt was an active-duty soldier from January 2015 to January 2020. His primary assignment was at JBLM in the 109th Military Intelligence Battalion. In his role, Schmidt had access to SECRET and TOP SECRET information. After his separation from the military, Schmidt reached out to the Chinese Consulate in Turkey and later, the Chinese security services via email offering national defense information.

    In March 2020, Schmidt traveled to Hong Kong and continued his efforts to provide Chinese intelligence with classified information he obtained from his military service. He created multiple lengthy documents describing various “high level secrets” he was offering to the Chinese government. He retained a device that allows for access to secure military computer networks and offered the device to Chinese authorities to assist them in efforts to gain access to such networks.

    Schmidt remained in China, primarily Hong Kong, until October 2023, when he flew to San Francisco. He was arrested at the airport.

    Attempt to deliver national defense information and retention of national defense information are both punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.    

    The FBI investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg is prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: St. Tammany Parish Man Charged with Bribery and Wire Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that, on June 13, 2025, KENTRELL MAHONEY SCOTT (“SCOTT”), age 39, a resident of St. Tammany Parish, was charged, via bill of information, with one count of bribery of a  public official, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 201, and two counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.

    According to the charging document, SCOTT was a public official who, directly or indirectly, accepted something of value in return for being induced to do an act, and omit to do an act in violation of his official duty, and in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 201(b)(2).  Specifically, in exchange for a $300 payment that he directly and corruptly sought and accepted from a supervisee under his charge, SCOTT agreed to assist a supervisee in violating the terms of supervision by obscuring the detection of the supervisee’s GPS monitoring.    

    Additionally, SCOTT was also charged with wire fraud, for advertising and selling unlawful brake tags and temp tags.  SCOTT, who was not licensed or approved by the City of New Orleans or the State of Louisiana, advertised the sale of brake tags and temp tags on Facebook and encouraged interested parties to message him. Thereafter, SCOTT met the purchasers in person to complete the transaction.

    Finally, SCOTT was charged with a second act of wire fraud, for making false and fraudulent submissions to the Louisiana Workforce Commission for the CARES Act Funded Unemployment Insurance Program. Specifically, in order to both remain eligible for unemployment insurance and to maximize the unemployment insurance benefits he received, SCOTT underreported his wages and later, falsely certified that he was unemployed. 

    If convicted of the bribery charge, SCOTT faces up to 15 years in prison, up to 3 years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.  As to each of the wire fraud counts, SCOTT faces up to 20 years in prison, up to 3 years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that a bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Andre J. Lagarde of the Public Integrity Unit is in charge of the prosecution. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Men Who Trafficked Pills Containing Meth and Fentanyl, Fentanyl Powder Mixed with Xylazine, Sentenced to Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that two men were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven for offenses related to their distribution of counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine and fentanyl, and fentanyl powder laced with xylazine.  MARKEYESE KELLY, also known as “Curry” and “Keyse,” 46, of West Haven, was sentenced to 138 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release, and JAQUAN PRICE, also known as “Sub,” 34, of New Haven, was sentenced to 120 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, in October 2023, the FBI New Haven Safe Streets Gang Task Force began investigating a drug trafficking organization led by Kelly.  The investigation, which included controlled purchases of narcotics in February and March 2024, revealed that Kelly, Price, and their associate Robert Covington sold various controlled substances, including multi-colored pills pressed to look like ecstasy that actually contained methamphetamine, counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, powder fentanyl laced with xylazine, and PCP.

    Kelly, Price, and Covington were arrested on May 14, 2024.  On that date, investigators executed multiple search warrants and seized more than a kilogram of methamphetamine pills, and an additional quantity of meth powder, more than 100 grams of fentanyl pills and powder, approximately 50 grams of cocaine, three handguns, two loaded gun magazines, ammunition, and more than $11,000 in cash.

    On February 21, 2025, Kelly pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.  On March 21, 2025, Price pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

    Kelly and Price have been detained since their arrests.

    In April 2015, Price was sentenced in Bridgeport federal court to 30 months of imprisonment for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

    Covington pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

    This matter has been investigated by the FBI New Haven Safe Streets Gang Task Force, the New Haven Police Department, the West Haven Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  The Task Force includes personnel from the East Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department, Wallingford Police Department, Connecticut State Police, and Connecticut Department of Correction.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and Nathan Guevremont through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III Attacked by a Salvadorian National with a Knife in Downtown Albany

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Saul Morales-Garcia, an Illegal Alien, Charged with Attempted Second-Degree Murder

