NewzIntel.com

Category: Federal Bureau of Investigation

  • MIL-OSI USA: Elon Musk Confirms Rep. Dan Goldman’s Suspicion – Pam Bondi Is Hiding the Epstein Files to Protect Donald Trump

    Source: US Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10)

    Last Month, Goldman Sent Letter of Inquiry to Justice Department Demanding Unredacted Release of Files Containing Trump’s Name and Explanation of Stonewalling 

     

    Read the Letter Here 

     

    Watch Rep. Goldman’s Interview Here 

     

    Goldman: “I write to express my grave concern about what appears to be a concerted effort by you to delay and even prevent the release of the Jeffrey Epstein Files in their entirety – potentially at the direction of the sitting President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.” 

    There you have it – Elon Musk just confirmed Rep. Dan Goldman’s suspicion that Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice were stonewalling the promised release of the Epstein Files and had agents working around the clock to redact instances of President Donald Trump’s name.  

    “I write to express my grave concern about what appears to be a concerted effort by you to delay and even prevent the release of the Jeffrey Epstein Files in their entirety – potentially at the direction of the sitting President of the United States, Donald J. Trump,” Congressman Goldman wrote in May 2025. 

    Following the broadly ridiculed release of The Epstein Files: Part 1 on February 27, 2025, AG Bondi demanded that the FBI deliver the complete Epstein Files within 24 hours to DOJ, as well as a comprehensive report from FBI Director Patel within 14 days. It has now been 74 days since Bondi issued those directives, yet the Department has not released the report despite months-old reporting that the FBI Field Office in New York has delayed other investigations to review and redact information for public release. The Congressman questioned if this delay may be related to President Trump’s long-running relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. 

    “The convergence of your unexplained delay in releasing the Epstein Files, the reporting nearly two months ago that numerous FBI agents were working overtime to redact the materials, President Trump’s well-documented affiliation with Epstein, and his view that the Department of Justice is his personal law firm raises serious questions about whether President Trump has intervened to prevent the public release of the Epstein Files in order to hide his own embarrassing and potentially criminal conduct,” Congressman Goldman continued. 

    Attorney General Bondi’s oath of office requires her to represent the United States’ interest without fear or favor, not protect the President’s embarrassing or even criminal behavior from being made public. Congressman Goldman requested that Attorney General Bondi inform Congress of whether the White House or Donald Trump himself has sought to intervene in the case in any way, as well as to provide a detailed timeline for the release of the Epstein Files. 

    “I look forward to your response to this matter of intense public interest. Both Congress and the American people are eager for you to follow through on your promise of transparency about the Epstein Files,” the Congressman concluded. 

    Read the full letter here or below: 

    Dear Attorney General Bondi, 

    I write to express my grave concern about what appears to be a concerted effort by you to delay and even prevent the release of the Jeffrey Epstein Files in their entirety – potentially at the direction of the sitting President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.  

    On February 27, 2025, to much fanfare, the Department of Justice under your leadership released a trove of already-public documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein 

    case titled The Epstein Files: Phase 1. This document dump, which was redacted ostensibly to “protect victims,” was sold to the American people as a fulfillment of President Trump’s promise of government transparency. It was rightly met, however, with widespread ridicule from across the political spectrum as a ham-handed attempt to gaslight the American people. 

    Shortly after the underwhelming ‘Phase 1’ release, you sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel attempting to pin blame on the FBI’s New York field office for the missing material. In that letter, also dated February 27, 2025, you demanded that the FBI deliver, within 24 hours, “the full and complete Epstein files…including all records, documents, audio and video recordings, and materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his clients, regardless of how such information was obtained.” You went on to clearly state that, “[t]here will be no withholdings or limitations to my or your access.” You further demanded a “comprehensive report” from the FBI Director “within 14 days.” Director Patel subsequently indicated his intent to comply with your request in a post on X: “There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned.” 

    It is now 74 days past the issuance of both your 24-hour demand and 14-day deadline for a comprehensive report, yet you have provided no additional materials nor an explanation for the delay. Reporting from March 21, 2025, indicates that the FBI field office in New York, presumably at your direction, delayed other investigations in order to work around the clock to review and redact information contained in the Epstein Files for release.3 Although you stated on May 8, 2025, that “[t]here are thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn,” which would require redaction to protect the victims’ identities, it simply cannot take this long for dozens of agents working around the clock to make the necessary redactions. 

    Further, extensive reporting has revealed that President Donald Trump had a lengthy and close relationship with both Jeffrey Epstein and Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, including being named in Jeffrey Epstein’s flight logs as having flown on Epstein’s private jet at least seven times between 1993 and 1997. In 2002, President Trump was quoted as saying, “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy… He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”5 Moreover, Epstein’s personal address book, leaked in 2009 by an Epstein employee, contained 14 phone numbers for President Trump, his wife, Melania, and members of his staff. 

    The convergence of your unexplained delay in releasing the Epstein Files, the reporting nearly two months ago that numerous FBI agents were working overtime to redact the materials, President Trump’s well documented affiliation with Epstein, and his view that the Department of Justice is his personal law firm raises serious questions about whether President Trump has intervened to prevent the public release of the Epstein Files in order to hide his own embarrassing and potentially criminal conduct. 

    As a former 10-year DOJ prosecutor, I remind you that, as Attorney General, your oath of office requires you to represent the United States’ interest without fear or favor, not President Trump’s personal interest. That obligation to the American people requires the immediate release in their entirety of the Epstein Files in your possession, subject to appropriate redactions related to victims and minors. To be clear, there is no proper basis to redact the name, identify, or likeness of President Trump. 

    If you have been directed to redact instances of President Trump’s name or likeness that are included in the Epstein Files, then your oath of office and your commitment to transparency requires you to inform the American people of that directive. As part of Congress’ oversight authority provided by the Constitution of the United States, I request that you respond, in writing, to the following questions no later than June 2, 2025: 

    1. Are you or the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in possession of all of the Epstein Files in the FBI’s custody and control? 

    2. Have the necessary redactions of victims’ identities and likenesses been completed? If not, why not?  

    3. Has the name, identity or likeness of President Donald Trump been redacted? If so, why?  

    4. Have you, OAG, or any other member of the DOJ been contacted by President Trump, anyone working in the White House, or another agent of President Trump’s about the Epstein Files?  

      1. If so, did they request that you or your staff prevent the release of the Epstein Files? 

      2. Did they request that you redact the name, identity or likeness of President Trump from the Epstein Files prepared to be released publicly pursuant to your previous promise?  

    5. If not, why haven’t you released the Epstein Files as you promised to do in February?  

    6. If you do still intend to release the Epstein Files, please provide a detailed timeline of your plan to do so. 

    I look forward to your response to this matter of intense public interest. Both Congress and the American people are eager for you to follow through on your promise of transparency about the Epstein Files. 

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Federal Jury Convicts Pakistani Weapons Smuggler of Transporting Iranian Advanced Conventional Weapons Destined for the Houthis in Yemen

    Source: US State of California

    A federal jury convicted a Pakistani national today on charges related to smuggling Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry destined for the Houthis in Yemen and threatening multiple witnesses.

    According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on the night of Jan. 11, 2024, U.S. Central Command Navy forces operating from the USS LEWIS B. PULLER, including Navy SEALs and members of the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team East, boarded an unflagged dhow, a small vessel, in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Somalia. The U.S. boarding team encountered 14 individual mariners on the vessel, including the captain, Muhammad Pahlawan, 49.

    During a search of the dhow, the U.S. boarding team located and seized Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry, including ballistic missile components, anti-ship cruise missile components, and a warhead. The type of weaponry found aboard the dhow is consistent with the weaponry used by the Houthi rebel forces during the time of the charged conspiracy against merchant ships and U.S. military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.  During the interdiction, Pahlawan lied to the boarding team, instructed other crewmembers to lie, and eventually threatened the lives of his crewmembers and their families.

    Pahlawan’s January 2024 trip was part of a larger operation. From in or around August 2023 through in or around January 2024, Pahlawan worked with two Iranian brothers, Shahab Mir’kazei (Shahab), and Yunus Mir’kazei (Yunus), affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to smuggle materials from Iran to the Houthi rebel forces in Yemen. Pahlawan completed multiple smuggling voyages, coordinated and funded by Shahab and Yunus, by traveling with cargo from Iran to the coast of Somalia and transporting that cargo to another vessel for a nighttime ship-to-ship transfer. Pahlawan worked with Shahab and Yunus to prepare the dhow for these smuggling voyages, received specific coordinates from them for the ship-to-ship transfers, and received multiple payments from them for his role in the smuggling operation.

    Pahlawan was convicted of: conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists, providing material support and resources to Iran’s weapons of mass destruction program, providing material support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s weapons of mass destruction program, conspiring to and indeed transporting explosive devices to the Houthis knowing those explosives would be used to cause harm, and threatening his crew. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 22 and most statutes of conviction include a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director Donald M. Holstead of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division; and Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Troy A. Edwards Jr. and Gavin R. Tisdale for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Joseph N. Kaster of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case. Former Eastern District of Virginia prosecutor Danya Atiyeh and former National Security Division Trial Attorney Lesley Woods supported the case.

