Category: Finance

MIL-OSI USA: AFSCME’s Saunders: Federal funding for transportation should not be used as a cudgel against communities

Source: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union

WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement in response to the USDOT memo re-directing federal funds away from communities:

“Investing in our nation’s transportation is essential for maintaining strong communities and a vibrant economy. It is absurd to re-direct taxpayer dollars away from our communities because of arbitrary standards such as marriage and birth rates; or to use federal funding policies as a cudgel to push states and localities to fall in line on the president’s policies. Clearly, this isn’t about public safety or transportation. It’s about dividing Americans while those in power work to enrich billionaires and hope that we don’t notice.

“Meanwhile, the workers who have dedicated their careers to maintaining our transportation infrastructure are being attacked. Our economy and working families will pay the price if this continues.”

MIL OSI USA News –

February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Deputy Assistant Attorney General Roger Alford Delivers Remarks at the College of Europe’s Global Competition Law Centre

Source: United States Attorneys General 13

Designing a System to Secure the Fair Administration of Competition Laws

I am delighted to be with you today to discuss how competition authorities can promote fundamental due process in competition investigation and enforcement. Ten years ago this topic would not have been high on the agenda for competition enforcers. Today, in a globalized economy with over 130 competition enforcers, almost everyone agrees that convergence on due process is an important aspect of competition enforcement. So the question is not whether we should promote due process, but how best to do so. While guidelines, recommendations, and best practices are useful and important, the international competition community is ready to do more. We should actively promote effective compliance to fundamental due process through a multilateral framework on procedures through which parties commit to basic fundamental norms, and that framework should be open for signature by all competition authorities.

To ensure due process for all, it is essential to have a system in place to promote compliance. Former Irish Foreign Minister Seán MacBride, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and a founder of the European Convention on Human Rights, noted that guarantees such as the “right to the fair administration of justice” will “never be adequately or efficiently protected without a system of machinery to enforce their application, a system of implementation for the rights declared.” Today, I would like to discuss recent international efforts to design a system to secure the administration of competition laws according to due process principles.

For years, many jurisdictions, including the United States, have promoted due process in competition investigations and enforcement at home and abroad. Former Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer emphasized that “in a global economy, competition and consumers are best served where corporations and individuals have confidence that they will be treated fairly wherever they do business.” Adherence to due process principles helps agencies reach the right decision and improves the quality of antitrust enforcement overall. Due process also enhances the reputation of competition authorities.

Many competition authorities around the world have joined in this effort to promote due process, including initiatives to promote due process at the ICN and OECD, leading to the current proposal, the Multilateral Framework on Procedures.

As many of you know, in early June 2018, Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim discussed publicly our months-long cooperation with leading antitrust agencies on an initiative to craft the Multilateral Framework on Procedures in Competition Law Investigation and Enforcement (“MFP”). The MFP’s goal is to promote global due process in antitrust enforcement and thereby further improve cooperation among antitrust agencies around the world. The United States and our partners around the world agree that basic minimal due process protections are of fundamental importance in antitrust enforcement.

The goal of the MFP is to establish minimal procedural norms that are truly universal. The MFP is animated by fundamental norms, which are accepted widely across the globe and that most competition agencies already recognize. The MFP will combine this set of universal procedural norms with an adherence and review mechanism, under which the participants commit to these norms and agree to cooperate with each other regarding their compliance.

The fundamental principles set forth in the MFP were derived from the texts of competition chapters in several existing bilateral and regional agreements, as well as from the work related to due process conducted by international organizations such as the OECD and the ICN, in conjunction with an examination of procedures and practices of competition authorities around the world.

The draft text captures universal principles, using language that is versatile enough to cover both common as well as civil law jurisdictions, administrative as well as prosecutorial systems, and older as well as younger competition agencies.

The core principles identified in the MFP include basic commitments regarding non-discrimination, transparency, meaningful engagement, timely resolution, confidentiality protections, avoidance of conflicts of interest, proper notice, opportunity to defend, access to counsel, and independent judicial review of enforcement decisions.

The adherence and review mechanism under the MFP includes bilateral discussions and consultations between participating agencies, reporting by participants on the working of the MFP principles, as well as a proposed mechanism to review periodically any changes as may be needed. The adherence and review mechanisms under the MFP are an important step forward towards a mutual commitment amongst agency partners. The MFP also represents a substantial positive effort towards global respect for competition enforcement and the overall culture of competition we collectively have sought to promote.

The MFP is not a binding agreement in the international sense, but adhering to the framework is important, because breaches of a promise can have reputational consequences. As Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim said in June, “The rich network of relationships ensures that reputation matters, and that the promise to abide by an obligation becomes a potent means of enhancing compliance.”

Dozens of competition agencies from around the world have been spending countless hours and many months working on the MFP. The initial discussions culminated in the “Paris Draft” of the MFP, a remarkable document that reflects the current practices of many leading competition authorities around the world.

Over the summer, further discussions ensued among all interested antitrust agencies worldwide, including discussions with agencies on the sidelines of the Fordham Conference in New York in early September. A revised draft of the MFP was circulated recently, reflecting suggestions made at New York and since. We look forward to meeting with those interested in joining the MFP on the margins of the OECD in late November.

There has been widespread support for the MFP from numerous agencies around the world. We are delighted that so many countries are committed to the MFP and recognize its value, and will continue efforts to further improve it and move toward its enactment.

To date, the vast majority of agencies have expressed strong support for the MFP. A few agencies, however, have expressed some concerns with respect to the MFP structure and review mechanism. Let me address the more salient concerns.

First, a few agencies had raised questions about the need for mandatory review mechanisms. In general, a review mechanism is a key component of any agreement such as the MFP. The goal of the MFP is to strike a constructive path, promoting incremental progress through an acceptable implementation mechanism.

In light of these concerns, the review mechanisms in the MFP have been calibrated so that they are meaningful, but not burdensome. For example, unlike certain treaties, there are no mechanisms for binding dispute settlement, third-party mediation, independent expert reports, or private complaint procedures. Instead, there are modest proposals that include mechanisms for dialogue, agency self-reporting on adherence, and periodic assessments of the functioning of the framework, only as needed. This will allow for advancing the shared goals towards due process norms.

It is important to note that although meaningful review mechanisms of agreements relating to due process may appear novel in the antitrust context, they are routine in other contexts. For example, meaningful review of a country’s compliance with fundamental due process norms is common in the context of investment protections, human rights, anti-corruption, trade, tax, and development assistance.

In fact, even in the antitrust context, review mechanisms are not new. For example, in free trade agreements there are consultation provisions in various competition chapters. Likewise, in 2006 the European Competition Network (ECN) adopted the ECN Model Leniency Programme to “harmonise the key elements of leniency policies within the ECN.” In 2009, the ECN published an assessment report to “provide an overview of the status of convergence of the applicable provisions contained in the ECN leniency programmes.” If a network of regional competition authorities can agree to periodically assess the state of procedural convergence of their leniency programs, it seems only reasonable to have competition authorities periodically assess the state of procedural convergence on fundamental due process.

A second issue presented related to the possibility that the MFP can be confused to create a new international organization. The language has been modified to make it clear that the MFP does not create a new international organization. Instead, the MFP is a new multilateral arrangement for adherence to fundamental due process norms by the signatory agencies.

A third issue was whether certain competition agencies have the capacity to sign at the agency level. This was a fair concern, and we are pleased to have revised the draft to make clear that agencies can either sign or join the MFP by sending a letter through ICN providing notice of adherence. This is a common practice that has been employed previously in many contexts, including in the antitrust context. This change should allow any competition agency interested in joining the MFP to do so.

I should also note that although all of the interested agencies working on the MFP hope that every agency adheres to these principles, that the MFP is voluntary. Only agencies that want to join will be subject to the norms. Also, the MFP allows an agency to take a reservation if their law allows them to comply with almost everything but prevents compliance with a specific provision.

The international community can and should seek to promote convergence on core principles, while respecting diversity on the margins. That is what the MFP does.

Finally, let me address the issue that Commissioner Margrethe Vestager raised in her remarks at the Georgetown University conference regarding the relationship between the MFP and international organizations such as OECD and ICN. The Antitrust Division fully supports initiatives by OECD, ICN and other international organizations to promote due process. Indeed, the substantive principles set forth in the MFP are fully in line with – and, in fact, complement – these initiatives.

The ICN already recognizes regional competition networks like the ECN, bilateral and trilateral dialogues like those held by the North American partners last week in Mexico, competition chapters in free trade agreements such as KORUS and USMCA, and hundreds of cooperation agreements between competition authorities. Despite these developments, the ICN is as strong as ever, and the MFP will further complement its success. Indeed, the ICN expressly anticipates initiatives such as the MFP. The ICN Framework provides that “where the ICN reaches consensus on recommendations … it is left to its members to decide whether and how to implement the recommendations, for example, through unilateral, bilateral or multilateral arrangements.”

From the start, the MFP has been designed to go beyond mere guidance on procedural fairness. The MFP will reflect the commitment of its participants to uphold fundamental due process norms.

There are various other reasons why we believe the MFP is needed and does not duplicate the OECD or ICN. For example, the OECD has only 36 members, and its recommendations apply to countries rather than to competition agencies, where we would like to focus our efforts. And while around 140 agencies are members of the ICN, not all agencies are ICN members, though we encourage all to join.

Further, as currently structured the ICN is not set up for accountability and review of its recommendations. It has never had that role and it could dramatically change the culture of the ICN if it were to take on such a role, although at a later time the ICN may choose to change its culture. That time is not now, however, as we don’t want to risk the consensus-based good work the ICN does.

Let me close with an historical analogy. In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, which included the fundamental due process commitment that “everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations….” Yet at the very moment the U.S. delegate Eleanor Roosevelt was celebrating that victory, she said she still was not satisfied. Why? Because the declaration had no means for implementation. She said that while the adoption of this declaration was a monumental achievement, we should “now move on with new courage and inspiration to the completion” of a multilateral agreement with “measures for … implementation.” We all recognize that the time is ripe for us to join in moving forward with inspiration to implementation of a multilateral framework on fundamental due process.

We look forward to further discussions on the MFP in Paris in a few weeks. A significant number of competition authorities have recognized the benefits of the MFP and we look forward to being a partner in working together to bring it to fruition.

Thank you.

MIL Security OSI –

February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker Delivers Remarks to State and Local Law Enforcement on Efforts to Combat Violent Crime and the Opioid Crisis
Source: United States Attorneys General 13

Remarks as prepared for delivery

Thank you, Marc for that kind introduction and thank you for your leadership as United States Attorney. You are carrying the torch on a lot of the work that we did back when I was U.S. Attorney for this district.

Thank you also to:
- Commissioner Roxann Ryan and Director of Investigative Operations Kevin Winker of the Iowa Department of Public Safety,
- Acting Director Joyce Flinn of the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management,
- Marshall County Sheriff Steve Hoffman,
- Marion County Sheriff Jason Sandholdt,
- Chief Dana Wingert and Major Stephen Waymire of the Des Moines Police Department,
- Chief Chad McCluskey of Windsor Heights,
- Chief Al Pizzano of Pleasant Hill,
- Chief John Quinn of Waukee,
- Chief Greg Stallman of Altoona,
- Chief Michael Tupper of Marshalltown,
- Polk County Attorney John Sarcone,
- David Lorenzen, Motor Vehicle Enforcement Chief with the Iowa Department of Transportation, and
- Polk County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Gregory Schmunk.
Thank you all for being here.

It is good to be back.

This is the office where I served for nearly five and a half years. It was the honor of a lifetime, and it was an experience that only deepened my appreciation for law enforcement.

I worked every day with officers from the federal, state, and local levels—including people in this room—to find evidence of crime and to keep the people of Iowa safe.

I am proud of what we accomplished together.

I am especially proud because I have seen the results firsthand. This is the community where I grew up, where I played football, where I went to law school and business school, where I ran a small business, and where I’m still raising my family. I know that Iowans are safer because of what we achieved.

Some of you may have heard that there have been some changes at the Department in recent weeks. One thing that hasn’t changed is our unwavering support for state and local law enforcement.

The Trump administration will always be a law-and-order administration. We recognize that public safety is government’s first and most important task—and we honor the role that law enforcement officers play in protecting our society.

Our federal officers are known all over the world for their professionalism and their competence.

But we are well aware that about 85 percent of the law enforcement officers in this country serve at the state and local levels. It is simple arithmetic that we cannot succeed without you.

That is why this Department of Justice under President Donald Trump has given you more resources and more tools to help you succeed.

One of President Trump’s very first Executive Orders to Attorney General Sessions was to “back the blue” and enhance the safety of law enforcement officers in this country.

We have embraced that goal and we’ve been faithful to it every day.

Over these last two years we have helped hire hundreds of police officers across America, including 10 here in Iowa.

We have reinvigorated the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, which directs our U.S. Attorneys to work with you to develop a customized crime reduction plan—and to target the most violent criminals in the most violent areas.

I ran this program as United States Attorney and I know that it works. We are more successful at the federal level when we listen to our partners at the state and local levels.

Our strong law enforcement partnerships are paying off.

In fiscal year 2017, the Department of Justice prosecuted more violent criminals than in any year on record to that point.

And then, in fiscal year 2018—we broke that record by a margin of 15 percent.

In fiscal year 2018, we charged the highest number of federal firearm defendants in Department history. We broke that record by a margin of 17 percent. We charged nearly 20 percent more firearm defendants than we did in 2017 and 30 percent more than we charged in 2016.

Over the past fiscal year we also broke records for fentanyl prosecutions and for illegal entry by illegal aliens.

At the same time, we increased the number of white collar defendants and the number of drug defendants overall. And we increased the number of deported illegal aliens prosecuted for re-entering our country by 38 percent.

These are remarkable achievements. There can be no doubt that they have had an impact on this nation. And we’ve achieved them together with you, our partners.

The evidence is already coming in that we’ve reduced violent crime and drug overdose deaths.

The FBI’s violent crime numbers for 2017 show that violent crime and murder both went down in 2017 after increasing for two years in a row. And for 2018, one estimate projects that the murder rate in our 29 biggest cities will decline by 7.6 percent.

The DEA’s National Prescription Audit shows that in the first eight months of 2018, opioid prescriptions went down by nearly 12 percent—and last year they went down by seven percent.

While 2017 saw more overdose deaths than 2016, overdose deaths declined by two percent from September 2017 to March 2018, the most recent month for which we have data.

This is what we can achieve when we work together.

Our work is not finished. We are going to continue to support our state and local partners—and I believe that our partnerships are going to continue to deliver results.

I want to conclude with something a mentor of mine used to say every time he spoke to law enforcement, and I believe it too: we have your back, and you have our thanks.

MIL Security OSI –
February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim Remarks at the American Bar Association Antitrust Section Fall Forum

Source: United States Attorneys General 13

“November Rain”: Antitrust Enforcement on Behalf of American Consumers and Taxpayers

Good morning, and thank you for the kind introduction. I’d like to thank the American Bar Association for your invitation to this year’s Fall Forum and Deb Garza for her leadership of the Section this year.

I find it hard to believe it’s been only a little more than a year since I was confirmed as AAG and spoke at last year’s Fall Forum. Over the past year, the Antitrust Division has been hard at work on behalf of American consumers. We made a number of significant enforcement actions this week, but before I turn to those, I’d like to update you on a few recent changes in the Front Office.

First, Michael Murray recently joined us from the Deputy Attorney General’s office, where he served as Associate Deputy Attorney General. Mike now will be a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Front Office, where he will be overseeing our Appellate Section and our 4A damage actions on behalf of the American taxpayer. Mike has significant appellate experience, including as a law clerk for Justice Anthony Kennedy.

In addition, our new acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Economics is Jeff Wilder. Jeff received his Ph.D. from MIT and has distinguished himself as an outstanding economist serving as one of the leaders in the Division’s Economic Analysis Group, and we’re happy to have him join us in the Front Office.

Some of you may remember that at last year’s Fall Forum, I spoke about antitrust and deregulation. In those remarks, I focused on remedies, including our preference for structural remedies and our emphasis on making consent decrees more enforceable. I also discussed our commitment to the view that antitrust enforcement is law enforcement, not industrial regulation, and that the Antitrust Division should strive to accomplish its law enforcement mission in the most efficient and effective way possible. The Division has stood by those principles.