    ALBANY, NEW YORK – Tuesday June 17, after leaving his office in downtown Albany, United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III was the victim of a life-threatening incident.  Saul Morales-Garcia, an illegal alien from El Salvador, who entered the United States in 2021 after a prior deportation, lunged at Sarcone while brandishing a knife and yelling aggressively in a foreign language Sarcone could not readily identify.  Sarcone ran to the lobby of the Hilton Hotel and Morales-Garcia stopped and still shouting in a foreign language turned and started to walk away.  Sarcone immediately contacted Albany County Sheriff Craig D. Apple Sr.  Sarcone went back to the street and maintained a safe distance and yelled out to Garcia-Morales to gain his attention to prevent Morales-Garcia from disappearing as Sarcone believed an innocent person would be killed by Morales-Garcia.  Before law enforcement arrived, Morales-Garcia charged at Sarcone again screaming and yelling at Sarcone in a foreign language while wielding the knife to make a slitting-the-throat gesture at Sarcone. Sarcone again ran to the lobby of the Hilton where again Morales-Garcia stopped, turned and began to walk away but was apprehended when Sheriff’s deputies arrived.  Morales-Garcia was taken into custody and the knife was recovered.

    Sarcone was physically unharmed, but emotionally rattled and stated, “I felt an obligation to the public as the chief Federal law enforcement officer in the district that includes the city of Albany.  I feared for my life but I couldn’t let this individual harm and potentially kill others.”

    Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said: “U.S. Attorney John Sarcone’s selfless actions likely saved lives.”

    Morales-Garcia was charged with attempted second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, and menacing in the second degree and remanded without bail.  He made an appearance in Albany City Court yesterday and an order of protection was issued for Sarcone. Morales-Garcia may also face federal charges; the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations are involved in the ongoing investigation. 

    Sarcone was appointed U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of New York by Attorney General Pamela Bondi in March.  “Public safety is our highest priority,” said U.S. Attorney Sarcone.  “I am relieved that no one was harmed.  I appreciated the swift response by the Albany County Sheriff’s office which was within minutes although it seemed like an eternity.”  Sarcone emphasized that such brazen and violent behavior underscores the importance of public vigilance and the need for a strong collaboration between federal and local authorities. At Sarcone’s request, his office is recused from prosecuting Morales-Garcia for illegal re-entry into the country, which is a felony, and the case has been assigned to the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York for prosecution. 

    Sarcone stated, “I have spent the last three months going to 27 of the 32 counties thus far in my district conducting meetings with the District Attorneys, Sheriffs, State Police and local police Chiefs accompanied by the heads of all the Federal law enforcement agencies in the Northern District to offer assistance from federal law enforcement and my office to help combat the infiltration of gangs, drug, human traffickers, and sexual predators.  My offer of help has been well-received, and the results have been tremendous in helping these communities get rid of violent criminals. The citizens of Albany, and visitors who come to Albany, should be able to feel safe walking down our streets.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: THREE BATON ROUGE MEN FACE FEDERAL CHARGES IN CONNECTION WITH ARMED ROBBERY AND SHOOTING OF FEDERAL AGENT

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

    Acting United States Attorney Ellison C. Travis announced that federal criminal complaints and arrest warrants were issued charging three Baton Rouge men with multiple offenses stemming from an undercover firearm-trafficking operation that turned violent on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. Torion Bobbs, age 20, and Cordell Simms, age 19, are each charged with assault on a federal officer and robbery, and Caylup Anderson, age 18, is charged robbery and aiding and abetting. 

     The criminal complaints and supporting affidavits allege that on June 17, 2025, agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Task Force arranged two separate purchases of a firearm equipped with a machine-gun conversion device (sometimes called a “Glock switch”) outside the Triple S Food Mart on North Foster Drive. When agents moved to detain the suspects, an exchange of gunfire followed, injuring one ATF agent and Sims. All three suspects fled before Sims was arrested nearby, with Anderson and Bobb being apprehended thereafter.

    “Our office has zero tolerance for assaults on law enforcement officers,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Travis. “When criminals raise a gun at those who protect our communities, we will answer with the full force of federal law. Yesterday’s swift federal charges reflect the seamless teamwork of the FBI, ATF, Baton Rouge Police Department, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Louisiana State Police. Their rapid, coordinated response ensured these defendants were taken off the streets within hours of the crime.”

    “ATF’s primary focus is to support public safety and address violent crime with our federal, state, and local partners. This is particularly true when it comes to crimes perpetuated through illegal possession and use of firearms,” said ATF New Orleans SAC Joshua Jackson. “These swift charges represent another example of ATF working with our law enforcement partners to hold those accountable who choose to use firearms to engage in violent crime within our communities.”

    “The rapid response of the FBI and our law enforcement partners to the events on North Foster Street proves that we will not tolerate any assault on law enforcement officers nor will we tolerate violent criminals who put the community in danger,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. “With the continued assistance of the public, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to get violent criminals off our streets.”