    The following government agencies provided invaluable support to the case: the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of Defense, the Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI and Local Partners Interrupt IED and Mass Shooting Event

    Source: US FBI

    The FBI Portland Field Office and local law enforcement partners arrested a Columbia County, Oregon, juvenile who conspired to conduct an improvised explosive attack and mass shooting at the Three Rivers Mall in Kelso, Washington, on May 22, 2025.

    The teen, whose name will not be released due to an effort to limit public disclosure of a minor, was arrested on the morning of May 22, 2025, by deputies from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.

    The detailed and imminent attack plans were reported to the FBI on May 19, 2025. Immediately, the FBI began working with our partners to identify the suspect who was responsible for the threat. The subject was identified the next day, May 20, as a juvenile Columbia County resident who shared nihilistic violent extremist ideology and the plans in online chats. The suspect was placed under court-authorized surveillance for public
    safety concerns, and a federal search warrant was planned and executed on May 22, 2025, prior to the arrest.

    The suspect demonstrated the intent and means to carry out their plan, which included precise details such as a map of the mall, a route the shooter would follow, a plan to use an improvised explosive device commonly known as a chlorine bomb to incite panic, and then to shoot mall patrons as they were exiting the movie theatre before ultimately committing suicide at a pre-determined location in the mall.

    An alarming amount of indicators of a cogent path to violence were met—at no point in this plan did it seem like the suspect wouldn’t follow through with their plans. 

    “This plot was as serious as it gets,” said FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Olson. “We, along with our partners, moved swiftly to interrupt this violent plan and to protect our community.” 

    Initial contact with the subject was made by the FBI, however the arrest was made by local law enforcement on state charges.

    The FBI encourages the public to report suspicious behavior to law enforcement and for parents to engage with their children and have an open dialogue about their online activity.

    The Columbia County District Attorney’s office is prosecuting this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Convicts Pakistani Weapons Smuggler of Transporting Iranian Advanced Conventional Weapons Destined for the Houthis in Yemen

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    A federal jury convicted a Pakistani national today on charges related to smuggling Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry destined for the Houthis in Yemen and threatening multiple witnesses.

    According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on the night of Jan. 11, 2024, U.S. Central Command Navy forces operating from the USS LEWIS B. PULLER, including Navy SEALs and members of the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team East, boarded an unflagged dhow, a small vessel, in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Somalia. The U.S. boarding team encountered 14 individual mariners on the vessel, including the captain, Muhammad Pahlawan, 49.

    During a search of the dhow, the U.S. boarding team located and seized Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry, including ballistic missile components, anti-ship cruise missile components, and a warhead. The type of weaponry found aboard the dhow is consistent with the weaponry used by the Houthi rebel forces during the time of the charged conspiracy against merchant ships and U.S. military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel. During the interdiction, Pahlawan lied to the boarding team, instructed other crewmembers to lie, and eventually threatened the lives of his crewmembers and their families.

    Pahlawan’s January 2024 trip was part of a larger operation. From in or around August 2023 through in or around January 2024, Pahlawan worked with two Iranian brothers, Shahab Mir’kazei (Shahab), and Yunus Mir’kazei (Yunus), affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to smuggle materials from Iran to the Houthi rebel forces in Yemen. Pahlawan completed multiple smuggling voyages, coordinated and funded by Shahab and Yunus, by traveling with cargo from Iran to the coast of Somalia and transporting that cargo to another vessel for a nighttime ship-to-ship transfer. Pahlawan worked with Shahab and Yunus to prepare the dhow for these smuggling voyages, received specific coordinates from them for the ship-to-ship transfers, and received multiple payments from them for his role in the smuggling operation.

    Pahlawan was convicted of: conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists, providing material support and resources to Iran’s weapons of mass destruction program, providing material support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s weapons of mass destruction program, conspiring to and indeed transporting explosive devices to the Houthis knowing those explosives would be used to cause harm, and threatening his crew. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 22 and most statutes of conviction include a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia, Executive Assistant Director Jodi Cohen of the FBI’s National Security Branch; and Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Troy A. Edwards Jr. and Gavin R. Tisdale for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Joseph N. Kaster of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case. Former Eastern District of Virginia prosecutor Danya Atiyeh, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber, and former National Security Division Trial Attorney Lesley Woods supported the case.

    The following government agencies provided invaluable support to the case: the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of Defense, the Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Executive Business Meeting

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    June 05, 2025

    During his remarks, Durbin condemned the systematic gutting of the Department of Justice under AG Bondi

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered an opening statement during today’s Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting. Durbin’s opening statement outlined the Trump Administration’s systematic gutting of Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI anti-corruption efforts, gutting of independent ethics review at DOJ, Attorney General Bondi’s conflicts of interest, and more.

    Key Quotes:

    “Under the Trump Administration, the Department of Justice is systematically removing the structure charged with fighting corruption in our government… In one of her first official acts, Attorney General Bondi disbanded the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force and restricted enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, despite the growing threat of foreign influence campaigns by hostile nations. Unfortunately, this was no surprise since the Attorney General herself was formerly a paid foreign agent of the government of Qatar. As a former head of FBI counterintelligence put it, this has created a ‘free for all for foreign intelligence services seeking influence on our government.’”

    “In another shocking move, President Trump ordered a halt to the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. This landmark law prohibits companies from bribing foreign officials… After endless, baseless accusations that the Biden Administration weaponized DOJ, it is the Trump Administration that is making it easier to target its enemies, stifle dissent, and seek retribution.”

    “The Trump Administration also removed the senior career ethics official at DOJ who advised on conflicts of interest and other ethical issues—and put these duties in the hands of two inexperienced political appointees who are personally beholden to the Attorney General.”

    “In the absence of these internal guardrails, it’s not surprising that we’re witnessing outrageous misconduct. Attorney General Bondi did not recuse herself from President Trump’s solicitation of a free jet from the royal family of Qatar, despite the fact that AG Bondi was a registered foreign agent for [Qatar].”

    “Attorney General Bondi also appears to be reaping the financial rewards of her loyalty to the President. She has been deeply financially entangled with President Trump for years. Most notably, she earned at least $3 million on the merger that formed Trump Media and has held millions of dollars in Trump Media stock. She sold that stock under suspicious circumstances on a historic day—April 2, 2025. This was the same day President Trump announced his hairbrained tariff scheme that crashed the stock market and destroyed $10 trillion in wealth in three days… The share price of Trump Media plummeted 15 percent, yet Bondi appears to have avoided substantial financial loss.”

    “The Justice Department is involved in other activities that bear notice today. During his controversial and disgraceful tenure as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Ed Martin fired numerous career prosecutors simply because they were assigned to work on January 6 cases. Mr. Martin was rewarded with a plum position at the Justice Department as the very first political appointee to serve as pardon attorney. During his short time in this role, Martin has overseen pardons of numerous Trump donors and supporters.”

    “In light of these concerns, we have a responsibility to call Attorney General Bondi under oath soon. So, I ask again, I hope we have that oversight hearing in the soon in the future.”

    Durbin also spoke in support of David Waterman, nominated to be the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa. President Biden nominated Mr. Waterman last February and the Senate Judiciary Committee reported his nomination last April. Mr. Waterman became a victim of then-Senator Vance’s effort to block all U.S. Attorney nominees during under the Biden Administration. 

    Video of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.

    Audio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.

    Footage of Durbin’s opening statement is available here for TV Stations.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Six People Indicted for COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme Totaling Over $34 Million

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – Elaine A. Escoe, 40; Alfred L. Davis, 51; Gino J. Jourdan, 37; Cher L. Davis, 53; Latoya T. Clark, 39; and James G. McGhow, 69, have been indicted with conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $34 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.

    According to allegations in the indictment, from May 2020 through November 2021, the defendants conspired to submit more than 90 false and fraudulent applications for funds under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG). The applications allegedly contained materially false representations regarding employee counts, payroll expenses, and business revenues. In support of the applications, the defendants are alleged to have submitted falsified IRS tax documents and fabricated bank statements.

    The indictment alleges that the scheme resulted in the wrongful disbursement of approximately $29.1 million in PPP funds, $1.2 million in RRF funds, and $3.8 million in SVOG funds. After the funds were disbursed, the defendants allegedly directed payments to each other and to businesses they controlled, withdrew large sums in cash, and used blank, signed checks to conceal the origin and nature of the proceeds.

    Each of the six defendants is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each defendant also faces multiple substantive counts of wire fraud and engaging in monetary transactions involving criminally derived property. If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison on each wire fraud charge and up to 10 years in prison on each money laundering charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of FBI Miami and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, made the announcement.

    FBI Miami’s West Palm Beach Resident Agency investigated the case.  HSI Miami assisted in the investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Bailyn is prosecuting the case.  Legal Administrative Specialist Matthew Neff is helping with litigation technology.

