NewzIntel.com

Category: Finance

  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Files Complaint Against Several National Health Insurance Companies and Brokers Alleging Unlawful Kickbacks and Discrimination Against Disabled Americans

    Source: US FBI

    Government alleges that three of the nation’s largest health insurance companies paid hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks in exchange for Medicare Advantage enrollments

    BOSTON – The United States has filed a complaint against three of the nation’s largest health insurance companies: Aetna, Inc. and affiliates; Elevance Health, Inc. (formerly known as Anthem); and Humana Inc., and three large insurance broker organizations: eHealth, Inc. and an affiliate; GoHealth, Inc.; and SelectQuote, Inc. The United States alleges that from at least 2016 through at least 2021, the defendant insurers paid hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks to the defendant brokers in exchange for enrollments into the insurers’ Medicare Advantage plans.

    Under the Medicare Advantage (MA) Program, also known as Medicare Part C, Medicare beneficiaries may choose to enroll in health care plans (MA plans) offered by private insurance companies, such as defendants Aetna, Anthem and Humana. Many Medicare beneficiaries rely on insurance brokers to help them choose an MA plan that best meets their individual needs. Rather than acting as unbiased stewards, the defendant brokers allegedly directed Medicare beneficiaries to plans offered by insurers that paid brokers the most in kickbacks, regardless of the suitability for the beneficiary. According to the complaint, the broker organizations incentivized their employees and agents to sell plans based on the insurers’ kickbacks, set up teams of insurance agents who could sell only those plans, and at times refused to sell MA plans of insurers who did not pay sufficient kickbacks.  

    The United States further alleges that Aetna and Humana each conspired with the broker defendants to discriminate against Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities whom they perceived to be less profitable. Aetna and Humana did so by allegedly threatening to withhold kickbacks to pressure brokers to enroll fewer disabled Medicare beneficiaries in their plans. The United States alleges that, in response to these financial incentives from Aetna and Humana, the defendant brokers, or their agents, rejected referrals of disabled beneficiaries and strategically directed disabled beneficiaries away from Aetna and Humana plans.

    “It is concerning, to say the least, that Medicare beneficiaries were allegedly steered towards plans that were not necessarily in their best interest – but rather in the best interest of the health insurance companies. The alleged efforts to drive beneficiaries away specifically because their disabilities might make them less profitable to health insurance companies are even more unconscionable. Profit and greed over beneficiary interest is something we will continue to investigate and prosecute aggressively,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “This office will continue to take decisive action to protect the rights of Medicare beneficiaries and vulnerable Americans.”

    “Health care companies that attempt to profit from kickbacks will be held accountable,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Granston of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We are committed to rooting out illegal practices by Medicare Advantage insurers and insurance brokers that undermine the interests of federal health care programs and the patients they serve.”

    The lawsuit was originally filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act (FCA). Under the FCA, private parties can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery. The FCA permits the United States to intervene in and take over the action, as it has done here. If a defendant is found liable for violating the FCA, the United States may recover three times the amount of its losses plus applicable penalties.

    U.S. Attorney Foley and AAG Granston made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles B. Weinograd and Julien M. Mundele of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit are handling the matter along with Trial Attorneys David G. Miller, Anna H. Jugo, Diana E. Curtis and Sara B. Hanson of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

    The claims asserted in the complaint are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Fresno-Based Community Health System Agree to Pay $31.5 Million to Resolve Allegations of False Claims Act Violations

    Source: US FBI

    Community Health System and its affiliate Physician Network Advantage Inc. have agreed to pay $31.5 million to the United States to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act based on financial benefits provided to referring physicians, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced today. Community Health System operates in Fresno County and includes hospitals Community Regional Medical Center and Clovis Community Medical Center.

    “We cannot allow medical decisions to be distorted by kickback schemes or efforts to buy physicians’ loyalty with lucrative side perks,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Beckwith. “This settlement demonstrates this Office’s commitment to ensuring that patients’ best interests remain paramount.”

    The civil settlement announced today resolves allegations that Community Health System and Physician Network Advantage Inc. (PNA) provided several types of extravagant benefits to induce physicians in the Fresno area to refer their patients to Community facilities for medical services, in violation of the False Claims Act. PNA is a health care technology business formed and funded by Community to support Fresno-area physicians’ adoption of the electronic health records platform used by Community. The United States contends that PNA also played a key role in securing business for Community by unlawful means. In a custom-built lounge located on premises at PNA’s offices, known as HQ2, PNA provided expensive wine, liquor, cigars, and meals to referring physicians, with the knowledge and funding of Community.

    The settlement also resolves allegations that Community and PNA provided financial subsidies for electronic health records technology and equipment used by certain physicians in their private offices in return for the referral of governmental health care program patients to Community. Further, the settlement resolves allegations that Community paid bonuses to certain physicians ostensibly for participation in clinical integration activities, when the real purpose of the bonuses was to reward referrals.

    The United States contends that these financial benefits violated the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, resulting in false claims for the medical services referred by physicians receiving the benefits, that were submitted to governmental health care programs. The United States also contends that the conduct described above created financial relationships with referring physicians under the Physician Self-Referral Law (known as the “Stark Law”). The Stark Law seeks to safeguard the integrity of the Medicare program by prohibiting a hospital from billing for certain services referred by physicians with whom the hospital has a financial relationship, unless that relationship satisfies one of the law’s statutory or regulatory exceptions, which the United States contends were not met.

    “Kickback arrangements aimed at improperly influencing medical decisions will remain a top investigative priority for our agency,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Robb R. Breeden of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This settlement demonstrates HHS-OIG’s commitment to identifying and holding accountable those who engage in unlawful financial relationships at the expense of Medicare patients and the taxpayer.”

    In connection with the settlement, Community entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with HHS-OIG that requires, among other conditions, the implementation of a risk assessment and internal review process designed to identify and address evolving compliance risks. The Corporate Integrity Agreement also requires an independent review organization to annually assess the policies and systems to track arrangements with some referral sources.

    The settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by relator Michael Terpening. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery from that action. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Terpening v. Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center, et al., 1:19-CV-01699 (E.D. Cal.). As part of the settlement announced today, Mr. Terpening will receive approximately $5 million.

    The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California and HHS-OIG with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Thiess handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

    The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

    Note: View the settlement here.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Vallejo, California, Man Convicted of Being a Felon in Possession of Ammunition

    Source: US FBI

    After a two-day trial before U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins, a jury found Jeffrey Caldwell, 36, of Vallejo, guilty of being a felon in possession of ammunition, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to evidence presented at trial, law enforcement officers responded to the Super 8 Motel on 2070 Solano Avenue in Vallejo after multiple callers reported hearing gunshots from inside the building. By the time the officers arrived, Caldwell had barricaded himself in his hotel room and refused commands to surrender. A multi-hour standoff ensued, which ended when Caldwell finally left the room and attempted to flee. A subsequent search of the room discovered a privately manufactured firearm containing one round of ammunition. Caldwell is prohibited from possessing ammunition due to more than 10 prior felony convictions in California and Arizona, including for assault, burglary, and stalking.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Vallejo Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Campbell and Alexander Cárdenas are prosecuting the case.