More recently, in a speech at Georgetown, I announced several improvements to the merger review process. We are making good on those changes as well. Today, we posted a model timing agreement and a model voluntary request letter on our website. Those documents increase transparency and predictability and will help merging businesses and their counsel know what to expect as part of the merger review process. We’ve also begun tracking the duration of merger reviews more carefully, so that we can monitor our performance and factors affecting it. You will recall our goal is to resolve investigations within six months of filing, provided that the parties cooperate and comply with our document and data requests during the entire process.

I would like to focus the remainder of my remarks today on four important settlements in the last week that reflect the Antitrust Division’s commitment to vigilant and effective antitrust enforcement.

As some of you may have seen, the Division announced just yesterday a set of global settlements with three South Korean companies. Those unprecedented settlements resolve criminal charges and civil claims arising from a bid-rigging conspiracy that targeted fuel supply contracts to U.S. military bases in South Korea. They are the result of tremendous hard work in parallel criminal and civil investigations by the Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal I Section, the Transportation, Energy, and Agriculture Section, and the Fraud Section of the Civil Division. We were assisted ably by our partners at the FBI and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

The United States currently maintains numerous military bases in South Korea, housing American soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors in the region. These military bases need fuel for various purposes, and two Department of Defense agencies, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), contract with South Korean companies to supply fuel to the numerous U.S. military bases throughout South Korea.

Our investigation, which is ongoing, revealed that SK Energy, GS Caltex, Hanjin Transportation, along with other co-conspirators, rigged bids and fixed prices for fuel supply contracts issued by the U.S. military in South Korea for over a decade. They cheated the Military and American taxpayers out of precious limited resources. As a result of the conspiracy, the Department of Defense paid substantially more for fuel supply services. Although the immediate victim here was the U.S. military, the American taxpayer, you and me, ultimately footed the bill.

The three companies agreed yesterday to plead guilty to criminal charges under Section 1 of the Sherman Act, and they will pay at least $82 million in criminal fines for their involvement in the conspiracy. Importantly, the three defendants have also agreed to cooperate with the ongoing criminal investigation of the conduct.

Robert Jackson, who is one of my legal heroes, recognized that bid rigging is particularly harmful to government purchasers. When he served as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division, Jackson broadly denounced arrangements that “compel purchasers to pay a price based on calculation, not competition,” and specifically emphasized that “[w]hatever the effect of this on private buyers, it completely destroys the mechanism set up by federal, state, and municipal governments to keep favoritism and corruption out of public buying.”

The harm Jackson recognized still exists today, and these settlements serve as an important reminder that the Justice Department and its law enforcement partners will investigate aggressively and prosecute without hesitation companies who cheat the United States government and the American taxpayer.

We did not stop there. We are committed to using all authorities Congress has granted to us to remedy antitrust injuries to the American taxpayer. Those tools include the authority conferred in Section 4A of the Clayton Act. Section 4A is an important but underused enforcement tool that allows the government to recover treble damages for antitrust violations when the government itself is the victim.

To that end, the Division established a parallel civil enforcement team, led by Kathy O’Neill and a group of capable litigators from the Transportation, Energy, and Agriculture Section to pursue parallel civil actions for damages. We negotiated separate civil resolutions with each of the three defendants on behalf of American taxpayers. We also worked alongside our partners in the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, who pursued charges against the defendants under the False Claims Act for making false statements to the government in connection with their conspiracy.

To resolve both the civil antitrust and the False Claims Act violations, these three defendants have agreed to pay an additional $154 million in total. They also have agreed to cooperate fully with the Division’s ongoing civil investigation and to implement effective antitrust compliance programs.

These historic cases mark the first significant settlements under Section 4A in many years. In fact, as far as we can tell based on our records, they are the largest settlements the government has ever recovered since the enactment of Section 4A.

Let me take a step back to review the history of Section 4A.

When Congress enacted the Sherman Act in 1890 and the Clayton Act in 1914, neither statute contained a provision specifically allowing the government to recover damages it suffered as a result of an antitrust violation. In 1939, the United States, led by Assistant Attorney General Thurman Arnold, brought its first-ever antitrust suit for damages on its own behalf.   The government claimed authority to do so under Section 7 of the Sherman Act, which was the predecessor of Section 4 of the Clayton Act. As most of you know, Section 4 permits “any person” injured by an antitrust violation to recover the damages they suffered.

In that pioneering case, United States v. Cooper, the government alleged that eighteen defendants had “collusively fixed” bids that were “identical to the penny on eighty-two different sizes of tires” sold to the United States. The defendants successfully moved to dismiss the action on the question of whether the government is a “person” entitled to bring an action for damages under the statute. The Second Circuit affirmed, and the Supreme Court ultimately held that the United States is not a “person” entitled to sue.

In 1955, Congress amended the Clayton Act in response to the Court’s ruling in Cooper by adding Section 4A. As originally enacted, Section 4A allowed the government to recover only single damages, so that the government could recover damages where it was the victim of an antitrust violation.

At first, the Division used Section 4A aggressively, filing numerous cases for damages throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1980s, however, the government brought only four cases under Section 4A—a remarkable decline from the prior two decades. Some attributed this drop, in part, to the Supreme Court’s Illinois Brick decision in 1978, because many of the cases brought in the ‘60s and ‘70s involved claims by the United States as an indirect purchaser. The government, however, increasingly purchases goods and services directly.

The next milestone came in 1990, when Congress amended the Clayton Act again to allow the government to seek treble damages in Section 4A cases.

Since 1990, a span of nearly thirty years, only three Section 4A cases have been filed. In 1991, the Division recovered $250,000 from two companies for rigging bids to purchase surplus gunpowder. In 1994, the Division filed suit against two defense contractors for entering into a “teaming” arrangement that eliminated competition in supplying the Department of Defense with cluster bombs. In that case, the Division recovered $4 million on behalf of American taxpayers and obtained an $8 million discount on the bid price. In 2012, the Division challenged collusion between two companies bidding on four natural gas leases at auctions run by the Bureau of Land Management. The Division recovered $275,000 from each company.

The American Taxpayer deserves to see a revitalization of the government’s Section 4A authority. This week’s settlements are only the first in that direction. Going forward, the Division will exercise 4A authority to seek compensation for taxpayers when the government has been the victim of an antitrust violation. We hope that these efforts will also deter future violations.

In light of our policy of seeking damages under Section 4A where available, I would like to address how parallel criminal and civil enforcement will proceed going forward.

First, the Division’s new focus on Section 4A enforcement will not require any changes to the Division’s leniency policy. The Division offers strong incentives to come forward to report criminal antitrust violations in exchange for leniency, and those incentives do not change when the government is harmed by the violation.

The Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act of 2004, better known as ACPERA, created another valuable incentive for leniency applications. Under ACPERA’s detrebling provision, those who successfully qualify for leniency will be subject only to single damages in follow-on civil suits, rather than treble damages. In addition, those who successfully qualify for leniency are not subject to joint and several liability.

This detrebling incentive will apply to any Section 4A claims brought by the government. We will also follow the underlying requirements for ACPERA in Section 4A cases: companies will need to cooperate with the civil team, as they would with any private plaintiff, in order to reap the detrebling benefits.

The bottom line is that the Division’s enforcement of Section 4A will increase the incentive for co-conspirators in cartel cases to come forward.

Separately, I should note that global resolutions like the ones announced yesterday should serve the interests of the parties as well. Cooperating companies subject to penalties under multiple statutes can gain certainty and finality. Employees, customers, and investors can resolve the problem and move on. This is consistent with the Department’s broader policies on coordination of corporate penalties.

Next, as we pursue Section 4A damages going forward, global resolutions of criminal and civil antitrust liability will help maintain a consistent policy on how to calculate civil damages. Yesterday’s settlements underscore this point. They provide that SK Energy, GS Caltex, and Hanjin each will pay an amount calculated to exceed the overcharge paid by the government. At the same time, the amount reflects both the value of the cooperation commitments each defendant made as a condition of settlement and the cost savings the Division realized by avoiding extended litigation.

As a general matter, if the government is required to litigate claims it brings under Section 4A, the government will seek treble damages. In addition, we anticipate that earlier cooperators will benefit by paying a lower multiple of damages, because the value of their cooperation is higher earlier in our investigation.

I will turn now to another significant settlement the Division filed this week, one which resolves a complaint against six broadcast television companies alleging that they engaged in widespread, unlawful sharing of non-public, competitively sensitive information. Along with the complaint, the Division filed proposed final judgments requiring the companies to cease such conduct and to undergo rigorous compliance and reporting measures for the next seven years.

We uncovered this conduct during our investigation into Sinclair Broadcasting Group’s proposed acquisition of Tribune Media Company, which has since been abandoned.

As we allege in the complaint, the defendants agreed in local broadcasting markets throughout the United States to exchange revenue pacing information and other competitively sensitive information. “Pacing” compares a broadcast station’s revenues booked for a certain time period to the revenues booked in the same point in the previous year. Pacing indicates how each station is performing versus the rest of the market and provides insight into each station’s remaining spot advertising for the period.

We discovered that the defendants had been exchanging pacing information either directly between stations or corporate headquarters, or indirectly through national representatives that help local stations sell advertisements to national advertisers. By exchanging this information, the broadcasters were better able to anticipate whether their competitors were likely to raise, maintain, or lower spot advertising prices, which in turn helped inform the stations’ own pricing strategies and negotiations with advertisers. As a result, the information exchanges harmed the competitive price-setting process.

We have not heard any legitimate pro-competitive justification for this conduct. We are therefore pleased that these companies recognized that a protracted investigation and litigation would serve no purpose, and we welcome their cooperation as our investigation continues. We also want to remind businesses, as well as the antitrust practitioners that advise them, that agreements between competitors to exchange competitively sensitive information can violate the antitrust laws and lead to a civil enforcement action even if the conduct does not amount to the type of hard core cartel conduct that the Antitrust Division prosecutes criminally.

Finally, this morning we announced the third significant enforcement resolution this week—a settlement with Atrium Health, formerly known as Carolinas Healthcare System. We were joined in the settlement by the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office, and we thank them for their partnership in this action. The settlement resolves over two years of civil antitrust litigation challenging the hospital system’s use of anticompetitive steering restrictions in its contracts with major health insurers. These steering restrictions prevented health insurers from promoting innovative health plans and more cost-effective healthcare providers.

Atrium is the dominant hospital system in the Charlotte, North Carolina metropolitan area. It used its market power to limit major health insurers’ ability to introduce plans designed to encourage consumers to choose cost-effective healthcare providers. Specifically, Atrium would agree to participate in a broad network plan only if the insurer would commit not to introduce other plans that would steer patients away from Atrium. The steering restrictions also deliberately constrained insurers from providing consumers with transparency into the comparative cost and quality of their healthcare alternatives.

Because the steering restrictions were in place, insurers could not introduce more innovative health insurance plans that create financial incentives for patients to use lower-cost healthcare services. Needless to say, competition for patients encourages healthcare providers to reduce costs, lower prices, and increase quality. These steering restrictions inhibited competition among healthcare providers to provide higher quality, lower-cost services.

The resolution prevents Atrium from enforcing the steering restrictions in its contracts with major health insurers. If approved by the Court, it will restore competition between healthcare providers in Charlotte, North Carolina.

I would like to make a broader point about the Division’s settlements this week. The consent decrees in all three cases, like all other decrees the Division has entered into the past 13 months, include specific new provisions designed to improve their enforceability.

These provisions (i) address the burden of proof in a civil contempt action by providing that the preponderance standard will apply; (ii) make defendants responsible for reimbursing the government for all costs it incurs in connection with enforcing the decree; (iii) allow the United States to seek a one-time extension of the term of the decree in the event of a violation, or to terminate the decree early if continuation is no longer necessary or in the public interest. Another provision addresses interpretation of the decree by stating that courts can enforce any provisions that are stated specifically and in reasonable detail, whether or not they are clear and unambiguous on their face.

The Division serves as a guardian of American consumers, and we act in the public’s trust. When the Division enters into a consent decree to resolve charges of anticompetitive conduct, we will hold parties’ feet to the fire and enforce the decrees.

Finally, last Friday, three defendants pled guilty to conspiring to rig bids and allocate the market in auctions of foreclosed properties in Palm Beach County, Florida. This case is unlike the Division’s prior foreclosure auction prosecutions because the auction occurred online rather than in-person, and the collusion occurred primarily by text message rather than in-person. It is a good illustration of the fact that while defendants may use new platforms and technologies to commit antitrust crimes, the Division too is evolving and stands ready to prosecute these crimes in the digital age.

The conspiracy took place in the aftermath of the financial crisis, which affected the housing market nationwide and the Florida real estate market in particular. Defendants and their affiliated business entities were the largest buyers of foreclosed properties in Palm Beach County. Together, the commerce affected by the defendants’ collusion was $25 million.

The Division began an investigation into possible collusion in online foreclosure auctions in Palm Beach County, Florida after receiving an anonymous citizen complaint that included a link to a YouTube video detailing the collusion.

Co-conspirators texted each other to coordinate their bidding and facilitate the conspiracy to obtain foreclosed homes at suppressed prices. Most commonly, bidders would agree to stop bidding or to refrain from bidding at their co-conspirators’ request. In some instances, they lowered bids for each other’s benefit.

After learning of the investigation, one of the defendants used and encouraged other co-conspirators to use a text messaging application to continue colluding. He believed that law enforcement would be unable to read or trace any messages sent through the application.

The three defendants were indicted by a grand jury in November 2017. Since then, all three have pleaded guilty.

I will conclude by taking this opportunity to highlight the outstanding attorneys and economists at the Antitrust Division. They are the core of executing the Division’s mission and work tirelessly in their commitment to protect competition and consumers.

It has been a busy year at the Antitrust Division. We have been working hard on behalf of America’s consumers and taxpayers, and look forward to continuing our efforts on their behalf in the year to come.

Thank you.

MIL Security OSI –

February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Assistant Attorney General Delrahim Delivers Remarks at the Antitrust Division’s Seventh Annual Diversity Celebration

Source: United States Attorneys General 13

Thank you, Matthew, for that kind introduction.

And good afternoon everyone. It is great to be joined by so many colleagues from across the Antitrust Division and beyond.

I would also like to acknowledge our special guest from the FBI, Special Agent Voviette Morgan. I’m honored to be introducing Ms. Morgan and grateful she accepted my invitation to this year’s Annual Diversity Celebration.

This is my fourth Annual Diversity Celebration as Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division. In my tenure, we have had some incredibly inspiring speakers: former Treasurer of the United States Anna Cabral, former FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, and former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie Liu. This annual event complements the regular opportunities we have throughout the year to discuss diversity and inclusion with distinguished guests. Some of those outstanding events included Roberta Cordano, the President of Gallaudet University; Leslie Overton, a former DAAG at the Division; and Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison of Johns Hopkins University.

Before I hand things over to Special Agent Morgan, I’d like to pick up where Matthew left off and touch briefly on the Antitrust Division’s enduring commitment to diversity and inclusion. When I rejoined the Division in 2017 as AAG, I pledged to build upon the Division’s robust support for diversity and inclusion to ensure a workplace tolerant and representative of a full diversity of ideas and backgrounds. The Diversity Committee has helped ensure we honor that pledge, and I thank them for constantly bringing new ideas for furthering the Antitrust Division’s record as a place that welcomes diversity in all its forms.

This has been an extraordinarily challenging year for all of us. We’ve been trying to do our part to advance the Division’s mission while trying to stop the spread of coronavirus in our communities, homeschooling our kids, providing eldercare, and supporting our families and neighbors in countless other ways. All of this against a backdrop of recent events in our country that strike at our collective conscience.

I commend the Diversity Committee for juggling all of these challenges and yet remaining incredibly productive. The Division remains a leader in advancing diversity within the Department because of this Committee’s innovation and sustained diligence.

Matthew spoke about some of the recent Diversity Committee initiatives. I’ll note that several of these key recommendations are the work of the newest subcommittee, the Women’s subcommittee. Launched in 2019, this subcommittee hit the ground running and has made an indelible impact on the Division with initiatives such as the Stork program, the Parental Leave Q&A, and the Wellness/Lactation Rooms, all initiatives I am proud to have worked with you on these past several years.

Not to put too much pressure on the 2021 members of the Diversity Committee, but it is my hope that you will be just as successful as the 2020 and 2019 members have been. Indeed, you’ll have an early opportunity to leave your mark on the Division as well with the creation of a new Subcommittee within the Diversity Committee – the Veterans Subcommittee.