    An indictment is a mere allegation.  A defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-80076-AMC.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Mexican illegal alien sentenced to 11 years for smuggling 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine in truckload of cabbages following ICE Rio Grande Valley, federal partner investigation

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    McALLEN, Texas – A Mexican illegal alien was sentenced for his role in possessing with intent to distribute nearly $3 million in methamphetamine concealed inside cabbages following an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Hidalgo County Constable’s Office.

    Jose Angel Ibarra-Rojas, 36, was sentenced on June 4 by U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton to serve 132 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard how the narcotics were packaged in a sophisticated manner. The heads of the cabbages were removed, and balls of methamphetamine were then inserted into the leaves in order to conceal them. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. Ibarra-Rojas pleaded guilty Nov. 6, 2024.

    “This sentencing sends a strong message: any criminal who colludes with terrorist organizations to smuggle dangerous drugs into our communities will face harsh consequences. Thanks to the joint efforts of HSI, CBP, and local partners, we dismantled a dangerous operation and took a major quantity of meth off the streets,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Rio Grande Valley Deputy Special Agent in Charge Mark Lippa.

    According to court documents, on June 18, 2024, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a tractor trailer in Pharr. Ibarra-Rojas was the passenger. A search of the vehicle revealed 1,154 plastic-wrapped packages containing a crystal-like substance concealed within cabbages in the cargo area. Authorities determined the substance was methamphetamine and had a total weight of approximately 1,356 kilograms. The drugs had an estimated street value of over $2.8 million.

    Ibarra-Rojas admitted he knew the trailer contained narcotics and was aware it had recently entered the United States. He claimed he expected to be paid $1,000 to arrange the transport of the trailer and its narcotics farther north into the United States. Ibarra-Rojas also said he had arranged similar transports several times in the past.

    Ibarra-Rojas will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexa D. Parcell from the Southern District of Texas prosecuted the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Charleston Woman Pleads Guilty to Role in COVID-19 Fraud Conspiracy

    Source: US FBI

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Damisha Brown, 32, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Brown received $15,625 in proceeds from a criminally derived Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loan, guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

    According to court documents and statements made in court, co-defendant Kisha Sutton conspired with Brown and others to obtain fraudulent PPP loans. Sutton submitted a PPP loan application on Brown’s behalf on April 25, 2021. The application listed Brown as a sole proprietor hair dresser who received $75,000 in gross income in 2020. The application was filed with an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1040, Schedule C Profit or Loss from Business, stating that the applicant had earned $75,000 in 2020. As part of her guilty pleas, Brown admitted that she never earned $75,000 as a hair dresser in one year and that the IRS Form 1040 submitted with her application was fraudulent and created solely to obtain the PPP loan.

    A PPP lender in California approved Brown’s loan application. The $15,625 in loan proceeds was deposited in Brown’s personal bank account on April 30, 2021. Brown admitted that she knew the $15,625 represented proceeds from the fraudulent PPP loan. Between April 30 and May 27, 2021, Sutton received $3,500 from Brown as her share of the fraudulent PPP loan proceeds. Brown transferred the money to Sutton using a digital wallet application. Brown admitted that she transferred the $3,500 as Sutton’s compensation for facilitating the submission of her fraudulent loan, in keeping with their agreement. Brown further admitted that she spent the remainder of the loan proceeds on ineligible personal expenses.

    The CARES Act made forgivable PPP loans available to qualifying sole proprietors, independent contractors and self-employed individuals adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, to replace their normal income and for certain other eligible expenses. Applicants were required to certify that they were in operation on February 15, 2020, and provide documentation showing their prior gross income from either 2019 or 2020.

    Brown is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. Brown also owes $12,125 in restitution.

    Brown and Sutton, 44, of Jersey City, New Jersey, are among seven individuals indicted by a federal grand jury on charges alleging they and others conspired, as well as aided and abetted one another, to obtain fraudulent PPP loans totaling $140,625. On March 25, 2025, co-defendant William Powell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and co-defendant Jasmine Spencer pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting bank fraud. Powell, 35, of Huntington, and Spencer, 32, of Charleston,  are scheduled to be sentenced on July 9, 2025. The indictment against Sutton and the other defendants remains pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO) Public Integrity and Fraud Unit (PIFU).

    United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan T. Storage and Jennifer D. Gordon and former Assistant United States Attorney Holly Wilson have prosecuted the case.

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

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-192.

    ###

     

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Laredo area alien smuggling ring taken down

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LAREDO, Texas – Two men have been ordered to federal prison for their roles in an extensive human smuggling conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Manuel Capetillo, 27, Poteet, and Michael Diaz, 31, Laredo, pleaded guilty Feb. 4 and March 4, respectively.

    U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen has now imposed an 85-month-term of imprisonment for Capetillo, while Diaz received 70 months. Both men were also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following their sentences. Diaz was further ordered to pay a $10,000 special assessment. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the inhumane conditions in which the aliens were transported and that Capetillo and Diaz had made a business out of smuggling aliens. “You thought of these people as cattle,” he said. Judge Kazen also commented on Capetillo’s leadership role and that he was one of the highest-level players in the region he had seen. 

    Capetillo and Diaz are attributed with smuggling over 65 aliens, including adults and children as young as six, who came from multiple countries as far south as Guatemala and as close as Mexico. Both had received cash payments in excess of $50,000 during their operations.

    The investigation revealed both men operated stash houses in Laredo and that Capetillo also operated one in Poteet. Over several months, Capetillo recruited drivers, scouts and caretakers to bring aliens in from countries in Central America and transport them throughout the southern and central areas of Texas.

    Capetillo negotiated prices with Mexican smugglers on how much and to whom would be paid for aliens illegally crossing into the United States. He also negotiated with Mexican nationals to provide weapons for the wars taking place in Monterrey, Mexico, and importing drugs into the United States.  

    Diaz worked in close connection with Capetillo to rent a yard in Laredo and load aliens into inoperable vehicles, place them on top of tow trucks and smuggle them to Capetillo’s Poteet stash house in the Southern Texas heat. Capetillo paid Diaz for his role in the conspiracy.

    Previously released on bond, Capetillo was taken into custody following the sentencing where he will remain pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Diaz has been and will remain in custody.

    Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation with the assistance of police departments in Laredo and Poteet. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tory Sailer prosecuted the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Alien Sentenced for Assaulting Law Enforcement

    Source: US FBI

    McALLEN, Texas – A 21-year-old El Salvadorian national has been sentenced for assaulting a Border Patrol (BP) agent, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Oscar Adilio Sanchez-Rivera pleaded guilty March 4.

    U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now ordered Sanchez-Rivera to serve 36 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.

    “The defendant here managed to turn a simple removal case to a multi-year federal sentence,” said Ganjei. “Let this case be an example to others who may wish harm on police or federal agents; assaulting law enforcement will not be tolerated.”

    On Nov. 1, 2024, authorities conducted a traffic stop in Rio Grande City when Sanchez-Rivera notified them of his alien status. As the BP agent attempted to place him in a vehicle, Sanchez-Rivera attempted to evade arrest. He punched the agent in the face and grabbed the agent’s finger, causing a fracture that required surgery.

    Sanchez-Rivera fled on foot but was soon apprehended.

    He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

    BP and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda McColgan prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Richmond Man Sentenced to Over Three Years in Prison for Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: US FBI

    RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to three years and four months in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

    According to court documents, in November 2020, FBI agents received information from KIK Messenger about username “boredani” sharing videos believed to be CSAM. On Dec. 8, 2021, agents searched the residence of Hasson Julian Roberts, 42. Agents seized several electronic devices belonging to Roberts, including an external hard drive. A forensic examination of the external hard drive revealed that it contained over 100 CSAM files, including a video file depicting a prepubescent minor engaged in various sexual acts.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather H. Mansfield prosecuted the 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. Attorney’s Offices and the 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.justice.gov/psc.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-137.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Maryland State Trooper Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bribery and Drug Crimes

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Baltimore, Maryland – Today, U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Justin Riggs, 35, of Smithsburg, Maryland, to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for Conspiracy to Distribute and Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Controlled Dangerous Substances, Use of a Communication Facility in Causing or Facilitating the Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Dangerous Substances, and Travel Act-State of Maryland Bribery.   

    Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Acting Special Agent in Charge Amanda M. Koldjeski, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office.

    According to his guilty plea, in December 2022, Riggs — who was serving as a Maryland State Trooper — was assigned to a group within the Maryland State Police (MSP) investigating drug and gun trafficking in Western Maryland.  The MSP group used at least one confidential human source during the investigation.  On December 19, Riggs created a fictitious Facebook account to contact a drug-distributor target.  While corresponding with the drug distributor, Riggs informed the drug distributor that he worked “for a fed agency.”  Riggs also told the drug distributor that he had “tons more info pertaining to your biggest informant.”  The former Maryland state trooper initiated several electronic conversations with the drug distributor between 2022 and 2023, attempting to sell the informant’s identity.

    On December 21, Riggs stated among other things:

    “Theres a big case man. I’m not reaching out because I care what you’re in to or not in to. you don’t have to play innocent to me. IDC about that. I’m just trying to get paid. But there’s a big case that’s going on. Im here to work with you. I gave you some free info to prove my worth. Once you find the tracker and see I’m legit then let’s talk about the other info I have.”