    Caldwell is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Coggins on Aug. 22, 2025. Caldwell faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

    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 U.S. Department of Justice 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.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Shasta County, California, Man Pleads Guilty to Running a $35 Million Investment Fraud Scheme and Witness Tampering

    Source: US FBI

    Matthew Piercey, 48, of Palo Cedro, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud, concealment money laundering, and witness tampering in connection with a $35 million investment fraud scheme, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. Piercey pleaded guilty without a written plea agreement to all 27 of the pending counts and the Court vacated the May 19, 2025, trial date.

    According to court documents, between July 2015 and August 2020, Piercey solicited investor funds by holding himself out as an investment advisor through his purported investment companies Family Wealth Legacy and Zolla. He made a variety of false and misleading statements to investors about the nature and success of trading algorithms, commissions and fees, investment strategies, the liquidity of investments, and the financial stability of Family Wealth Legacy and Zolla. For example, Piercey marketed the “Upvesting Fund,” an automated algorithmic trading fund that he falsely claimed had a history of success. He took money from numerous investors in this purported fund, but privately admitted to an associate that there was no Upvesting Fund.

    Running a Ponzi-like fraud scheme, Piercey used some investor money to make payments to other investors. As the scheme progressed, Piercey used a Redding-area chiropractor to conceal his continued operation of the investment fraud and take in new money.

    In total, Piercey paid back only approximately $8.8 million to investors of the approximately $35 million invested. He used the additional money for various business and personal expenses, including paying a criminal defense firm and buying two residential properties. Few, if any, liquid assets remained to repay investors.

    According to court documents, when Piercey learned he was under investigation, he took steps to dissuade investors and witnesses from responding to grand jury subpoenas. His actions caused several individuals to delay producing documents, while at the same time, he syphoned off nearly $775,000 from victim investors into a bank account he controlled.

    On Nov. 16, 2020, when law enforcement agents attempted to arrest Piercey, he fled from arrest and led agents on a vehicle chase through residential neighborhoods and onto the highway before abandoning his vehicle and entering Lake Shasta with an underwater submersible device. After about 20 minutes in the water, he emerged from the lake where he was arrested.

    After his arrest, Piercey used coded language to communicate with two individuals who visited him in jail. He directed these individuals to take actions with the contents of a U-Haul storage locker he had rented in Redding. A subsequent FBI search of the storage locker revealed that Piercey had rented the locker under a fictitious name, Chadwick Givens, using a fake California driver’s license. The locker contained, among other things, a wig and ₣31,000 in Swiss francs.

    “Investment fraud schemes like the one led by this defendant can devastate lives, retirements, and undo decades of planning by hard-working people simply looking for a trusted place to invest their money,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Beckwith. “Our office will continue to work with the FBI and our law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who commit these frauds and who seek to tamper with the grand jury process.”

    “Many invested their life savings with Matthew Piercey’s companies, not knowing that the claim of guaranteed returns were the empty promises of a Ponzi scheme,” said FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel. “The FBI agents, forensic accountants, and other specialized personnel work tirelessly to ensure those who exploit the trust of a hopeful public will face serious consequences.”

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Thuesen, Audrey B. Hemesath, Christopher S. Hales, and Kevin Khasigian are prosecuting the case.

    Piercey is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on Sept. 4, 2025. Two other defendants who conspired with Piercey in the scheme are Ken Winton and Gary Klopfenstein. Winton pleaded guilty in December 2020 and Klopfenstein pleaded guilty in July 2024. Both Winton and Klopfenstein are scheduled for status conferences regarding sentencing on Aug. 21, 2025.

    Piercey faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, for each wire fraud and mail fraud count; 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each witness tampering count; and 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved, whichever is greater, for each money laundering count. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Hunterdon County Man Charged with Possession of Videos and Images of Child Sexual Abuse

    Source: US FBI

    TRENTON, N.J. – A Hunterdon County man was charged with possessing videos and images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

    David Tuytjens, 69, of Tewksbury Township, New Jersey, was charged in a one-count complaint with possession of child pornography. He had an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rukhsanah L. Singh in Trenton federal court and was detained.

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

    In December 2024, officers from the New Jersey State Parole Board visited Tuytjens’ residence and discovered various electronic devices, including a 64 gigabyte MicroSD storage card inside of a laptop. Officers conducted their visit because Tuytjens is prohibited from possessing, among other things, Internet-capable devices as an individual under Community Supervision for Life due to a prior State conviction. An examination of the storage card contents revealed at least 800 images and 30 video files containing child sexual abuse materials (“CSAM”). An ongoing review of the CSAM has revealed images depicting prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, images portraying sadistic or masochistic conduct, and sexual abuse or exploitation of an infant or toddler as further outlined in the complaint.

    Due to Tuytjens’ prior convictions for aggravated sexual assault and possession of child pornography, the charge of possession of child pornography carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison. The charge also carries with it a maximum $250,000 fine.

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in the Newark Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, the New Jersey State Parole Board, under the direction of Chairman Samuel J. Plumeri, Jr., and the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson, with the investigation leading to the charge.

    The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Garelick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.

    The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

                                                                           ###

    Defense counsel: Benjamin West, Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Task Force to Preserve and Protect the Integrity of Elections

    Source: US FBI

    Newark, N.J. – U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba today announced the creation of a federal task force to preserve and protect the integrity of elections conducted in the District of New Jersey.

    The task force, which has been named the Election Integrity Task Force, will consist of a team of federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, who will work in conjunction with law enforcement officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and other federal agencies to implement the directives set forth in the President’s March 25, 2025 Executive Order concerning elections. The Election Integrity Task Force’s objectives will include:

    • Facilitating information sharing between federal, State, and local officials to enhance the ability of election officials to efficiently and effectively remove individuals who are not eligible to vote from State voter lists.
    • Prioritizing the investigation and prosecution of election crimes, including but not limited to, federal statutes that prohibit voter registration fraud, casting of fraudulent ballots, voting by non-citizens, individuals voting multiple times in same election, and foreign interference caused by foreign nationals contributing or donating funds to United States elections.
    • Taking appropriate steps to ensure compliance with the voter list maintenance requirements of the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act.

    U.S. Attorney Habba emphasized that we and our federal partners are committed to ensuring the integrity of elections here in the District of New Jersey and making sure that the administration of all elections is in compliance with federal law. The Election Integrity Task Force will take all appropriate steps to achieve that integrity and will vigorously pursue anyone who violates or attempts to violate federal laws designed to safeguard elections.   

    Complaints about elections related crimes and the integrity of elections can be made to the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Hotline at (888) 636-6596, or by submitting an online complaint at https://tips.fbi.gov/home.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Snapchat User Charged in Interstate Scheme to Lure Minors Into Producing Sexually Explicit Material

    Source: US FBI

    Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Christopher G. Raia, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of a Complaint charging BRIAN LIAM FULLERTON with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child. FULLERTON was arrested this morning and presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy in White Plains federal court. 

    U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said: “As alleged, Brian Fullerton used Snapchat and other social media applications to manipulate and exploit numerous minor victims. We will deploy every resource at our disposal to protect the most vulnerable among us, and we will prosecute those who prey on our children to the fullest extent of the law.”

    FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said: “Brian Fullerton allegedly directed several female minors to record and perform sexual acts, while requiring secrecy upon learning the victims’ underage status. The defendant allegedly engaged in unlawful sexual communications and induced the repeated production of explicit content, violating the victims’ privacy and preying upon their innocence. The FBI remains determined to apprehend any individual who sexually exploits minors to fulfill their perverted gratification.”