    This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli Abad. 

    A criminal complaint is merely an accusation.  The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.  

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four months of Operation Take Back America results in criminal charges against 39 defendants in Alaska

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

    Charges against defendants include serious drug trafficking, firearm and other offenses.

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman announced today the immediate success of Operation Take Back America in Alaska. In just over four months since its inception, the District of Alaska has already criminally charged 39 defendants under Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, repel the invasion of illegal immigration, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime and drug trafficking.

    “Operation Take Back America has already been a huge success in Alaska. By concentrating our efforts on national law enforcement priorities and aggressively charging individuals for perpetrating crimes that most significantly impact public safety, our communities are becoming safer,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “The road ahead will be challenging, but I want to thank our federal, state and local partners for these early successes and look forward to the continued mission.”

    “DEA’s core mission is protecting America from drug traffickers and others who seek to do harm to our communities,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “We are proud to collaborate with our partners in Alaska as we work collectively to aggressively implement Operation Take Back America.  The amazing results so far speak to DEA’s commitment to work with our partners to make Alaska safe.”

    “Transnational criminal organizations responsible for violent crime and drug trafficking in Alaska not only endanger communities, but are also a threat to our national security,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Through Operation Take Back America, Alaskans can expect to see continued results in our mission to disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises in furtherance of public safety.”

    “When law enforcement agencies at all levels unite, each contributing its distinct strengths, the collective effort enhances the safety of all Americans in the fight against violent crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais of the ATF Seattle Field Division.

    Among the 28 cases charged between Jan. 21, 2025, and June 10, 2025, the following three cases highlight the impact of Operation Take Back America in Alaska:

    U.S. v. Mobley

    On Nov. 14 and 15, 2024, Sean Mobley, 45, allegedly distributed carfentanil to two people, one adult and one minor. Carfentanil is a highly potent opioid not approved for human use. It is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl. Both victims allegedly used the substance and overdosed. The adult victim was revived by Narcan, but the minor victim died. Mobley then allegedly dumped her body onto a secluded ATV trail in Wasilla in the middle of the night. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 20 years and up to life in prison.

    U.S. v. Clifton et al

    Between August 2024 and February 2025, Corey Clifton, 51, and Elizabeth Cruickshank, 44, allegedly conspired together, and with others, to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 4.5 kilograms of fentanyl in Alaska. Specifically, on one occasion, Clifton allegedly shipped a parcel from Washington to Cruickshank in Alaska. The parcel contained over 4.2 kilograms of fentanyl pills (over approximately 42,000 pills) packaged in small baggies with stickers inside drink mix containers. The indictment also alleges that between April 2024 to 2025, Clifton and Cruickshank conspired together to launder over one-half million dollars in drug proceeds. Clifton is also accused of possessing two firearms and ammunition as a felon. If convicted, they face a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.

    U.S. v. Kawanishi

    On Oct. 21, 2024, Alexander Kawanishi, 32, allegedly purchased illegal narcotics from an individual at an Anchorage motel. Court documents allege that Kawanishi provided the individual with $100 in cash, but later demanded the money back. When the individual refused, Kawanishi allegedly shot the individual with a pistol in the lower back/hip area before fleeing the scene. On Nov. 15, 2024, law enforcement located Kawanishi slumped over the wheel of a vehicle that was stuck on a snowbank. When Kawanishi woke up and exited the vehicle, he was wearing body armor and had two pistols on his person.  During Kawanishi’s arrest, law enforcement, discovered a third firearm, methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine. At the time of the alleged conduct, Kawanishi had two felony convictions in Alaska Superior Court, making him a felon in possession of multiple firearms. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

    Below is the full list of cases charged as part of Operation Take Back America in Alaska (in alphabetical order):

    U.S. v. Benson (DT) U.S. v. Melvin(VC) U.S. v. Santiago-Martinez (I)
    U.S. v. Carroll (VC) U.S. v. Miles et al. (DT) U.S. v. Schaefer et al. (DT)
    U.S. v. Clifton et al (DT) U.S. v. Mobley(DT) U.S. v. Cody Severance (VC)
    U.S. v. Cotton(DT) U.S. v. Owens (VC) U.S. v. Sergio Severance (VC)
    U.S. v. Facey(DT) U.S. vs. Parker (DT) U.S. v. Spann (VC)
    U.S. v. Garrett (DT) U.S. v. Ritchie (DT) U.S. v. Steffensen  (DT)
    U.S. v. Greydanus et al. (DT) U.S. v. Rodgers et al. (DT) U.S. v. Walker (VC)
    U.S. v. Katelnikoff et al. (DT) U.S. v. Ronquillo (I) U.S. v. Washington et al. (DT)
    U.S. v. Kawanishi (VC) U.S. v. Rowcroft-Ivy (VC) U.S. v. Woods (DT)
    U.S. v. Lemana (VC)    

    *Drug Trafficking (DT)
    *Violent Crime (VC)
    *Immigration (I)

    In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Heyman commends the FBI Anchorage Field Office, DEA Seattle Field Division, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Seattle Field Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Anchorage Domicile and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations for their investigations that lead to these charges. He also thanks the state and local law enforcement partners that assisted with the operations in these cases.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys with the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alaska are prosecuting the cases.