    “That’s why I need money for the info. I know what’ll happen to the rat. You may not have the money but your club does. And this case is going to hurt alot of members. But anyway. Just holler when you want to move forward man.”

    Then on December 22, Riggs continued conversing with the drug distributor. The drug distributor told Riggs that he was no longer going to participate in drug trafficking, to which Riggs responded in part:

    “…So listen, if you’re getting out or want nothing to do with what I can offer, is there anybody trustworthy in your club that would have interest in my services? Info for money exchange type of thing?”

    “I could be willing to give you some more info now for forwarding my services to someone that could use it.”

    On December 26, Riggs asked the drug distributor if he removed the tracker from his truck.  Riggs then offered additional help to the drug distributor.  During the correspondence, Riggs said:

    “Did you pull the tracker off? I can help you by telling you how deep the investigation is. How to make it go away, who your snitch is that’s setting y’all up, and when your phone will be tapped…”

    “Gotchya. Yah it will send an alert once removed. I think they’re going to try to put another one of this week. I can’t communicate with you once the wire tap starts. That’s why I’m going offline tomorrow. But like I said I can help you. By telling you the snitch. Once he’s gone then you’re case should be gone because he won’t be able to testify against you”

    On January 2, 2023, Riggs began negotiating a price with the drug distributor for the information which continued through January 3. During a latter part of the conversation, Riggs stated:

    “If you make the 1500 drop then I’ll just give ya the rest of the info and you can make the 300 drop.”  Then later, “Every buy he’s done hasbeen recorded. The audio conversations have been recorded. But he plans on testifying on ya…”

    Then on January 5, Person 1 picked up the $1,500 on behalf of Riggs at an agreed upon location in Western Maryland. Riggs later confirmed with the drug distributor that he received the money.

    U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and MSP for their work in the investigation and ATF and HSI for their valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean R. Delaney who prosecuted the case.

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

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Labrador Warns Idahoans of Fake DMV Text Scam

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Home Newsroom AG Labrador Warns Idahoans of Fake DMV Text Scam

    BOISE — Attorney General Raúl Labrador issued a warning today about text scams targeting Idaho residents with fake DMV notices claiming unpaid traffic tickets will result in license suspension or legal penalties.
    “Scammers stole over $63 million from Idahoans last year, predominantly targeting our seniors,” said Attorney General Labrador. “These scammers are now using fake DMV texts to steal even more. Idaho families need to know that legitimate government agencies never demand payments through text messages.”
    The fraudulent texts claim to be from the Idaho DMV and threaten immediate license suspension unless payment is made through suspicious links. Law enforcement agencies across Idaho confirm they never send text messages demanding payments or threatening penalties for unpaid violations, tolls, or missed jury duty.
    Idahoans should watch for red flags including urgent payment demands, threats of arrest or license suspension, suspicious website links designed to look official, and requests for payment through gift cards. According to the 2024 FBI Internet Crime Report, seniors were disproportionately targeted by these schemes nationwide. The report also found that Idaho residents filed 3,081 complaints, resulting in $63,035,342 in total losses from cyber-enabled crimes and fraud.
    Idahoans who receive suspicious texts should report them to the Federal Trade Commission and delete the message without clicking any links or providing personal information.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Florida Man Sentenced to 22 Months’ Imprisonment for Conspiracy to Pay and Receive Healthcare Kickbacks

    Source: US FBI

    Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on May 29, 2025, U.S. District Judge Joseph P. Stadtmueller sentenced Michael G.V. Comino to 22 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to pay and receive healthcare kickbacks in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. Comino was also ordered to pay over $2 million in restitution to Medicare.

    According to court records, Comino and his co-defendant owned Kestrel Medical LLC, a company that supplied durable medical equipment, such as orthotic devices, including braces for ankles, knees, backs, and shoulders. Beginning in August 2019, Comino began providing “leads” or signed doctors’ orders to Kestrel in exchange for kickback payments to two companies he owned. Comino became a fifty percent owner of Kestrel in approximately February 2020, after which he continued to offer and pay kickbacks for signed doctors’ orders. Comino and his co-defendant concealed the nature of the kickback payments by paying invoices for marketing hours. As a result of the conspiracy, Medicare paid over $2 million to Kestrel. Comino personally received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Kestrel in 2019 and 2020.

    “The United States Attorney Office prioritizes efforts to stop healthcare fraud and will continue to hold accountable individuals who intentionally misuse Medicare and Medicaid dollars,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Frohling. “The restitution order and prison sentence in this case underscore that providers of medical equipment and supplies cannot engage in unlawful schemes that put their interests ahead of those of the American taxpayer.”   

    “Individuals like Mr. Comino must face the consequences of their actions that defrauded the American people and wasted taxpayer money. This case sends a clear message that healthcare kickback schemes won’t be tolerated,” said FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Michael Hensle. “The FBI will continue to work vigorously with our partners to combat and prevent healthcare fraud.”

    “The conduct in this investigation highlights a scheme whereby the defendant prioritized profits over patient care, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute.” said Special Agent in Charge Mario M. Pinto of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Working together with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG will continue to protect the integrity of federal health care programs.”

    The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney John Scully prosecuted.

    ###

    For further information contact:

    Public Information Officer

    Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov

    (414) 297-1700

    Follow us on Twitter

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Milwaukee Woman Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child Pornography

    Source: US FBI

    Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 3, 2025, Chasity Evans (age 38, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Ripley, Tennessee) was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman for her role in the production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM, or child pornography), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2251(a), 2251(e), and 2(a).

    According to court records, Evans created child pornography using a minor child, which she then distributed and sold to her co-defendant via cell phone, in exchange for nominal sums of money via Cash App. The criminal conduct occurred on multiple occasions between February 2023 and June 2023, while Evans was a resident of Milwaukee and the Memphis, Tennessee, area. The child was between the ages of 11 and 12 during the production of the CSAM.

    Following her term of imprisonment, Evans also will spend five years on supervised release. She will also have to register as a sex offender under state and federal law.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Memphis, Tennessee, field offices) investigated this case, with the assistance of the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abbey M. Marzick.

    ###

    For further information contact:

    Public Information Officer

    Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov

    (414) 297-1700

    Follow us on Twitter

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ecuadorian National Sentenced for Illegally Entering the US After a Prior Removal

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PORTLAND, Maine: An Ecuadorian national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for illegally entering the U.S. after a prior removal.

    U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced William Ariel Tamay Guaman, 23, to time served (approximately seven months in prison). Tamay Guaman pleaded guilty on April 3, 2025.

    According to court records, on February 4, 2025, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and the FBI conducted surveillance at a South Portland residence. After observing Tamay Guaman get into a van, agents followed him and conducted a traffic stop. An ERO agent familiar with Tamay Guaman approached the driver and asked for their name. Tamay Guaman provided a false name and was directed to step out of the vehicle. After briefly fleeing on foot and resisting arrest, Tamay Guaman was taken into custody. He had previously been removed from the U.S. in September 2023.

    ICE-ERO investigated the case with assistance from the FBI.

    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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Microsoft helps dismantle transnational scam network targeting older adults

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Microsoft helps dismantle transnational scam network targeting older adults

    On May 28, 2025, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the country’s federal police service, executed raids at 19 locations across India to dismantle cyber-enabled financial fraud networks, including tech support fraud schemes. This operation, which disrupted a malicious enterprise impersonating Microsoft and targeting older adults in Japan, resulted in the arrest of six key operatives, the takedown of two illegal call centers, and the seizure of digital and physical infrastructure, such as computers, storage devices, digital video recorders, and phones.

    Through close collaboration with the Japan Cybercrime Control Center (JC3), a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating cybercrime in Japan, Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) identified the India-based malicious ecosystem behind these scams. The DCU alerted Japan’s National Police Agency (NPA) and CBI, helping them to take decisive action against the individuals behind the operations.

    This case represents an evolution in the DCU’s disruption approach for cyber-enabled financial fraud. With the growth of cybercrime-as-a-service, connectivity among cybercriminals has increased and become more global. We must continue to look at the full ecosystem in which these actors operate and coordinate with multiple international partners to meaningfully address cybercrime. In the case of tech support fraud, where cybercriminals are increasingly using technology like artificial intelligence to scale their operations, we have transitioned away from focusing on individual call centers to targeting the highest levels of the operation and proactively disrupting their technical infrastructure. 

    The impact of cross-sector collaboration 

    Our collaboration with JC3 marked the DCU’s first partnership with a Japan-based organization to assist victims, proving crucial to the operation’s success. On an ongoing basis, JC3 provided actionable identifiers for malicious pop-ups that urged recipients to call fake technical support lines, believing they were contacting Microsoft. This information, coupled with additional threat intelligence and signals data, was then analyzed by the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC), enabling Microsoft to proactively take down approximately 66,000 malicious domains and URLs globally since May 2024. The intelligence gathered was then integrated into Microsoft services to strengthen them against abuse.  