    As alleged in the Complaint:[1] 

    From as early as September 2022, FULLERTON used social messaging applications, including Snapchat, to prey on victims as young as 14 years old. FULLERTON got these victims to send him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves. Among those FULLERTON targeted was a 14-year-old minor (“Victim-3”), from whom FULLERTON obtained several sexually explicit videos and to whom FULLERTON sent sexually explicit text messages, writing, among other things, “I wish you lived in New York, so I can f*** you for real … You want to be bred by a man three times your age you dirty little girl … I scrolled to make sure my face wasn’t in any pics don’t need them seeing how old I am ;).”

    Photos depicting FULLERTON are below:

    Any individuals with information concerning FULLERTON and any individuals who may have encountered someone using the Snapchat username “lomax518,” the Instagram username “BRADSMITH4187,” the Kik username “lomax518,” or the TikTok username “bradsddysza,” please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or https://tips.fbi.gov.

    *                *                *

    FULLERTON, 46, of Mahopac, New York, is charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child, each of which carries a 15-year mandatory minimum and a 30-year maximum sentence.

    The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge. 

    Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI and the Warren County Sheriff’s Office. 

    This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmi Schickler is in charge of the prosecution.

    The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Charlotte Man Sentenced to Prison for His Role in Multimillion-Dollar Bank Fraud Scheme

    Source: US FBI

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte man was sentenced to prison today for his role in a multi-million dollar bank fraud scheme, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Bruce Howard Marko, 66, was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1.5 million. Marko pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud.

    Marko’s three co-defendants, Kotto Yaphet Paul, 50, of Waxhaw, N.C., Latoya Tamieka Ford, 50, of Covington, Georgia, and Love Norman, 50, of West Palm Beach, Florida, have each pleaded guilty to wire fraud and bank fraud conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing. Paul also pleaded guilty to money laundering.

    According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, beginning in 2018, Marko conspired with Peebles, Paul and Ford to orchestrate a fraudulent loan scheme that defrauded at least 17 federally insured financial institutions of more than $17 million. Marko participated directly in at least five of these fraudulent loans totaling over $2.8 million. To execute the scheme, Marko and his co-defendants submitted loan applications to financial institutions that contained fraudulent information, including false employment and income information, false tax returns, and misrepresentations regarding the applicants’ assets, liabilities, and the intended use the loan proceeds. Based on the fraudulent loan applications, Marko and his co-defendants secured at least 42 loans from the victim financial institutions. Contrary to information provided on the loan applications about the purposes of the loans, the defendants used the loan proceeds to purchase real estate, cover unrelated business expenses, make investments, make payments toward earlier loans, and pay for personal expenditures. Court documents show that the defendants defaulted on most of the loans, causing substantial losses to the victim financial institutions that issued the loans.

    Four additional defendants were previously convicted of bank fraud conspiracy for their involvement in the scheme. Amrish D. Patel was sentenced to 15 months in prison, Dwight A. Peebles, Jr. was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Denise Woodard was ordered to serve 36 months in prison, and Derrick L. Harrison, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison. The defendants were also ordered to pay restitution ranging from $620,000 to more than $3.1 million.

    In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson credited the Office of the Inspector General of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Inspector General for the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Office of the Inspector General for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Charlotte, and the Charlotte Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation, for the investigation of this case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Gast with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville is prosecuting the case.

     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Home Health Care Companies Owner Sentenced to More Than Three Years in Prison for $5.7 Million Medicaid Fraud

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sally Njume-Tatsing, 47, formerly of Pickerington, was sentenced in federal court here today to 42 months in prison for committing Medicaid fraud. Njume-Tatsing was found guilty in September 2024 on all 13 counts as charged following a jury trial.

    According to court documents and trial testimony, in 2017, Njume-Tatsing owned and operated three home healthcare businesses named Labelle Home Health. The agencies were located in Reynoldsburg, Mt. Vernon and Parma.

    Njume-Tatsing resided in California during the majority of the time she owned the businesses, and despite not being involved in Labelle’s daily operations, she did all of the Medicaid billing for nursing services.

    While billing Medicaid for health aide services to individuals in their homes, the defendant inflated the hours of services provided, billed for registered nurses when licensed practical nurses completed the care, and billed for care for patients who were either deceased or ineligible to receive Medicaid.

    Njume-Tatsing was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2023 and charged with one count of health care fraud and 12 counts of making false health care statements.

    As part of her sentence, Njume-Tatsing is ordered to pay $5.7 million in restitution to Medicaid.

    Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and the Ohio Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU); the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; announced the sentence imposed today by Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Kenneth A. Affeldt and Special Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan L. Metzler of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office are representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Trussville Man Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking

    Source: US FBI

    BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Trussville man has been sentenced for drug trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.

    U.S. District Court Judge R. David Proctor sentenced Antonio Sedell Ellis, 50, to 48 months in prison. In October 2024, Ellis pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.

    According to the plea agreement, on May 9, 2023, a Trussville police officer observed a black Ford F-450 traveling on Interstate 59 and cross the outside fog line several times. The officer initiated a traffic stop of the driver, later identified as Ellis. During the stop, the officer could smell alcohol coming from inside the vehicle and asked Ellis to exit the vehicle. Although Ellis initially complied with the officer’s requests, he then attempted to walk away from the scene and refused to follow the officer’s orders. Additional officers responded and successfully apprehended Ellis. He was placed into the back of the patrol car so that a full search of Ellis’s vehicle could be completed. The search uncovered a package containing one kilogram of cocaine, several bags of cocaine, and drug paraphernalia.

    The FBI investigated the case along with the Trussville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany T. Byrd prosecuted the case. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Marietta Resident Sentenced to Thirty Years for Sexual Exploitation of a Child

    Source: US FBI

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jukobie Allen Ramsey, age 22, of Marietta, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 360 months in prison for one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Child/Use of a Child to Produce a Visual Depiction, to be followed by a lifetime term of Supervised Release.

    The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Love County Sheriff’s Office.

    On December 4, 2024, Ramsey pleaded guilty to the charge.  According to investigators, beginning in May 2021, and continuing until April 29, 2024, Ramsey engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a minor for the purpose of producing and transmitting visual depictions of such conduct in interstate commerce via the internet, then transmitted those depictions onto the internet.

    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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

    We encourage anyone who suspects or has information regarding child sexual exploitation, trafficking of minors, sextortion, child pornography, or any other means of child exploitation to immediately contact law enforcement.  You can file a report through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-843-5678 or online at http://www.cybertipline.com, through the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or through Homeland Security Investigations at 1-877-4-HSI TIP.

    The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Ramsey will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Dak T. Cohen represented the United States.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Murray County Resident Pleads Guilty to Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Eluding a Peace Officer

    Source: US FBI

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jayson Geoffrey Evans, age 50, of Sulphur, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country, punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000.00 fine, and one count of Eluding Peace Officer in Indian Country, punishable by not less than one year imprisonment and up to five years imprisonment, and a fine of not less than $1,000.00 and up to $5,000.00.

    The Indictment alleged that on December 30, 2023, Evans assaulted the victim with a dangerous weapon, with intent to do bodily harm.

    The Indictment further alleged that on December 30, 2023, Evans willfully attempted to elude a peace officer while operating a motor vehicle after receiving a visual and audible signal directing him to stop.

    The crimes occurred in Murray County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

    The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

    The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.