This subcommittee will launch next year with a focus on increasing awareness of reservists’ and veterans’ valuable contributions to the Division’s mission, and addressing some of the issues unique to their circumstances, with the overarching goal of improving recruiting and retention of veterans and reservists.

As you all know, in addition to recapping the Committee’s recent accomplishments, and previewing plans for the coming year, the Annual Celebration is also an opportunity to hear from a special guest speaker.

Today’s speaker is in the mold of the impressive leaders who have celebrated with us in past years: I could not be happier to introduce FBI Special Agent in Charge, Voviette Morgan.

Special Agent Morgan is a trailblazing public servant that has inspired others to careers in public service and law enforcement. A Los Angeles native, she joined the Bureau more than two decades ago focusing on white-collar crime. She’s risen through the ranks and held several leadership positions in the Office of Public and Congressional Affairs and the Counterterrorism Division. She has also served as the chief of the Internal Investigations Section in the Inspection Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

In August 2017, FBI Director Christopher Wray named Special Agent Morgan as the Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Division for the Los Angeles Field Office, which is responsible for investigating all federal crimes in the Los Angeles area.[1]

Her office investigates everything from public corruption including police, law enforcement, legislative and judicial corruption, to organized crime and drug offenses, to a laundry list of white-collar crimes including antirust, financial institution and healthcare fraud. Her office also investigates civil rights violations and human trafficking.

We know just how busy Special Agent Morgan is and we very much appreciate her spending time with us this afternoon.

From one Angeleno to another, I thank you, Voviette, for your tireless work protecting my beloved hometown. It is my distinct privilege to welcome you to the Antitrust Division.

I now will hand things over to our moderator, Michelle, and thank you for being with us today.

MIL Security OSI –

February 6, 2025

MIL-OSI Security: Twenty-Nine Individuals Sentenced to 378 Combined Years in Federal Prison for Running Armed Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Trafficking Ring

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

EVANSVILE- 29 defendants have been sentenced to a combined 378 years in federal prison for their roles in a large methamphetamine and fentanyl drug trafficking organization that operated in Southern Indiana.

According to court documents, between January 2020 and November 2021, the following 29 individuals conspired together to distribute a total of nearly 500 pounds of methamphetamine and over three kilograms of fentanyl. This investigation led to the seizure of over 80 pounds of methamphetamine, over 560 grams of fentanyl, and $240,000 in United States currency.

Jeramey Smith served as the leader of the drug trafficking operation. Smith began obtaining multiple pound quantities of crystal methamphetamine from Julian Green in early 2020 until April of 2021 when he changed his source of supply to a cartel linked individual based in Houston, Texas. In June of 2021, Smith was robbed of a large amount of cash and was unable to pay his supplier for the lost product. Smith resorted back to Green to obtain the crystal methamphetamine.

DeJarnett was one of Smith’s top methamphetamine customers, often purchasing up to 20 pounds at a time. After Smith obtained the methamphetamine from either Green or his Mexican source of supply, he then distributed the methamphetamine to mid -level distributors in Indianapolis and Evansville.

In September 2021, Smith branched out to also begin selling large quantities of fentanyl-laced pills. Smith would obtain fentanyl powder from Markey and/or Moore, who would then press the powder into pills. Smith then used his same distributors to distribute the fentanyl throughout Southern Indiana. Law enforcement seized an automated pill press during the course of the investigation. Smith also used violence and intimidation to further his drug business by having his distributors robbed of their drug proceeds at gun point.

Additionally, several members of the drug trafficking used firearms to protect themselves and their profits. In total, law enforcement officers seized over 30 firearms from the defendants during court-authorized searches at multiple locations in Indianapolis and Evansville.

The charges and sentences are described below:

Defendant	Charge(s)	Prison Sentence
Jeramey Smith, 35 Indianapolis, IN	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl Felon in Possession of a Firearm Obstruction of Commerce by Robbery	240 months (20 years) 5 years supervised release
Julian Green, 36 Indianapolis, IN	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine Felon in Possession of a Firearm	210 months (17.5 years) Indianapolis, IN
Hannah Kissel, 28 Indianapolis, IN	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl	97 months (8 years) 3 years supervised release
Jordan Wilson, 41 Evansville, IN	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl Felon in Possession of a Firearm	216 months (15.7 years) 5 years supervised release
Timothy Rice, 35 Evansville, IN	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine	204 months (17 years) 5 years supervised release
Archilles Johnson, 40 Evansville, IN	Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine	180 months (15 years) 5 years supervised release
Deonte Howard, 36 Evansville, IN	Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine	180 months (15 years) 5 years supervised release
Julie Hunt, 37 Petersburg, IN	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl	60 months (5 years) 3 years supervised release
Torrance Mimms, 34 Evansville, IN	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine	180 months (15 years) 5 years supervised release
Keisha Jewell, 40 Princeton, IN	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl	108 years (9 years) 3 years supervised release
Davion Hays, 38 Evansville, IN	Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine	144 months (12 years) 5 years supervised release
Jason Mitchell, 43 Henderson, KY	Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine	204 months (17 years) 5 years supervised release
Denny Taylor, 49 Princeton, IN	Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine	180 months (15 years) 5 years supervised release
Aaron Hardiman, 42 Princeton, IN	Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl	120 months (10 years) 5 years supervised release
Roman Wills, 43 Evansville, IN	Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine	180 months (15 years) 5 years supervised release
Michael Sanders, 48 Owensboro, KY	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine	168 months (14 years) 5 years supervised release
Gregory Snyder, 62 Evansville, IN	Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine	36 months (3 years) 4 years supervised release
Joshua Gahagan, 41 Evansville, IN	Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine	180 months (15 years) 5 years supervised release
Gregory Markey, 35 Indianapolis, IN	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl	168 months (14 years) 5 years supervised release
L.C. Moore, II, 31 Indianapolis, IN	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl	120 months (5 years) 5 years supervised release
Dominique Baquet, 31 Indianapolis, IN	Obstruction of Commerce by Robbery	57 months (4.7 years) 3 years supervised release
Antonio DeJarnett, 36 Evansville, IN	Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine	264 months (22 years) 5 years supervised release
Ryan Pinkston, 42 Evansville, IN	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine Felon in Possession of Ammunition	240 months (20 years) 5 years supervised release
Robert Embry, 46 Evansville, IN	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine	60 months (5 years) 5 years supervised release
Becky Edwards, 39 Evansville, IN	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine	120 months (10 years) 5 years supervised release
Edward Meredith, 59 Evansville, IN	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine	120 months (10 years) 5 years supervised release
Joshua Wilson, 33 Evansville, IN	Use of a Communication Facility with the Intent to Commit or Facilitate the Distribution of Methamphetamine	30 months (2.5 years) No supervised release
Tabitha Seabeck, 32 Henderson, KY	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine	180 months (15 years) 5 years supervised release
Zachary Addison, 42 Evansville, IN	Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine Felon in Possession of a Firearm	300 months (25 years) 5 years supervised release

Defendant

Charge(s)

Prison Sentence

Jeramey Smith, 35
Indianapolis, IN

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

Felon in Possession of a Firearm

Obstruction of Commerce by Robbery

240 months (20 years)

5 years supervised release

Julian Green, 36

Indianapolis, IN

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Felon in Possession of a Firearm

210 months (17.5 years)

Indianapolis, IN

Hannah Kissel, 28

Indianapolis, IN

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

97 months (8 years)

3 years supervised release

Jordan Wilson, 41

Evansville, IN

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

Felon in Possession of a Firearm

216 months (15.7 years)

5 years supervised release

Timothy Rice, 35

Evansville, IN

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

204 months (17 years)

5 years supervised release

Archilles Johnson, 40

Evansville, IN

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

180 months (15 years)

5 years supervised release

Deonte Howard, 36

Evansville, IN

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

180 months (15 years)

5 years supervised release

Julie Hunt, 37

Petersburg, IN

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

60 months (5 years)

3 years supervised release

Torrance Mimms, 34

Evansville, IN

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

180 months (15 years)

5 years supervised release

Keisha Jewell, 40

Princeton, IN

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

108 years (9 years)

3 years supervised release

Davion Hays, 38

Evansville, IN

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

144 months (12 years)

5 years supervised release

Jason Mitchell, 43

Henderson, KY

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

204 months (17 years)

5 years supervised release

Denny Taylor, 49

Princeton, IN

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

180 months (15 years)

5 years supervised release

Aaron Hardiman, 42

Princeton, IN

Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl

120 months (10 years)

5 years supervised release

Roman Wills, 43

Evansville, IN

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

180 months (15 years)

5 years supervised release

Michael Sanders, 48

Owensboro, KY

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

168 months (14 years)

5 years supervised release

Gregory Snyder, 62

Evansville, IN

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

36 months (3 years)

4 years supervised release

Joshua Gahagan, 41

Evansville, IN

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

180 months (15 years)

5 years supervised release

Gregory Markey, 35

Indianapolis, IN

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

168 months (14 years)

5 years supervised release

L.C. Moore, II, 31

Indianapolis, IN

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

120 months (5 years)

5 years supervised release

Dominique Baquet, 31

Indianapolis, IN

Obstruction of Commerce by Robbery

57 months (4.7 years)

3 years supervised release

Antonio DeJarnett, 36

Evansville, IN

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

264 months (22 years)

5 years supervised release

Ryan Pinkston, 42

Evansville, IN

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Felon in Possession of Ammunition

240 months (20 years)

5 years supervised release

Robert Embry, 46

Evansville, IN

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

60 months (5 years)

5 years supervised release

Becky Edwards, 39

Evansville, IN

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

120 months (10 years)

5 years supervised release

Edward Meredith, 59

Evansville, IN

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

120 months (10 years)

5 years supervised release

Joshua Wilson, 33

Evansville, IN

Use of a Communication Facility with the Intent to Commit or Facilitate the Distribution of Methamphetamine

30 months (2.5 years)

No supervised release

Tabitha Seabeck, 32

Henderson, KY

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

180 months (15 years)

5 years supervised release

Zachary Addison, 42

Evansville, IN

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Felon in Possession of a Firearm

300 months (25 years)

5 years supervised release

“The members of this conspiracy will spend decades in federal prison for pumping pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl onto our streets,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Drug use devastates so many families and kills hundreds of Hoosiers every year. That’s why we will work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to dismantle armed organizations trafficking in deadly drugs. The sentences imposed in this case demonstrate our continued commitment to protecting the public from these dangerous criminals.”

“Dismantling a major drug trafficking organization that was responsible for distributing multi-hundred-pound quantities of methamphetamine and kilogram quantities of fentanyl onto the streets of Indiana was a big win for law enforcement. Because of the exceptional collaborative efforts by law enforcement, we were able to achieve this remarkable outcome,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Michael Gannon. “This investigation was a wonderful victory for all Hoosiers and sends a crystal-clear message to major drug dealers we will continue working together with our partners to dismantle their illicit operations.”

“This sentencing is a significant victory in the relentless fight against the trafficking of deadly drugs and underscores the FBI’s commitment to pursue those who wreak havoc on our communities through their illegal drug trade,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure those who endanger public safety and contribute to this crisis are held accountable.”

“I would like to thank the dedicated Evansville Police Officers and Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office Deputies as well as our federal partners in the DEA and US Attorney’s Office for their roles in getting these individuals off our streets. The manufacturing and distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl have brought death and destruction to our communities and have done irreversible damage to families in the worst way possible. This community will not tolerate that kind of behavior and illegal activity, and we will use every resource available to us to stop it and put dealers behind bars.”

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Evansville Resident Office, with the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Evansville Vanderburgh County Joint Task Force, DEA Indianapolis and Indianapolis Metro Drug Task Force providing valuable assistance. The sentenced were imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew P. Brookman.

Acting U.S. Attorney John E. Childress thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Wheatley and Jeremy Kemper, who prosecuted this case.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on a person’s body size, tolerance, and past usage—a tiny amount that can fit on the tip of a pencil. Seven out of ten illegal fentanyl tablets seized from U.S. streets and analyzed by the DEA have been found to contain a potentially lethal dose of the drug.

One Pill Can Kill: Avoid pills bought on the street because One Pill Can Kill. Fentanyl has now become the leading cause of death for adults in the United States. Fentanyl is a highly potent opioid that drug dealers dilute with cutting agents to make counterfeit prescription pills that appear to be Oxycodone, Percocet, Xanax, and other drugs. Fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl are usually shaped and colored to look like pills sold at pharmacies. For example, fake prescription pills known as “M30s” imitate Oxycodone obtained from a pharmacy, but when sold on the street the pills routinely contain fentanyl. These pills are usually round tablets and often light blue in color, though they may be in different shapes and a rainbow of colors. They often have “M” and “30” imprinted on opposite sides of the pill. Do not take these or any other pills bought on the street – they are routinely fake and poisonous, and you won’t know until it’s too late.

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MIL Security OSI –

February 6, 2025

MIL-OSI Security: Convicted Felon Sentenced to Seven Years for Possession of Firearm

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

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Sherron Gary (41, Tampa) to seven years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Gary pleaded guilty in October 2024.

According to court documents, on April 9, 2023, officers with the Tampa Police Department (TPD) attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Gary after observing the vehicle had a broken taillight. Gary failed to pull over and instead fled from the officers at a high rate of speed. A police helicopter followed Gary. After Gary’s vehicle was boxed in by law enforcement, Gary fled from the officers on foot, which the helicopter was also able to capture.

As Gary fled, the helicopter crew observed Gary discard an item as he was running that resembled a firearm. TPD officers apprehended Gary. After the arrest, the helicopter crew directed officers back to the location where they had observed Gary discard the firearm. Officers located a 9mm Walther Creed semiautomatic pistol at the location.

At the time, Gary had four prior felony convictions, including aggravated battery and armed burglary of a dwelling, trafficking of cocaine, delivery of cocaine, and delivery of cocaine within 1,000 feet of church. As a convicted felon, Gary is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky.

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

MIL Security OSI –

February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Serial Fraudster Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Stealing Nearly $3 Million and Five Indianapolis Homes

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

EVANSVILLE— James Henley, 35, of Greenwood, Indiana, has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit access device fraud, two counts of money laundering, and eight counts of wire fraud. Henley has also been ordered to pay $1,887,426.63 in restitution.

According to court documents, over the course of three years, Henley orchestrated multiple large and complex fraud schemes, resulting in a total loss of $2,927,758.95 to individual homeowners, an Indiana attorney, a bank, and ten state governments. As part of his fraud schemes, Henley registered five fake businesses (OnTrack Real Estate Solutions, LDI Investments Corp, Lucario Investments, 317 Traffic, and Henley Real Estate Solutions) with the states of Indiana and Kentucky, claiming to serve as the Chief Executive Officer for most of them. None of the businesses were legitimate. Instead, Henley used the businesses to mask his identity, make his schemes appear more credible, and launder the stolen money.

Henley’s schemes are broken down as follows:

COVID-19 Fraud:

Between May 2020 and March 2021, James Henley, his wife Jameka Henley, and his associate Jimmie Bickers used the stolen personally identifiable information of 76 real individuals to submit 120 unemployment insurance applications to ten states during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once the applications were approved, the trio used 65 unemployment insurance debit cards to make purchases at retailers and withdraw cash at ATMs in the Evansville and Indianapolis areas. The states paid a total of $1,119,426.63 in unemployment benefits in connection with the group’s fraudulent applications. In July 2020, Henley used funds withdrawn from ATMs to buy a Chevrolet Camaro for $22,801.

Bickers and Jameka Henley have been formally charged for their roles in this scheme but have not pleaded guilty.

Home Title Fraud:

Between December 2021 and May 2023, Henley stole five homes in Indianapolis by filing fraudulent deeds with the Marion County Recorder’s Office. Through the filings, Henley claimed that the homeowners had sold their homes to his fake businesses, but, in reality, he had never even spoken with the homeowners. Unbeknownst to the victims, Henley filed these fraudulent deeds and then sold the homes for significantly less than their market value, pocketing more than $260,000 in profits.

Henley also attempted to steal and sell an additional 14 homes in Indianapolis and Evansville. With one exception, the individuals who bought the homes from Henley took possession and ultimately kept the homes.

For one homeowner, the property Henley stole was her childhood home. She purchased the home while her mother was in the hospital with the hope that, when her mother’s condition improved, her mother would be able to live out her remaining years in the house.

Mortgage Fraud:

In November 2021, an associate of Henley’s purchased a home in Indianapolis, using a mortgage loan from a bank. In April 2022, Henley filed a fraudulent document with the Marion County Recorder’s Office to make it seem as if the mortgage loan had been paid off, when it had not been paid. Henley then filed a deed naming himself a joint owner of the home. Henley and his associate subsequently sold the property for $255,000, pocketing all the proceeds, even though the bank should have received the majority of the funds.

Auto Loan Fraud:

In March 2023, Henley purchased a Dodge Durango in Indianapolis for $71,479, using an auto loan from Everwise Credit Union. A few months later, in June 2023, Henley purchased a Chevrolet Silverado in Plainfield for $54,270, using a second loan from Everwise Credit Union.

In October 2023, Henley connected a JPMorgan Chase bank account to his auto loans, via Everwise’s online payment portal. Henley falsely represented that the Chase account belonged to Jimmie Bickers, and that he had authority to make payments on his loans using funds from the Chase account.

The Chase account was actually an Indiana attorney’s Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLTA), which is a highly regulated bank account used by lawyers to hold client funds. The interest earned on IOLTA accounts is used to fund grants for nonprofit groups that promote pro bono and access to justice programs. Henley did not have the attorney’s permission to access or withdraw funds from the IOLTA account.

Between October and November 2023, Henley used the IOLTA account to make two payments, totaling $98,000, toward his auto loans.

Henley has prior felony convictions for financial crimes, including theft, forgery, and fraud.

“James Henley went to great lengths to coordinate exceptionally greedy, complex schemes that exploited hard-working families and state government programs,” said John E. Childress, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Undeterred by prior felony convictions for the same conduct, this defendant stole over a million dollars, wreaking financial and logistical havoc on hundreds of victims. The Department of Justice will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate allegations of fraud and seek prosecution as appropriate.”

“James Henley filed fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims in the names of identity theft victims in order to receive UI benefits to which he was not entitled. He enriched himself by defrauding a program that was intended to assist struggling American workers during an unprecedented global pandemic,” said Megan Howell, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “We and our law enforcement partners are committed to protecting the integrity of the UI system from those who seek to exploit this critical benefit program.”

“This lengthy prison sentence sends a clear message: individuals who attempt to exploit and commit financial crime and identity theft will be brought to justice,” said Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation and our fellow law enforcement partners are committed to protecting the integrity of our financial institutions and will continue to hold criminals like James Henley accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

“This case should serve as a powerful reminder that individuals with a history of financial crimes will face significant consequences when they demonstrate a blatant disregard for the law and continue to exploit and deceive others for personal gain,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “The FBI, working alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to hold those who perpetuate such offenses accountable and protect the public from those who manipulate the system for their own benefit.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Department of Labor-Office of the Inspector General, and the Indiana Attorney General’s Office Homeowner Protection Unit investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Matthew B. Brookman.

Acting U.S. Attorney Childress thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Miller, who prosecuted this case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID‑19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.

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

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MIL Security OSI –

February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Lycoming County Man Charged With Child Exploitation Crimes

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Christopher Stout, age 48, a resident of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, was indicted on February 4, 2025, by a federal grand jury with production of child pornography, online enticement, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that Stout used the internet and an electronic device to persuade and coerce a minor to engage in sexual conduct and to produce child pornography. The indictment also alleges that on or about July 28, 2024, Stout received child pornography and on August 23, 2024, Stout possessed child pornography.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations –Philadelphia-RAC Williamsport, the Hughesville Borough Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Lycoming County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Tatum R. Wilson is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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.usdoj.gov/psc.

The maximum penalty under federal law for the crimes charged in the Indictment is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

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

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MIL Security OSI –

February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Montgomery Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

Montgomery, Ala. – Today, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced the sentencing of a Montgomery, Alabama man for producing child sexual abuse material. On January 30, 2025, a federal judge ordered 49-year-old Cleveland Dewayne Chambers to serve 240 months in prison. The judge also ordered that Chambers remain on supervised release for seven years following his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to Chamber’s plea agreement and other court records, in July 2022, law enforcement in Pennsylvania were conducting a child exploitation investigation on an individual in the City of Eaton. Investigators in that case discovered electronic communications leading them to suspect Chambers was also involved in producing or sharing illegal images of children. Further investigation revealed that, from March 2022 through July 2022, Chambers communicated with a woman in St. Louis, Missouri, directing her to create images and videos of sexually explicit conduct with her two-year-old child. Chambers would then share and distribute the images and videos to others using a messaging application on his cellphone.

“Protecting children from exploitation is one of law enforcement’s most important responsibilities,” stated Acting United States Attorney Davidson. “Producing and trading in child sexual abuse material is an incredibly tragic crime that robs children of their innocence and inflicts long lasting harm. While all child sexual exploitation is unacceptable, the sexual abuse of a two-year-old is absolutely reprehensible. I applaud the efforts of all the agencies involved in this case for stopping Chamber’s criminal activity before more children were victimized.”

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. 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 Justice.gov/PSC.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) investigated this case, with assistance from the Montgomery Police Department and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Assistant United States Attorney Tara S. Ratz prosecuted the case.

MIL Security OSI –

February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Jacksonville Convicted Child Sex Offender Pleads Guilty To Attempting To Entice A 13-Year-Old To Engage In Sexual Activity

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jeremy Wayne Leggett (38, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a child to engage in sexual activity. Leggett faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison, and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. Leggett is a registered child sex offender, having been previously convicted in Florida in 2020 of traveling to meet a minor to commit an unlawful sexual offense and transmitting harmful materials to a minor. Leggett was arrested on June 19, 2023, and has been in custody since then. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 28, 2025.

According to court documents, on June 16, 2023, an undercover FBI agent (UC) in the Jacksonville area, posing as a minor child, was working online in a particular social media application (app) to identify individuals seeking to contact and engage in sexual activity with children. The UC engaged in an online conversation with an app user “dAddi” who posted a notice in a public chatroom that read “Lookingfor[under 18 emoji] wannaspoiladaughter.” During this online conversation, user “dAddi,” who was subsequently identified as Leggett, was advised that the “child” was 13 years old. Leggett asked if the “child” “[l]ike[d] older men,” and sent the “child” a photo of himself. After more conversation, Leggett suggested that they meet in person for sexual activity, and he sent the “child” an explicit photo of himself. On June 17, 18, and 19, 2023, Leggett reinitiated text messages with the UC and continued attempting to persuade the “child” to meet for sex and to send him sexually suggestive photos.

On June 19, 2023, Leggett and the “child” made arrangements to meet at a location in Jacksonville. Later that evening, Leggett went to the agreed-upon location and drove around the parking lot for about 30 minutes. When law enforcement officers attempted to make contact with Leggett, he quickly reversed his vehicle and fled the scene. A short time later, officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and FBI agents located Leggett at a home in Jacksonville and he was arrested.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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 child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

MIL Security OSI –

February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: Lion Copper and Gold Corp. to Present at the Metals and Mining Virtual Investor Conference February 13th
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lion Copper and Gold Corp. (CSE:LEO), focused on The Yerington Copper Project, today announced that John Banning, Chief Operating Officer and Vice President, will present live at the Metals and Mining Virtual Investor Conference hosted by VirtualInvestorConferences.com, on February 13^th, 2025

DATE: February 13th
TIME: 11:00 AM ET
LINK: https://bit.ly/3WOG3zt
Available for 1×1 meetings: February 12-13

This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event.

It is recommended that online investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates.

Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com.

Recent Company Highlights
- Lion Copper and Gold Provides a Yerington Copper Project Pre-Feasibility Study Update
- Lion Copper and Gold Receives US$5 Million Additional Nuton Funding
About Lion Copper and Gold Corp.

Lion Copper and Gold Corp. is a Canadian-based company advancing its flagship copper assets in Yerington, Nevada through an Option to Earn-in Agreement with Nuton, a Rio Tinto venture. The Company’s goal is to develop the Yerington Copper Project so as to achieve the lowest footprint copper production. We believe this can be accomplished by applying the Nuton technology and through proactive engagement with the local communities and Indian Tribes to earn our social license to operate a world-class copper mine in Mason Valley.

About Virtual Investor Conferences^®
Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors.

Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors.

CONTACTS:
Lion Copper and Gold Corp.
John Banning
Chief Operating Officer and Vice President
775 471 3685
jbanning@lioncg.com

Virtual Investor Conferences
John M. Viglotti
SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access
OTC Markets Group
(212) 220-2221
johnv@otcmarkets.com

The MIL Network –
February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: RealtyX Revolutionizes Real-World Asset Finance (RWAfi) with End-to-End Tokenization and Yield Optimization Platform
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

HONG KONG, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — RealtyX, an innovative Real-World Asset Finance (RWAfi) platform, is poised to transform the real estate and financial landscape by offering a comprehensive, end-to-end solution that goes beyond simple tokenization. Backed by strategic partnerships with leading RWA players and selected for the prestigious Hong Kong Cyberport Incubation Program, RealtyX is preparing for its highly anticipated Token Generation Event (TGE) in February.

Unlocking the Full Potential of RWAfi

Tokenization has long been heralded as the future of real estate and alternative assets, but RealtyX is taking the concept to the next level. Rather than focusing solely on asset digitization, RealtyX provides a holistic financial ecosystem that enhances liquidity, enables seamless trading, and optimizes yield for investors.

RealtyX’s platform integrates automated passive earning mechanisms and DeFi composability, allowing users to generate consistent returns while ensuring accessibility and transparency in real-world asset investments. By streamlining complex real estate processes, RealtyX delivers a frictionless experience for both investors and asset owners, increasing overall market efficiency.

“RealtyX was built with a singular vision: to bridge the gap between traditional real estate and decentralized finance in a way that is seamless, scalable, and rewarding for all stakeholders. Our goal is to offer more than tokenization— we are redefining the entire financial ecosystem around real-world assets,” said [Executive Name], [Title] at RealtyX.

Strategic Partnerships with Industry Leaders

RealtyX’s commitment to innovation is underscored by its partnerships with top-tier RWA projects and DeFi leaders. These partnerships enable RealtyX to offer superior liquidity, capital efficiency, and enhanced financial instruments for users. Some of its key industry allies include:
- Plume Network – A blockchain optimized for real-world assets, ensuring scalable and secure transactions.
- IX Swap – A DeFi-based exchange that enhances secondary market liquidity for tokenized assets.
- Polytrade – A liquidity infrastructure provider supporting DeFi and real-world asset integration.
- Defactor – A leading RWA protocol focused on providing enterprise-grade financial solutions.
By collaborating with these major players, RealtyX ensures that its users gain access to high-quality infrastructure, cutting-edge DeFi tools, and diversified investment opportunities.

RealtyX Joins Hong Kong’s Cyberport Incubation Program

In recognition of its groundbreaking approach, RealtyX has been selected for the Hong Kong Cyberport Incubation Program, a highly competitive initiative known for supporting some of the most innovative Web3 and fintech startups. Cyberport alumni include Animoca Brands and Certik, both industry giants in their respective fields.

Through this program, RealtyX will gain access to world-class mentorship, funding opportunities, and a vast network of investors and innovators. Cyberport’s backing further solidifies RealtyX’s reputation as a trailblazer in the RWAfi space and positions it for rapid global expansion.

Utility-Backed TGE: RealtyX Prepares for Token Generation Event

RealtyX is gearing up for its Token Generation Event (TGE) in February, introducing the RX token, a utility-backed asset designed to fuel the RealtyX ecosystem. Unlike speculative digital assets, RX serves a critical role in the platform, offering:
- Exclusive platform access – RX token holders will unlock premium features and investment opportunities.
- Governance participation – Token holders will have a voice in key decision-making processes.
- Staking and rewards – RX stakers can earn passive income through yield optimization mechanisms.
The TGE will provide early adopters with a unique opportunity to be part of the RealtyX ecosystem from its inception, with further details set to be announced soon.

RealtyX’s Vision for the Future of RWAfi

RealtyX is dedicated to pioneering the future of Real-World Asset Finance by building a trusted and efficient platform that seamlessly integrates blockchain technology with real estate investments. Since its inception, the platform has already achieved significant milestones, including:
- Successful tokenization of the first real estate property (RST) in Dubai.
- Ongoing rental income distribution to RST holders.
- Launch of a thriving secondary market for on-chain property transactions.
- Winning the WOW Summit Startup Competition.
- Acceptance into the SpringX Move Accelerator program.
With a strong foundation and unwavering commitment to bridging traditional finance with the Web3 economy, RealtyX is set to redefine how real-world assets are tokenized, managed, and monetized.

Stay Updated

To learn more about RealtyX and its game-changing approach to Real-World Asset Finance (RWAfi), visit www.realtyx.co.

For the latest updates on the upcoming TGE, follow RealtyX on X (Twitter): https://x.com/RealtyX_DAO.

About RealtyX

RealtyX is a next-generation Real-World Asset Finance (RWAfi) platform, designed to seamlessly integrate real estate and DeFi. With a focus on tokenization, liquidity solutions, and yield optimization, RealtyX empowers investors with enhanced access to real-world assets. Recognized for its innovation and strategic industry partnerships, RealtyX continues to lead the charge in bringing tangible value to blockchain-based finance.

For media inquiries, partnership opportunities, or further details, contact partnership@realtyx.co

Disclaimer: This content is provided by RealtyX. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the content provider. The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities. Please conduct your own research and invest at your own risk.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6799bba8-3cfa-46c4-a57d-5877e8cdddf6

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3597b473-34fd-45d4-9eab-f5e561058632

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6215eb83-0127-48cf-a5ab-599c7359affe

The MIL Network –
February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Welch: “We need an Attorney General who will share my shock in a President acting in such a lawless way.”

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)

Before voting NO on Bondi’s nomination for Attorney General, Welch took to the Senate Floor to urge his colleagues to stand up against Trump’s illegal power grab
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, took to the Senate Floor late last night before voting against Pam Bondi’s nomination for Attorney General of the United States. Senator Welch cited President Trump’s lawlessness, and Ms. Bondi’s unwillingness to stand up against President Trump and preserve an independent Department of Justice. He called on his colleagues to stop enabling Trump’s illegal and cruel overreach of his authority.
Watch more here: 

Senator Welch’s Committee and Subcommittee Assignments for the 119th Congress include:  
Senate Committee on Finance
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry  

Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit  

Senate Committee on the Judiciary  

Ranking Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution  

Senate Committee on Rules & Administration 
Senator Peter Welch has spent the bulk of his life working to improve the lives of folks who too often get left behind. After fighting housing discrimination in Chicago, he enrolled in law school at the UC-Berkeley, and later settled in White River Junction, Vermont, where he worked as a public defender before founding a small law practice. He was first elected to represent Windsor County in the Vermont Senate in 1980. Senator Welch was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served for 16 years before being elected to the Senate in 2022. In the Senate, he’s focused on lowering costs for Vermonters, making Washington work better for Vermont, and protecting civil rights and democracy in America and abroad.  

MIL OSI USA News –

February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NIST Report to Congress Provides Update on Champlain Towers South Investigation
Source: US Government research organizations

In the weeks following the June 24, 2021, partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida, NIST National Construction Safety Team members conducted remote sensing of the site using lidar technology, which sends out rapid pulses of light and records the reflections to create a spatial map of individual points reflected from surfaces on the ground. This image was captured on July 14, 2021, and provides important information on the post-collapse geometry of building components. Red points represent data on the south basement wall, and yellow points represent data on the privacy wall above.

Credit: NIST

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has submitted to Congress an update on its investigation into the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida. The update is included in a report submitted to Congress on NIST’s activities under the National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Act.

The report notes that the team has completed all experimental work on the physical evidence from the building’s structural elements. This includes mechanical testing of concrete cores and steel reinforcing bars, and measurements of slab, beam and column cross sections. The team also completed a study of historical wind loads on the building, as well as 3D simulations of the subsurface conditions beneath the building site.

In a video released today, investigation lead Judith Mitrani-Reiser and associate lead Glenn Bell, explain how the work completed so far is informing their understanding of what caused the collapse, and how it could make buildings across the U.S. safer.

Champlain Tower South Collapse Investigation | 2025 Update

Lead investigators Judy Mitrani-Reiser and Glen Bell give a summary of this year’s progress regarding the NCST investigation into the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South building.

As described in the report to Congress, the team is now focused on its remaining technical work. This includes completion of full-scale tests of replicas of Champlain Towers South building components at the University of Minnesota and the University of Washington, which began in 2024. The University of Washington tests include measuring the impact of corrosion of the concrete’s steel reinforcement. This work provides critical input for the computer models of the collapse that will help determine the probable initiation and progression of the partial collapse and its technical causes.

The University of Minnesota’s Multi-Axial Subassemblage Testing, or MAST, Laboratory built full-scale replicas of building components from the Champlain Towers South building. In this photo, forces are exerted on a replica that combines concrete slabs, columns and a beam.

Credit: NIST

The team has begun the final phase of interviews with those who have knowledge of the building on the night it collapsed and before. Team members continue to conduct archival research of records and tests of subsurface materials.

A replica of a reinforced concrete column from the Champlain Towers South building is tested to failure at the University of Washington’s Large-Scale Structural Engineering Testing Laboratory, or SETL. The test apparatus pushes down on the column, applying compression forces along its axis, to provide information on its strength.

Credit: NIST

As detailed in the report, the investigation relies on many contracts and agreements to bring in special expertise, equipment and facilities. Standard federal timelines for acquisition directly affect the pace at which the investigation can proceed, as shared in the March 7, 2024, public NCST Advisory Committee meeting. NIST continues to seek solutions so that the investigation can be completed as quickly as possible.

The NCST Advisory Committee released its own report to Congress in December 2024. In that report, committee members commended the NIST team for its “diligence and efficiency,” “dedication to ethical communication,” and “groundbreaking work.” The committee also applauded the team for its rigorous testing of material evidence and full-scale replicas of building components and encouraged NIST to continue to incorporate the variability of measured material properties in its future work.

NIST plans to provide its next technical presentation on the investigation in early June 2025.
To date, the investigation has included:
- Analysis of more than 300 potential structural failure points using 25 hypotheses for failure.
- Review of 20,000 records to establish the building’s history and precollapse conditions.
- Receipt of 10s of 1000s of additional civil litigation records since March 2024.
- Archival research review of about 60 gigabytes of data.
- Interviews with 58 individuals, with 92 more interviews and 10 focus groups planned.
- Structural materials testing on more than 1,000 concrete and reinforcement samples extracted from the building.
- Geotechnical materials testing completed or underway on 108 soil, rock, foundation and groundwater samples.
MIL OSI USA News –
February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: Nuvini Regains Compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(2)

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nuvini Group Limited (Nasdaq: NVNI) (“Nuvini” or the “Company”), a leading acquirer of private SaaS B2B companies in Latin America, today announced that it received notice from the Listing Qualifications Department of the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) on February 5^th, 2025, indicating that the Company has regained compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rules 5250(c)(2).

On February 4, 2025, the Company filed the required Form 6-K to report its unaudited condensed consolidated statements of profit or loss and statements of financial position as of and for the quarter, as required by Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(2).

About Nuvini

Headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, Nuvini is the leading private serial software business acquirer in Latin America. The Nuvini Group acquires software companies within SaaS markets in Latin America. It focuses on acquiring profitable “business-to-business” SaaS companies with a consolidated business model, recurring revenue, positive cash generation and relevant growth potential. The Nuvini Group enables its acquired companies to provide mission-critical solutions to customers within its industry or sector. Its business philosophy is to invest in established companies and foster an entrepreneurial environment that would enable companies to become leaders in their respective industries. The Nuvini Group’s goal is to buy, retain and create value through long-term partnerships with the existing management of its acquired companies.

Nuvini Investor Relations and Media Contact:

Deb Toledo
ir@nuvini.co

The MIL Network –

February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: WithSecure Corporation to publish Financial Statement Release and Annual Report of 2024 on 12 February 2025

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

WithSecure Corporation, Investor News, 5 February 2025 at 16:30 EET

WithSecure Corporation to publish Financial Statement Release and Annual Report of 2024 on 12 February 2025

WithSecure Corporation will publish its Financial Statement Release and Annual Report of 2024 on Tuesday 12 February 2025 at approximately 08:00 EET.

WithSecure’s CEO Antti Koskela and CFO Tom Jansson will present the results in a webcast starting at 14:00 EET. The webcast will be held in English and can be accessed at https://withsecure.events.inderes.com/q4-2024. Questions are requested in written format in the webcast portal.

Analysts following WithSecure are invited to follow the presentation at Flik Studio Stage, Itämerentori 2, Helsinki.

Presentation material and the webcast recording will be available on the company’s website at https://www.withsecure.com/en/about-us/investor-relations.

Contact information:

Laura Viita
VP, Controlling, investor relations and sustainability
WithSecure Corporation
+358 50 487 1044
investor-relations@withsecure.com

The MIL Network –

February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: Regarding the approval of INVL Technology prospectus
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

INVL Technology (hereinafter – the Company) informs that under the provision of the Law on Collective Investment Undertakings of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter – CIU), the Company operating under the CIU is under an obligation to have a valid prospectus (hereinafter – the Prospectus) prepared in accordance with the requirements of the CIU or of the Law on Securities of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter – LS).

In order to meet the above-mentioned requirement, in August 2019 the Company’s management company INVL Asset Management, UAB (hereinafter – the Management company) prepared a Prospectus in compliance with CIU. Considering that at the time of publication of the information there are no grounds that the Company should prepare and own a prospectus complying with the requirements of the LS, on 5 February 2025, the Management company of the Company approved the updated version of the Prospectus and approved its publication.

The Prospectus was submitted to the Bank of Lithuania in accordance with the CIU.

The person authorized to provide additional information:
Kazimieras Tonkūnas
INVL Technology Managing Partner
E-mail k.tonkunas@invltechnology.lt

Attachment
- INVL Technology Prospectus CIU (2025-02-05)
The MIL Network –
February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: Rapid7 Launches New Global PACT Partner Program
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

BOSTON, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rapid7, Inc. (NASDAQ: RPD), a leader in extended risk and threat detection, today announced that it has launched a new PACT Partner Program to equip partners with tools, training, and resources to meet the expanding security needs of customers in an increasingly complex global threat landscape.

The new PACT Program will deliver a supportive and structured program for partners to help customers take command of their attack surface. Working with the full channel community, including resellers, distributors, systems integrators and service providers, Rapid7 enables thousands of partners around the globe through a modernized Partner Portal, tailored engagement programs and specializations, and an all-new Partner Training Academy.

“Today’s PACT Program launch is the result of listening to and working collaboratively with our global partner community to best understand their business challenges and opportunities,” said Alex Page, vice president of global channel sales at Rapid7 and 2025 CRN Channel Chief. “We made this significant program update to ensure our partners were enabled and supported to drive maximum impact in line with their near and long-term business objectives. Together, we know we can provide our joint customers the most robust solutions to help them take command of their attack surface.”

The PACT Program includes new tiers and classifications, designed to empower and unite all partner types under a single, dynamic program. This innovative approach offers tailored engagement opportunities and sets clear performance expectations. Furthermore, valuable tier benefits will recognize and reward success, enhancing profitability and growth.

Key elements of the new program include:
- Modernized Partner Portal: Rapid7’s modernized and expanded Partner Portal offers partners deeper engagement and seamless, real-time collaboration with Rapid7 via a redesigned interface that provides training and automation to support the entire customer lifecycle. From self-service quote access and renewal dashboards, to learning paths aligned to specific points in the sales process and customer lifecycle.
- Tailored Engagement Programs and Specializations: Rapid7’s unified platform seamlessly combines proactive and reactive cyber risk management solutions so they can be efficiently scaled and customized to meet customer requirements. Partners can also benefit from two new PACT specializations, MSSP Specialization and Service Delivery Specialization, for an enhanced suite of tech resources and operational efficiencies with simplified pricing models launching later this year.
- All-New Partner Training Academy: The new Partner Training Academy equips partners with practical skills and technical knowledge to enhance customer value. With a mission to elevate partners’ confidence in positioning solutions to match customer needs, the Partner Training Academy offers a variety of competency-based courses and certifications. Courses are tailored to the sales and pre-sales technical roles, as well as specialized curriculum, to enable partners to deliver their own post-sales services.
“Over the past few years, we’ve experienced excellent growth with Rapid7 as they’ve redefined their channel strategy—and the new PACT Partner Program marks yet another exciting step forward,” said Mark Thornberry, senior vice president, vendor management at GuidePoint Security. “As digital ecosystems become increasingly complex, attack surfaces grow, and threats evolve, the need for robust Managed Detection & Response (MDR) has never been greater. The enhancements to their 2025 Partner Program not only underscore Rapid7’s dedication to growth and innovation, but also enable us to continue delivering comprehensive SecOps strategies to our customers.”

“Our partnership with Rapid7 has been nothing short of exceptional. Over the years, we have built a strong and collaborative relationship that has fuelled remarkable growth across the UK & Ireland (UK&I). Rapid7’s cutting-edge solutions and unwavering support have been instrumental in expanding our cybersecurity offerings, empowering us to deliver world-class protection to our clients,” said Nick Brownrigg, group director, solutions architecture, Integrity360. “Beyond the UK&I, Rapid7 has played a crucial role in helping us establish a strong presence in the Nordics and successfully launch our cybersecurity services in emerging regions such as Italy, Spain, and South Africa. Their commitment to innovation and partnership has enabled us to stay ahead of evolving threats and provide best-in-class security solutions to businesses worldwide. We are proud to partner with Rapid7 and look forward to continued success together in securing organizations across the globe.”

For further information on the new Rapid7 PACT Partner Program please click HERE.

About Rapid7
Rapid7, Inc. (NASDAQ: RPD) is on a mission to create a safer digital world by making cybersecurity simpler and more accessible. We empower security professionals to manage a modern attack surface through our best-in-class technology, leading-edge research, and broad, strategic expertise. Rapid7’s comprehensive security solutions help more than 11,000 global customers unite cloud risk management with threat detection and response to reduce attack surfaces and eliminate threats with speed and precision. For more information, visit our website, check out our blog, or follow us on LinkedIn or X.

Rapid7 Media Relations
Alice Randall
Director, Global Communications
press@rapid7.com
(857) 216-7804

Rapid7 Investor Contact
Elizabeth Chwalk
Sr. Director, Investor Relations
investors@rapid7.com
(617) 865-4277

The MIL Network –
February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: Annual general meeting of Ringkjøbing Landbobank A/S
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Nasdaq Copenhagen
London Stock Exchange
Euronext Dublin
Other stakeholders

Date 5 February 2025

Annual general meeting of Ringkjøbing Landbobank A/S

The bank will hold its annual general meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 5 March 2025 at the ROFI Centre, Kirkevej 26, Rindum, 6950 Ringkøbing, Denmark.

Agenda as per the bank’s articles of association:

1. Election of chairperson

The board of directors proposes that Allan Østergaard Sørensen, attorney-at-law, chair the general meeting.

2. The board’s report on the bank’s activities in the previous year

The board of directors proposes that the board’s report on the bank’s activities in the previous year be adopted.

3. Presentation of the annual report for approval

The board of directors proposes that the annual report for 2024 be approved.

Further reference is made to the published annual report for 2024.

4. Decision on allocation of profit or covering of loss under the approved annual report

The board of directors proposes that the distribution of profit be approved.

Further reference is made to the published annual report for 2024.

5. Consultative vote on the remuneration report

The board of directors proposes that the remuneration report for 2024 be approved.

Further reference is made to the published remuneration report for 2024.

6. Approval of the remuneration of the board of directors for the current financial year

The shareholders’ committee and the board of directors propose that the remuneration of the board of directors for the current financial year be approved.

Further reference is made to the full proposals.

7. Remuneration policy

The board of directors proposes that the updated remuneration policy be approved.

Further reference is made to the full proposals.

8. Election of members to the shareholders’ committee

In accordance with the decision made by the bank’s annual general meeting held on 28 February 2024, the following members of the shareholders’ committee, whose terms of office end in 2025 and 2026, are resigning: Mette Bundgaard, Per Lykkegaard Christensen, Ole Kirkegård Erlandsen, Thomas Sindberg Hansen, Tonny Hansen, Kim Jacobsen, Morten Jensen, Kasper Lykke Kjeldsen, Lotte Littau Kjærgaard, Niels Erik Burgdorf Madsen, Martin Krogh Pedersen, Poul Kjær Poulsgaard, Kristian Skannerup, Allan Østergaard Sørensen, Jørgen Kolle Sørensen, Sten Uggerhøj, Lasse Svoldgaard Vesterby and Christina Ørskov.

In addition, Lars Møller and Yvonne Skagen must retire from the shareholders’ committee due to the age requirement in the articles of association.

The shareholders’ committee and the board of directors propose re-election of the following members, whose terms of office end in 2025 and 2026:
- Mette Bundgaard, police superintendent, No, born 1966
- Per Lykkegaard Christensen, farmer, Hjallerup, born 1959
- Ole Kirkegård Erlandsen, butcher, Snejbjerg, born 1962
- Thomas Sindberg Hansen, grocer, Kloster, born 1978
- Tonny Hansen, former college principal, Ringkøbing, born 1958
- Kim Jacobsen, manager, Aalborg, born 1969
- Morten Jensen, attorney-at-law (Supreme Court), Dronninglund, born 1961
- Kasper Lykke Kjeldsen, timber merchant, Højbjerg, born 1981
- Lotte Littau Kjærgaard, manager, Holstebro, born 1969
- Niels Erik Burgdorf Madsen, manager, Ølgod, born 1959
- Martin Krogh Pedersen, CEO, Ringkøbing, born 1967
- Poul Kjær Poulsgaard, farmer, Madum, born 1974
- Kristian Skannerup, manufacturer, Tim, born 1959
- Allan Østergaard Sørensen, attorney-at-law (High Court), Ringkøbing, born 1982
- Jørgen Kolle Sørensen, sales representative and branch manager, Hvide Sande, born 1970
- Sten Uggerhøj, car dealer, Frederikshavn, born 1959
- Lasse Svoldgaard Vesterby, manager, Ringkøbing, born 1978
- Christina Ørskov, manager, Gærum, born 1969
The shareholders’ committee and the board of directors propose the following for election:
- Rasmus Alstrup, farmer, Videbæk, born 1985
- Rikke Ahnfeldt Kjær, CFO, Gistrup, born 1980
- Pia Stevnhøj Sommer, sales director, Lind, born 1979
In recruiting and proposing candidates for the shareholders’ committee (election and re-election), the committee and board of directors have focused on ensuring a diverse committee membership in terms of business experience, professional qualifications and expertise, gender, age etc.

9. Election of one or more auditors

In accordance with the audit committee’s recommendation, the shareholders’ committee and the board of directors propose that PricewaterhouseCoopers, Statsautoriseret Revisionspartner-selskab be re-elected as external auditor and sustainability auditor.

Further reference is made to the full proposals.

10. Authorisation for the board of directors to permit the bank to acquire its own shares

The board of directors proposes that it be granted authorisation to permit the bank to acquire its own shares, in accordance with current legislation, until the next annual general meeting, to a total nominal value of ten percent (10%) of the share capital, such that the shares can be acquired at current market price plus or minus ten percent (+/-10%) at the time of acquisition.
Further reference is made to the full proposals.

11. Any proposals from the board of directors, the shareholders’ committee or shareholders

11.a. Proposed amendments to the articles of association

The shareholders’ committee and the board of directors propose the following amendments to the articles of association:

Art. 2a-2b:
It is proposed that the authorisations in articles 2a and 2b be extended to 4 March 2030.
If the proposal is approved, the wording of articles 2a and 2b of the bank’s articles of association will be changed to the following:

Art. 2a:
“The general meeting has decided to authorise the board of directors to increase the share capital in one or more rounds by up to nom. DKK 5,341,347 with right of pre-emption for the bank’s existing shareholders. The capital increase shall be fully paid up in cash. The capital increase may be below the market price. This authorisation shall apply until 4 March 2030.”

Art. 2b:
“The general meeting has decided to authorise the board of directors to increase the share capital in one or more rounds by up to nom. DKK 2,670,673 without right of pre-emption for the bank’s existing shareholders. The capital increase may be by cash payment or contribution of an existing company or specific asset values corresponding to the value of the shares issued. The capital increase shall be fully paid up at the market price ascertained by the board of directors. This authorisation shall apply until 4 March 2030.”

The background to the proposal is that the board of directors wants to ensure continued flexibility regarding the granting of authorisations to the board of directors.

The proposed amendments to the articles of association are also given in the full proposals to which we refer and which are available on the bank’s website, www.landbobanken.com.

11.b. Proposal to reduce the bank’s share capital by nom. DKK 1,315,042 by cancellation of its own shares

The board of directors proposes a reduction in the bank’s share capital from nom. DKK 26,706,739 to nom. DKK 25,391,697 by cancellation of 1,315,042 nom. DKK 1 shares from the bank’s holding of its own shares of a nominal value of DKK 1,315,042.

Please note that, in accordance with section 188(1) of the Danish Companies Act, the purpose of the reduction in the bank’s share capital is payment to shareholders. The amount of the reduction has been used as payment to shareholders for shares acquired by the bank under the authorisation previously granted to the board of directors by the general meeting.

The share capital will consequently be reduced by nom. DKK 1,315,042 and the bank’s holding of its own shares will be reduced by 1,315,042 nom. DKK 1 shares. Please note that, in accordance with section 188(2) of the Danish Companies Act, the shares in question were acquired for a total sum of DKK 1,524,948,149. This means that, apart from the reduction in nominal capital, DKK 1,523,633,107 has been paid to shareholders.

The purpose of the board of directors’ proposed reduction of the share capital is to maintain flexibility in the bank’s capital structure.

If the proposal is adopted, the following changes will be made to articles 2, 2a, 2b and 2c of the articles of association:
Art. 2: The amount of “26,706,739” will be changed to “25,391,697”, Art. 2a: The amount of “5,341,347” will be changed to “5,078,339”, Art. 2b: The amount of “2,670,673” will be changed to “2,539,169”, and Art. 2c: The amount of “5,341,347” will be changed to “5,078,339”.

11.c. Proposed authorisation for the board of directors or its appointee

The board of directors proposes that the board of directors, or its appointee, be authorised to report the decisions which have been adopted at the general meeting for registration and to make such changes to the documents submitted to the Danish Business Authority as the Authority may require or find appropriate in connection with registration of the decisions of the general meeting.

11.d. Proposal from a shareholder

Proposal from shareholder Poul Aksel Andersen, Hobro:

Reason for the proposal:
The minutes of the 2024 annual general meeting state that: “In recruiting and proposing candidates for the shareholders’ committee (election and re-election), the committee and board of directors have focused on ensuring a diverse committee membership in terms of business experience, professional qualifications and expertise, gender, age etc.”

Despite this, it is evident from the minutes that all of the elected members of the shareholders’ committee in 2024 were in leading positions. The shareholders’ committee is therefore hardly representative of the bank’s shareholders or customers in terms of business experience, professional qualifications or expertise.

Proposal:
It is proposed, that Ringkjøbing Landbobank’s work of recruiting and proposing of candidates in the future should focus on making the composition of the shareholders’ committee representative of the bank’s shareholders and customers; that the bank should make the process of admitting committee members transparent for all shareholders who might be interested in joining the shareholders’ committee; and that the bank’s work should focus specifically on ensuring that at least 25% of the members of the shareholders’ committee are employees without responsibilities for managing other staff.

The board of directors’ recommendation regarding the proposal:

The members of the bank’s board of directors are elected by the shareholders’ committee. Six of the eight current board members elected by the shareholders’ committee came from the membership of the shareholders’ committee. The shareholders’ committee is thus a recruitment channel for the board of directors. It is relevant, therefore, that the members of the shareholders’ committee possess the right competences for onward recruitment to the board of directors. In addition, the authorities nowadays impose a number of requirements on serving members of boards of directors of financial undertakings, including in relation to their competences, and there are also requirements regarding the collective competences of the plenary board of directors.

The board of directors, the board of directors’ nomination committee and the shareholders’ committee are already working to promote diversity in the shareholders’ committee.

The board of directors does not consider it appropriate to tie the board of directors’ nomination committee, the board of directors and the shareholders’ committee to a specific framework in future recruitment processes for nominations of candidates to the shareholders’ committee.

For the above reasons, the board of directors does not support the proposal.

Validity requirements for resolutions

The proposals under items 11.a. and 11.b. of the agenda require adoption by at least two-thirds (2/3) both of votes cast and of the share capital with voting rights represented at the general meeting. Other proposals can be adopted by simple majority vote, except item 5 on the agenda which is a consultative vote.

Amount of share capital and the shareholders’ voting rights and date of registration – the right to attend and vote at the general meeting

Please note that the amount of the share capital is nom. DKK 26,706,739 consisting of 26,706,739 nom. DKK 1 shares.

As for shareholders’ voting rights, each share of nom. DKK 1 carries one (1) vote when the share is recorded in the company’s share register, or when the shareholder has reported and documented their right. However, a shareholder may cast no more than 3,000 votes.

The right to attend and vote at the general meeting may only be exercised by shareholders who, by 11:59 p.m. on the date of registration, Wednesday, 26 February 2025, are listed as shareholders in the register of shareholders or have submitted a request to the bank, which the bank has received by that deadline, for inclusion in the register of shareholders.

Registration for the general meeting, questions and admission cards

Registration for the general meeting can be made
- by contacting Euronext Securities A/S by phone +45 4358 8866 or email to CPH-investor@euronext.com or
- by contacting one of the bank’s branches.
In accordance with the bank’s articles of association, the deadline for registering for the general meeting is 11:59 p.m. on Friday 28 February 2025, after which admission cards for the general meeting can no longer be ordered.

Shareholders or proxies may be accompanied by an adviser, provided the adviser’s attendance has been notified on time.

Shareholders may ask questions in writing about the agenda items or the bank’s position in general, to be answered at the general meeting. Questions may be sent by letter to Ringkjøbing Landbobank A/S, for the attention of: General Management, Torvet 1, 6950 Ringkøbing, Denmark, or by email to regnskab@landbobanken.dk.

Voting

Shareholders may attend and vote in person or by proxy at the general meeting. Postal voting is also possible before the general meeting.

Shareholders may grant proxy to the bank’s board of directors or a third party by 11:59 p.m. on Friday 28 February 2025. The proxy may be issued electronically on InvestorPortal at Euronext Securities, via the bank’s website www.landbobanken.com or in writing on a proxy form which is available from the bank’s branches.

If a written proxy is used, it must be completed and signed, and received at the bank by the above deadline, i.e. 11:59 p.m. on Friday 28 February 2025.

The proxy may be sent by post for the attention of: Accounts Department, Ringkjøbing Landbobank A/S, Torvet 1, 6950 Ringkøbing, Denmark, by email to regnskab@landbobanken.dk or by fax to +45 7624 4913.

Shareholders may also send a postal vote before the general meeting.

Postal votes may be cast electronically on InvestorPortal at Euronext Securities, via the bank’s website www.landbobanken.com or in writing on a postal vote form which is available from the bank’s branches.

If a postal vote is cast, the ballot paper must be returned for the attention of: Accounts Department, Ringkjøbing Landbobank A/S, Torvet 1, 6950 Ringkøbing, Denmark, by email to regnskab@landbobanken.dk or by fax to +45 7624 4913.

Electronic postal votes must be cast by 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 4 March 2025, by which time a postal ballot paper must also be received by the bank.

Exercising financial rights

Ringkjøbing Landbobank’s shareholders can choose Ringkjøbing Landbobank A/S as the account-holding institution for the purpose of exercising the financial rights through Ringkjøbing Landbobank A/S.

Further information

The annual report, agenda and full proposals with the proposed amendments to the articles of association, the remuneration report, other documents under section 99(1) of the Danish Companies Act and information on the collection and processing of personal data in connection with the annual general meeting will be published on the bank’s website www.landbobanken.com and made available for inspection by shareholders on Wednesday, 5 February 2025.

Recording and webcast

The general meeting will be recorded and the recording will subsequently be uploaded to the bank’s website, www.landbobanken.com.

The general meeting will also be webcast via the bank’s website, www.landbobanken.com and can be viewed by everyone. It will not be possible to ask questions or vote via the webcast.

Personal data

For details on the bank’s processing of personal data in respect of general meetings, please see Ringkjøbing Landbobank’s privacy policy for shareholders etc., which is available on the bank’s website, www.landbobanken.com.

Dividend

Any dividend is expected to be available in shareholders’ return accounts on 10 March 2025.

Yours sincerely

Ringkjøbing Landbobank

On behalf of the board of directors

Martin Krogh Pedersen
Chair of the board of directors

Attachment
- Indkaldelse ordinær generalforsamling 2025 – EN endelig
The MIL Network –
February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Firms which took customers’ deposits but didn’t fit their kitchens are shut down following phoenix concerns
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Insolvency Service investigations found the Manchester-based companies took upfront payments from more than 20 customers, but there is no evidence they installed the kitchens as promised
Customers complained they did not receive the kitchens they had paid deposits for to Smart Choice Kitchens Limited and Empire Kitchens and Bathrooms Limited

A phoenix company, Connect Kitchens Limited, was suspected of being set up to continue the same operation

The three companies, connected by a shared director, were shut down in court following investigations by the Insolvency Service

A group of linked kitchen design and fitting companies based in Manchester have been shut down after taking upfront payments from more than 20 customers for products they did not provide.

Smart Choice Kitchens Limited, Empire Kitchens and Bathrooms Limited, and Connect Kitchens Limited were all wound-up at a hearing of the High Court in Manchester on Tuesday 4 February following an investigation by the Insolvency Service into their business practices which also identified a pattern of phoenixism.

The companies encouraged customers to make payments before the kitchens were delivered and installed.

They then failed to supply the kitchens and customers were left unable to obtain refunds.

A total of 21 customers complained to Action Fraud about the actions of Smart Choice Kitchens and Empire Kitchens and Bathrooms. Combined, the complainants had paid deposits of more than £50,000 to the two companies.

The victims all said that after paying a deposit, they were then falsely informed that the companies had gone into liquidation, or “went bankrupt”.

Insolvency Service investigators were also concerned that Connect Kitchens was acting as a successor company to Smart Choice Kitchens and Empire Kitchens and Bathrooms, putting consumers at risk of losing further sums of money due to phoenixism.

David Hope, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

Our investigations into Smart Choice Kitchens and Empire Kitchens and Bathrooms concluded that they were taking money from customers for kitchens they never had any intention of fitting. The victims found out about the companies through Facebook or Google and were then treated in very similar ways, losing hundreds if not thousands of pounds.

We were concerned that Connect Kitchens was a phoenix company created to continue the same operation. Our concerns only increased when our investigations uncovered three previous companies run by the same director and her associate, all of which appeared to use the same objectionable and dishonest trading practices.

Phoenix companies being set up with the sole purpose of causing clear financial harm to the public will not be tolerated by the Insolvency Service.

Stopping these companies from trading will protect potential future victims, disrupt suspected fraudulent activity, and act as a deterrent to others considering a similar business model.

Smart Choice Kitchens, Empire Kitchens and Bathrooms, and Connect Kitchens were all established between November 2022 and July 2023.

The three companies shared a director, known as Toni Amana or Toni Amana Warrington.

Connect Kitchens appointed a second director in October 2024 but Warrington remained the sole person with significant control over the company.

Warrington and a known associate of hers were directors of three other companies which operated a similar business model to Smart Choice Kitchens, Empire Kitchens and Bathrooms, and Connect Kitchens.

Those three companies, Your Style Kitchens Ltd, Your Style Kitchens & Bathrooms Ltd, and Designer Kitchens and Bathrooms Limited, all stopped trading and were struck-off the Companies House register in August 2023, October 2023, and January 2024.

Bank statements obtained by the Insolvency Service for Smart Choice Kitchens and Empire Kitchens and Bathrooms revealed that the majority of payments were made to Warrington’s associate.

Warrington also failed to co-operate with the Insolvency Service’s investigations.

No accounting records were produced for any of the three companies and both Smart Choice Kitchens and Empire Kitchens and Bathrooms did not file accounts at Companies House on time.

The Official Receiver has been appointed as liquidator of Smart Choice Kitchens Limited, Empire Kitchens and Bathrooms Limited, and Connect Kitchens Limited.

All enquiries concerning the affairs of the three companies should be made to the Official Receiver of the Public Interest Unit: 16th Floor, 1 Westfield Avenue, Stratford, London, E20 1HZ. Email: piu.or@insolvency.gov.uk.

Further information

Smart Choice Kitchens Limited (company number 14705893)

Empire Kitchens and Bathrooms Limited (company number 14465268)

Connect Kitchens Limited (company number 15023857)

The Insolvency Service can investigate complaints about corporate abuse by live companies. This may include serious misconduct, fraud, scams or dishonest practice in the way the company operates. Further information on our live investigations can be found here

Information on phoenix companies and the role of the Insolvency Service can be found here

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available here.

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Updates to this page

Published 5 February 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: Fluent, Inc. Survey Finds That Shoppers Embrace Post-Purchase Ads, Citing Personalization & Relevance as Key Benefits
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fluent, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLNT), a leading commerce media solutions company, today released the results of a new survey revealing how post-purchase ads enhance the shopping experience, drive product discovery, and encourage repeat purchases.

Post-purchase ads, which appear on ecommerce confirmation pages, are designed to keep shoppers engaged with personalized offers after the checkout. With responses from over 1,000 US adults, the survey explores how these ads influence consumer behavior, build loyalty, and create value for both shoppers and retailers.

Key survey findings include:

Enhancing the Customer Journey
- 57% of shoppers who converted on a post-purchase offer discovered a new product or service they love.
- 63% of those who encounter post-purchase ads after every online purchase say these ads enhance their shopping experience.
Delivering Added Value
- 54% of shoppers say post-purchase ads improve the shopping experience by offering useful discounts and promotions, and 62% say deals and discounts motivate them to click.
Driving Retention & Loyalty
- 88% of those who say post-purchase ads improve the shopping experience by offering personalized suggestions are more likely to return.
“Retailers tell us that post-purchase ads don’t disrupt the shopping journey—they enhance it,” said Jessica Batty, SVP of Marketing at Fluent. “Consumers are looking for relevant, personalized offers, and this survey confirms that post-purchase ads drive not only product discovery but also repeat purchases and long-term loyalty. Our marketing expertise and consumer-centric approach help us work with our partners to design relevant and meaningful ads powered by Fluent’s identity graph and advanced AI-driven algorithms. Supported by 14 years of first-party data, these algorithms determine the optimal content and timing for each customer throughout the shopping journey, enhancing value for our media partners, advertisers, and consumers alike.”

As a key component of the broader commerce media ecosystem, post-purchase advertising provides retailers with an incremental revenue stream that integrates seamlessly into the customer journey. Beyond boosting retailer monetization, these ads create high-impact ad opportunities for advertisers and deliver relevant offers to consumers while they’re in a buying mindset.

Fluent fielded the online survey in December of 2024 among 1,003 US consumers aged 18-65 who made an online purchase in the past 30 days and recalled seeing at least one post-purchase ad. The full survey report is available for download here.

About Fluent, Inc.

Fluent, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLNT) is a commerce media solutions provider connecting top-tier brands with highly engaged consumers. Leveraging diverse ad inventory, robust first-party data, and proprietary machine learning, Fluent unlocks additional revenue streams for partners and empowers advertisers to acquire their most valuable customers at scale. Founded in 2010, Fluent uses its deep expertise in performance marketing to drive monetization and increase engagement at key touchpoints across the customer journey. For more insights visit https://www.fluentco.com/.

Contact Information

Investor Relations
Fluent, Inc.
InvestorRelations@fluentco.com

The MIL Network –
February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: Rumble Announces Final Results of its Tender Offer

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

LONGBOAT KEY, Fla, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rumble (NASDAQ:RUM) (“Rumble” or the “Company”), the video-sharing platform and cloud services provider, announced today the final results of its tender offer to purchase up to 70,000,000 shares of its Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class A Common Stock”), at a purchase price of $7.50 per share, in cash, less any applicable withholding taxes and without interest, representing an aggregate purchase price of $525 million. The tender offer expired at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on February 4, 2025.

Based on the final count by the depositary for the tender offer, 70,061,168 shares of common stock were validly and successfully tendered and not properly withdrawn.

Pursuant to the terms of the tender offer, Rumble has accepted for purchase 70,000,000 shares of common stock on a pro-rata basis, except for tenders of odd lots, which will be accepted in full, for a total cost of $525 million, excluding fees and expenses related to the tender offer. The proration factor for the tender offer, after giving effect to the priority of the odd lots, was 0.9991284. The depositary will promptly pay for the shares accepted for purchase and will return all other shares tendered and not purchased.

The tender offer was undertaken pursuant to the terms of the previously announced Transaction Agreement between Rumble and Tether Investments Limited, dated December 20, 2024. Of the 70,061,168 shares of common stock that were validly tendered and not properly withdrawn, 70,000,000 shares were tendered by certain existing stockholders of Rumble, including certain executive officers and directors of Rumble (or affiliates thereof), who had entered into separate tender and support agreements with the Company on December 20, 2024, pursuant to which such supporting stockholders agreed, among other things, to tender a minimum of 70,000,000 shares in the tender offer on the same terms and conditions as other stockholders of the Company, including with respect to the purchase price of $7.50 per share and the applicable proration provisions.

Stockholders who have questions or would like additional information about the tender offer may contact the information agent for the tender offer, Georgeson LLC, at (833) 880-2584 (toll free) or by email at RumbleOffer@Georgeson.com. The dealer manager for the tender offer was Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

ABOUT RUMBLE

Rumble is a high-growth video platform and cloud services provider that is creating an independent infrastructure. Rumble’s mission is to restore the internet to its roots by making it free and open once again. For more information, visit: corp.rumble.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and include, for example, statements regarding our expectations or beliefs regarding our proposed transaction with Tether. Certain of these forward-looking statements can be identified by using words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “estimates,” “targets,” “expects,” “endeavors,” “forecasts,” “well underway,” “could,” “will,” “may,” “future,” “likely,” “on track to deliver,” “on a trajectory,” “continues to,” “looks forward to,” “is primed to,” “plans,” “projects,” “assumes,” “should” or other similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, and our actual results could differ materially from future results expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this release are based on our current beliefs and expectations of our management as of the date of this release. These statements are not guarantees or indicative of future performance. Important assumptions and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those forward-looking statements include uncertainties as to the timing of the transactions; uncertainties as to the percentage of shares of Rumble stock tendered, and the resulting proration factor, in the offer; the possibility that various closing conditions for the transactions may not be satisfied or waived; the risk that we may be unable to derive additional benefits from the relationship with Tether, including increased advertising revenue, cloud revenue, and expansion into cryptocurrency payments; the risk that stockholder litigation in connection with the transactions may result in significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability; risks inherent with our increasing affiliation with crypto assets, including volatility; as well as regulatory and reputational risks; the risks of implementing a new treasury diversification strategy; our ability to grow and manage future growth profitably over time, maintain relationships with customers, compete within our industry and retain key employees; the possibility that we may be adversely impacted by economic, business, and/or competitive factors; our limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate our business and prospects; our recent and rapid growth may not be indicative of future performance; we may not continue to grow or maintain our active user base, and may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability; risks relating to our ability to attract new advertisers, or the potential loss of existing advertisers or the reduction of or failure by existing advertisers to maintain or increase their advertising budgets; Rumble Cloud, our recently launched cloud services business, may not achieve success and, as a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected; negative media campaigns may adversely impact our financial performance, results of operations, and relationships with our business partners, including content creators and advertisers; spam activity, including inauthentic and fraudulent user activity, if undetected, may contribute, from time to time, to some amount of overstatement of our performance indicators; we collect, store, and process large amounts of user video content and personal information of our users and subscribers and, if our security measures are breached, our sites and applications may be perceived as not being secure, traffic and advertisers may curtail or stop viewing our content or using our services, our business and operating results could be harmed, and we could face governmental investigations and legal claims from users and subscribers; we may fail to comply with applicable privacy laws; we are subject to cybersecurity risks and interruptions or failures in our information technology systems and, notwithstanding our efforts to enhance our protection from such risks, a cyber incident could occur and result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss; we may be found to have infringed on the intellectual property of others, which could expose us to substantial losses or restrict our operations; we may face liability for hosting a variety of tortious or unlawful materials uploaded by third parties, notwithstanding the liability protections of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996; we may face negative publicity for removing, or declining to remove, certain content, regardless of whether such content violated any law; paid endorsements by our content creators may expose us to regulatory risk, liability, and compliance costs, and, as a result, may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations; our traffic growth, engagement, and monetization depend upon effective operation within and compatibility with operating systems, networks, devices, web browsers and standards, including mobile operating systems, networks, and standards that we do not control; our business depends on continued and unimpeded access to our content and services on the internet and, if we or those who engage with our content experience disruptions in internet service, or if internet service providers are able to block, degrade or charge for access to our content and services, we could incur additional expenses and the loss of traffic and advertisers; we face significant market competition, and if we are unable to compete effectively with our competitors for traffic and advertising spend, our business and operating results could be harmed; we rely on data from third parties to calculate certain of our performance metrics and real or perceived inaccuracies in such metrics may harm our reputation and negatively affect our business; changes to our existing content and services could fail to attract traffic and advertisers or fail to generate revenue; we derive the majority of our revenue from advertising and the failure to attract new advertisers, the loss of existing advertisers, or the reduction of or failure by existing advertisers to maintain or increase their advertising budgets would adversely affect our business; we depend on third-party vendors, including internet service providers, advertising networks, and data centers, to provide core services; hosting and delivery costs may increase unexpectedly; we have offered and intend to continue to offer incentives, including economic incentives, to content creators to join our platform, and these arrangements may involve fixed payment obligations that are not contingent on actual revenue or performance metrics generated by the applicable content creator but rather are based on our modeled financial projections for that creator, which if not satisfied may adversely impact our financial performance, results of operations and liquidity; we may be unable to develop or maintain effective internal controls; potential diversion of management’s attention and consumption of resources as a result of acquisitions of other companies and success in integrating and otherwise achieving the benefits of recent and potential acquisitions; we may fail to maintain adequate operational and financial resources or raise additional capital or generate sufficient cash flows; changes in tax rates, changes in tax treatment of companies engaged in e-commerce, the adoption of new tax legislation, or exposure to additional tax liabilities may adversely impact our financial results; compliance obligations imposed by new privacy laws, laws regulating social media platforms and online speech in certain jurisdictions in which we operate, or industry practices may adversely affect our business; and those additional risks, uncertainties and factors described in more detail under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). We do not intend, and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation, to update any of our forward-looking statements after the issuance of this release to reflect any future events or circumstances. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Rumble on Social Media Investors and others should note that we announce material financial and operational information to our investors using our investor relations website (investors.rumble.com), press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts. We also intend to use certain social media accounts as a means of disclosing information about us and our services and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD: the @rumblevideo X (formerly Twitter) account (x.com/rumblevideo), the @gamingonrumble X (formerly Twitter) account (x.com/gamingonrumble), the @rumble TRUTH Social account (truthsocial.com/@rumble), the @chrispavlovski X (formerly Twitter) account (x.com/chrispavlovski), and the @chris TRUTH Social account (truthsocial.com/@chris), which Chris Pavlovski, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, also uses as a means for personal communications and observations. The information we post through these social media channels may be deemed material. Accordingly, investors should monitor these social media channels in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts. The social media channels that we intend to use as a means of disclosing the information described above may be updated from time to time as listed on our investor relations website.

For investor inquiries, please contact:

Rumble IR

Shannon Devine
MZ Group, MZ North America
203-741-8811
rumble@mzgroup.us

Rumble PR
press@rumble.com

The MIL Network –

February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: Phunware Mobile Hospitality Solution Deployed at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Phunware Technology for Location-Based Services and Enhanced Connectivity Providing Guests Seamless, Property-Wide Navigation

Integrated Solutions for Data-Driven Insights and Location Based Services to Boost Efficiency, Revenue, and Guest Satisfaction

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Phunware, Inc. (“Phunware” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: PHUN), a leader in enterprise cloud solutions for mobile applications, announced today that JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa is deploying its enhanced Smart Hospitality Solution. The app will provide JW Marriott Desert Ridge guests using iOS and Android operating systems with real time navigation capabilities across 950 guest rooms and meeting space as well as the amenities including: AquaRidge WaterPark, Revive Spa, multiple restaurants, golf club and other features at this Marriott resort property.

JW Marriott Desert Ridge chose Phunware to develop the resort property app based on experience and capabilities developing mobile solutions that enhance guest experiences across complex facilities.

“Working with Phunware enables us to provide guests the tools to navigate and discover everything the property has to offer,” said Christa Wood, Director of Marketing at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. “Our new mobile app showcases amenities and seasonal activities throughout the year, ensuring guest enjoyment and engagement with our resort.”

Phunware’s enhanced Smart Hospitality Solution perfectly aligns with Marriott’s requirements for mobile-first guest experiences by enabling resort guests to access features such as:
- On-Property Navigation
  Navigate seamlessly throughout the resort with step-by-step directions. Guests can easily locate rooms, event venues, dining options, pools, and other amenities. This feature enhances the guest experience by eliminating the stress of finding their way around large properties.
- Dining Reservations
  Explore and reserve exceptional dining options at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge, from the inventive Southwestern flavors of Tía Carmen to the Asian-inspired creations at Kembara, or the refined atmosphere of Meritage, an Urban Tavern by the golf course.
- Cabana and Experience Bookings
  Conveniently book poolside cabanas to relax by the water and participate in resort-hosted events and activities, such as family-friendly experiences, fitness classes, or entertainment nights.
- Spa and Golf Reservations
  Effortlessly schedule spa treatments, including massages, facials, body treatments, and salon services, through the app. Guests can also reserve tee times at the resort golf course, making it simple to plan a relaxing or active day.
“Technology has become a cornerstone of modern hospitality and forward-looking companies are providing the seamless, personalized mobile-first experiences that guests expect,” said Stephen Chen, CEO of Phunware. “JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa is a perfect example of how personalized, easy-to-use digital interfaces will help luxury hotels, resorts and other large complex facilities exceed guest and other user expectations. For example, mobile hospitality solutions allow guests to check in, unlock their rooms, order room service and book activities — all from their smartphones.”

Click here to learn more about how Phunware’s mobile experience platform unifies the guest experience in hospitality.

About JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa

Set on 316 acres of sweeping Sonoran Desert, JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa features 950 rooms with dramatic desert and mountain views among lush grounds and gardens. The elements of fire, water, earth, and sky are woven into the resort experience, amenities, and decor. Arizona’s largest luxury resort offers Marriott’s first Revive Spa, a fitness center and movement studio, seven dining outlets, 240,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, and the exclusive Griffin Club. The AAA Four Diamond resort also boasts four acres of elaborately landscaped waterways, including five pools, a 1,600-foot Lazy River and three unique multi-story waterslides that opened in summer 2023. A destination for the active, the expansive resort offers ample opportunity to explore the outdoors and delight in 330+ days of sunshine a year, with on-site amenities such as 17 pickleball courts, three tennis courts, 36 holes of championship golf at Wildfire Golf Club, and bike rentals, along with convenient access to nearby hiking and fitness trails.

About Phunware

Phunware, Inc. (NASDAQ: PHUN) is an enterprise software company specializing in mobile app solutions with integrated intelligent capabilities. We provide businesses with the tools to create, implement, and manage custom mobile applications, analytics, digital advertising, and location-based services. Phunware is transforming mobile engagement by delivering scalable, personalized, and data-driven mobile app experiences.

Phunware’s mission is to achieve unparalleled connectivity and monetization through the widespread adoption of Phunware mobile technologies, leveraging brands, consumers, partners, digital asset holders, and market participants. Phunware is poised to expand its software products and services audience through its new Generative AI platform, utilize and monetize its patents and other intellectual property, and reintroduce its digital asset ecosystem for existing holders and new market participants.

For more information on Phunware, please visit www.phunware.com. To better understand and leverage generative AI and Phunware’s mobile app technologies, visit ai.phunware.com.

Safe Harbor / Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy and plans, and our objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. For example, Phunware is using forward-looking statements when it discusses the adoption and impact of emerging technologies and their use across mobile engagement platforms.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. These forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other assumptions that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” in our filings with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. We caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

Investor Relations Contact:

Chris Tyson, Executive Vice President
MZ Group – MZ North America
949-491-8235
PHUN@mzgroup.us
www.mzgroup.us

Phunware Media Contact:

Joe McGurk, Managing Director
917-259-6895
PHUN@mzgroup.us

The MIL Network –
February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: Dassault Systèmes: declaration of the number of outstanding shares and voting rights as of January 31, 2025
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Press Release
VELIZY-VILLACOUBLAY, France — February 5, 2025

Declaration of the number of outstanding shares and
voting rights as of January 31, 2025

Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: FR0014003TT8, DSY.PA) today announced below the total number of its outstanding shares and voting rights as of January 31, 2025, according to articles 223-16 and 221-3 of the General Regulation of the Autorité des marchés financiers.

Number of outstanding shares: 1,339,708,416

Number of voting rights*: 2,013,171,040

*The total number of voting rights is calculated on the basis of the total number of outstanding shares, even if the voting rights attached thereto are suspended, pursuant to Article 223-11 of the General Regulation of the Autorité des marchés financiers relating to the method for calculating the percentages of holdings in shares and in voting rights. We invite our shareholders to refer to this article should they need to declare crossing of thresholds.

Declarations related to crossing of threshold must be sent to:
Dassault Systèmes, Investor Relations Service, 10, rue Marcel Dassault, CS 40501, 78946 Vélizy-Villacoublay Cedex (France). E-mail address: Investors@3ds.com

###

ABOUT DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Dassault Systèmes is a catalyst for human progress. Since 1981, the company has pioneered virtual worlds to improve real life for consumers, patients and citizens. With Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform, 350 000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, can collaborate, imagine and create sustainable innovations that drive meaningful impact. For more information, visit www.3ds.com.

Dassault Systèmes Investor Relations Team                FTI Consulting
Béatrix Martinez :                                        Arnaud de Cheffontaines: +33 1 47 03 69 48
+33 1 61 62 40 73                                        Jamie Ricketts : +44 20 3727 1600
investors@3ds.com

Dassault Systèmes Press Contacts
Corporate / France
Arnaud Malherbe: +33 1 61 62 87 73
arnaud.malherbe@3ds.com

© Dassault Systèmes. All rights reserved. 3DEXPERIENCE, the 3DS logo, the Compass icon, IFWE, 3DEXCITE, 3DVIA, BIOVIA, CATIA, CENTRIC PLM, DELMIA, ENOVIA, GEOVIA, MEDIDATA, NETVIBES, OUTSCALE, SIMULIA and SOLIDWORKS are commercial trademarks or registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes, a European company (Societas Europaea) incorporated under French law, and registered with the Versailles trade and companies registry under number 322 306 440, or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are owned by their respective owners. Use of any Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries trademarks is subject to their express written approval

Attachment
- Dassault Systèmes: declaration of the number of outstanding shares and voting rights as of January 31, 2025
The MIL Network –
February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: Sigyn Therapeutics to Present at Tomorrow’s Small Cap Growth Virtual Investor Conference

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sigyn Therapeutics, Inc. (“Sigyn” or the “Company”) (OTCQB: SIGY), a developer of next-generation blood purification technologies to treat cancer and life-threatening infectious disease disorders, today announced that Jim Joyce, the Company’s CEO will present live at tomorrow’s Small Cap Growth Virtual Investor Conference hosted by VirtualInvestorConferences.com.

DATE: February 6^th
TIME: 3:30pm ET
LINK: https://bit.ly/4gw3m8d
Available for 1×1 meetings: February 6^th, 7^th, 10^th and 11^th

This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event.

It is recommended that online investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates.

Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com.

About Sigyn Therapeutics™

Sigyn Therapeutics is developing next-generation blood purification therapies to address cancer and life-threatening infectious disease disorders that are not treatable with drugs. The Company’s lead product candidate, Sigyn Therapy^TM has been demonstrated to reduce the presence of viral pathogens, bacterial toxins, and pro-inflammatory cytokines from human blood plasma. Based on these capabilities, Sigyn Therapy^TM is a candidate to treat life-threatening viral pathogens, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, endotoxemia, and sepsis, which is the leading cause of death in U.S. hospitals. The clinical protocol of first-in-human studies incorporates Sigyn Therapy in series with regularly schedule dialysis treatments to address endotoxemia and concurrent inflammation which shorten the lives of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Extending the lives of individuals with ESRD could significantly impact dialysis industry revenues.

The Company’s oncology pipeline is comprised of ImmunePrep^TM, a platform to enhance the delivery of immunotherapeutic antibodies; ChemoPrep^TM to improve the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents; and ChemoPure^TM to reduce chemotherapy toxicity. If successfully advanced, the Company’s therapies offer to provide strategic value to the dialysis and biopharmaceutical industry.

To learn more about Sigyn Therapeutics, visit: www.SigynTherapeutics.com

About Virtual Investor Conferences®

Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors.

Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors.

CONTACTS:

Sigyn Therapeutics, Inc.

Johan Louw
Senior Vice President of Strategic Programs
281.660.1815
jlouw@SigynTherapeutics.com

Jim Joyce
Chairman, CEO
Email: jj@SigynTherapeutics.com

Virtual Investor Conferences

John M. Viglotti
SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access
OTC Markets Group
(212) 220-2221
johnv@otcmarkets.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This information in this press release contains forward-looking statements of Sigyn Therapeutics, Inc. (“Sigyn”) that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements contained in this summary are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that involve risks and uncertainties. Statements containing words such as “may,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” “projections,” “estimate,” “potentially” or similar expressions constitute forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties and actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon Sigyn’s current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Factors that may contribute to such differences may include, without limitation, the Company’s ability to clinically advance Sigyn Therapy in human studies required for market clearance, the Company’s ability to manufacture Sigyn Therapy, the Company’s ability to raise capital resources, and other potential risks. The foregoing list of risks and uncertainties is illustrative but is not exhaustive. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements can be found under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, and in the Company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. All forward-looking statements contained in this report speak only as of the date on which they were made. Except as may be required by law, the Company does not intend, nor does it undertake any duty, to update this information to reflect future events or circumstances.

The MIL Network –

February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: Sampo’s Board of Directors has resolved on a share split

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Sampo plc, stock exchange release, 5 February 2025 at 3:35 pm EET

Sampo’s Board of Directors has resolved on a share split

The Board of Directors of Sampo plc has today resolved on a share split by way of a share issue without consideration in proportion to shares owned by shareholders. The resolution is based on the authorisation granted by Sampo’s Annual General Meeting held on 25 April 2024.

In the share split, Sampo will issue four (4) new A shares for each existing A share and four (4) new B shares for each existing B share to shareholders in proportion to their existing holdings on the record day of the share issuance on 12 February 2025. In total, 2,152,191,088 new Sampo A shares and 800,000 new Sampo B shares will be issued. Following the registration of the new shares, Sampo’s total share count will amount to 2,691,238,860 shares.

The new shares are expected to be registered with the Finnish Trade Register on or about 12 February 2025. The new shares shall be issued without consideration as book-entries in the book-entry system maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy. The new shares shall, where applicable, be further registered as Swedish depository receipts in the securities depository and settlement register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB and in the form of share entitlements book-entered in VP Securities A/S in Denmark.

Trading in the new A shares on Nasdaq Helsinki, Nasdaq Stockholm (in the form of Swedish depository receipts) and Nasdaq Copenhagen (in the form of share entitlements) is expected to commence on or about 13 February 2025. However, the new Swedish depository receipts are expected to be available on the accounts in Euroclear Sweden on or about 14 February 2025. The share split does not require any action from shareholders nor holders of Swedish depository receipts. The share split will not affect Sampo’s ISIN codes.

SAMPO PLC
Board of Directors

For further information, please contact:

Sami Taipalus
Head of Investor Relations
tel. +358 10 516 0030

Maria Silander
Communications Manager, Media Relations
tel. +358 10 516 0031

Distribution:
Nasdaq Helsinki
Nasdaq Stockholm
Nasdaq Copenhagen
London Stock Exchange
FIN-FSA
The principal media
www.sampo.com

The MIL Network –

February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: Cyabra Launches AI-Powered ‘Insights’ Feature, Safeguarding Brands and Governments Against AI-Driven Digital Disinformation
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
- False news stories are 70% more likely to be shared than true stories across digital platforms, and experts predict disinformation will become the top challenge for public and private sectors worldwide in 2025.
- Cyabra’s Insights feature equips organizations to quickly and confidently detect and comprehend digital threats.
New York, NY, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cyabra Ltd. (“Cyabra”), a leading AI platform for real-time disinformation detection, introduces Insights, a powerful new AI-feature designed to transform complex social media disinformation data into clear, actionable answers in seconds.

False narratives, fake accounts, and AI-generated content are spreading faster than ever, costing businesses and governments billions annually and eroding public trust and reputations. With AI-generated disinformation spreading six times faster than the truth—especially during high-stakes events like elections and holiday seasons—the need for rapid-response tools has never been more critical.

Insights takes the complexity out of disinformation detection by breaking down Cyabra’s robust data findings into intuitive visuals and an automated Q&A format. In response to users’ most common requests and questions, Insights empowers brands and governments to quickly uncover harmful narratives, identify fake accounts (bots), and understand how false content spreads—saving time, resources, and reputations during critical moments.

“Every second matters when identifying and countering disinformation,” said Dan Brahmy, CEO and co-founder of Cyabra. “Insights turns vast amounts of data into clear, actionable knowledge, empowering our clients to uncover the real story behind the data and respond before the damage is done. It’s like having an expert analyst at your fingertips.”

Key Features of Insights:
1. Automated Disinformation Analysis: Identifies bots, fake profiles, and harmful narratives without manual input.
2. Clear, Actionable Visuals: Unveils trends, patterns, and key metrics with heatmaps and charts that anyone can understand.
3. User-Friendly Q&A Format: Answers critical questions about disinformation scans in seconds, helping users decide their next steps with confidence.
“Clients often ask, ‘What’s next?’ when confronting disinformation,” said Yossef Daar, CPO and co-founder of Cyabra. “Insights takes the guesswork out of analysis, giving users a straightforward, visual way to see where false narratives are spreading, who’s behind them, and what’s driving engagement. This enables them to respond to digital threats faster and more effectively.”

During beta testing, Insights enabled:
- A Fortune 500 company to neutralize reputational damage in minutes after detecting a disinformation spike about its CEO.
- A government agency to uncover and disrupt hashtags fueling disinformation campaigns, enabling quicker interventions.
Insights is now available on Cyabra’s platform.

Cyabra has entered into a business combination agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”) with Trailblazer Merger Corporation I (NASDAQ: TBMC) (“Trailblazer”), a blank-check special-purpose acquisition company.

About Cyabra
Cyabra Strategy Ltd. (“Cyabra”) is a real-time AI-powered platform that uncovers and analyzes online disinformation and misinformation by uncovering fake profiles, harmful narratives, and GenAI content across social media and digital news channels. Cyabra’s AI protects corporations and governments against brand reputation risks, election manipulation, foreign interference, and other online threats. Cyabra’s platform leverages proprietary algorithms and NLP solutions, gathering and analyzing publicly available data to provide clear, actionable insights and real-time alerts that inform critical decision-making. Cyabra uncovers the good, bad, and fake online.

For more information, visit www.cyabra.com.

Media Contact:
Jill Burkes
Jill@cyabra.com
Signal Contact: Jillabra.24

Investor Relations Contact:
Miri Segal
MS-IR
msegal@ms-ir.com

About Trailblazer
Trailblazer Merger Corporation I (Nasdaq: TBMC) is a blank check company formed and entered into a merger, shared exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization, or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. For more information, visit: www.trailblazermergercorp.com

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws with respect to certain products that will be the subject of a proposed transaction between Trailblazer Merger Corporation I (“Trailblazer”) and Cyabra Strategy Ltd. (“Cyabra”). All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding Cyabra’s business strategy, products, research and development costs, plans and objectives of management for future operations, and future results of current and anticipated product offerings, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, but not limited to, the following risks relating to the proposed transaction: the ability to complete the Business Combination or, if Trailblazer does not consummate such Business Combination, any other initial business combination; expectations regarding Cyabra’s strategies and future financial performance, including its future business plans or objectives, prospective performance and opportunities and competitors, revenues, products and services, pricing, operating expenses, market trends, liquidity, cash flows and uses of cash, capital expenditures, and Cyabra’s ability to invest in growth initiatives and pursue acquisition opportunities; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the Business Combination Agreement; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Trailblazer or Cyabra following announcement of the Business Combination Agreement and the transactions contemplated therein; the inability to complete the proposed Business Combination due to, among other things, the failure to obtain Trailblazer stockholder approval; the risk that the announcement and consummation of the proposed Business Combination disrupts Cyabra’s current operations and future plans; the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the proposed Business Combination; unexpected costs related to the proposed Business Combination; the amount of any redemptions by existing holders of Trailblazer’s common stock being greater than expected; limited liquidity and trading of Trailblazer’s securities; geopolitical risk and changes in applicable laws or regulations; the size of the addressable markets for Cyabra’s products and services; the possibility that Trailblazer and/or Cyabra may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; the ability to obtain and/or maintain the listing of Combined Company’s Common Stock on Nasdaq following the Business Combination; operational risk; and the risks that the consummation of the proposed Business Combination is substantially delayed or does not occur.

Important Information for Investors and Stockholders
Trailblazer will file a registration statement on Form S-4 with the SEC, which will include a proxy statement for Trailblazer’s stockholders and a prospectus related to the securities of the combined company. After the registration statement is declared effective, the proxy statement/prospectus will be sent to all Trailblazer stockholders.

INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS OF TRAILBLAZER ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT, PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS, AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, AS THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRANSACTION AND THE PARTIES INVOLVED.

Once filed, free copies of these documents can be obtained from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Additional information about Trailblazer can be found on its website at www.trailblazermergercorp.com or by contacting info@trailblazermergercorp.com.

Participants in the Solicitation
Cyabra, Trailblazer, and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from Trailblazer stockholders regarding the transaction. Information about Trailblazer’s directors and executive officers and their ownership of Trailblazer’s securities is set forth in Trailblazer’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC, as modified or supplemented by any Form 3 or Form 4 filed with the SEC since the date of such filing. Other information regarding the interests of the participants in the proxy solicitation will be included in the proxy statement/prospectus pertaining to the proposed Transactions when it becomes available.

No Offer or Solicitation
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, or a solicitation of any vote or approval. No sale of securities shall occur in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful before registration or qualification under applicable laws.

The MIL Network –
February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: Uni-Fuels Announces Sponsorship for IBIA Annual Dinner 2025

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SINGAPORE, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Uni-Fuels Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: UFG), (“Uni-Fuels” or the “Company”), a global provider of marine fuel solutions headquartered in Singapore, today announced its bronze sponsorship of the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) Annual Dinner 2025 to take place on February 24 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Mayfair, London.

The annual event, which brings together key stakeholders, industry leaders, and decision makers from across the maritime and marine fuel sectors, has gained recognition as a hallmark occasion for fostering collaboration, innovation, and networking within the global marine fuel community.

“As a supporter of IBIA’s mission to promote improved standards, knowledge, and understanding in the industry, Uni-Fuels is honored to participate as a bronze sponsor in this year’s dinner,” said Uni-Fuels Chief Operating Officer Stefanie Tay. “This event aligns with our core principles of innovation, collaboration, and excellence in the marine fuels sector, and provides a valuable platform to engage with our peers and discuss future progress in our industry.”

Ms. Tay added that the sponsorship also underscores Uni-Fuels’ dedication to addressing critical industry challenges such as decarbonization, sustainability, and operational efficiency.

By supporting the IBIA Annual Dinner, she said, the Company reaffirms its commitment to fostering dialogue and collaboration that drive “meaningful progress in the industry.”

About Uni-Fuels Holdings Limited

Uni-Fuels is a fast-growing global provider of marine fuel solutions, helping shipping companies optimize fuel procurement across all markets and time zones. Founded in 2021, Uni-Fuels has evolved from modest beginnings into a dynamic, forward-thinking company. Backed by a passionate team and a growing presence across multiple locations, it has forged trusted partnerships with customers, supporting them in achieving their operational objectives with confidence, from shore to shore.

For more information, visit www.uni-fuels.com.

About IBIA

The International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) is the voice of the global bunker industry and represents all stakeholders across the industry value chain.

Its membership includes ship owners/operators, bunker suppliers, traders, brokers, barging companies, storage companies, surveyors, port authorities, credit reporting companies, lawyers, P&I clubs, equipment manufacturers, shipping journalists and marine consultants. Today it has members in more than 70 countries.

For more information, visit www.ibia.net.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the completion and timing of closing of the offering and the intended use of the proceeds. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as “anticipate”, “estimate”, “expect”, “project”, “plan”, “intend”, “believe”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “can have”, “likely” and other words and terms of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements represent Uni-Fuels’ current expectations regarding future events and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the uncertainties related to market conditions and the completion of the initial public offering on the anticipated terms or at all, and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of the registration statement filed with the SEC. For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Company’s filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.

Contact Information

For Investor Relations:

Uni-Fuels Holdings Ltd
Email: investors@uni-fuels.com

Skyline Corporate Communications Group, LLC
Email: info@skylineccg.com

The MIL Network –

February 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: Systemic Bio Wins the SLAS 2025 Innovation Award

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

HOUSTON, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Systemic Bio™, a 3D Systems company (NYSE: DDD), has been named the winner of the prestigious SLAS 2025 Innovation Award. This award recognizes groundbreaking technological advancements poised to drive innovation in laboratory science and automation. The competition featured cutting-edge developments led by distinguished experts from top institutions worldwide.

The award highlights Systemic Bio’s proprietary h-VIOS™ platform, designed to accelerate drug discovery and development using bioprinted human tissues. The Company’s presentation focused on the application of its platform to evaluate the safety of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). The technology enables early identification of safety concerns, capturing risks that historically have only been discovered during clinical trials, even after non-human primate studies failed to flag such issues.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our team for winning this award,” said Taci Pereira, CEO of Systemic Bio. “This recognition is a testament to our relentless focus on demonstrating the scientific and translational value of our platform. We remain committed to expanding our capabilities and accelerating adoption to improve drug discovery and development.”

Operating from Houston, Texas, Systemic Bio has the capability to produce thousands of tissue models under an ISO 7 clean room and a Quality Management System (QMS). These models support the Company’s ongoing collaborations with leading pharmaceutical companies to improve preclinical drug testing and reduce late-stage failures.

The SLAS Innovation Award is presented annually at the SLAS International Conference and Exhibition, recognizing the most forward-thinking technological advancements in the field. More information on Systemic Bio’s work can be found at www.systemic.bio.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this release that are not statements of historical or current facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Systemic Bio or 3D Systems, as applicable, to be materially different from historical results or from any future results or projections expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In many cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as “believes,” “belief,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “estimates,” “intends,” “anticipates” or “plans” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based upon management’s beliefs, assumptions, and current expectations and may include comments as to the beliefs and expectations of Systemic Bio or 3D Systems as to future events and trends affecting its business and are necessarily subject to uncertainties, many of which are outside the control of the applicable company. The factors described under the headings “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” in 3D Systems’ periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other factors, could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected or predicted in forward-looking statements. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not, and should not be relied upon as a guarantee of future performance or results, nor will they necessarily prove to be accurate indications of the times at which such performance or results will be achieved. The forward-looking statements included are made only as of the date of the statement. Neither Systemic Bio nor 3D Systems undertakes any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements made by management or on its behalf, whether as a result of future developments, subsequent events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law.

About Systemic Bio
Systemic Bio is a biotech company focused on accelerating drug discovery and development with human-relevant data from its proprietary platform of bioprinted vascularized organ models. Founded in 2022 as a wholly-owned company of 3D Systems, Systemic Bio leverages 3D Systems’ breakthrough, production-level bioprinting technology to create extremely precise healthy and diseased tissues using biomaterials and human cells. These proprietary organs-on-chips can be manufactured reproducibly in large quantities, and then perfused with drugs to study the effects on healthy or diseased tissue at the earliest stages of pharmaceutical drug development. These systems are multimodal and can be used to generate large datasets leveraged with machine learning to generate human-relevant therapeutic insights. More information on the company is available at www.systemic.bio.

About 3D Systems
More than 35 years ago, 3D Systems brought the innovation of 3D printing to the manufacturing industry. Today, as the leading additive manufacturing solutions partner, we bring innovation, performance, and reliability to every interaction – empowering our customers to create products and business models never before possible. Thanks to our unique offering of hardware, software, materials, and services, each application-specific solution is powered by the expertise of our application engineers who collaborate with customers to transform how they deliver their products and services. 3D Systems’ solutions address a variety of advanced applications in healthcare and industrial markets such as medical and dental, aerospace & defense, automotive, and durable goods. More information on the company is available at www.3dsystems.com.

Investor Contact: investor.relations@3dsystems.com
Media Contact: press@systemic.bio

The MIL Network –

February 6, 2025

Category: Finance

To date, the investigation has included:

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