    A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    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: SHARC Energy Announces Convertible Debenture Financing

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SHARC International Systems Inc. (CSE: SHRC) (FSE: IWIA) (OTCQB: INTWF) (“SHARC Energy” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce its intention to complete a non-brokered private placement of unsecured convertible debentures (each, a “Debenture”) with a principal amount of up to $1,500,000 (the “Offering”).

    The Offering will include an up to 15% Over-Allotment which equates to an additional 225 units and $225,000 (“Greenshoe”). If fully exercised, the total proceeds of the Offering will be an aggregate of 1,725 Units and gross proceeds of $1,725,000.

    The Debentures will bear interest at a rate of 10.0% per annum and mature on the date that is 24 months from the date of issuance (the “Maturity Date”). The holder will have the option to extend the Maturity Date for a period of 12 months and receive all accrued and unpaid interest in cash or in common shares in the capital of the Company (“Common Shares”) at a price of $0.15 per Common Share (the “Conversion Price”). Additionally, the outstanding principal amount owed under a Debenture may be converted into Common Shares at the Conversion Price at the option of the holder at any time on or prior to the last business day prior to the Maturity Date. The Company may from time to time, in its sole discretion, prepay all or a part of the principal amount and accrued interest without penalty.

    The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Offering for working capital purposes as the Company continues to fulfil the shipment and delivery of SHARC and PIRANHA Wastewater Energy Transfer (“WET”) systems.

    The Company may pay a finder’s fee in connection with the Offering to eligible arm’s length finders in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange. All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day following the date of issuance in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

    The securities of the Company referred to in this news release have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”), or any state securities laws. Accordingly, the securities of the Company may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy any securities of the Company in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

    About SHARC Energy  

    SHARC International Systems Inc. is a world leader in energy recovery from the wastewater we send down the drain every day. SHARC Energy’s systems recycle thermal energy from wastewater, generating one of the most energy-efficient and economical systems for heating, cooling & hot water production for commercial, residential, and industrial buildings along with thermal energy networks, commonly referred to as “District Energy”.

    SHARC Energy is publicly traded in Canada (CSE: SHRC), the United States (OTCQB: INTWF) and Germany (Frankfurt: IWIA) and you can find out more on our SEDAR profile.

    Learn more about SHARC Energy: Website | Investor Page | LinkedIn | YouTube | PIRANHA | SHARC

    ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

    Fred Andriano
    Chairman

    The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

    Forward-Looking Statements 

    Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified using words such as “anticipate”, “plan”, “estimate”, “expect”, “may”, “will”, “intend”, “should”, and similar expressions. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. SHARC Energy’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information because of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which the Company operates, prevailing economic conditions, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. SHARC Energy believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Company’s expectations as of the date hereof and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation. 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: SHARC Energy Announces Convertible Debenture Financing

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SHARC International Systems Inc. (CSE: SHRC) (FSE: IWIA) (OTCQB: INTWF) (“SHARC Energy” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce its intention to complete a non-brokered private placement of unsecured convertible debentures (each, a “Debenture”) with a principal amount of up to $1,500,000 (the “Offering”).

    The Offering will include an up to 15% Over-Allotment which equates to an additional 225 units and $225,000 (“Greenshoe”). If fully exercised, the total proceeds of the Offering will be an aggregate of 1,725 Units and gross proceeds of $1,725,000.

    The Debentures will bear interest at a rate of 10.0% per annum and mature on the date that is 24 months from the date of issuance (the “Maturity Date”). The holder will have the option to extend the Maturity Date for a period of 12 months and receive all accrued and unpaid interest in cash or in common shares in the capital of the Company (“Common Shares”) at a price of $0.15 per Common Share (the “Conversion Price”). Additionally, the outstanding principal amount owed under a Debenture may be converted into Common Shares at the Conversion Price at the option of the holder at any time on or prior to the last business day prior to the Maturity Date. The Company may from time to time, in its sole discretion, prepay all or a part of the principal amount and accrued interest without penalty.

    The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Offering for working capital purposes as the Company continues to fulfil the shipment and delivery of SHARC and PIRANHA Wastewater Energy Transfer (“WET”) systems.