    A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Evans will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Robinson represented the United States.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Seven Defendants Sentenced for Roles in Marshall County Drug Trafficking Organization

    Source: US FBI

    HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Seven men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a Marshall County Drug Trafficking Organization that was being directed from Mexico, announced United States Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Birmingham Division.

    United States District Judge Corey L. Maze imposed the following sentences on the defendants:

    • Armando Trevino-Vazques, 42, of Crossville, Alabama, was sentenced to 120 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and felon in possession of a firearm.

    • Carlos Antonio Hernandez-Corona, 32, of Boaz, Alabama, was sentenced to 78 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

    • Juan Hernandez, 44, of Albertville, Alabama, was sentenced to 70 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    • Gregory Allen Huff, 43, of Arab, Alabama, was sentenced to 61 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    • Angel Hernandez, Jr., 25, of Boaz, Alabama, was sentenced to 50 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

    • Thomas Gaspar, 35, of Boaz, Alabama, was sentenced to 36 months in prison for unlawful use of a communications facility.

    • Juan Damian Cortes, 33, of Albertville, Alabama, was sentenced to five months in prison for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.

    According to plea agreements, the Drug Trafficking Organization used a series of dead drops to coordinate the distribution of methamphetamine and the receipt of bulk currency. Purchasers contacted the source of supply in Mexico. After that, the purchaser received a phone call providing a location to meet an individual to pay for the drugs purchased. Following that meeting, the purchaser received another call providing the location where the drugs could be picked up.

    “My office will use every tool in our toolbox to dismantle drug trafficking organizations intent on flooding the Northern District of Alabama with illegal drugs, focusing our effort on drugs originating from cartels and transnational criminal organizations,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “We are committed to ending the devastating impact these drugs have had on communities within our District. I am grateful for the strong partnership between the FBI and state and local law enforcement in Marshall County that led to these convictions and sentences.”

    “These sentencings demonstrate the FBI’s relentless determination to eradicate drug trafficking organizations that are plaguing communities,” said FBI Birmingham Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples.  “Disrupting organizations like this one is a priority objective of the FBI’s mission. We will continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners and use every legal means available to hold accountable those who threaten our neighborhoods.”

    The FBI’s North Alabama Criminal Enterprise Task Force investigated the cases. The Marshall County Drug Task Force and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Drug Task Force provided valuable assistance. Assistant United States Attorneys Russell E. Penfield and John M. Hundscheid prosecuted the cases.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hugo Resident Sentenced for Possessing Child Sexual Exploitation Material

    Source: US FBI

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Steven Mark McAnally, age 65, of Hugo, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 63 months in prison for one count of Possessing Certain Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.  He will serve 5 years of supervised probation upon release from incarceration.

    The charge arose from an investigation by Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    On December 12, 2024, McAnally pleaded guilty to the charge.  According to investigators, in July of 2023, McAnally knowingly possessed visual depictions from the internet of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, which McAnally accessed with intent to view.

    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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    We encourage anyone who suspects or has information regarding child sexual exploitation, trafficking of minors, sextortion, child pornography, or any other means of child exploitation to immediately contact law enforcement.  You can file a report through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-843-5678 or online at www.cybertipline.com, through the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or through Homeland Security Investigations at 1-877-4-HSI TIP.

    The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.  McAnally will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah McAmis represented the United States at the sentencing hearing.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Johnstown Woman Sentenced to Over Eight Years in Prison for Narcotics Trafficking

    Source: US FBI

    JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to 100 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on her convictions of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin, crack, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Jessica Wilson, 39, on May 8, 2025.

    According to information presented to the Court, from in and around January 2021 to July 2021, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Wilson conspired to distribute and possessed with intent to distribute quantities of heroin, crack, and methamphetamine. Wilson was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that she distributed to others. During a separately charged offense, from in and around April 2024 to June 2024, Wilson conspired to distribute and possessed with intent to distribute quantities of mixtures containing fentanyl and crack.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Maureen Sheehan-Balchon and Arnold P. Bernard Jr. prosecuted these cases on behalf of the government.

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

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Federal Task Force Agent Found Guilty of Corruption

    Source: US FBI

    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – After a five-day jury trial, a federal jury convicted Antonio Pizarro Adorno, a former Puerto Rico Special Investigations Bureau (“NIE” as known in Spanish) officer who was assigned to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HSI), for corruptly concealing $170 during a law enforcement seizure. United States District Court Judge Camille Vélez-Rivé presided over the trial.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on April 27, 2023, Pizarro Adorno, took $170 in cash seized by the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB), with the intent to impair its integrity and availability for use in an investigation being conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives related to drug trafficking in a community in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

    “The vast majority of law enforcement officers serve the community with honor and valor,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico. “Those who do not, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

    “Every act of corruption, big or small, weakens the foundation of justice, and we will not tolerate it,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “The FBI remains focused on holding accountable those who betray that trust, no matter the amount, no matter the circumstances.”

    The FBI San Juan Field Office, Public Corruption Unit is investigating the case, with the collaboration of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Pizarro Adorno is facing up to 20 years in prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 10, 2025.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie Christine Amy prosecuted the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Source of Supply for Merced County Methamphetamine Distribution Sentenced to 22 and One Half Years in Prison

    Source: US FBI

    FRESNO, Calif. — Raul Zamudio Hurtado, 42, of Oakdale, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 22 and a half years in prison and for two counts of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine arising from two separate cases, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to court documents, in May 2017, a coalition of federal, state, and local agencies investigated a group of Sureño gang members and associates in the Merced area for crimes of violence, drug sales, and illegal firearms possession. More than 50 individuals were arrested and 14 defendants were charged federally. Hurtado was the source of supply of methamphetamine to the suspected Sureño members and was indicted. On July 24, 2019, Hurtado pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and remained in custody pending sentencing in the first case. In April 2020, he was released with conditions.

    Between December 2021 and November 2022, Hurtado obtained and distributed methamphetamine in large quantities and received tens of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds. On Nov. 16, 2022, a search warrant was executed, more than 73 pounds of methamphetamine was seized, and Hurtado was charged again. On June 3, 2024, Hurtado pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in this second case.

    These cases were the product of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Merced Area Gang and Narcotic Enforcement Team (MAGNET), the California Department of Justice/California Highway Patrol, Special Operations Unit, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the Modesto Police Department Major Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Pearson and Kimberly Sanchez prosecuted the cases.

    The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information, visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

    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 U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Twenty-Two Charged in Imperial Valley Takedown of Violent Drug Trafficking Organization Linked to Beltran Leyva Cartel

    Source: US FBI

    EL CENTRO – Twenty-two alleged members of a sophisticated transnational drug trafficking organization with ties to the Sinaloa-based Beltran Leyva Cartel were indicted by a federal grand jury for importing and distributing more than a ton of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine into the United States, laundering the illicit proceeds, and attempting to export firearms from the United States into Mexico.

    In a coordinated takedown this morning in California, Arizona, Iowa, and Colorado, more than 150 federal, state, and local law enforcement officials arrested 10 defendants and executed six search warrants in Imperial County. As of this afternoon, the search continues for 12 fugitives.

    Including seizures today and throughout this long-term investigation, authorities have confiscated more than 1,000 kilograms (about 2,204 pounds) of drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and over 750 kilograms (about 1,653 pounds) of fentanyl, 10 firearms, and more than $250,000 in narcotics proceeds.