    Importantly, the information from JC3 enabled the DCU to identify the broader network behind these scams—encompassing pop-up creators, search-engine optimizers, lead generators, logistics and technology providers, payment processors, and talent providers. These actors used generative AI to scale their operations, including to identify potential victims, automate the creation of malicious pop–up windows, and perform language translations to target Japanese victims. This activity highlights the increasingly sophisticated tactics employed by cybercriminals and underscores the importance of proactive global collaboration to protect victims. 

    Examples of malicious pop-ups impersonating Microsoft. 

    Continued commitment to cybercrime prevention 

    Cyber-enabled financial fraud disproportionately targets older adults, and unfortunately, this growing trend is global. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, tech support fraud was the most frequently reported crime type reported by older Americans (over 60) in 2023, resulting in nearly $590 million in losses. The Global Anti-Scam Alliance reported that, in Japan, the majority of scams target adults over the age of 45. This was consistent with what we observed in this operation, with approximately 90% of the 200 people affected being over the age of 50.

    The DCU has long been at the forefront of combatting sophisticated scams, and our ongoing collaboration with global law enforcement has led to hundreds of arrests and increasingly severe prison sentences worldwide. However, as cybercriminals continue to evolve their tactics, we too must take more aggressive action to protect those vulnerable to fraud. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies like AI and expanding collaborations with law enforcement and civil society, the DCU is intensifying its efforts to disrupt cybercrime operations from the top down. We are grateful for our ongoing collaboration partners across sectors and will continue to look for new ways to help protect people from cybercrime.

    Important: Microsoft will never send unsolicited email messages or make unsolicited phone calls to request personal or financial information, or to provide technical support to fix your computer. If you have been contacted by someone claiming to be from, or associated with, Microsoft and believe it was a scam, report the incident via our online reporting tool: microsoft.com/reportascam.  

    Doing so assists us with our ongoing investigations with law enforcement as we take appropriate action against those targeting our customers. We also use these insights to strengthen our technology to better protect consumers from fraudulent tactics. 

    For more information on how individuals can protect themselves, please visit: Protect yourself from tech support scams (microsoft.com). 

    Tags: cybercrime, Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit, The Digital Crimes Unit

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Grassley Joins Fox News to Discuss His Oversight of Biden FBI’s Anti-Catholic Bias

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) joined America’s Newsroom on Fox News to discuss his oversight revealing the Biden-era Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) anti-Catholic Richmond Memo was widely distributed to over 1,000 FBI employees across the country.
    Grassley additionally exposed a second FBI memo drafted for Bureau-wide distribution that repeated the unfounded link between traditional Catholicism and violent extremism. The memo was never published due to backlash following the Richmond Memo’s public disclosure in 2023.
    Video and excerpts of Grassley’s remarks follow.
    [embedded content]
    VIDEO
    On the DOJ’s Investigation into President Biden’s Autopen Use:
    “I think that the President made a wise decision that the Department of Justice ought to get to the bottom of it…and the American people are entitled to know what the truth is… I’m sure that Pam Bondi will get to the bottom of it.”
    On Grassley’s Richmond Memo Oversight:
    “We found out that 13 other documents went out, and at least 1,000 people had access to information that, presumably, was following up on some things that the Southern Poverty Law Center was telling people that the Catholic Church needed to be watched because it could be considered a terrorist organization. And, just even that charge in and of itself, is ridiculous. And you’d think that a responsible FBI director would make sure that that shouldn’t be followed up [on].”
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Goldman, Ranking Member Thompson Lead House Democrats in Response to President Trump’s Authoritarian Crackdown on Non-Violent, Law-Abiding Immigrants

    Source: US Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10)

    Oversight Inquiry Demands Transparency Regarding the Administration’s Authoritarian Tactics with Masked, Plainclothes ICE Agents Detaining Lawful Asylum Seekers 

     

    Goldman Last Week Confronted Masked ICE Agents Detaining Immigrants in His Office Building 

     

    Read the Inquiry Here 

    Washington, D.C – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) and House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02) today 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.   

    “Over the past week, we have witnessed federal agents lying in wait outside courtrooms, detaining individuals as they leave their hearings upon the expectation that their immigration proceedings — often including asylum applications — have been dismissed upon the government’s request. These mass arrests are part of what Trump administration officials have confirmed is a nationwide effort to terminate ongoing removal cases and reroute people into fast-tracked “expedited” removal proceedings, usually without counsel, due process, or any specific case-by-case analysis,” the Members wrote. 

    This tactic runs directly contrary to Secretary Noem’s Senate confirmation testimony and President Trump’s repeated promises that he would only target violent criminals for removal. The dark shift in tactics follows reporting alleging that the President was frustrated with the level of deportations achieved under his administration thus far. 

    “This new policy, designed to meet an arbitrary quota of deportations, is not targeting criminals — the “worst of the worst” as administration officials have repeatedly claimed — but instead is surreptitiously and deceptively aimed at those who are following the rules, voluntarily appearing in court, and doing it the right way. This policy neither targets criminals nor makes the public safer,” the Members continued. 

    The inquiry demands the Secretary provide internal DHS guidance and documentation regarding the dismissal of ongoing court cases, data on those detained, including asylum seekers and individuals without criminal records, as well as clarification on DHS’s use of masked agents, courtroom surveillance, and coordination with the Department of Justice. 

    “The United States is a nation founded by immigrants that has benefited immensely from immigration. As a democracy grounded in the principles of due process and equal protection under the law, the use of courthouse ambush tactics not only undermines those principles but directly contradicts the Department’s stated mission to uphold the law with integrity,” the Members wrote.  

    Read the full letter here or below: 

    Dear Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons:  

    We write to express grave concern over the disturbing pattern of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations taking place at immigration courts across the country — including recent incidents in New York City where masked, plainclothes ICE officers detained non-violent, non-criminal immigrants immediately following the dismissal of their existing deportation cases by DHS attorneys. 

    Over the past week, we have witnessed federal agents lying in wait outside courtrooms, detaining individuals as they leave their hearings upon the expectation that their immigration proceedings — often including asylum applications — have been dismissed upon the government’s request. These mass arrests are part of what Trump administration officials have confirmed is a nationwide effort to terminate ongoing removal cases and reroute people into fast-tracked “expedited” removal proceedings, usually without counsel, due process, or any specific case-by-case analysis. 

    By terminating ongoing removal proceedings, any pending asylum claim is rendered void, thereby creating a potentially short window to quickly deport immigrants who have previously applied for asylum, which, as you well know, is a legal pathway to enter the United States. It also bears emphasizing that asylum is not available to individuals convicted of serious crimes or deemed a danger to the security of the United States, meaning that those asserting asylum claims in immigration court are unlikely to have criminal backgrounds and are instead seeking protection under U.S. law.  

    Recent reports indicate that the Trump administration is pressuring federal agencies to triple the number of daily immigration arrests as part of a sweeping push to achieve the arbitrary number of 1 million deportations a year. This effort has led to the reassignment of FBI agents, U.S. Marshals, DEA, and CBP officers to immigration enforcement duties — ultimately straining national security resources, diverting attention away from investigating serious crimes, and raising real concerns about the public safety priorities of this administration.  

    During Secretary Noem’s confirmation hearing, you stated that DHS “would work every day to make sure people are safe and that those with criminal convictions are immediately removed.” However, it is clear that ICE is now targeting immigrants with no criminal history, many of whom are asylum seekers, parolees admitted through lawful processes, and students like Dylan — a 20-year-old Bronx high schooler who was detained after attending his court hearing alone and without a lawyer. He has since been transferred across four states, denied medical treatment, and cut off from legal representation. Dylan entered the United States lawfully in 2024, enrolled in public school, had employment authorization, and had no criminal record at the time of his detainment.   

    This new policy, designed to meet an arbitrary quota of deportations, is not targeting criminals — the “worst of the worst” as administration officials have repeatedly claimed — but instead is surreptitiously and deceptively aimed at those who are following the rules, voluntarily appearing in court, and doing it the right way. This policy neither targets criminals nor makes the public safer.   

    Instead, this policy creates perverse incentives for immigrants who are pursuing lawful pathways into our country and will encourage immigrants to go further underground and avoid following the lawful and official immigration process. This will not only result in the loss of tax and social security revenue — contributed by asylum-seekers eligible for work authorization — but will lead to greater disorder and public safety concerns. When combined with diverting significant law enforcement resources to arrests of non-violent immigrants instead of violent felons, the impact of this new policy makes our communities less safe.   

    The United States is a nation founded by immigrants that has benefited immensely from immigration. As a democracy grounded in the principles of due process and equal protection under the law, the use of courthouse ambush tactics not only undermines those principles but directly contradicts the Department’s stated mission to uphold the law with integrity.   

    Accordingly, as part of Congress’s constitutional obligation to conduct oversight of the Department, we demand written responses to the following questions no later than June 19, 2025:  

    1. What specific guidance has DHS issued regarding the dismissal of ongoing court cases, followed by immediate ICE detention and expedited removal? Please provide all email communications, memoranda, legal justification, and written notes of relevant meetings. This includes any relevant material that mentions how the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) will coordinate and cooperate with enforcement operations.  