    The Company may pay a finder’s fee in connection with the Offering to eligible arm’s length finders in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange. All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day following the date of issuance in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

    The securities of the Company referred to in this news release have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”), or any state securities laws. Accordingly, the securities of the Company may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy any securities of the Company in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

    About SHARC Energy  

    SHARC International Systems Inc. is a world leader in energy recovery from the wastewater we send down the drain every day. SHARC Energy’s systems recycle thermal energy from wastewater, generating one of the most energy-efficient and economical systems for heating, cooling & hot water production for commercial, residential, and industrial buildings along with thermal energy networks, commonly referred to as “District Energy”.

    SHARC Energy is publicly traded in Canada (CSE: SHRC), the United States (OTCQB: INTWF) and Germany (Frankfurt: IWIA) and you can find out more on our SEDAR profile.

    Learn more about SHARC Energy: Website | Investor Page | LinkedIn | YouTube | PIRANHA | SHARC

    ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

    Fred Andriano
    Chairman

    The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

    Forward-Looking Statements 

    Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified using words such as “anticipate”, “plan”, “estimate”, “expect”, “may”, “will”, “intend”, “should”, and similar expressions. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. SHARC Energy’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information because of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which the Company operates, prevailing economic conditions, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. SHARC Energy believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Company’s expectations as of the date hereof and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation. 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI from the NYPost: FBI Emails Obtained by Grassley ‘Expose Biden DOJ’s Obsession with Piling on Trump Charges’

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    Miranda Devine: FBI emails revealed to The Post expose Biden DOJ’s obsession with piling on Trump charges
    June 18, 2025
    New York Post

    Internal FBI emails reveal that rogue agents and prosecutors in the Biden DOJ were looking for ways to pile on new criminal charges against Donald Trump over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot — this time over his involvement with the J6 prisoner choir, based on a single partisan news article.

    The 2023 emails obtained by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and revealed exclusively to The Post are an example of the nitpicking malice of anti-Trump lawfare that tainted special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation, during Joe Biden’s presidency.

    “Can we do some work to nail down Trump’s role in this,” writes prosecutor JP Cooney to DOJ colleagues on March 8, 2023, in an email with the subject line “J6 Prisoner Choir/DJT” and an attached Forbes.com article titled “Trump Collaborates On Song With Jan. 6 Defendants.”

    Cooney was a deputy special counsel who worked on both the Robert Mueller and Smith get-Trump special counsel investigations.

    ‘Agent Zero’

    “According to this Forbes article, Trump recorded the Pledge of Allegiance at MAL [Mar a Lago] and Kash Patel [now FBI director] and Ed Henry [a former Fox News host] were also involved,” Cooney wrote in the email chain.

    “The profits are routed to an LLC run by Henry, and proceeds are intended for families of incarcerated J6 defendants — but there is apparently a vetting process that excludes families of defendants who assaulted police officers.

    “I asked Ahmed [likely prosecutor Ahmed Baset, who was fired earlier this month] to preserve this last night. I’ll talk to Maria/Erin and Julia about doing some follow up here to nail down Trump’s role.”

    Cooney also instructed colleagues to look at starting “some process on Ed Henry’s LLC,” presumably a legal process such as a subpoena, search warrant or other court-authorized actions to gather evidence.

    His email was forwarded to eight agents and DOJ staff, including notorious anti-Trump FBI Special Agent Walter Giardina, who responded two days later to say he was investigating the claims in the Forbes article about Trump and the J6 prisoner choir: “Esther and I are working on this today. We’re going to put together our findings at 2 and get something to you shortly after that.”

    Giardina was “Agent Zero” in a lot of overzealous FBI actions involving Trump and his allies, including the investigation of Trump White House adviser Dr. Peter Navarro on contempt of Congress charges for refusing to appear before the House committee investigating the J6 riot.

    It was Giardina’s FBI team that arrested Navarro as he was about to board a plane at Reagan National Airport in 2022, put him in leg irons and threw him in jail instead of simply issuing a summons for him to come to court, as the federal judge overseeing the case later said while criticizing the heavy-handedness.

    Giardina was also significantly involved in Operation Crossfire Hurricane (the debunked Russia collusion investigation against Trump), Mueller’s investigation and cases involving Trump allies Dan Scavino and Roger Stone, as well as the Hillary Clinton emails case.

    According to Grassley, Giardina was an “initial recipient of the Steele Dossier” and falsely claimed that the bogus Clinton campaign smear sheet against Trump was corroborated as “true.”

    Giardina also “electronically wiped the laptop he was assigned while working for Special Counsel Mueller outside of established protocol for record preservation, raising the possibility that he destroyed government records.”