    “We have literally seized a ton of drugs that were destined to hit our streets and harm our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden. “By disrupting this prolific, cartel-linked trafficking network, we are preventing the devastation and violence it brings.”

    “Today’s enforcement action marks the culmination of a complex, long-term HSI investigation, demonstrating the strong collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies nationwide,” said Shawn Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of HSI San Diego. “Our local communities are undoubtedly safer today, and we remain committed to aggressively pursuing criminal organizations that threaten our country.”

    “Close coordination and aggressive action amongst allied law enforcement agencies just made communities nationwide safer places to live and work,” said El Centro Border Patrol Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino. “The well executed takedown of this drug trafficking organization heralds a new day in homeland security where we will relentlessly apprehend and prosecute transnational threats.”

    According to search warrants, the defendants belonged to a Mexicali, Mexico- and Imperial County-based transnational criminal organization that operated as a distribution cell for the Beltrán Leyva Cartel, specifically associated with Fausto Isidro Meza Flores aka El Chapo Isidro. Using undercover operations and multiple rounds of wiretaps, agents conducted numerous controlled purchases, traffic stops of personal vehicles and tractor trailers, and searches of houses and stash locations leading to large seizures of narcotics.

    Additionally, during the fourth round of wiretaps, one of the wiretap targets, an Imperial County-based narcotics subdistributor, was shot multiple times in Mexicali and died several months thereafter. Investigators believe that the subdistributor was lured from the United States to Mexico and shot by a co-conspirator in relation to their drug trafficking and money laundering activities.

    According to federal search warrants:

    In one instance on January 23, 2023, authorities seized approximately 1.4 million fentanyl pills after intercepting phone conversations about moving fentanyl pills in a semi-truck. Federal agents watched the transaction from afar, then conducted a traffic stop on the drug-laden tractor-trailer. Law enforcement officials located eight duffel bags containing approximately 148.53 kilograms (327.45 pounds) in the trailer of the truck.

    In another instance, on May 9, 2023, authorities seized approximately 483,000 fentanyl pills after intercepting phone conversations about moving narcotics in a semi-truck. Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on the drug-laden tractor-trailer and located bags containing approximately 48.30 kilograms (106.48 pounds) of fentanyl pills in the truck.

    Shortly thereafter, on May 25, 2023, authorities seized approximately 480,000 fentanyl pills, 72.29 kilograms of methamphetamine, and a loaded 9mm handgun with a 10-round magazine inserted and a round in the chamber. After intercepting phone conversations about coordinating the movement of narcotics in a semi-truck, federal agents surveilled the narcotics being loaded into the tractor-trailer, then conducted a traffic stop. Law enforcement officials located six duffel bags containing approximately 72.29 kilograms (159.37 pounds) of methamphetamine and 48.6 kilograms (107.14 pounds) of fentanyl in the trailer of the truck.

    In another instance, on October 9, 2023, investigators seized approximately 139,000 fentanyl pills and 36.66 kilograms (80.82 pounds) of methamphetamine following federal agents’ surveillance of defendants unloading and transporting the narcotics.

    On March 14, 2024, after a traffic stop conducted by a Brawley police officer, law enforcement seized approximately 59.48 kilograms (131.13 pounds) of methamphetamine.

    Federal agents also seized firearms and ammunition during the investigation, including two gold plated AR-15 semi-automatic rifles hidden inside a 55-gallon barbeque grill on August 3, 2023, and two rifles, two pistols, approximately 2182 ammunition rounds, and seven magazines destined for Mexicali-based drug traffickers.

    Additionally, according to court records, five of the charged defendants are tied to alien smuggling activity, having been either arrested and/or previously prosecuted for immigration-related crimes, such as alien smuggling, accessory after the fact to illegal entry, and selling or offering to sell a Visa.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Loren G. Renner.

    DEFENDANTS                                            

    Case Number 24cr2399                               

    Irving Alberto Lopez Valdes                                      Age: 36                       Mexicali, Mexico

    Raul Salome Valdez-Orduno                                     Age: 46                       Mexicali, Mexico

    Case Number 24cr2400

    Jesus Damian Lizarraga Sanchez                               Age: 28                       Mexicali, Mexico

    Case Number 24cr2434

    Elizabeth Millan                                                         Age: 46                       San Diego, California

    Brandon Garcia                                                          Age: 27                       Calexico, California

    *Seven unnamed defendants are fugitives

    Case Number 24cr2431

    Roberto Marrufo                                                        Age: 40                        Calexico, California

    Case Number 25cr0785

    Ricardo Miramontes Nava                                          Age: 35                       Calexico, California

    Case Number 25cr0786

    Jacob Rodiles                                                              Age: 21                       El Centro, California

    Roberto Fernandez                                                     Age: 70                       Calexico, California

    Raul Martinez Jimenez                                               Age: 56                       Mexicali, Mexico

    Julian Banuelos                                                           Age: 19                       Imperial, California

    Alain Alejandro Robles-Murrieta                               Age: 19                       Mexicali, Mexico

    *Three unnamed defendants are fugitives

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances – Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 841(a) and (b)(1), 846

    Maximum penalty: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a $10 million fine.

    Money Laundering Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1956(h)

    Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and a $500,000 fine

    Attempted Transfer of a Firearm for Use in a Drug Trafficking Crime – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1924(h)

    Maximum penalty: Fifteen years in prison and a $250,000 fine

    INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

    Homeland Security Investigations, Calexico – Imperial Valley Border Enforcement Security Taskforce (IV-BEST)

    Homeland Security Investigations, Riverside, CA

    Homeland Security Investigations, Denver, CO

    Homeland Security Investigations, Yuma, AZ

    Homeland Security Investigations, Sioux City, IA

    United States Border Patrol, El Centro Sector Intelligence Unit

    Customs and Border Protection, Calexico Intelligence Division

    Imperial County Narcotics Task Force

    Drug Enforcement Administration, Imperial County Office

    Drug Enforcement Administration, Phoenix Office

    Federal Bureau of Investigations, Imperial County Office

    United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations

    United States Marshals Service

    Calexico Police Department

    Imperial County Sheriff’s Office

    Imperial County District Attorney’s Office

    Brawley Police Department

    California Highway Patrol

    El Centro Police Department

    San Diego-Imperial Valley HIDTA

    *The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    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.

    High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, provides assistance to Federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States. This grant program is administered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). There are currently 33 HIDTAs, and HIDTA-designated counties are located in 50 states, as well as in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sonoma Real Estate Developer Arrested On Charges Of Defrauding Hundreds Of Investors

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Former President of LeFever Mattson Allegedly Used Victims’ Money to Fund Personal Expenses and Pay Existing Investors

    SAN FRANCISCO – Kenneth W. Mattson, 63, of Sonoma, was arrested today pursuant to an indictment returned by a federal grand jury charging him with wire fraud, money laundering, and obstruction of justice.  

    According to the nine-count indictment filed May 13, 2025, and unsealed today, Mattson was the President of LeFever Mattson, a corporation based in Citrus Heights, Calif., that controlled several limited partnerships that owned and managed commercial and residential properties.  For more than a decade, Mattson allegedly solicited and obtained millions of dollars in investments from hundreds of investors—many of whom were nearing or in retirement—in what he represented were legitimate and safe interests of limited partnerships that owned real estate.  Those representations were false: although many of the partnerships were real entities, Mattson’s victims, referred to in the indictment as “off-books investors,” never had interests in those partnerships.