    2. What criteria is DHS using to determine which individuals should be targeted by this new policy?  

    3. How many individuals have been detained nationwide following court case dismissals since May 1, 2025? Please provide a breakdown by state and court locations.  

      1. Of those who have been detained and placed in expedited removal, how many (if any) had an affirmative asylum application pending or had informed the court of their intention to pursue other legal relief with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)?  

      2. Of those who have been detained and placed in expedited removal, how many (if any) have criminal convictions in the United States? Please provide relevant information about those cases and individuals.   

    4. Are immigration judges being tracked for how they handle these cases? If so, for what specific purpose?  

    5. For every detainee who had previously filed an asylum claim or other juvenile or family-based relief, please provide any and all information about whether and to what extent they received a credible fear screening under the expedited removal process.   

    6. What specific guidance (if any) has DHS issued, including any guidance involving the Department of Justice, about restricting observers in courtrooms or on the court premises?  

    7. What written guidance (if any) has DHS issued about agents wearing masks during enforcement operations?  

    We urge DHS to immediately suspend enforcement actions targeting noncriminal immigrants and individuals who are actively complying with our immigration laws.   

    We look forward to your prompt and forthright response. 

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Man Loses Nearly Half a Million Dollars in Cryptocurrency Investment Scam

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio (USAO) has filed a civil complaint in forfeiture against 679,981.22 Tether (USDT) cryptocurrency suspected of being fraudulently obtained as part of an investment scam. USDT are digital tokens that are circulated through the internet and tied to, or “tethered,” to a fiat currency such as the U.S. dollar. The USDT amount in the complaint is valued at $679,981.22, at a 1:1 ratio to the dollar.

    According to court documents, on July 22, 2024, a woman using the name “Kristina Tian” contacted a victim located in Solon, Ohio, through the LinkedIn online professional networking platform. The two began messaging and became friendly with one another. Tian then suggested to move their conversation to the WhatsApp messaging platform where they continued to communicate. She then steered the conversation toward her successes in cryptocurrency to gain the victim’s interest. Prior to being contacted by Tian, the victim already had a cryptocurrency account through the Kraken exchange. While corresponding with Tian, he sent her screenshots of his investment holdings to prove that he had a significant amount of funds to invest. In total, he transferred approximately $500,000 of his money to his Kraken account. Tian then instructed him to transfer his Kraken cryptocurrency to an investment platform that the victim did not know was fraudulent. Following his initial investment, the victim requested that a portion of the first deposit be returned. Once that transaction was successful, he felt comfortable to proceed with investing more money. However, around this time, the FBI intervened. FBI agents informed the Solon man that they were investigating investment fraud schemes, and they believed he was a victim. After learning about the scam, the victim confronted Tian through WhatsApp. She responded with a series of mocking messages such as, “I feel for you. But thank you for you giving me half of your savings,” and “Lol, I enjoyed it and thank you for the money so I can find more. Glad to use your life savings.”

    Investigators also identified a second victim of the underlying cryptocurrency fraud scam. The female victim was a resident of Arizona who met a man on a dating app, “Coffee Meets Bagel.” After some time spent messaging through the app and building trust, the man suggested that she invest in cryptocurrencies. The victim made an initial purchase of cryptocurrency through Crypto.com and then transferred the full amount to the fraudulent investment platform that the man recommended. Later, the victim was unable to retrieve her funds. The Arizona woman lost $63,000 to the investment fraud scheme. This included $15,000 that she cashed out from her 401(k) retirement account, and another $48,000 from a home equity loan that her daughter took out and had given to her to invest.

    Because many virtual currencies record their transactions on publicly accessible digital ledgers known as a blockchain, investigators were able to conduct analysis for signs of fraudulent activity. They ultimately traced a portion of the funds stolen from the two victims to two cryptocurrency addresses on the Tron blockchain. Further investigation revealed that the stolen currency had been converted to the USDT virtual currency.

    By the complaint in forfeiture filed on June 2, 2025, the United States seeks to forfeit the entire 679,981.22 in USDT cryptocurrency. In the complaint, the United States alleges that the funds contained in the two cryptocurrency addresses in excess of the victims’ traceable losses also are proceeds of fraud and, accordingly, are subject to forfeiture. Additionally, the complaint alleges that such other funds were involved in money laundering violations.

    The claims asserted in the complaint are allegations only. The United States must prove the claims by a preponderance of evidence.

    If successful in this forfeiture action, the United States would seek to return the stolen funds to the victims.

    This case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James L. Morford for the Northern District of Ohio.

    The case is part of the FBI’s initiative against cryptocurrency fraud scams perpetrated on victims throughout the United States, including the Northern District of Ohio.

    To report fraudulent conduct involving older adults, contact the dedicated National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 or 1-833-372-8311 and visit the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center at IC3.gov to submit a report. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Department Files Civil Forfeiture Complaint Against Over $7.74M Laundered on Behalf of the North Korean Government

    Source: US State of California

    Forfeiture Action is the Latest Disruption of an Indicted North Korean Official’s Efforts to Generate Revenue for North Korea and its Weapons Program Through Illegal IT Worker Schemes and Cryptocurrency Theft

    The Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that North Korean information technology (IT) workers obtained illegal employment and amassed millions in cryptocurrency for the benefit of the North Korean government, all as a means of evading U.S. sanctions placed on North Korea. The funds were initially restrained in connection with an April 2023 indictment against Sim Hyon Sop (Sim), a North Korean Foreign Trade Bank (FTB) representative who was allegedly conspiring with the IT workers. While the North Koreans were attempting to launder those ill-gotten gains, the U.S. government was able to freeze and seize over $7.74 million tied to the scheme.

    “This forfeiture action highlights, once again, the North Korean government’s exploitation of the cryptocurrency ecosystem to fund its illicit priorities,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department will use every legal tool at its disposal to safeguard the cryptocurrency ecosystem and deny North Korea its ill-gotten gains in violation of U.S. sanctions.”

    “For years, North Korea has exploited global remote IT contracting and cryptocurrency ecosystems to evade U.S. sanctions and bankroll its weapons programs,” said Sue J. Bai, Head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s multimillion-dollar forfeiture action reflects the Department’s strategic focus on disrupting these illicit revenue schemes. We will continue to use every legal tool available to cut off the financial lifelines that sustain the DPRK and its destabilizing agenda.”

    “Crime may pay in other countries but that’s not how it works here,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “Any adversary who thinks they can benefit, financially, from executing a criminal scheme – whether directly or through the use of surrogates – had better rethink this ‘get rich quick’ strategy. It doesn’t work for the average citizen, and it certainly does not have a more positive outcome for foreign entities. Sanctions are in place against North Korea for a reason, and we will diligently investigate and prosecute anyone who tries to evade them. We will halt your progress, strike back, and take hold of any proceeds you obtained illegally.”

    “The FBI’s investigation has revealed a massive campaign by North Korean IT workers to defraud U.S. businesses by obtaining employment using the stolen identities of American citizens, all so the North Korean government can evade U.S. sanctions and generate revenue for its authoritarian regime,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI Counterintelligence Division. “Today’s action shows the FBI will do everything in our power to protect Americans from being victimized by the North Korean government, and we ask all U.S. companies that employ remote workers to remain vigilant to this new and sophisticated threat.” 

    According to the complaint, the North Korean government uses illegally obtained cryptocurrency as a means of generating revenue for its priorities. This illegally obtained cryptocurrency is allegedly generated, in part, through remote work done by North Korean IT workers deployed around the globe, including in the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation (Russia). Those IT workers have generated revenue for North Korea via their jobs at, among other places, blockchain development companies. To obtain employment, these North Korean IT workers allegedly bypassed security and due diligence checks using fraudulent (or fraudulently obtained) identification documents and other obfuscation strategies. These tactics hid the North Koreans’ true location and identities, causing unwitting employers to hire them and pay them a salary, often in stablecoins, such as USDC and USDT.

    To send their illegally obtained cryptocurrency back to North Korea, the IT workers allegedly transferred the cryptocurrency using money laundering techniques. These techniques included: (1) setting up accounts with fictitious identities; (2) moving funds in a series of small amounts; (3) moving funds to other blockchains or converting funds to other forms of virtual currency (i.e., “chain hopping” and “token swapping,” respectively); (4) purchasing non-fungible tokens as a store of value and means of hiding illicit funds; (5) using U.S.-based online accounts to legitimize activity; and (6) commingling their fraud proceeds to hide the origin of the funds. After laundering these funds, the North Korean IT workers allegedly sent them back to the North Korean government, at times via Sim and Kim Sang Man (Kim). Kim is a North Korean national who is the chief executive officer of “Chinyong,” also known as “Jinyong IT Cooperation Company.” Chinyong is subordinate to North Korea’s Ministry of Defense (formerly known as the Ministry of the Peoples’ Armed Forces), which the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added to its list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) on June 1, 2017.

    Chinyong employs delegations of North Korean IT workers that operate in, among other countries, Russia and Laos. Kim allegedly acts as an intermediary between the North Korean IT workers and North Korea’s FTB by sending funds from the North Korean IT workers to Sim.

    On April 24, 2023, OFAC added Sim to its SDN list. On May 23, 2023, OFAC added Chinyong and Kim to its SDN list.

    Today’s forfeiture action follows the Department’s announcement of two federal indictments charging Sim for allegedly conspiring (1) with North Korean IT workers to generate revenue through illegal employment at companies in the United States and abroad; and (2) with over-the-counter cryptocurrency traders to use stolen funds to buy goods for North Korea. The forfeiture action also follows on successful actions to disrupt North Korean revenue generation taken by the Department in May 2024, August 2024, December 2024, and January 2025. Those actions, which are part of the Department-wide DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative launched in March 2024 by the National Security Division and the FBI’s Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions, targeted U.S. persons facilitating remote IT work and their North Korean co-conspirators.

    The FBI Chicago Field Office and FBI’s Virtual Assets Unit are investigating the cases associated with this complaint.

    Senior Counsel Jessica Peck of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia, Jr. of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section, Trial Attorney Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Tortorice and Rick Blaylock for the District of Columbia are handling the prosecutions and forfeiture action. Significant assistance was provided by former FBI Supervisory Special Agent Chris Wong.

    The FBI, in conjunction with the State and Treasury Departments, issued a May 2022 advisory to alert the international community, private sector, and public about the North Korea IT worker threat. Updated guidance was issued in October 2023 by the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea), and in May 2024 by the FBI, which include indicators consistent with the North Korea IT worker fraud and the use of U.S.-based laptop farms. In January 2025, the FBI issued additional guidance regarding extortion and theft of sensitive company data by North Korean IT workers, along with recommended mitigations.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Box Elder Man Sentenced to Over Five Years in Prison for Child Sexual Abuse

    Source: US FBI

    GREAT FALLS – A Box Elder man who sexually abused a child was sentenced today to 68 months in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    Brian Lee Bigbow, 48, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of abusive sexual contact by force and of a child.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that in April 2021, a Montana DPHHS centralized intake report came in on an abuse of Jane Doe, who disclosed she was sexually abused by Brian Bigbow. During interviews, Doe provided details of the abuse. Doe said Bigbow hurt her and said the sexual abuse occurred when she was in Bigbow’s bed, and they were watching TV. He turned off the TV and the lights and “raped her” – which she described as sex when you don’t want it. Bigbow took off his pants and clothes and took off her clothes. Doe tried to push him away but could not. His private parts touched her private parts and it, “hurt really bad.” He was laying on her, touching her leg with his hand, and he tried to hold her hand. Bigbow told her not to tell anyone or he would hurt her. Doe did not remember how many times it happened – she just knew it was multiple times.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Chippewa Cree Law Enforcement Services

    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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Department Files Civil Forfeiture Complaint Against Over $7.74M Laundered on Behalf of the North Korean Government

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Forfeiture Action is the Latest Disruption of an Indicted North Korean Official’s Efforts to Generate Revenue for North Korea and its Weapons Program Through Illegal IT Worker Schemes and Cryptocurrency Theft

    The Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that North Korean information technology (IT) workers obtained illegal employment and amassed millions in cryptocurrency for the benefit of the North Korean government, all as a means of evading U.S. sanctions placed on North Korea. The funds were initially restrained in connection with an April 2023 indictment against Sim Hyon Sop (Sim), a North Korean Foreign Trade Bank (FTB) representative who was allegedly conspiring with the IT workers. While the North Koreans were attempting to launder those ill-gotten gains, the U.S. government was able to freeze and seize over $7.74 million tied to the scheme.

    “This forfeiture action highlights, once again, the North Korean government’s exploitation of the cryptocurrency ecosystem to fund its illicit priorities,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department will use every legal tool at its disposal to safeguard the cryptocurrency ecosystem and deny North Korea its ill-gotten gains in violation of U.S. sanctions.”

    “For years, North Korea has exploited global remote IT contracting and cryptocurrency ecosystems to evade U.S. sanctions and bankroll its weapons programs,” said Sue J. Bai, Head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s multimillion-dollar forfeiture action reflects the Department’s strategic focus on disrupting these illicit revenue schemes. We will continue to use every legal tool available to cut off the financial lifelines that sustain the DPRK and its destabilizing agenda.”

    “Crime may pay in other countries but that’s not how it works here,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “Any adversary who thinks they can benefit, financially, from executing a criminal scheme – whether directly or through the use of surrogates – had better rethink this ‘get rich quick’ strategy. It doesn’t work for the average citizen, and it certainly does not have a more positive outcome for foreign entities. Sanctions are in place against North Korea for a reason, and we will diligently investigate and prosecute anyone who tries to evade them. We will halt your progress, strike back, and take hold of any proceeds you obtained illegally.”

    “The FBI’s investigation has revealed a massive campaign by North Korean IT workers to defraud U.S. businesses by obtaining employment using the stolen identities of American citizens, all so the North Korean government can evade U.S. sanctions and generate revenue for its authoritarian regime,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI Counterintelligence Division. “Today’s action shows the FBI will do everything in our power to protect Americans from being victimized by the North Korean government, and we ask all U.S. companies that employ remote workers to remain vigilant to this new and sophisticated threat.” 

    According to the complaint, the North Korean government uses illegally obtained cryptocurrency as a means of generating revenue for its priorities. This illegally obtained cryptocurrency is allegedly generated, in part, through remote work done by North Korean IT workers deployed around the globe, including in the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation (Russia). Those IT workers have generated revenue for North Korea via their jobs at, among other places, blockchain development companies. To obtain employment, these North Korean IT workers allegedly bypassed security and due diligence checks using fraudulent (or fraudulently obtained) identification documents and other obfuscation strategies. These tactics hid the North Koreans’ true location and identities, causing unwitting employers to hire them and pay them a salary, often in stablecoins, such as USDC and USDT.

    To send their illegally obtained cryptocurrency back to North Korea, the IT workers allegedly transferred the cryptocurrency using money laundering techniques. These techniques included: (1) setting up accounts with fictitious identities; (2) moving funds in a series of small amounts; (3) moving funds to other blockchains or converting funds to other forms of virtual currency (i.e., “chain hopping” and “token swapping,” respectively); (4) purchasing non-fungible tokens as a store of value and means of hiding illicit funds; (5) using U.S.-based online accounts to legitimize activity; and (6) commingling their fraud proceeds to hide the origin of the funds. After laundering these funds, the North Korean IT workers allegedly sent them back to the North Korean government, at times via Sim and Kim Sang Man (Kim). Kim is a North Korean national who is the chief executive officer of “Chinyong,” also known as “Jinyong IT Cooperation Company.” Chinyong is subordinate to North Korea’s Ministry of Defense (formerly known as the Ministry of the Peoples’ Armed Forces), which the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added to its list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) on June 1, 2017.

    Chinyong employs delegations of North Korean IT workers that operate in, among other countries, Russia and Laos. Kim allegedly acts as an intermediary between the North Korean IT workers and North Korea’s FTB by sending funds from the North Korean IT workers to Sim.

    On April 24, 2023, OFAC added Sim to its SDN list. On May 23, 2023, OFAC added Chinyong and Kim to its SDN list.

    Today’s forfeiture action follows the Department’s announcement of two federal indictments charging Sim for allegedly conspiring (1) with North Korean IT workers to generate revenue through illegal employment at companies in the United States and abroad; and (2) with over-the-counter cryptocurrency traders to use stolen funds to buy goods for North Korea. The forfeiture action also follows on successful actions to disrupt North Korean revenue generation taken by the Department in May 2024, August 2024, December 2024, and January 2025. Those actions, which are part of the Department-wide DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative launched in March 2024 by the National Security Division and the FBI’s Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions, targeted U.S. persons facilitating remote IT work and their North Korean co-conspirators.

    The FBI Chicago Field Office and FBI’s Virtual Assets Unit are investigating the cases associated with this complaint.

    Senior Counsel Jessica Peck of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia, Jr. of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section, Trial Attorney Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Tortorice and Rick Blaylock for the District of Columbia are handling the prosecutions and forfeiture action. Significant assistance was provided by former FBI Supervisory Special Agent Chris Wong.

    The FBI, in conjunction with the State and Treasury Departments, issued a May 2022 advisory to alert the international community, private sector, and public about the North Korea IT worker threat. Updated guidance was issued in October 2023 by the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea), and in May 2024 by the FBI, which include indicators consistent with the North Korea IT worker fraud and the use of U.S.-based laptop farms. In January 2025, the FBI issued additional guidance regarding extortion and theft of sensitive company data by North Korean IT workers, along with recommended mitigations.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Norcross Fights to Increase Funding for Faith-Based Security Amid Antisemitic Violence

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Donald Norcross (1st District of New Jersey)

     WASHINGTON, DC — Last week, Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) joined 45 of his congressional colleagues in sending a letter to President Trump urging him to increase funding for faith-based security measures. Congressman Norcross has long been a supporter of this increase, and the recent violent attacks on our Jewish community have made this even more urgent.  The letter was a response to the recent shooting of two Israeli Embassy staff members, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, who were murdered outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. last month. A few weeks after the two were murdered, another horrific attack fueled by antisemitism occurred, this time in Boulder, Colorado. Twelve people were injured.  

    In the letter to President Trump, the lawmakers request $500 million for the Non-Profit Security Grant Program (NSGP), one of the most effective programs for protecting faith-based communities from attack. They also request increased funding for the FBI to investigate acts of domestic terrorism and for programs that support state and local efforts to combat hate crimes. 

    The full text of the letter sent to President Trump can be found here and below: 

    The Honorable Donald J. Trump  

    President of the United States  

    The White House  

    1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW  

    Washington, DC 20500  

     

    Dear President Trump, 

    We are writing to express our concern regarding the sharp rise in threats to the Jewish community as evidenced by and following the recent murder of two Israeli Embassy staff members, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, here in Washington, D.C. In 2023, there were 2,699 reported religious-motivated hate crimes, of which sixty-three percent were driven by antisemitism — the highest number ever recorded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) since it began collecting data in 1991. At a time when hate and violence against the Jewish community is at historic levels, it is imperative that the federal government take the necessary steps to increase funding for enhanced security measures. From bollards to prevent vehicular attacks, reinforced doors to keep intruders out, to the hiring of additional security personnel, the federal government must increase funding to ensure that the Jewish community is equipped with the necessary tools to prevent loss of life in the case of an attack. We ask that you include these necessary funding increases in your Administration’s FY2026 Discretionary Budget Request. 

    The Non-Profit Security Grant Program (NSGP) is one of the most effective and critical programs for protecting the Jewish community and all faith-based communities from attack. There are many examples available that demonstrate the direct return on investment for communities under threat. For example, in July 2023, when an armed gunman attempted to breach the Margolin Hebrew Academy in Memphis, NSGP-funded access control doors prevented the shooter from entering the school. In 2021, when gunfire struck the Jewish Family Service building in Denver, impact-resistant window filming, purchased with NSGP funds, stopped the bullets from penetrating into the facility, protecting those inside. It is no wonder that in FY2023, for the first time in the history of the program, all 55 eligible states and territories applied. Nevertheless, only forty-three percent of applicants received funding. Therefore, we ask that you request $500 million for the NSGP in FY2026. 

    As you know, the FBI has lead responsibility for federal domestic terrorism investigations and domestic intelligence efforts. Domestic terrorism investigations have more than doubled since 2020, according to the FBI. Pursuant to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020, the FBI and DHS, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, are required to report on the domestic terrorism threat in the U.S. and actions taken to combat this threat. Given the significant increase in the number of domestic terrorism investigations, we urge you to increase funding for the FBI, especially its intelligence capabilities. 

    Although the role of federal law enforcement agencies is critical with regards to responding to antisemitic hate crimes, local law enforcement are on the front lines when these attacks occur. It is local police departments that build relationships and trust with Jewish communities. These relationships are imperative to ensure that hate crimes do not go unreported. Nevertheless, year after year, multiple law enforcement agencies serving populations greater than 100,000, in addition to many other jurisdictions, fail to share hate crimes data with the FBI. It is impossible to address hate crimes when the FBI does not understand their extent. We urge you to increase funding for local law enforcement, including for grant programs that support state and local efforts to combat hate crimes such as the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program, Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, and the Community-based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crimes Program, to ensure that antisemitic hate crimes are addressed and prosecuted in a timely manner. 

    Finally, although Jewish institutions can use the NSGP to hire additional security personnel, the majority of Jewish institutions have either not been recipients of these grants or cannot afford the additional costs incurred. Given that your Administration has made clear its goal to respond to the rise in hate crimes, we urge you to explore opportunities, in cooperation with the House Appropriations Committee, to include dedicated assistance in FY2026 for faith-based organizations to hire additional security personnel. In light of recent events, it is more clear than ever that Jewish institutions are in desperate need of additional personnel support. 

    Thank you for your time and attention to these urgent requests as you finish drafting your FY2026 Discretionary Budget Request.  

    ### 

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The Public Costs of Supervision Versus Detention

    Source: United States Courts

    For people involved in non-violent criminal cases, supervision not only presents a second chance at a productive life but saves taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars compared to the costs associated with incarceration, according to figures compiled by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

    In fiscal year 2024, detaining a person before trial and then incarcerating them post-conviction was roughly 10 times more costly than supervising an individual in the community. Placing an individual in a residential reentry center was about nine times more costly than community supervision.

    “Supervision is an effective and affordable alternative to incarceration that achieves similar public safety outcomes in cases not involving violent crime,” said John Fitzgerald, who leads the national U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services office. “Officers use evidence-based practices to evaluate risk, need, and responsivity in an effort to promote public safety and long-term positive change in people’s lives. And taxpayer dollars are saved as a result.”  

    The graphic shows annual averages for community supervision, detention, and imprisonment in the federal system for the 2024 fiscal year.

    The data identifies costs incurred by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts for housing, monitoring, treating, and supervising people charged and convicted of federal crimes.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Coram Woman Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges

    Source: US FBI

    GREAT FALLS – A Coram woman accused of possessing methamphetamine on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    The defendant, Heather Marie Kushmaul, 37, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Kushmaul faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for October 8, 2025, Kushmaul was released on conditions pending further proceedings.

    The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement learned that beginning in May 2024, Heather Marie Kushmaul and her co-defendant were coming from their home in Coram, Montana, to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation to deliver large amounts of methamphetamine. In October 2024, law enforcement arranged three controlled purchases of large amounts of methamphetamine from the defendants. During each of these controlled purchases, Kushmaul and her co-defendant traveled from their home in Coram to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and exchanged methamphetamine for money.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley prosecuted the case. The FBI, BIA, DEA, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, and the Glacier County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

    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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Habitual Offender Sentenced to Over Four Years in Prison for Domestic Assault on Fort Belknap Indian Reservation

    Source: US FBI

    GREAT FALLS – A Harlem man who assaulted his domestic partner was sentenced today to 51 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    Nicholas Dee Birdtail, 53, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of domestic assault by habitual offender. 

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that Birdtail and Jane Doe had been in a dating relationship for over three years and were married in tribal court in 2022. On September 2, 2023, Birdtail slapped Jane Doe across the face. The responding law enforcement officers saw a fresh handprint on the left side of Doe’s face. Doe also showed the officer bruises on her arms from the night before that were caused by Birdtail. At the time of the assault, Birdtail was released on bond for previous domestic violence charges against Doe. A condition of his bond was to have no contact with Doe.

    Prior to September 2, 2023, Birdtail was convicted of multiple misdemeanor domestic assaults in Billings municipal court, and he was convicted of felony partner family member assault in Yellowstone County District Court. He also has a misdemeanor conviction for partner family member assault from Idaho.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Fort Belknap Law Enforcement Services.

    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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Porcupine Man Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Abuse of a Minor

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier sentenced a Porcupine, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. The sentencing took place on May 30, 2025.

    Chandler New Holy, age 28, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    New Holy was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024. He pleaded guilty on January 17, 2025.

    The charge related to New Holy having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old female. New Holy and the female lived in the same community and corresponded with each other over a social media platform. The female represented that she was 16 years old. New Holy told the female he was only 17, when in fact, he was 25 years old. A short while later, the female told New Holy she was only 14 years of age. Despite learning that the female had not reached the age of consent, New Holy continued the relationship, and they both attempted to keep their relationship a secret. The female was reported missing by her family members. Law enforcement later located the female with New Holy, which prompted the investigation.

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

    This case was 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

    This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.

    New Holy was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to Over 3 Years in Federal Prison for Manslaughter and Firearm Possession

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on June 2, 2025.

    Daeshawn Poor Bear, 19, was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay restitution and $200 in special assessments to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    Poor Bear was indicted for the charges by a federal grand jury in October 2024. He pleaded guilty on January 8, 2025.

    Poor Bear, the victim, and two other friends consumed alcohol and edibles containing THC and smoked THC wax at an abandoned trailer in Pine Ridge on the evening of September 2, 2024. The victim and the other friends were all juveniles. The victim threw a firearm onto a bed near Poor Bear. Poor Bear picked up the firearm, pointed it at the victim, and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the victim and killed him. Poor Bear and the other two friends ran to Poor Bear’s mother’s residence. Poor Bear’s mother called 911. The Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety arrived at the abandoned residence and found that the victim had passed away. Poor Bear has a history of using THC, making him prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.

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

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

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pittsburgh Felon Pleads Guilty to Possession of Multiple Firearms and Ammunition

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

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

    Morisee Williams, 41, pleaded guilty to Count One of an Indictment before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan.

    In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on May 7, 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at Williams’ residence in the Knoxville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. During that search, law enforcement recovered four firearms (two of which were stolen), approximately seven ammunition magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a firearm mount and rifle grip. As a previously convicted felon, Williams is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

    Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for September 24, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Katherine C. Jordan and Kelly M. Locher are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Williams.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    MIL Security OSI –