    Whistleblown away

    Whistleblowers have told Grassley that Giardina “openly stated his desire to investigate Trump, even if it meant false predication,” because of his hostility to the past and future president.

    Grassley believes this email chain is another “clear example” of how the federal law enforcement apparatus was weaponized to try to “get Trump” at all costs.

    “Instead of focusing on DOJ and FBI’s core law enforcement responsibilities,” Grassley told The Post, “partisan prosecutors and agents were surfing the web to find any shred of information they could use to spin another baseless case against Trump. Their actions are a disservice to Americans, who pay their salaries and depend on DOJ and FBI to keep them safe…”

    Read the rest HERE.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The term ‘lone gunman’ ignores the structures that enable violence

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Art Jipson, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Dayton

    Members of law enforcement agencies search for shooting suspect Vance Boelter at a house on June 15, 2025, in Belle Plaine, Minn. AP Photo/George Walker IV

    When shots rang out in Minnesota, targeting state Democratic politicians, the headlines quickly followed a familiar script: a mentally unstable suspect and the well-worn label “lone gunman.”

    According to media reports, the Minnesota gunman, Vance Luther Boelter, was a deeply religious anti-abortion activist and a conservative who supported President Donald Trump.

    The term lone gunman, routinely deployed in the aftermath of mass shootings and political violence – that the suspect was simply acting alone, so there’s no one or nothing else to blame – may offer a comforting explanation, but it’s dangerously simplistic.

    It obscures the conditions that made the violence possible in the first place. It casts the perpetrator as an isolated anomaly – mentally unwell, unpredictable, detached from broader movements or ideologies.

    As a scholar of extremism, I argue that the use of this term ignores the larger symptoms of deeper societal failures such as rising political extremism, systemic hate or the normalization of violent rhetoric.

    The lone gunman myth

    The idea of the lone gunman has long held sway in American public discourse, with perhaps no example more iconic than the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The Warren Commission that was set up to investigate concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, a finding still contested by many.

    But more significant than the historical debate is how the lone gunman label became entrenched in the national psyche. It presents a digestible narrative, one that absolves institutions of responsibility and short-circuits more difficult questions about what conditions produced the attacker in the first place.

    More recent examples reveal how this myth continues to serve as a shield against systemic scrutiny.

    After the 2012 mass shooting that killed 12 people and injured 70 others at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, media coverage quickly centered on James Holmes’ mental state, with little emphasis on the culture of gun access, misogyny or disaffection with peers that shaped his actions.

    Similarly, after Dylann Roof murdered nine Black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, early coverage emphasized his apparent isolation and mental state. However, he had openly stated his motivations in a racist manifesto and had long-standing connections to white supremacist ideology that motivated and shaped his violence.

    Radicalization is rarely solitary

    In most cases, so-called lone wolves are not as isolated as the term implies. Researchers have increasingly shown that radicalization is a social process.

    Individuals absorb extremist views through online echo chambers, algorithmic recommendation systems, peer validation and reinforcement from political and media figures.

    Robert Bowers’ lawyers claimed in a public court filing that he was suffering from schizophrenia and structural and functional brain impairments.
    AP Photo/Matt Rourke

    This is evident in cases like that of Robert Bowers, who killed 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018. Bowers’ defense attorneys said in a March 2023 court filing that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Though he acted alone, Bowers was deeply embedded in far-right networks on the social media platform Gab, where he echoed white nationalist and antisemitic conspiracy theories.

    Similarly, Payton Gendron, who killed 10 Black people in a Buffalo supermarket in 2022, cited previous mass shooters as inspiration and plagiarized sections of a white nationalist manifesto. His radicalization was nourished in extremist online forums on platforms such as 4chan and Discord.

    Even attacks without manifestos or explicit ideological tracts often follow recognizable scripts. The El Paso shooter, who killed 23 people in a Walmart in 2019, wrote that he was targeting Hispanics as part of a defense against an “invasion” of immigrants – echoing language used by some conservative analysts, pundits and political figures in mainstream U.S. media and government.

    Again and again, attackers are seen to be acting in ways that align with a broader rationalization or ideology, even if they do not carry official membership in a particular group or organization.

    The politics of the ‘lone gunman’

    Importantly, the lone gunman narrative is applied unevenly, especially along racial lines.

    White perpetrators are frequently described as mentally ill or troubled loners. Their violence is compartmentalized as the result of personal demons. In contrast, as the Sentencing Project – which is working to address racial disparities in the criminal justice system – has shown, Black, Muslim or immigrant suspects are often held up as proof of a broader threat: religious, ethnic or cultural.

    This double standard not only reinforces racial stereotypes but also shapes how law enforcement and the media view violence committed by white actors – as an aberration rather than a pattern.