    “This indictment alleges that Kenneth Mattson defrauded hundreds of victims, many of whom entrusted him with retirement savings they could not afford to lose.  He allegedly raised tens of millions of dollars by falsely claiming that investors would have legitimate stakes in real estate projects.  Instead of delivering the investment returns he promised, Mr. Mattson is charged with cheating these investors out of their hard-earned money and, in many cases, out of their life savings,” said Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins.  “Mr. Mattson will now be held to account on charges of perpetrating a scheme that he kept afloat only by using new investors’ money to pay obligations to earlier investors—a classic Ponzi scheme.”

    “As alleged, Mattson orchestrated a fraudulent real estate investment scheme over several years, stealing millions of dollars from hundreds of victims, many of them retirees or nearing retirement.  This case underscores the serious impact financial fraud can have on a community, particularly on those least able to recover,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani.  “The investigation in this case is ongoing.  We encourage anyone who believes they may be a victim to come forward.  The FBI and our partners remain steadfast in our commitment to uncovering the truth and seeking justice for those affected.”

    “The allegations against Mr. Mattson describe a long-standing scheme with hundreds of victims duped out of millions of dollars,” said IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Oakland Field Office Special Agent in Charge Linda Nguyen. “Simply put, white-collar crime is not victimless, and our special agents and professional staff are the experts at tracing money trails and building cases that lead to justice while simultaneously deterring future criminal activity.”

    “Postal inspectors will not allow the mail to be used to defraud people. The American people trust us to end fraud schemes and bring fraud perpetrators to justice—we are proud to work with our federal law enforcement partners in investigations like this one,” said U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge Stephen M. Sherwood.

    The indictment describes that, from at least 2009 and continuing through 2024, Mattson solicited investments from off-books investors into Divi Divi Tree, LP (Divi Divi), a LeFever Mattson-controlled partnership that owned an apartment complex in Riverside County, Calif.  The vast majority of these investors used their retirement funds to invest in Divi Divi.  Mattson never told the LeFever Mattson company about these investors, and the investors were not listed as partners in the company’s official books and records.  Contrary to Mattson’s representations to these victims, these “off-books” investors never became true owners in the partnership.  Although some investors received distribution payments from their “off-books” investments, that money did not come from the rents of the partnership’s underlying property, as Mattson promised; instead, it came from loans, Mattson’s comingling of other assets, and from new investors, in the manner of a Ponzi scheme.

    Mattson’s scheme reached beyond Divi Divi to other LeFever Mattson limited partnerships, including Heacock Park Apartments, LP, an entity that was formed to purchase another apartment complex.  Among other conduct, the indictment describes Mattson’s concealment from the “off-books” investors of the 2021 sale of the Heacock Park Apartments, the asset underlying Heacock Park, which resulted in net proceeds of over $8 million.  Notwithstanding Mattson’s prior representations to “off-books” investors that they would be notified upon sale and be entitled to share in profits proportionate to their ownership stake, Mattson concealed the sale from existing “off-books” investors and omitted that the primary asset of the entity had, in fact, been sold when recruiting new investors for Heacock Park.

    The indictment also alleges that Mattson engaged in similar fraudulent conduct through another real estate holding entity over which he exercised sole business control, KS Mattson Partners, LP.

    Between 2019 and 2024, Mattson obtained at least $28 million from investors for “off-books” investments in Divi Divi and Heacock Park alone.

    The indictment further alleges that Mattson learned of an investigation into his conduct by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in April 2024.  After the SEC instructed Mattson to preserve and retain relevant evidence and served him with a subpoena for documents, Mattson deleted thousands of files that were relevant to the SEC’s investigation.  

    The indictment charges Mattson with seven counts of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343, one count of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity (money laundering) in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957, and one count of destruction of records in a federal investigation (obstruction of justice) in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1519.

    Mattson is scheduled to make his initial federal court appearance at 10:30 a.m. on May 23, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse in San Francisco.

    An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  If convicted, Mattson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison as to each count of wire fraud and the obstruction of justice count and 10 years in prison as to the money laundering count.  Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.  

    Individuals who believe that they are “off-books” investors with Mattson are urged to fill out the following form: https://forms.fbi.gov/victims/lfminvestors and send copies of any relevant documents to LFMInvestors@fbi.gov.

    The SEC today filed a civil enforcement action against Mattson and KS Mattson Partners LP in the Northern District of California.  

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christoffer Lee and Nikhil Bhagat are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Mimi Lam.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, IRS-CI, and USPIS.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanks the San Francisco Regional Office of the SEC for its assistance in the investigation.

    Mattson Indictment
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Registered sex offender charged federally with possession of images of child sexual abuse

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    State probation officers find defendant with unauthorized electronic devices allegedly containing child sexual abuse images

    Seattle A 34-year-old Kirkland, Washington man appeared on a federal criminal complaint today charging him with possession of images of child sexual abuse, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Daniel Jose Lile was arrested April 16, 2025, by Department of Corrections Officers for possessing unapproved electronic devices. Lile remains detained at the Federal Detention Center (FDC) at SeaTac.

    According to the criminal complaint, Lile was on community supervision from the Washington State Department of Corrections for a 2019 conviction for child sexual abuse. Lile was arrested April 16, 2025, for having unauthorized electronic devices. On May 12, 2025, law enforcement served a search warrant at the residence Lile had shared with his girlfriend. At that location they seized additional unauthorized electronic devices including two external hard drives, a laptop, and a cellphone.

    Forensic analysis of the electronics is ongoing. One of the external hard drives was found to contain more than 130,000 files of child sexual abuse. One folder alone allegedly contains more than fifty videos and picture files of infants and toddlers being sexually abused.

    Law enforcement was in the process of pursuing a report from Google to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about Lile uploading images of child sexual abuse when the Department of Corrections found the unapproved electronics.

    Possession of images of child sexual abuse is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment and carries a mandatory minimum of ten years in this circumstance.

    The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations.  A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Washington State Department of Corrections and the Kirkland Police Department.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Convicted Child Predator Sentenced To 16 Years In Federal Prison For Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Offender Committed New Crime Less Than Three Months After Being Released From Prison for a Prior Child Exploitation Offense

    ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A previously-convicted child predator was sentenced to 192 months in prison today for distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Justin Matthew Adkins, 40, of Marion, North Carolina, was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release and to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.

    According to records, Adkins was convicted of Second-Degree Exploitation of a Minor in Buncombe County and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment. Adkins was released from state custody in April 2023, and was placed on post-release supervision until 2028. On November 7, 2023, officers with the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections, deputies with the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office, and deputy marshals with the U.S. Marshals Service conducted a probation search at Adkins’ home. During the search, law enforcement reviewed Adkins’s electronic devices for compliance with his post-release conditions and found that the defendant possessed CSAM. Law enforcement also seized narcotics and drug paraphernalia.

    Court records show that a computer forensic analyst with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) analyzed Adkins’s electronic devices and located thousands of CSAM images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of prepubescent children. The analysis also revealed that Adkins had distributed CSAM to other individuals online.

    On December 18, 2024, Adkins pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

    In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended HSI in Greenville, the U.S. Marshals Service, the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections, and the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office.

    Assistant United States Attorney Alexis Solheim of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.

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

     

     

     

     

     

     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Guatemalan man pleads guilty, sentenced for illegal re-entry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Isaias Fernando Diego-Lucas, 40, a citizen of Guatemala, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to illegal re-entry. Diego-Lucas was sentenced to time served and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Sasha Mascarenhas, who handled the case, stated that Diego-Lucas is an alien without any legal status in the United States. In February 2012, he was physically removed from the United States. On February 24, 2025, Diego-Lucas was found in Chautauqua County. He was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by Department of Homeland Security agents. Diego-Lucas presented a Guatemalan Identification Consular card.

    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. 

    The plea and sentencing are the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan and Immigration, Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, under the direction of Acting Field Office Director Steven Kurzdorfer, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Saratoga County Man Arrested and Charged with Sexual Exploitation of a Child

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBANY, NEW YORK – Eric Mosier, age 37, of Galway, New York, made an initial appearance yesterday on a criminal complaint charging him with the sexual exploitation of a child.   United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Buffalo Field Office, made the announcement.

    According to the complaint, between on or about March 1, 2025 and May 17, 2025, Mosier used a 4-year-old child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of creating child sexual abuse material. The charge in the complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated, “We are thankful for the quick response of the New York State Police and HSI, which led to the defendant’s arrest. As U.S. Attorney I will continue to do everything I can to keep our children safe from sexual predators and pedophiles.”

    HSI Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan stated: “Through his alleged crimes, the defendant subjected this four-year-old victim to unimaginable exploitation and trauma. Our children deserve the right to be children, free from the awareness of the darkness that exists in our society. HSI Albany commits to working with our state and federal partners in our pursuit for justice on behalf of this victim.”

    Mosier initially appeared yesterday afternoon before United States Magistrate Daniel J. Stewart and was ordered detained pending trial.  If convicted, he faces at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a supervised release term of at least 5 years and up to life.  Mosier may also be ordered to pay restitution to the victim of his offense and forfeit the device used in the offense.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.  If convicted, Mosier would also have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

    HSI is investigating this case with assistance from the New York State Police and its Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.  Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph Hartunian and Allen J. Vickey are prosecuting this case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

    Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Cayuga County Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Possessing Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Andrew Wilbur, age 25, was sentenced today to 12 years’ incarceration for possessing child pornography. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

    As a part of his prior guilty plea, Wilbur, who previously served a state sentence for a 2019 child pornography conviction in Cayuga County Court, admitted that between January and May of 2024 he possessed child pornography images and videos depicting children as young as 4 years old being sexually abused.  Wilbur admitted that he maintained these files in both an online social communication platform, and on his cellular telephone.    

    In addition to the 12-year sentence, Wilbur was ordered to serve 15 years of supervised release following his term of incarceration, and to forfeit the cellular telephone he used to commit the offense. In addition, Wilbur will be required to continue to register as a sex offender.

    United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated, “This arrest continues to demonstrate my office’s close cooperation with our state and local partners to prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law, especially those who repeatedly victimize children.”

    FBI Special Agent in Charge Tremaroli said, “This sentence sends a clear message that our office will use every resource available to bring individuals who repeatedly victimize innocent children to justice. We remain committed to working with our law enforcement partners to protect our communities from these dangerous predators.”

    The FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated this case, which was initiated by the New York State Police, and the Cayuga County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Fletcher, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the Northern District of New York, prosecuted the case. 

    Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: San Diego Man Admits Guilt in Sending Hate-Filled Email with Death Threat

    Source: US FBI

    NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 11, 2025

    SAN DIEGO – George Joseph Wellinger II pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting he intentionally targeted a member of the LGBTQ community and threatened her with violence via email. 

    According to his plea agreement, the defendant admitted that he intentionally selected this victim as the object of his threat based on the victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, and because of the defendant’s animus toward members of the LGBTQ community.

    According to court documents, the victim was targeted after being interviewed for a KTLA news report about a hate-inspired murder in Lake Arrowhead in August 2023.

    According to the plea agreement, the threatening email called the victim “another alphabet clown that wants to take a dirt nap, too,” and included a link to the KTLA news report which featured the victim and others discussing the murder of a Lake Arrowhead business owner who had been gunned down for hanging a Pride flag in her business.

    The email continued: “We know what you look like and know where are you are….only a matter of time….Love it….get ur ghey on sister….scissor it up….we coming for ur rainbow azz. Click Click!!!

    On August 18, 2023, Laura Ann Carleton, a known ally to the LGBTQ+ community, was murdered for hanging a pride flag outside her store. Carleton was shot by Travis Ikeguchi, who fled the scene and was later shot and killed by law enforcement. On August 30, 2023, KTLA, a local Los Angeles news station, wrote an article about Carleton’s death.

    Wellinger pleaded guilty to Interstate Threatening Communication with a special finding that he targeted his victim because of her sexual orientation.

    Wellinger is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9, 2025, at 10 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Linda Lopez.

    If you or anyone you know believes you have been the victim of a hate crime, please contact the FBI at www.tips.fbi.gov. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacqueline M. Jimenez and Alicia Williams are prosecuting this case.

    DEFENDANT                                               Case Number: 24-CR-1591                                      

    George Joseph Wellinger II                            Age: 49                                   San Diego, CA

    CHARGE

    Transmitting a Threatening Communication – Title 18 U.S.C., § 875(c)

    Maximum penalty: Five years in prison

    INVESTIGATING AGENCY

    Federal Bureau of Investigation

    For more information and resources about the department’s work to combat hate crimes, visit https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Rachel A. Byrd Named Special Agent in Charge of the Mobile Field Office

    Source: US FBI

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation has named Rachel A. Byrd as the special agent in charge of the Mobile Field Office. Ms. Byrd most recently served as the section chief of Investigation and Operations in the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate (WMDD).

    Ms. Byrd entered on duty as a special agent with the FBI in 2004. Her first assignment was to the Honolulu Field Office, working criminal matters related to violent crimes, drugs and gangs. In 2010, Ms. Byrd was promoted to supervisory special agent in the Laboratory Division, Evidence Response Team. While in the Laboratory Division, Ms. Byrd served as the program manager of the training program in support of over 1200 field ERT personnel. In addition, Ms. Byrd provided support for policy development and multiple field operational matters.

    In 2014, Ms. Byrd became the supervisory senior resident agent in the Jackson Field Office in Mississippi. She oversaw various resident agencies and criminal matters including gangs, drugs, violent crime, and health care fraud.

    In 2017, Ms. Byrd was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Criminal Branch in the Mobile Field Office and later covered the National Security Branch as well. Ms. Byrd was promoted to section chief of Investigation and Operations for the WMDD in 2019.

    Prior to the FBI, Ms. Byrd was a special agent with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and a Medicolegal Death Investigator/Autopsy Supervisor with the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office in Greenville, NC. Ms. Byrd earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Fayetteville State University and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Shohini Sinha Named Assistant Director of the Victim Services Division

    Source: US FBI

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation has named Shohini Sinha as the assistant director of the Victim Services Division. Ms. Sinha most recently served as the special agent in charge of the Salt Lake City Field Office.

    Ms. Sinha joined the FBI as a special agent in 2001. She was first assigned to the Milwaukee Field Office, where she worked in counterterrorism investigations. She also served temporary assignments at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, the FBI Legal Attaché Office in London, and the Baghdad Operations Center.

    Ms. Sinha was promoted in 2009 to supervisory special agent and transferred to the Counterterrorism Division in Washington, D.C. She served as program manager of Canada-based extraterritorial investigations and facilitated liaison efforts with Washington-based Canadian liaison officers.