    The media can play a crucial role in perpetuating the lone gunman myth.
    Consider how swiftly the media and politicians labeled the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, perpetrated by Omar Mateen, as an act of Islamist terrorism. Even though Mateen had no meaningful connections to any terrorist groups, his Islamic religious beliefs were used to construct a narrative that he was part of a global threat.

    By contrast, the FBI hesitated to call Dylann Roof’s actions “racial terrorism.” Terrorism is defined as a form of political violence, where the threat or use of physical force by individuals or groups is not only intended to influence or disrupt governmental authority but to instill fear and force political change. The FBI designated Roof’s crime as a hate crime perpetrated by a disturbed young man.

    This distinction between calling Roof’s attack a hate crime rather than racially motivated terrorism sparked significant criticism from scholars, activists and commentators. Many argued that Roof’s white supremacist motives and the symbolic target, a historic Black church, made it a clear case of racial terrorism.

    Moving toward a more honest understanding

    This asymmetry matters.

    I argue that it shapes public perception, policy responses and resource allocation. It allows white supremacist violence to flourish under the radar, often dismissed until it becomes undeniable – usually after multiple lives have been lost.

    At the same time, politicians are frequently reluctant to acknowledge the ideological underpinnings of such violence, particularly when those ideologies overlap with their own rhetoric or voter base.

    After the 2022 mass shooting in Buffalo, where the gunman explicitly cited the “Great Replacement theory” in his manifesto, several Republican politicians who had previously echoed similar anti-immigrant rhetoric condemned the violence but avoided addressing the ideology behind it. The Great Replacement theory is a white supremacist conspiracy theory that falsely claims white populations are being deliberately replaced by nonwhite immigrants, especially Muslims, Latinos or Black people, through immigration, higher birth rates and federal government policy.

    Despite the shooter’s clear ideological motivation, once again many officials focused on mental illness or the violence as an isolated case of extremism. The impact of the messages about immigration and demographic change in contributing to a climate of racial fear and conspiracy were left unacknowledged.

    The Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly identified white supremacist violence as one of the top domestic terrorism threats. Investigations related to domestic terrorism and violence have increased significantly over the past few years. In a 2023 interview with “PBS NewsHour,” Seamus Hughes of the University of Nebraska Omaha’s National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology and Education Center said that “the FBI was investigating 850 people three years ago. Now they’re investigating 2,700.”

    Yet meaningful, structural reforms, whether in tech and social media regulation, gun control or public education, have remained elusive. I believe connecting the larger social, political and cultural issues that surround extreme violence is critical to building healthy communities.

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

    – ref. The term ‘lone gunman’ ignores the structures that enable violence – https://theconversation.com/the-term-lone-gunman-ignores-the-structures-that-enable-violence-259107

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Video, Transcript, and Photos: Representatives Goldman, Nadler Conduct Congressional Oversight of Immigration Proceedings at 26 Federal Plaza

    Source: US Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10)

    Rep. Dan Goldman: “And the question is, why can’t we go in? What are they hiding? If they’re going to treat Comptroller Lander, if they’re going to treat Senator Padilla, if they’re going to treat Congresswoman McIver the way that these agents have been treating them, as if it’s the police state out in the open in public, how are they treating immigrants behind closed doors who have to sleep on floors for multiple nights?” 

     

    Rep. Dan Goldman: “This is unacceptable. It is unacceptable that they denied our access, and we will be continuing to push for access with the executives at the Department of Homeland Security because they are violating the law. And we will not stop until we get to go in and observe what is going on in these detention centers with these non-criminal, nonviolent immigrants going through the process the correct way.” 

     

    Watch Video of Rep. Goldman Being Denied Access to Detention Area Here 

     

    Videos and Photos from the Press Conference Here 

    New York, NY — Congressmen Dan Goldman (NY-10) and Jerry Nadler (NY-12) hosted a press conference today after observing court proceedings at 26 Federal Plaza and being denied access to the federal building’s 10th floor, where immigrants are being detained for days and sleeping on the floor and benches in inhumane conditions. The Congressmembers confronted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Field Director Bill Joyce and Field Office Director Judith Almodovar, who confirmed reports that immigrants were sleeping on the floor. The members raised concerns about the detentions and ICE’s ongoing refusal to allow lawful congressional oversight of detention facilities. 

    The press conference came on the heels of continued ICE raids at federal immigration courts across the country, targeting law-abiding immigrants attending routine court appearances. Most recently, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander was detained at 26 Federal Plaza while overseeing similar proceedings. 

    On May 29, Rep. Goldman observed similar court proceedings at 290 Broadway in Manhattan, where he confronted ICE and Department of Homeland Security agents about their continued use of face coverings while detaining law-abiding immigrants following routine asylum hearings. 