    In 2012, Ms. Sinha was promoted to assistant legal attaché in Ottawa, Canada, working counterterrorism matters in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. In 2015, she was promoted to field supervisor in the Detroit Field Office, where she led squads responsible for investigating international terrorism matters.

    In early 2020, Ms. Sinha transferred to the Cyber Intrusion squad, which worked both national security and criminal cyber intrusion matters. Later in 2020, she was promoted to assistant special agent in charge for national security matters, and later criminal matters, in the Portland Field Office.

    Ms. Sinha was selected to serve as the executive special assistant to the director in 2021. She has been serving as the special agent in charge of the Salt Lake City Field Office since July of 2023.

    Prior to her employment with the FBI, Ms. Sinha worked as a therapist and later as an administrator for a private, not-for-profit clinic. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Purdue University in Indiana.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Arkansas Man Arrested, Charged with Enticing a Minor in West Seneca

    Source: US FBI

    BUFFALO, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Brayden Storey, 21, of West Fork, Arkansas, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with enticement of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Maeve E. Huggins, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on  June 13, 2024, the West Seneca Police Department received a report from a minor victim of an incident involving an individual that she met online. The victim said that Storey first contacted her on Instagram in September 2022, when she was 13 years-old and he was 19 years-old. He also communicated with the minor victim through the social media platform Discord and text message. Between September 2022, and September 2023, they talked about video games and anime shows. At times, Storey made sexual comments, but in October 2023, the sexual communications that Storey sent to the minor victim significantly increased. Storey sent the minor victim a nude image of himself and repeatedly asked her to send him sexually explicit images. Between October 2023, and March 2024, Storey and the minor victim exchanged sexually explicit images.

    In March 2024, the minor victim blocked Storey on all social media applications. As a result, he created another Instagram account to contact her. In April 2024, Storey called the minor victim approximately 50 times in a two-day span, but she did not answer the calls and blocked Storey’s phone number so that he could not contact her. In May 2024, Storey sent the minor victim a four-page letter in the mail at her residence, writing about his suicidal ideations and his desire to be in a relationship with her, regardless of their age difference. Along with the letter, Storey provided a lock of his hair. a search of the minor victim’s phone recovered nude images of Storey and child pornography.

    Storey made an initial appearance in the Western District of Arkansas and was detained. He will be returned to the Western District of New York at a later date.

    The complaint is the result of an investigation by the West Seneca Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Cosgrove, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia. Additional assistance was provided by the Little Rock Office of the FBI, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, the Arkansas State Police, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Still, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Arkansas.

    The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Albuquerque Man Sentenced for Threatening and Stalking a Raleigh Woman He Met Online

    Source: US FBI

    NEW BERN, N.C. – An Albuquerque, New Mexico, man was sentenced Thursday to more than five years in prison (65 months) for defrauding Verizon Wireless, committing aggravated identity theft, and threatening and stalking a victim in Raleigh.  Robert Michael Glauner, 60, pleaded guilty to the charges on January 13, 2025.

    According to court documents and other information presented in court, Glauner briefly met and communicated online with a Raleigh woman in September 2023.  When she rejected further attempts at communication, Glauner began stalking her. In order to find additional ways to reach her, Glauner drafted fake search warrants for her phone records and submitted them to Verizon Wireless.  In the search warrant, he claimed to be member of law enforcement and included a North Carolina Superior Court Judge’s name as authorizing the search. Verizon accepted the search warrants and provided Glauner with the requested information.  Glauner then called or texted the victim’s family, friends, and workplace in order to force her to speak to him.  When that ultimately failed, Glauner drove from Albuquerque to Raleigh, sending the victim threating messages along the way. Members of the Raleigh Police Department intercepted Glauner when he arrived in Raleigh and arrested him on November 6, 2023.  At the time of his arrest, Glauner was in possession of a knife, rope, and illegal narcotics.

    “Glauner’s exploitation of technology and posing as the police to harass and intimidate the victim in this case is incredibly serious behavior,” Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar said today.  “This case also demonstrates law enforcement’s commitment to vigorously pursue cyberstalking allegations, and I want to thank our partners at FBI and the Raleigh Police Department for their work, which brought Glauner to justice.”

    “Online dating is scary enough without someone refusing to take no for an answer.  Mr. Glauner took that to the extreme, pretending to be a law enforcement officer multiple times to track down the victim.  When someone’s response to rejection is so extreme it escalates to stalking, the FBI will step in to stop the offender and hold them accountable every time,” said Robert M. DeWitt, the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina. 

    Glauner pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud in connection with obtaining confidential phone records; three counts of aggravated identity theft; transmitting a threat; and stalking.

    Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Raleigh Police Department investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Warlick prosecuted the case.

    Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-25-FL.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Operation Clean House: New Orleans

    Source: US FBI

    Operation Clean House was implemented in two phases. 
     
    Phase One focused on a proactive strategy. Law enforcement teams were deployed in every district of New Orleans, engaging in real-time, intelligence-driven actions. Uniformed and unmarked units from multiple agencies received live analytical support as they moved into targeted areas. 

    Phase One resulted in 74 arrests; multiple dangerous drugs seized, including fentanyl, heroin, crack cocaine, and oxycodone; and 46 firearms and ammunition taken into evidence, including AK-47s, AR-15s, Glock switches, and multiple types of handguns.

    “Each weapon and each bullet confiscated is potentially one less person potentially injured or killed,” said Myrthil. 

    Phase Two focused on fugitive apprehension. During the planning phase, partner agencies submitted more than 400 outstanding arrest warrants for FBI intelligence analysts to review and determine whether to include as part of Operation Clean House. Analysts vetted warrants for consideration, checking to see which ones were still active, whether the subject was already incarcerated, or, in some cases, whether the subject was deceased. The analysts narrowed the list of warrants to 76 of the most violent offenses, including attempted murder, assault by drive-by shooting, and aggravated battery or aggravated assault. The warrants were then divided among multi-agency teams to make arrests. 

    Phase Two resulted in 77 arrests, including 100% execution of all warrants, and the seizure of 11 firearms and additional ammunition. 

    “We saw significant results immediately, including the arrest of a 31-year-old man from Pennsylvania on gun and drug charges who was also wanted in Vermont for first-degree murder,” said Myrthil. “At the time we arrested him, this suspected killer had two guns in his possession, including one with an extended magazine.”

    The operation led to one suspect being taken into custody within minutes of a shooting near a New Orleans neighborhood where agents, officers, and troopers were already working. In another incident, state troopers and Homeland Security Investigation agents provided life-saving support to a subject who had shot himself in the leg while fleeing from law enforcement. 
     
    Ultimately, Operation Clean House’s successful results came down to the integration between intelligence and operational components, which ensured a smooth flow of validated information, and partnerships between law enforcement and local communities. 

    “The research and analysis conducted by the intelligence analysts were crucial to this operation and contributed to the likelihood of safe apprehensions,” said Myrthil. “The tremendous partnerships the FBI enjoys with external federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies were key to success. We are proud to also recognize the support of the New Orleans community and its active interest in combatting violent crime.”

    Myrthil emphasized that though Operation Clean House has ended, the FBI and law enforcement will continue to fight violent crime in New Orleans and across Louisiana. 

    “We will work tirelessly with our partners to keep Louisiana safe. We are here, we are listening, and we care.”

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