    A transcript of the Congressman’s comments is available below: 

    Rep. Dan Goldman: “Thank you. Thank you all for coming.  

    I’m here with Congressman Nadler in front of 26 Federal Plaza. We just went in to conduct our constitutional oversight authority of ICE and ICE detention facilities. We were denied access, even though we are allowed to show up unannounced by statute, and we must be allowed in. 

    We gave advance notice that we would be coming this morning, and they still denied our access. They said that this building is not being used as a, this is not a “detention facility,” even though the statute very clearly says that we are allowed into any facility that is being used to detain or otherwise house aliens. 

    The Deputy Field Director said that there are people who have been staying there for two nights or more after they have been processed, sleeping on benches and on the floor. We are very concerned about what conditions these immigrants are being held in while this mass deportation scheme is underway.  

    We observed the courtroom before that, where the government is trying to dismiss these immigration cases. 

    These are nonviolent, non-criminal immigrants going through the proper process, and the government is trying to dismiss the cases.  

    We observed two cases where the respondent, the immigrant, rejected the government’s motion to dismiss it and moved ahead with their asylum claim. So they were not arrested by the numerous federal agents in masks who were waiting outside of the courtroom. 

    And those federal agents are not just ICE agents. There are numerous FBI agents. These are people whose responsibility and job duties are to investigate serious crimes. And they’re being pulled away from investigating serious crimes so that they can arrest nonviolent, non-criminal immigrants going through the lawful legal process so that they can be deceptively removed in an expedited fashion. 

    And the question is, why can’t we go in? What are they hiding? If they’re going to treat Comptroller Lander, if they’re going to treat Senator Padilla, if they’re going to treat Congresswoman McIver the way that these agents have been treating them, as if it’s the police state out in the open in the public, how are they treating immigrants behind closed doors who have to sleep on floors for multiple nights? 

    This is unacceptable. It is unacceptable that they denied our access, and we will be continuing to push for access with the executives at the Department of Homeland Security because they are violating the law. And we will not stop until we get to go in and observe what is going on in these detention centers with these non-criminal, nonviolent immigrants going through the process the correct way.  

    And the question for everybody to ask is, not only what are they hiding with the masks, but what are they hiding about this facility that they are using to house immigrants for multiple days?”

    Earlier this month, Rep. Goldman and and House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02) led 84 House Democrats in an oversight letter of inquiry to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem seeking answers regarding the rise in ICE employing its masked, plainclothes officers to detain non-violent, law-abiding immigrants immediately following and in coordination with the dismissal of their existing deportation cases by DHS attorneys.   

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Virginia Man Sentenced for Attempted Church Shooting

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    A Virginia man was sentenced today in Alexandia for his attempt to carry out a mass shooting at a Haymarket, Virginia church, for carrying a gun during that attempt, and for transmitting threats over the internet. Rui Jiang, 36, of Fairfax, Virginia, was sentenced to 25 years in prison and five years of supervised release. Jiang was previously convicted by a jury in March 2025.

    According to evidence presented at trial, Jiang began posting online threats against the Park Valley Church on the evening of Sept. 23, 2023, which made clear his intention to kill congregants. The next morning, police searched for Jiang in response to a concerned citizen’s call. Officers located Jiang at the church while Sunday services were underway. Jiang was armed with a semiautomatic handgun, two magazines of ammunition, and two knives. He had additional ammunition, knives, and a canister of bear spray in his nearby car. During a search of Jiang’s apartment, police discovered copies of a manifesto, signed by Jiang, which read in part, “I am here deny (sic) the love lives blessed by God to these lucky men, by taking out these men . . .To the families of those men about to be slain – I am sorry for what I have done and about to do (sic).”

    “This was the closest of calls. But for the determination of a concerned citizen; the exceptional police work by the Anne Arundel, Fairfax, and Prince William County Police Departments; and the steadfast vigilance of the church security team, this would have ended in unimaginable tragedy,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will relentlessly investigate and prosecute attacks on our nation’s houses of worship.”

    “The freedom to worship without fear is one of the bedrock principles of our Nation,” said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Rui Jiang set out to violate that principle by entering a church during a religious service armed with the intent to murder innocent parishioners. This unspeakable act, only thwarted by brave law enforcement officers and civilians, has no place in our Republic and will always be a priority of my office.”

    “The church shooting that was thwarted because of the vigilance of concerned citizens is a reminder that when communities and law enforcement agencies work together, we can prevent targeted acts of violence.” said Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, with substantial assistance from the Prince William County and Fairfax County Police Departments. The Anne Arundel County Police Department also assisted. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas A. Durham and Troy A. Edwards Jr., for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Kyle Boynton of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –