NewzIntel.com

Category: Gun Control

  • MIL-OSI Security: Eleven Members And Associates Of Paterson Based Gang Known As “100k” Indicted For Racketeering For Their Roles In A Murder, Three Shootings, Two Robberies, Drug Trafficking Activities, Bank Fraud, And Other Crimes

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK, N.J. – Eleven members of the Paterson based neighborhood street gang known as “100k” were indicted for their roles in a violent racketeering conspiracy, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced today.

    The Indictment charges Jasun Allah, a/k/a “Rackz,” 21, of Paterson (“J.Allah”); Christopher Thomas, a/k/a “CJ,” 27, of Hackensack; Michael Davis, a/k/a “Baby 3,” 27, of Paterson; Jazmeir Reyes, a/k/a “Baby Joe,” a/k/a “Joe,” 19, of Paterson; Kyzeik Robinson, a/k/a “Doo Doo,” a/k/a “King Sparks,” a/k/a “Sparks,” 19, of Paterson; Jacim Pitts, a/k/a “Jefe,” 24, of Paterson; Born Allah, a/k/a “Freedom,” 23, of Paterson (“B.Allah”); Elijah Rubio, a/k/a “Lottery,” 20, of Paterson; Trasean Short, a/k/a “Hound,” 19, of Elmwood Park; Elijah Byrd, a/k/a “CEO,” 19, of Paterson; and Quincy Franklin, a/k/a “Double O,” 27, of Paterson with one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations statute (“RICO”), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1962(d) (“RICO conspiracy”). The Indictment also incorporates charges connected to a drug conspiracy involving Reyes, Davis, Robinson, and Pitts and the attempted armed robbery of a postal inspector by Reyes, which were previously charged on complaint.

    These charges are the result of a long-running investigation coordinated between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New Jersey State Police, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, among other law enforcement agencies.

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

    J.Allah, Thomas, Davis, Reyes, Robinson, Pitts, B.Allah, Rubio, Short, Byrd, and Franklin are all members and associates of the neighborhood based street gang known as “100k,” which operates in the area of North Main Street and Jefferson Street in Paterson, New Jersey (the “100k Enterprise”).  Since in or around January 2022, these members and associates of the 100k Enterprise have engaged in numerous criminal acts in furtherance of their gang, including murder, shootings, robberies, drug trafficking, and bank and wire fraud.

    Since the gangs founding in 2016, members and associates of the 100k Enterprise have engaged in acts of violence against members of rival gangs, such as their primary rival, “the Blockboyz,” which operates out of the Presidential Tower Housing Complex in Paterson, among other rival gangs, such as “4k,” which operates in the area of Rosa Parks Boulevard near Lyon Street, Keen Street, and Mercer Street, also in Paterson.

    Several of these acts of violence are charged in the Superseding Indictment. Specifically, on or about October 1, 2023, in retaliation for the death of a high ranking member of the 100k Enterprise, J.Allah, Thomas, Davis, and other members and associates of the 100k Enterprise shot and killed Victim-2, in territory controlled by the Blockboyz.

    On or about May 27, 2024, Pitts and other members and associates of the 100k Enterprise shot and injured Victim-3, a member of the rival gang “4k.”

    On or about October 3, 2024, Short exchanged fire with Victim-4 in territory controlled by the 100k Enterprise. Weeks later, on or about November 17, 2024, Short shot and injured Victim-5, a member of the Blockboyz, in territory controlled by the Blockboyz, and Byrd acted as the driver in that November shooting.

    The defendants raised money for themselves and the 100k Enterprise by engaging in robberies, drug trafficking, and bank fraud and other financial schemes. Two such robberies are charged in the Indictment, including the armed robbery of a commercial marijuana store on or about January 13, 2022 by Reyes, B.Allah, Short, Rubio, and others; and the attempted armed robbery of Victim-1, a United States Postal Service employee, on or about July 28, 2023 by Reyes, who tried to obtain an arrow key from the victim. This arrow key would have allowed members of the 100k Enterprise to gain access to United States Postal Service mailboxes within a certain geographic area or postal route.

    The gang’s drug trafficking activities were extensive, with investigators conducting 16 controlled buys with Reyes, Robinson, Davis, and Pitts by utilizing undercover officers and observing countless more drug deals committed by the defendants within and around the territory of Paterson controlled by the 100k Enterprise through physical surveillance and review of cell phone records and social media accounts controlled by the defendants.  

    The charge of RICO conspiracy in the Indictment carries a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison as to J.Allah, Thomas, and Davis, and a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison as to Reyes, Robinson, Pitts, B.Allah, Rubio, Short, Byrd, and Franklin.

    The count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances charged in the Indictment against Reyes, Robinson, Davis, and Pitts carries a mandatory minimum term of 5 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a fine of at least $5 million. On each of the counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, Reyes, Robinson, Davis, and Pitts face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million.

    On each of the counts of attempted Hobbs Act robbery and assaulting or impeding certain United States officers or employees, Reyes faces a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. On the count of brandishing a firearm in connection with a crime of violence, Reyes faces a mandatory minimum term of 7 years and a maximum term of life imprisonment, which must run consecutively to any other prison sentence imposed, and a fine of up to $250,000.  

    Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited law enforcement members with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr.; the New Jersey State Police, Gangs and Organized Crime North Unit, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher Nielsen; the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Thomas Adamo; the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Officer In Charge Patrick Murray; the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office under the direction of Sheriff Anthony Cureton; the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia Valdes; and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Prosecutor Mark Musella with the investigation leading to today’s charges.

    This case is part of the Paterson Violent Crime Initiative (VCI), which was formed in 2020 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, and the City of Paterson’s Department of Public Safety for the purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Paterson. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals, the Paterson Department of Public Safety, the Paterson Police Department, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, N.J. State Parole, Bergen County Jail, N.J. State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, and N.J. Department of Corrections.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake A. Nasar of the Criminal Division in Newark.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Charlotte Man Is Sentenced To Prison For Illegal Possession Of A Firearm And Transfer Of A Machinegun

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell sentenced Shakor Daniels, 26, of Charlotte, to 37 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and transfer of a machinegun, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

    Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, joins U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.

    According to court documents and court proceedings, on June 13, 2023, law enforcement stopped Daniels’s vehicle for a traffic violation. Over the course of the traffic stop, officers found two firearms inside the vehicle. Daniels admitted to possessing a firearm for protection.

    Court documents show that, in the fall of 2023, law enforcement determined that Daniels was advertising Glock switches for sale on his social media account, which included the tag line “Go fed or go home.” A Glock switch is an illegal conversion device that enables a conventional semi-automatic pistol to function as a fully automatic firearm. According to court records, on several occasions, undercover ATF agents purchased multiple items from Daniels, including Glock switches for handguns and a rifle, and a 45-round drum magazine. On January 14, 2024, Daniels sent an image of a handgun to an undercover ATF agent that Daniels was selling. The undercover agent agreed to meet Daniels to purchase the firearm. On January 16, 2024, Daniels was arrested when he arrived to sell the firearm to the undercover agent. Daniels has prior criminal convictions, and he is prohibited from possessing firearms.

    Daniels is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

    The ATF investigated the case with the assistance of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Sentenced for Federal Gun and Drug Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JOHNNIE HAGANS (“HAGANS”), age 32, was sentenced on January 30, 2025, by United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier, after previously pleading guilty to a multi-count indictment.  Count 1 charged him with possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C).  Count 2 charged him with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(1).  Counts 3 and 4 charged him with being a felon in possession a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).

    HAGANS was sentenced to 157 months imprisonment as to all counts of the indictment, with Counts 1, 3, and 4 to run concurrently, and the sentence for Count 2 to run consecutively to those counts.  Judge Barbier also placed HAGANS on supervised release for 3 years and ordered payment of a $400 mandatory special assessment fee.

    According to court documents, on January 23, 2024, a New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officer surveilling a Valero gas station in New Orleans saw HAGANS making multiple hand-to-hand drug sales.  NOPD patrol officers detected an object in HAGANS’s waistband recognizable as a firearm.  HAGANS fled from the officers and discarded a Ruger Model LCPII, .380 caliber pistol, that officers later recovered, in an open lot.  Officers also obtained a search warrant for a Nissan Rogue SUV located in the Valero gas station parking lot that HAGANS had previously  accessed.  Inside the SUV, officers found a Kahr Arms Model CW40, .40 caliber pistol, and a plastic bag containing cocaine.  Officers later obtained a search warrant for HAGANS’s residence and recovered a Romarm/Cugir Model Micro Draco, 7.62-millimeter pistol and an Anderson Arms Model AM-15, .223 caliber /5.56-millimeter pistol.

    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.

    U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Troy Bell of the Violent Crime Unit.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Acting United States Attorney Fondren Announces Federal Indictments for Firearm and Violent Crimes

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Memphis, TN – Acting United States Attorney Reagan Fondren announced today the indictments of seven individuals who were charged with federal gun and violent crime offenses in West Tennessee.  Acting United States Attorney Fondren emphasized that the United States’ commitment to prosecuting individuals who illegally possess firearms and commit violent offenses remains a top priority for her office.

    The following defendants were charged with firearm or violent crime offenses:

    • Torrian Floyd, 35. Floyd was indicted on January 30, 2025, on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
    • Mohamadou Ba, 21. Ba was indicted on January 30, 2025, on one count of robbery of a business affecting interstate commerce, one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to the robbery, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
    • Maurice Harris, 31. Harris was indicted on three counts robbery of a business affecting interstate commerce, three counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to the robberies, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
    • Marshun Lewis, 24. Lewis was indicted on two counts robbery of a postal carrier and two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to the robberies.
    • Royce Newsome, 32, and Alvin Anthony, 30. Newsome and Anthony were indicted on one count each of conspiracy to commit carjacking and carjacking. Additionally, Newsome was indicted on one count of aiding and abetting a robbery, and Anthony was indicted on one count of accessory after the fact to the carjacking.
    • Christopher Busby, 53. Busby was indicted on two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

    These cases are being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force; the Project Safe Neighborhoods Gun Task Force; the Memphis Police Department; and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.  Anyone with information about switches or other federal gun crimes can call 1-800-ATF-GUNS (1-800-283-4867).

    The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence.  The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.  If convicted, each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of the factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal records (if any), the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.

    These indictments are 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 of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, using data-driven methods to set focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    Acting United States Attorney Fondren thanked the Assistant United States Attorneys prosecuting these cases, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the cases. 

    ###

    For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Guilty of Drug Trafficking and Possessing Two Machineguns

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – TIERON PRICE (“PRICE”), age 22, pled guilty on February 4, 2025 before U.S. District Judge Darrel J. Papillion, to two counts of possessing a machinegun, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(o) and 924(a)(2); possession with intent to distribute tapentadol, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i).

    According to court documents, on May 22, 2023, PRICE was driving a stolen vehicle in New Orleans. When Louisiana State Police troopers attempted to pull him over, PRICE accelerated and led troopers on a dangerous, and potentially life threatening, car chase. The chase ended when PRICE struck a vehicle stopped at a red light.  PRICE, and two other occupants, fled but were caught.  Inside a backpack carried by one of the other occupants was a Glock Model 17, nine-millimeter caliber pistol, equipped with a Glock auto-sear, making the firearm a fully-automatic machinegun.  The machinegun had a bullet in the chamber and was loaded with an extended magazine containing 23 rounds of ammunition. 

    PRICE was arrested after the car chase but subsequently released on bond.  On January 19, 2024,  New Orleans Police Department detectives executed a search warrant at PRICE’s residence.  During the search, officers found a Glock Model 19, nine-millimeter caliber pistol, a black Glock auto-sear hidden in a baby bassinet, and a drum magazine loaded with 49 rounds.  PRICE was seen the day  before the search with the same gun equipped with the auto-sear and the drum magazine.  During the search, officers also found over $6,000 in cash, and 95 tapentadol pills that PRICE intended to distribute.

    As to each of his convictions for possession of a machinegun, PRICE faces up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.  As to his drug trafficking conviction, he faces up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and up to a $1,000,000 fine.  As to his conviction for possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence, and up to five years of supervised release.  Each count also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

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

    The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Louisiana State Police, and the New Orleans Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Law Strengthening Red Flag Law Now in Effect

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that a new law (S.3340/A.5873) designed to enhance safeguards afforded by the State’s Red Flag Law is now effective. Beginning today, courts across New York State must notify the statewide registry of orders of protection and warrants when judges issue a temporary and/or final extreme risk order of protection. This notification codifies what courts were doing in practice and aims to ensure that these orders don’t fall through the cracks. Courts statewide have ordered nearly 14,000 temporary and permanent Extreme Risk Protection Orders through February 3, 2025 — more than 12 times the number of orders issued before Governor Hochul took decisive action to strengthen State law following the racially motivated mass shooting in Buffalo on May 14, 2022. Governor Hochul previously signed the legislation on October 9, 2024 as part of a package of bills aimed at reducing gun violence and strengthening New York’s nation leading gun laws.

    “Public safety is my number one priority — that’s why I signed legislation strengthening our Red Flag Laws to keep weapons away from individuals who are a risk to themselves and others,” Governor Hochul said. “By empowering law enforcement and judges to take action, we’re getting guns off our streets and making our communities safer.”

    A gunman motivated by hate murdered 10 individuals, physically injured three others and terrorized a community when he drove more than 200 miles to commit an act of mass violence at the Tops Supermarket on Buffalo’s East Side. Three days after that horrific act, Governor Hochul issued Executive Order 19, directing the New York State Police to seek an ERPO when there is probable cause to believe an individual is likely to engage in conduct that would result in serious harm to themselves, or others, as defined in the State’s Mental Hygiene Law.

    Less than a month later on July 6, 2022, Governor Hochul signed a law requiring all police departments, sheriffs’ offices and district attorneys’ offices to file an ERPO petition under the same standard in State law used by the State Police. This law also expanded the list of who is eligible to file for an ERPO to include health care practitioners who have examined an individual within the last six months and required reports by mental health practitioners about potentially harmful individuals to be considered closely when determining whether to issue a firearm license.

    From August 25, 2019, through December 31, 2019, courts across the State ordered 148 temporary or permanent orders. Those numbers less than doubled for the 2020 (252 ERPOs) and 2021 (286 ERPOs) calendar years. ERPOs issued by courts increased nearly tenfold after the Governor and Legislature acted in 2022, with 2,363 orders issued that year. In 2024 alone, the number of ERPOs issued statewide totaled 5,357.

    In addition to strengthening State laws to keep firearms away from those who pose a danger to themselves and others, Governor Hochul has bolstered the State’s efforts to remove illegal guns from communities and provided record-level funding to law enforcement agencies and community organizations on the front lines of the State’s fight against gun violence.

    Law enforcement agencies across the state seized 9,408 firearms, including 769 ghost guns, last year.

    Since taking office, Governor Hochul has provided record-level funding to State agencies, local law enforcement, and community-based organizations to address the pandemic-era surge in gun violence and that investment has paid dividends.

    Gun violence in communities participating in the state’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative declined to its lowest level on record last year. New York State began tracking this data in communities outside of New York City in 2006. Shooting incidents with injury declined 28 percent in 2024 compared to 2023, and the number of individuals injured declined 25 percent, with 238 fewer people harmed by gunfire.

    The Governor’s FY26 Executive Budget includes $370 million to continue the State’s multifaceted approach to reducing shootings and saving lives. That funding supports local and State law enforcement initiatives, youth employment programs and nonprofit organizations that serve and support individuals and families, and strengthen communities, including but not limited to:

    • $50 million through the Law Enforcement Technology grant program, which provides funding so police departments and sheriffs’ offices can purchase new equipment and technology to modernize their operations and more effectively solve and prevent crime.
    • $36 million for GIVE, which funds the 28 police departments and district attorneys’ offices, probation departments, and sheriffs’ offices in 21 counties outside of New York City.
    • $21 million for the SNUG Street Outreach Program, which operates in 14 communities across the State: Albany, the Bronx, Buffalo, Hempstead, Mount Vernon, Newburgh, Niagara Falls, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Syracuse, Troy, Utica, Wyandanch and Yonkers. The program uses a public health approach to address gun violence by identifying the source, interrupting transmission, and treating individuals, families and communities affected by the violence.
    • $18 million in continued support for the State’s unique, nationally recognized Crime Analysis Center Network, and $13 million in new funding to establish the New York State Crime Analysis and Joint Special Operations Command Headquarters, a strategic information, technical assistance and training hub for 11 Centers in the State’s network, and enhance existing partnerships and expand information sharing with the New York State Intelligence Center operated by the State Police, the locally run Nassau County Lead Development Center, and the State’s Joint Security Operations Center, which focuses on protecting the State from cyber threats.

    At the same time, the Governor’s FY26 Executive Budget proposal recognizes the equal importance of expanding services to victims and survivors of crime. Among the Governor’s proposals to increase support provided by the State Office of Victim Services are to:

    • Create a Mass Violence Crisis Response Team to ensure rapid, coordinated support that addresses the immediate needs of victims, survivors and communities in the aftermath of such events.
    • Increase existing limits on crime victim compensation for the cost of burial and funeral expenses from $6,000 to $12,000.
    • Eliminate the requirement to consider contributing conduct in death claims, which currently can reduce the amount of money OVS can provide for burial expenses, as well as other crime-related costs, including counseling, loss of support, and other assistance family members may need following a loved one’s death.
    • Expand eligibility for access to funding to pay for crime scene cleanup costs.

    Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said, “Extreme risk protection orders are a critical tool in protecting New Yorkers from gun violence, and this legislation will give the courts and law enforcement the tools they need to help keep people safe. Thank you to the Assembly sponsor of this legislation, my friend and colleague Assemblymember Charles Lavine, for all his hard work on this. Here in New York and in the Assembly Majority, we have fought for commonsense legislation like this to address the scourge of gun violence in our communities. We will continue working together with our partners in government to strengthen the laws we have in place, keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals and address the root causes of gun violence.”

    State Senator Shelley B. Mayer said, “I am very pleased that starting today, New Yorkers will be safer, as law enforcement throughout New York will have easier access to critical public safety information, thanks to the bill I sponsored that modernizes the state’s process for filing extreme risk protection orders. Police officers can now quickly see if someone has an outstanding ERPO and better protect victims who face an ongoing risk of violence from someone in their life –– and those who pose a risk to themselves. I thank my colleagues in the legislature and Governor Hochul for their commitment to keeping New Yorkers safe.”

    Assemblymember Charles Lavine said, “Thanks to Governor Hochul’s strong leadership we are making progress in the fight against gun violence. In addition to this new law which I am confident will save lives, I am encouraged to see the increasing number of ghost guns being taken off the streets. This is a direct result of my ghost guns bill which is doing what it was intended to do, that is to keep our communities safe.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fort Dodge Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a Firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Michael Turner, 35, from Fort Dodge, Iowa pled guilty February 5, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City, to felony possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

    At the plea hearing, Turner admitted that between March 1, 2024 and March 29, 2024, he possessed a Glock .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, knowing that he was then previously convicted of robbery/no firearm in Cook County, Illinois in March of 2011, and introduction of drugs into a detention facility in Webster County, Iowa, in 2017, each a felony crime punishable of a term of imprisonment for more than one year.  On March 8, 2024, a shooting occurred in Fort Dodge, Iowa.  On March 29, 2024, law enforcement stopped a vehicle in which Turner was a passenger and located a .45 caliber Glock pistol under Turner’s seat.  Officers found that Turner was wearing a holster that fit the pistol, and upon inquiry admitted that he had possessed the firearm at various times in March 2024.

    Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Turner remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Turner faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

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

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Fort Dodge Police Department, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa State Patrol, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  

    Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

    The case file number is 24-3023.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pair Sentenced for Roanoke Fentanyl Distribution

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ROANOKE, Va. – A pair of Roanoke fentanyl traffickers were sentenced recently to substantial federal prison sentences.

    Dejuan Lemons, 35, pled guilty to possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was sentenced to 195 months.

    Kelvin Robertson, 47, pled guilty to distribution of fentanyl. He was sentenced to 60 months.

    According to court documents, between May and August of 2023, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), conducted multiple confidential purchases of fentanyl from Robertson. Before and after these sales, Robertson met with Lemons.

    Authorities ultimately executed a search warrant at a residence on Rorer Avenue in Roanoke, a single-family home occupied by Lemons and his grandfather. In the back room of the residence, authorities located more than 700 grams of powder fentanyl, a loaded 12-gauge shotgun, and a loaded .22 caliber pistol. Agents also located approximately $1,000 in cash that had been used to purchase drugs from Robertson.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Anthony Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. Valuable assistance to the investigation was provided by the Lynchburg Police Department, the City of Roanoke Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Roanoke County Police Department, the Virginia State Police, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Brett prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Aliens involved in road rage incident charged with firearms offenses following multi-agency investigation

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    WACO, Texas — Two undocumented aliens from Guatemala were arrested for federal firearms offenses Feb. 3 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

    Anderson Morales-Calderon, 19, and Ever Morales-Calderon, 25, were arrested and charged in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas with aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm as undocumented aliens.

    Anderson and Ever first came to the attention of law enforcement Jan. 24 after a 911 caller reported that someone in their vehicle had pointed a rifle at a semi-truck on IH-35 during a road rage incident. Officers from the Troy and Lorena Police Departments responded to the call and conducted a traffic stop of their vehicle. During the stop, officers observed two air rifles and a .22 rifle in plain view in the back seat and floorboard of the vehicle. Further investigation revealed that both Anderson and Ever had illegally entered the U.S.

    “ICE is committed to aggressively pursue dangerous criminal aliens and other immigration violators who perpetuate violence in our local communities,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford. “Our officers work tirelessly, in conjunction with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, to identify and apprehend undocumented aliens who threaten public safety, national security or border security.”

    If convicted, Anderson and Ever each face up to 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will consider U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors in deciding on any potential sentence.

    The Troy and Lorena Police Departments assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Smith-Burris is prosecuting the case.

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: International Community Must Keep Pushing for Permanent Ceasefire, Work towards Gaza’s Reconstruction, Secretary-General Tells Palestinian Rights Committee

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    Speakers Urge Member States to Fully Support UN Palestine Refugee Agency’s Vital Work, Stress Rising Violence by Israeli Settlers in West Bank Must Stop

    The international community must keep pushing for a permanent ceasefire and work towards the reconstruction of Gaza, the UN Chief told the Palestinian Rights Committee today, highlighting the essential role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the process.

    “At its essence, the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people is about the right of Palestinians to simply live as human beings in their own land,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his remarks to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People as it opened its 2025 session.

    However, the realization of those rights steadily slips farther out of reach as the world witnesses “chilling, systematic dehumanization and demonization of an entire people”, he said.  Nearly 50,000 people — 70 per cent of them women and children — have been reported killed and most of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure — hospitals, schools and water facilities — has been destroyed.  Displacement after displacement, hunger and disease left an entire generation homeless and traumatized.

    “We cannot go back to more death and destruction,” he asserted, adding that the UN is working around the clock to reach Palestinians in need and scale up support.  That requires rapid, safe, unimpeded, expanded and sustained humanitarian access, he said, calling on Member States to fully fund humanitarian operations and support UNRWA’s vital work.

    In the search for solutions, it is crucial to stay true to the bedrock of international law and avoid any form of ethnic cleansing, he stressed, adding that a viable, sovereign Palestinian State living side by side in peace and security with Israel is “the only sustainable solution for Middle East stability”.

    Relatedly, he voiced grave concern over rising violence by Israeli settlers and other violations in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.  “The violence must stop,” he said, urging respect for international law, including the International Court of Justice orders.

    “The ceasefire was a decisive step forward in providing aid and safety,” said Coly Seck (Senegal), the elected Chair of the Committee for 2025.  He called on States to “reinvent strategies to block the way for those enemies of peace on Palestinian ground” and on the international community to defend “these people long oppressed”, adding:  “This is a key year for the Palestinian cause.”

    Permanent Observer for State of Palestine Rejects Concept of ‘Ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and Open Hell in the West Bank’

    Riyad H. Mansour, Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine, said that while “we are delighted to have a ceasefire”, the agreement must become permanent and cover all parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  He rejected the concept of “a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and open hell in the West Bank”, and underscored the need to implement all the agreement’s provisions, including the reconstruction of Gaza and the safe return of the Palestinians to the areas from which they were displaced.

    Outlining his objectives for 2025, he stressed that defending UNRWA — the most successful story of multilateralism since the UN’s inception — is paramount.  Furthermore, he outlined his plan to work with all Member States towards a successful international conference in June, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, to accomplish the objectives established by the International Court of Justice. The body determined that prolonged occupation of the Palestinian Territory is unlawful and must be terminated as quickly as possible.  Echoing that, the General Assembly legislated that this illegal occupation must be terminated within one year.

    Underscoring the need to rebuild Gaza, he declared:  “It is part of our homeland, and we do not have a homeland other than the State of Palestine [nor] are we looking for other homelands or countries”.  Rejecting any idea of ethnic cleansing, he urged all countries to help Palestine’s Government in this endeavour.  Accordingly, he spotlighted “intense meetings and communications” between President Mahmoud Abbas and the leaders of Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

    “There is no power on Earth that can remove the Palestinian people from our ancestral homeland, including Gaza,” he said, adding that the return of 400,000 Palestinians to the north is “our answer for those who want us to kick us out of Gaza”.

    UNRWA Is Stabilizing Force, Committed Partner to Peace, Agency Official Says

    Greta Gunnarsdottir, Head of the UNRWA Liaison Office in New York, speaking on behalf of the Agency’s Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazarini, said that, although the Knesset legislation prohibiting UNRWA’s operations creates challenges, the Agency’s local staff continues to operate “at considerable personal risk” in the occupied West Bank.  While operations in Gaza continue, it is unclear how the contact prohibition with Israeli officials will constrain the Agency’s work.  Since the ceasefire, UNRWA has distributed food to 750,000 people and conducted 17,000 medical consultations; in January, 260,000 children enrolled in its online learning programmes.

    However, she emphasized curtailing UNRWA’s operations will undermine the ceasefire and sabotage Gaza’s recovery and political transition.  “The Government of Israel is investing significant resources to portray the Agency as a terrorist organization,” she said, adding that — as a result — donors are declining or reducing funding.  “For 75 years, UNRWA has been a stabilizing force and a committed partner for peace in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  It must be allowed to remain so until a political solution is at hand,” she stated.

    UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Calls Israel’s Starving of 2.3 Million Palestinians in Gaza ‘Fastest Starvation Campaign in Modern History’

    Michael Fakhri, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, speaking via video conference, recalled that Israel announced its intent to starve the civilians in Gaza on 6 October 2023 — before the Hamas attacks.  On the reached agreement, he said:  “This is not a ceasefire, [but] a slowing down of Israel’s genocide and starvation campaign.”

    On 6 October 2023, Gaza had been under a blockade for 23 years, with 50 per cent of its civilians already food insecure and 80 per cent dependent on humanitarian aid.  “How is it even possible for Israel to starve 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza so quickly and so completely,” he asked, citing it as “the fastest starvation campaign in modern history”.

    One of the reasons for UNRWA’s creation in 1948 was to prevent the starvation of the Palestinian people, he pointed out, stressing that “there has always been the risk of starvation”.  The International Court of Justice has recognized the risk of genocide and the occurrence of starvation, as reflected in its warrants on the crime of starvation against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

    The right of return and the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people constitute the foundation necessary for future political solutions, he continued.  Israel has been attacking Palestinians “at degrees of violence not seen before”, destroying food systems and creating conditions of hunger that will last for generations.  Moreover, it has attacked the UN itself — it shot at peacekeepers in Lebanon, killed a record number of UN staff in Gaza, mostly UNRWA, and declared the Secretary-General a persona non grata.

    Nonetheless, he emphasized that without the support of the United States and Germany — among others — Israel would be unable to implement its starvation campaign and commit genocide.  Washington, D.C., under the previous administration, exited international law, while “the current administration exited the UN” by defunding UNRWA, threatening to defund the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and withdrawing from the Human Rights Council. “What is at stake is the international legal order and the UN itself,” he warned, highlighting the importance of the Hague Group, which was created to implement the decisions of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

    Recounting Death of Relatives in Gaza Due to Israeli Bombings, UNRWA USA Philanthropy Director Stresses ‘We Will Continue’

    “My world shuttered for the first time on 24 November 2023, when Israel dropped a bomb on the family home where my brother lived,” said Hani Almadhoun, Senior Director of Philanthropy at UNRWA USA, also recalling the humiliation of his other brother, who was falsely accused of being a fighter.  “Palestinian men were paraded by the Israeli army in their underwear as if they were part of some grotesque spectacle,” he observed.  While his non-profit organization supports UNRWA’s work, he noted that individual efforts — no matter how heartfelt — cannot replace the comprehensive support of an established institution like UNRWA.  He further recalled that, in February 2024, together with his brother Mahmoud, he co-founded the Gaza Soup Kitchen, which soon became a “lifeline” serving hot meals to thousands of families.

    When hospitals were under siege, Mahmoud also created a medical clinic that provided baby formula and diapers and founded a small school for 560 children.  He said that “forcing the Palestinians out of Gaza is as unrealistic as draining the ocean”, stating:  “Whenever the world failed the Palestinian people […] the land did not.”  His concluded by citing the words of his brother Mahmoud, who was killed by an Israeli strike in November 2024: “We will continue.”

    Committee Members Highlight UNRWA’s Indispensable Role, Reject Any Attempts to Expel Palestinians from Occupied Palestinian Territory

    In the ensuing discussions, Committee members highlighted UNRWA’s indispensable role, with Cuba’s delegate stressing that “to prohibit the work of the Agency today means undermining the present and the future of the Palestinian people”.

    While Guyana’s delegate underscored that “the ceasefire must be a stepping stone towards the lasting peace”, her counterpart from Venezuela warned that the latest developments in the West Bank could threaten the agreement.

    Others, including Nicaragua’s representative, rejected the recent declarations that imply attempts to expel the Palestinian population from its territories.  A displacement plan — “even opening it for discussion” — is unacceptable, said Türkiye’s representative.

    Echoing that, Qatar’s delegate said that, during the comprehensive reconstruction process in Gaza, the international community must ensure that Palestinians remain on their land.

    For her part, Egypt’s delegate said that commemorating the Committee’s fiftieth anniversary manifests “the failure of the international community to assist the Palestinian people”.

    2025 Work Programme Adopted, Bureau Elected  

    In other business, the Committee adopted its work programme for 2025 and unanimously elected Coly Seck (Senegal) as Chair and Neville Melvin Gertze (Namibia), Jaime Hermida Castillo (Nicaragua), Ahmad Faisal Muhamad (Malaysia), Arrmanatha Christiawan Nasir (Indonesia) and Ernesto Soberón Guzmán (Cuba) as Vice-Chairs.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Marshall, Lee Reintroduce SHUSH Act to Simplify Suppressor Rules

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Silencers Helping Us Save Hearing (SHUSH) Act, a bill to eliminate the excessive regulation of firearm suppressors. The bill seeks to simplify the purchase process for law-abiding citizens and reduce unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles. The SHUSH Act has garnered the support of the National Association for Gun Rights, Gun Owners of America, the National Rifle Association, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation. 
    “The misinformation around silencers has led many to fear and misunderstand this valuable tool,” said Senator Marshall. “Silencers help gun owners across America protect their hearing and safely exercise their Second Amendment Right – restricting access to a safety tool for gun owners just doesn’t make sense. By treating silencers the same as any other firearm accessory, this bill will protect Americans’ Second Amendment rights and encourage safe firearm usage.”
    “Despite what Hollywood may lead you to believe, silencers aren’t silent, and they aren’t just for secret agents,” said Senator Lee. “They are a vital tool for hearing protection for countless marksmen and gun enthusiasts across America, and making them prohibitively difficult to obtain is an assault on the 2nd Amendment. The SHUSH Act eliminates federal regulation of silencers and treats them as the non-lethal accessory that they are.”
    Background
    Suppressors, commonly known as silencers, are non-lethal firearm accessories widely used by hunters, sportsmen, and marksmen. These devices enhance safety by reducing noise, recoil, and muzzle blast. Contrary to popular belief, they do not completely silence firearms.
    Currently, the process to legally acquire a suppressor involves an extensive and burdensome procedure through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), including:

    Completing two copies of ATF Form 4
    Filling out ATF Form 5330.20 Certification of Compliance
    Obtaining certification from a local chief law enforcement officer and two copies of fingerprints
    Submitting two passport photos and a $200 check to the ATF
    This approval process can take 9-12 months, making the purchase of a suppressor prohibitively complex and costly for many consumers

    The SHUSH Act aims to:

    Eliminate federal regulation of suppressors as firearms under the National Firearms Act (NFA) and the Gun Control Act (GCA).
    Remove existing taxes, fees, and registration requirements associated with suppressors.
    Allow current or retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms with suppressors.
    Preempt state regulations on the manufacture, transfer, transport, or possession of suppressors.
    Strike provisions requiring mandatory minimum sentences for suppressor possession in certain cases.
    Exempt suppressors from regulation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
    Provide a provision for a refund of the $200 transfer tax for anyone who purchased a suppressor within two years prior to the enactment of the bill.

    If passed, the SHUSH Act will work alongside the Hearing Protection Act to further deregulate suppressors and remove them from the Gun Control Act of 1968.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Single Employer Model grows with 29 new doctors starting work across regional NSW

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: Single Employer Model grows with 29 new doctors starting work across regional NSW

    Published: 6 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Regional Health

    The NSW Government’s successful Single Employer Model is continuing to boost the regional health workforce, with another 29 doctors joining the Rural Generalist Single Employer Pathway (RGSEP) this week.

    RGSEP is an employment pathway for doctors seeking a career as a rural generalist who work across both primary care and hospital settings.

    Rural generalists are General Practitioners (GPs) who have an extended skill in a specialty area such as anaesthetics, obstetrics, paediatrics, emergency medicine, mental health or palliative care.

    RGSEP trainees are offered a length-of-training contract with a Local Health District (LHD) in regional NSW. This allows trainees to retain and use their NSW Health Award entitlements during GP training.

    Rural generalist trainees also receive the same pay and conditions as their hospital trained counterparts.

    The new recruits bring the total number of doctors participating in the Program to 44 across Far West, Illawarra Shoalhaven, Hunter New England, Mid North Coast, Murrumbidgee, Northern NSW, Southern NSW and Western NSW LHDs.

    RGSEP trainee Dr Marty Ryan has worked across health facilities in Temora, Cootamundra Gundagai and Wagga Wagga and is encouraging other doctors to consider becoming a rural generalist.

    Quotes attributable to Regional Health Minister Ryan Park:

    “I’m excited to welcome 29 new trainees to the Rural Generalist Single Employer Pathway, all with a commitment and passion for regional healthcare and communities.

    “The program supports rural generalist trainees throughout their training, helping to prepare them for a career providing our regional, rural and remote communities with the essential care they need.

    “This year, we have trainees working in regional centres such as Broken Hill, Tamworth and Dubbo, but also in GP practices in our smaller regional communities like Condobolin, Guyra and Tumut.

    “Being a rural generalist means being a part of the community. It’s a unique, challenging and rewarding career, and it’s exciting to see our trainee numbers continue to grow year on year.”

    Quotes attributable to Dr Marty Ryan, Rural Generalist Trainee:

    “The beauty of this model is it allows the seamless transition from the primary setting into a hospital under the one contract.

    “The breadth of experience you get as a rural generalist gives you so much job satisfaction and variety.

    “One moment you’re at a hospital treating someone with pneumonia and the next hour you’re back down at the general practice clinic. It’s constant mental stimulation. That’s why I love the job.

    “Growing up in a country town I know how deep the community spirit runs through them in the hard times as well as the good. It is such a special role and every day there are always compliments from patients who are so grateful to have you here.

    “I thoroughly recommend this program to other doctors who are thinking of becoming a rural generalist.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Violent Felon Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Firearm Possession

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DEL RIO, Texas – An Eagle Pass man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio today to 120 months in prison and a $2,000 fine for one count of felon in possession of firearm ammunition.

    According to court documents, Mark Ivy, 38, was arrested by San Antonio Police officers in San Antonio Dec. 20, 2019 for an outstanding warrant. Ivy was sitting in the front passenger seat of a vehicle in retail parking lot with a loaded 9mm ghost gun. Ivy had been previously convicted in Del Rio on May 13, 2010 for conspiracy to interfere with commerce by threats or violence and interstate communications with intent to extort. He was then sentenced to 48 months imprisonment and therefore unable to lawfully possess firearms or ammunition.

    Following his 2019 arrest, Ivy was transferred into federal custody Oct. 9, 2020. He pleaded guilty to the charge in the indictment on Oct. 25, 2021.

    “My office takes felons in possession of firearms and ammunition very seriously, and when the felon has a violent criminal history like that of this defendant, we argue for a sentence which reflects the seriousness of the conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “I appreciate the investigative skill and expertise of our local, state and federal law enforcement partners, all of which provide immense value in these cases.”

    “The FBI is dedicated to ensuring our citizens are safe in their communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp for the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office. “Ivy was aware that he was not allowed to own a firearm or ammunition due to his past actions, but he made the choice to keep a gun on his person while fleeing from the scene of a violent homicide. We want to thank our partners at San Antonio Police Department, who continue to work with us to make our community safer.”

    The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with the San Antonio Police Department, Maverick County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Department of Public Safety.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Holly Pavlinski and Rex Beasley prosecuted the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley Releases Additional Records Demonstrating Success of Shuttered ATF Anti-Arms Trafficking Operation, Demands Explanation for its Closure

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is probing a Biden-era decision to shut down Project Thor, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) led program, that identified and dismantled Mexican cartel arms trafficking networks.

    “The government must be fully transparent to the American people about why it eliminated Project Thor, even though, based on the records obtained to-date, the program protected U.S. national security interests and helped to disrupt and dismantle criminal cartel networks’ access to firearms,” Grassley wrote. 

    In his letter, Grassley highlights new internal government records provided by legally protected whistleblower disclosures detailing Project Thor’s “Operation Nordic Giant.” These records reveal the first Trump administration successfully used Project Thor’s unique capabilities to disrupt and dismantle cartel arms trafficking networks operating in the U.S.

    “In this case, Andrew Scott Pierson, an American fugitive hiding in Mexico, was identified and prosecuted for operating a sophisticated, firearms trafficking network for years for the Cartel del Noreste (CDN) cartel,” Grassley continued. “The information gathered, analyzed and disseminated through Project Thor, as well as its efforts to coordinate several investigations across multiple law enforcement agencies, played a critical role in dismantling Pierson’s trafficking network and substantially reducing the CDN’s ability to obtain firearms.” 

    Grassley sent letters and enclosed records to ATF, the Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration, as well as the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection. 

    Background: 

    ATF’s Project Thor brought together over 16 executive branch agencies in a whole-of-government effort to stem the flow of firearms between the U.S. and cartels in Mexico. The operation received public and private accolades for its accomplishments, before being defunded by the Biden administration in 2022. 

    Grassley is continuing his extensive oversight of U.S. efforts to combat Mexican cartels on both sides of the border. Last Congress, he demanded the Biden administration’s ATF provide a full account of Project Thor’s work and the reasons for defunding the operation. He also pressed the previous administration on its lackluster policies to address the proliferation of cartel arms trafficking networks operating in the U.S.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: California Department of Justice Investigating Richmond Police Department Officer-Involved Shooting Under AB 1506

    Source: US State of California

    Wednesday, February 5, 2025

    Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

    **The information provided below is based on preliminary details regarding an ongoing investigation, which may continue to evolve**

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced that the California Department of Justice (DOJ), pursuant to Assembly Bill 1506 (AB 1506), is investigating and will independently review an officer-involved shooting (OIS) that occurred in Richmond, California on Tuesday, February 4, 2025 at approximately 8:45 p.m. The OIS incident resulted in the death of one individual and involved personnel from the Richmond Police Department. 

    Following notification by local authorities, DOJ’s California Police Shooting Investigation Team initiated an investigation in accordance with AB 1506 mandates. Upon completion of the investigation, it will be turned over to DOJ’s Special Prosecutions Section within the Criminal Law Division for independent review.

    More information on the California Department of Justice’s role and responsibilities under AB 1506 is available here: https://oag.ca.gov/ois-incidents.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Takes Action to Protect Conservatives, Taxpayers from Political Discrimination by Banks

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) to reintroduce the Fair Access to Banking Act, which protects fair access to financial services and ensures banks operate in a safe and sound manner. The legislation requires that lending and services decisions must be based on impartial, risk-based analysis, not political or reputational favoritism. 

    In recent years, prominent American banks have engaged in a discriminatory practice, referred to as debanking. Banks and financial institutions use their economic standing to categorically exclude law-abiding, legal industries by refusing to lend or provide services to them. This includes industries such as firearms, ammunition, crypto, federal prison contractors, as well as energy producers. 

    “Banks should make lending decisions based solely on economic factors – not woke political concerns,” said Sen. Tuberville. “Big banks are bowing to pressure from woke activists who oppose loans being given to businesses that don’t fall in line with the left’s agenda. No financial institution should be pressured to cut off lending to a legitimate business. Financial discrimination is un-American and unacceptable. I’m proud to support the Fair Access to Banking Act to push back against attempts to weaponize the banking sector for political reasons.”

    “When progressives failed at banning these entire industries, what they did instead is they turned to weaponizing banks as sort of a backdoor to carry out their activist goals,” said Sen. Cramer. “Financial institutions are backed by taxpayers, for crying out loud! They should be obligated to provide services in an unbiased, risk-based manner. The Fair Access to Banking Act ensures that banks provide fair access to services and enacts strict penalties for categorically discriminating against legal industries and individuals.”

    The Fair Access to Banking Act is endorsed by several organizations, including the National Shooting Sports Foundation, National Rifle Association, North Dakota Petroleum Council, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, The Digital Chamber, Blockchain Association, Independent Petroleum Association of America, Online Lenders Alliance, Day 1 Alliance, GEO Group, the Lignite Energy Council, and National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors.

    Joining U.S. Senators Tuberville and Cramer in cosponsoring this bill are U.S. Senators Jim Banks (R-IN), John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Curtis (R-UT), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jim Justice (R-WV), John Kennedy (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Dave McCormick (R-PA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jim Risch (R-ID), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

    U.S. Representative Andy Barr (R-KY) introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives. 

    Click here for bill text. 

    BACKGROUND:

    Specifically, this legislation penalizes banks and credit unions with over $10 billion in total consolidated assets, or their subsidiaries, if they refuse to do business with any legally compliant, credit-worthy person. It also prevents payment card networks from discriminating against any qualified person because of political or reputational considerations. The bill requires qualified banks to provide written justification for why they are denying a person financial services. Further, the Fair Access to Banking Act would penalize providers who fail to comply with the law by disqualifying institutions from using discount window lending programs, terminating status as an insured depository institution or credit union, or imposing a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation. 

    The bill is based on President Trump’s Fair Access Rule, which was introduced during his first administration and required financial institutions to make individual risk assessments rather than broad decisions regarding entire industries or categories of customers. The Biden administration paused the rule’s implementation in early 2021.

    The Senators’ legislation is a response to United States banks and financial institutions increasingly using their economic standing to categorically discriminate against legal industries and conservatives. For example, Citigroup instituted a policy in 2018 to withhold project-related financing for coal plants, and in 2020, five of the country’s largest banks announced they would not provide loans or credit to support oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, despite explicit congressional authorization. Such exclusionary practices also extend to industries protected by the Second Amendment, with Capital One, among other banks, previously including “ammunitions, firearms, or firearm parts” in the prohibited payments section of its corporate policy manual, and payment services like Apple Pay and PayPal denying their services for transactions involving firearms or ammunition. First Lady Melania Trump and technology companies alike allege banks have debanked them or refused to do business. During his address to the World Economic Forum in January, President Trump highlighted big banks and their discriminatory practices of targeting conservatives.  

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Midwest City Man Sentenced to Serve 160 Months in Federal Prison for Manufacturing Crack Cocaine and Illegal Firearm Possession

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    OKLAHOMA CITY – ANTONIO LARINGO KNOX, 53, of Midwest City, has been sentenced to serve more than 13 years in federal prison for manufacturing cocaine base, commonly known as crack cocaine, and illegal possession of firearms after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

    On January 17, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a Superseding Indictment against Knox, charging him with manufacturing cocaine base and being a felon in possession of firearms, amongst other charges. On November 7, 2024, following a two-day trial, a federal jury convicted Knox of these two charges. According to evidence presented at trial, on September 12, 2023, Oklahoma City Police Department officers executed a search warrant at Mr. Knox’s home, where they found cocaine base, razor blades, digital scales, ammunition, and firearms. Mr. Knox admitted to manufacturing the cocaine base that was recovered.

    At the sentencing hearing on January 31, 2025, U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot sentenced Knox to serve 160 months in federal prison, followed by 8 years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge Friot noted the nature and circumstances of the offense, along with Knox’s criminal history. Public record reflects that Knox’s criminal history includes convictions in Oklahoma County District Court for conspiring to distribute a controlled dangerous substance in case number CF-2004-3693 and possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction in case number CF-2006-6617.

    This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Hoch and Matthew Anderson prosecuted the case.

    Reference is made to public filings for additional information. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: International Arms Dealer Charged with Exporting U.S. Firearms to Russia

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant Unlawfully Exported Semi-Automatic Rifle-Pistols from U.S. Company Through JFK International Airport

    Earlier today, an indictment was filed in federal court in Brooklyn charging Sergei Zharnovnikov, an arms dealer and citizen of Kyrgyzstan, with conspiring to export firearms from the United States to Russia without the necessary licenses and with illegal smuggling.  Zharnovnikov traveled from Kyrgyzstan to the United States last month and was arrested on January 24, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he was attending the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show to meet with U.S. arms dealers.  Zharnovnikov has been detained pending trial and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Devin DeBacker, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) and Jonathan Carson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office (BIS-OEE), announced the arrest and charges.

    “As alleged, the defendant operated a sophisticated scheme to circumvent export controls and to export semi-automatic firearms and send them to Russia,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “Today’s indictment sends a message to the world that we will vigorously enforce statutes that control and restrict the export of items that could be detrimental to the foreign policy or national security of the United States, in this case, preventing U.S.-made firearms from getting into the wrong hands.”

    Mr. Durham thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada for its assistance with the case.

    “Violations of export control laws carry significant consequences for perpetrators in the U.S. and abroad,” said DeBacker, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.  “The Department of Justice is committed to working with our partners to hold accountable those who violate our laws to smuggle firearms to prohibited destinations such as Russia.”

    “Attempting to illegally sell arms to Russia using multiple companies may seem like a method to evade United States sanctions, it is however a definite way to end up under arrest.  Sergei Zharnovnikov is alleged to have knowingly conspired with others to violate the export control laws of the United States to provide U.S made firearms to Russian companies.  The FBI will continue to enforce the export control laws enacted to safeguard our national security.”

    “The Bureau of Industry and Security is committed to aggressively investigating the illegal transshipment of US firearms to adversaries like Russia through third countries,” said BIS-OEE Special Agent in Charge Carson.  “Companies that provide false information to BIS to obtain export authorizations to circumvent our controls will be found out and held accountable.”

    As alleged in the indictment and other court filings, since at least March 2020, the defendant, together with others, conspired to export firearms on the United States DOC Control List from the U.S. to Russia.  The defendant, the General Director and owner of an arms dealer located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyzstan Company-1), entered into a five-year, $900,000 contract with a company located in Chesapeake, Virginia (U.S. Company‑1) to purchase and export U.S. Company-1 firearms to Kyrgyzstan.  DOC issued a license for U.S. Company-1 to export firearms to Kyrgyzstan Company-1, but the license prohibited the export or re-export of the firearms to Russia.  Nevertheless, the defendant exported and re-exported U.S. Company‑1 firearms to Russia via Kyrgyzstan.  These illegally exported firearms included semi‑automatic hybrid rifle-pistols from U.S. Company-1.

    As alleged, after Kyrgyzstan Company-1 entered into a contract with U.S. Company-1, a second arms dealer company in Bishkek associated with the defendant (Kyrgyzstan Company-2) entered a contract with a Russian arms dealer (Russian Company-1) located in Moscow.  The contract between Russian Company-1 and Kyrgyzstan Company-2 provided that Kyrgyzstan Company‑2 would export “Goods” to Russian Company-1 in the amount of $10 million and noted that the “Goods” could be delivered in batches.  In correspondence in 2018, Russian Company-1 described the defendant’s company, Kyrgyzstan Company-1, as its “partner company.” 

    On or about February 3, 2021, U.S. Company-1 received an export license from DOC to export over $800,000 worth of firearms and parts to Kyrgyzstan Company-1.  The license stated that items within the scope of the license “may not be reexported or transferred (in-country),” subject to certain exceptions not applicable here.

    On or about July 2, 2022, the defendant emailed his banker: “Make payment according to the invoice attached to the letter,” and attached a commercial invoice from U.S. Company-1, which listed, among other things, 25 semi-automatic rifle-pistols with 25 unique serial numbers.  Two days later, on or about July 4, 2022, Kyrgyzstan Company‑2, sent $67,000 to Kyrgyzstan Company-1.  The next day, on or about July 5, 2022, Kyrgyzstan Company‑1 paid U.S. Company-1 $65,564—the full amount listed in the invoice from U.S. Company-1.

    According to an Electronic Export Information (EEI) made on July 7, 2022, Company-1 exported semi-automatic rifles from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Kyrgyzstan Company-1 pursuant to its February 3, 2021 export license on or about July 10, 2022. According to the EEI filing, the value of the export from U.S. Company-1 to Kyrgyzstan Company-1 was over $59,000.  The EEI filing’s corresponding license application indicated that the firearms were for “commercial resale in Kyrgyzstan.”

    On or about August 8, 2022, the defendant received a spreadsheet titled “Supply [U.S. Company-1] ([Russian Company-1]) weapon numbers.”  Russian Company-1 is a Russian company, and the DOC license did not authorize the export or re-export of the U.S. Company-1 firearms to Russia.  The spreadsheet listed the same semi-automatic rifle-pistol the defendant purchased from U.S. Company-1 and serial numbers matching the U.S. Company‑1 Invoice.

    On or about November 14, 2022, the General Director of Russian Company‑1 executed a form used by tax authorities of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, which includes both Kyrgyzstan and Russia.  The form listed the seller as Kyrgyzstan Company‑2 and the buyer as Russian Company-1 with an address in Moscow, Russia, and identified the goods as the same semi‑automatic rifle‑pistols that U.S. Company-1 exported to Kyrgyzstan Company‑1, the defendant’s company.  The defendant did not apply for, obtain or possess a license to export or re-export the semi‑automatic pistol-rifles to Russia.

    The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted of the charges, the defendant faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section.  Assistant United States  Attorney Ellen H. Sise is in charge of the prosecution, along with Trial Attorney Leslie Esbrook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES), with assistance from Litigation Analyst Rebecca Roth and CES Trial Attorney Scott Claffee.

    The case was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions and economic countermeasures that, beginning in 2014, the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine.  Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the Department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.

    The Defendant:

    SERGEI ZHARNOVNIKOV
    Age:  46
    Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-45 (ENV)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy, Cramer Reintroduce Fair Access to Banking Act to Protect Legal Industries from Debanking

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and 39 Republican colleagues reintroduced the Fair Access to Banking Act, which protects fair access to financial services and ensures banks operate in a safe and sound manner. The legislation requires that lending and services decisions must be based on impartial, risk-based analysis, not political or reputational favoritism. 
    “It’s wrong for banks to single out individuals or industries for political and social reasons,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This legislation guarantees fairness for essential employers in Louisiana, such as oil and gas development.”
    “When progressives failed at banning these entire industries, what they did instead is they turned to weaponizing banks as sort of a backdoor to carry out their activist goals,” said Senator Cramer. “Financial institutions are backed by taxpayers, for crying out loud! They should be obligated to provide services in an unbiased, risk-based manner. The Fair Access to Banking Act ensures that banks provide fair access to services and enacts strict penalties for categorically discriminating against legal industries and individuals.”
    In recent years, prominent American banks have engaged in a discriminatory practice, referred to as debanking. Banks and financial institutions use their economic standing to categorically exclude law-abiding, legal industries by refusing to lend or provide services to them. This includes industries such as firearms, ammunition, crypto, federal prison contractors, as well as energy producers. 
    Specifically, this legislation penalizes banks and credit unions with over $10 billion in total consolidated assets, or their subsidiaries, if they refuse to do business with any legally compliant, credit-worthy person. It also prevents payment card networks from discriminating against any qualified person because of political or reputational considerations. The bill requires qualified banks to provide written justification for why they are denying a person financial services. Further, the Fair Access to Banking Act would penalize providers who fail to comply with the law by disqualifying institutions from using discount window lending programs, terminating status as an insured depository institution or credit union, or imposing a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation. 
    The bill is based on President Trump’s Fair Access Rule, which was introduced during his first administration and required financial institutions to make individual risk assessments rather than broad decisions regarding entire industries or categories of customers. The Fair Access to Banking Act codifies these protections. The Biden administration paused the rule’s implementation in early 2021.
    The legislation is a response to United States banks and financial institutions increasingly using their economic standing to categorically discriminate against legal industries and conservatives. For example, Citigroup instituted a policy in 2018 to withhold project-related financing for coal plants, and in 2020, five of the country’s largest banks announced they would not provide loans or credit to support oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, despite explicit congressional authorization. Such exclusionary practices also extend to industries protected by the Second Amendment, with Capital One, among other banks, previously including “ammunitions, firearms, or firearm parts” in the prohibited payments section of its corporate policy manual, and payment services like Apple Pay and PayPal denying their services for transactions involving firearms or ammunition. First Lady Melania Trump and technology companies alike allege banks have debanked them or refused to do business. During his address to the World Economic Forum in January, President Trump highlighted big banks and their discriminatory practices of targeting conservatives.  
    Cassidy and Cramer were joined by U.S. Senators Jim Banks (R-IN), John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Curtis (R-UT), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jim Justice (R-WV), John Kennedy (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Dave McCormick (R-PA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jim Risch (R-ID), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) in cosponsoring the legislation. U.S. Representative Andy Barr (R-KY-06) introduced similar legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. 
    Support for the Fair Access to Banking Act has grown every Congress. At the state level, Florida and Tennessee passed Fair Access laws and similar legislation was introduced in Louisiana, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and South Dakota. Banks have dropped membership in discriminatory groups which were aimed at starving specific industries.
    The Fair Access to Banking Act is endorsed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, National Rifle Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, The Digital Chamber, Blockchain Association, Independent Petroleum Association of America, Online Lenders Alliance, Day 1 Alliance, GEO Group, Lignite Energy Council, National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, and National Mining Association.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Army Major Sentenced to 70 Months for Smuggling Firearms to Ghana

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RALEIGH, N.C. – Kojo Owuso Dartey, age 42, of Fort Liberty, was sentenced to 70 months  in prison and three years of supervised release for false statements made to an agency of the United States, false declarations before the court, conspiracy, dealing in firearms without a license, delivering firearms without notice to the carrier, smuggling goods from the United States, and illegally exporting firearms without a license.  On April 23, 2024, Dartey was found guilty by a jury after trial.

    According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Kojo Owusu Dartey, 42, provided a tip that resulted in a 16-defendant marriage fraud scheme between soldiers on Fort Liberty and foreign nationals from Ghana.  In preparation for and at the trial of U.S. v. Agyapong held between June 28 and July 2, 2021, Dartey lied to federal law enforcement about his sexual relationship with a defense witness and lied on the stand and under oath about the relationship.  During that trial, Dartey purchased seven firearms in the Fort Liberty area and tasked a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to purchase three firearms there and send them to Dartey in North Carolina.  Dartey then hid all the firearms inside blue barrels underneath rice and household goods and with assistance from an Army Chief Warrant Officer smuggled the barrels out of the Port of Baltimore, Maryland, on a container ship to the Port of Tema in Ghana.  The Ghana Revenue Authority recovered the firearms and reported the seizure to the DEA attaché in Ghana and the ATF Baltimore Field Division.

    Daniel Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol and Firearms (ATF), Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel J. Diaz prosecuted the case.

    Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.5:23-cr-00165-M-RJ-1.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: February Federal Grand Jury 2024-A Indictments Announced

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the February Federal Grand Jury 2024-A Indictments.

    The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.

    Derrick Adams. Felon in Possession of a Firearm; Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises. Adams, 45, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm, knowing he was previously convicted of a felony.  He is further charged with knowingly possessing marijuana with intent to distribute and maintaining a residence for the purpose of drug distribution. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Attila Bogdan is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-036

    Odon Ambros-Cagan. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Ambros-Cagan, 24, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Mar. 2020. U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement (ICE) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Augustus Forster is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-023

    Christopher Ray Barrett. Carjacking; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Barrett, 40, of Tulsa, is charged with taking a vehicle by force and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Further, Barrett is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mike Flesher and Jessica Wright are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-024

    Brandon Allen Boone. First Degree Burglary in Indian Country; Assault of an Intimate/Dating Partner by Strangling and Attempting to Strangle in Indian Country; Attempted Witness Tampering by Corrupt Persuasion. Boone, 25, of Bristow and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with breaking into an occupied home and strangling an intimate dating partner. Further, Boone attempted to prevent the victim from speaking with law enforcement officials. The Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bristow Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mallory Richard and Emily Dewhurst are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-025

    Dylan Lee Boyd. Aggravated Sexual Abuse by Force and Threat in Indian Country; Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country; Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country; Commission of Felony Sex Offense Involving a Minor by a Registered Sex Offender (superseding). Boyd, 27, of Quapaw and a member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, is charged with knowingly engaging in a sexual act by force and threat with a minor victim under 16 years old in Nov. 2020.  He allegedly knowingly engaged in sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact with the minor victim. Boyd is further charged with committing a felony offense with a minor while being required to register as a sex offender. The Quapaw Nation Marshals Service is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey P. Todd is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-114

    Luis Fernando Contreras-Luviano. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Contreras-Luviano, 39, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in May 2022. U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement (ICE) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Augustus Forster is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-026

    Jose Guadalupe Franco-Colchado. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Franco-Colchado, 27, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Mar. 2019. U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement (ICE) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyson McCoy is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-027

    Steven Leon Gibbs, Jr. First Degree Burglary in Indian Country; Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country. Gibbs, 34, of Glenpool and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with breaking into a home, and assaulting the victim with a dangerous weapon. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Weems and Stephen Flynn are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-035

    Santiago Lopez Gonzalez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Gonzalez, 43, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Jan. 2023. U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement (ICE) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Mackenzie is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-028

    Jason Lynn. Second Degree Murder in Indian Country. Lynn, 31, transient and a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is charged with unlawfully killing Alan Underwood in Jan. 2025. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Elmore and Stephen Flynn are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-038

    Simon Martinez-Gonzales. Kidnapping of a Child. Martinez-Gonzales, 44, a Mexican National, is charged with kidnapping a minor child in Dec. 2024. The Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Border Patrol, Webb County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bartlesville Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mallory Richard and Ashley Robert are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-029

    Terry Lee Roland, Jr. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition After a Misdemeanor Conviction of Domestic Violence. Roland, 33, of Tulsa and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with assaulting a victim with a firearm and brandishing that firearm during a crime of violence. He is further charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition after being convicted of felonies and a domestic violence misdemeanor. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen N. Scaife and Valeria Luster are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-037

    Zakkary Shawn Wayne Romannose. Assault with Intent to Commit Murder in Indian Country; Maiming in Indian Country; Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country. Romannose, 32, of Vinita and a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe, is charged with attempting to commit murder. He is further charged with torturing the victim by maiming him, which resulted in serious bodily injury. The FBI, Mayes County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Brandon is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-034

    Luis Ubense Ulloa. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Ulloa, 33, a Honduras national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in May 2023. U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement (ICE) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-030

    Benigno Villezcas-Alcantar. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Villezcas-Alcantar, 41, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Aug. 2015. U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement (ICE) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-031

    Price Grayson Wasson. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Wasson, 22, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Brasher is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-022

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cramer Reintroduces Fair Access to Banking Act to Protect Legal Industries from Debanking

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

    ***Click here for audio.***

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – In recent years, prominent American banks have engaged in a discriminatory practice, referred to as debanking. Banks and financial institutions use their economic standing to categorically exclude law-abiding, legal industries by refusing to lend or provide services to them. This includes industries such as firearms, ammunition, crypto, federal prison contractors, as well as energy producers. 

    U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, reintroduced his Fair Access to Banking Act, which protects fair access to financial services and ensures banks operate in a safe and sound manner. The legislation requires that lending and services decisions must be based on impartial, risk-based analysis, not political or reputational favoritism. U.S. Representative Andy Barr (R-KY-6) introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives. 

    “When progressives failed at banning these entire industries, what they did instead is they turned to weaponizing banks as sort of a backdoor to carry out their activist goals,” said Cramer. “Financial institutions are backed by taxpayers, for crying out loud! They should be obligated to provide services in an unbiased, risk-based manner. The Fair Access to Banking Act ensures that banks provide fair access to services and enacts strict penalties for categorically discriminating against legal industries and individuals.”

    Specifically, this legislation penalizes banks and credit unions with over $10 billion in total consolidated assets, or their subsidiaries, if they refuse to do business with any legally compliant, credit-worthy person. It also prevents payment card networks from discriminating against any qualified person because of political or reputational considerations. The bill requires qualified banks to provide written justification for why they are denying a person financial services. Further, the Fair Access to Banking Act would penalize providers who fail to comply with the law by disqualifying institutions from using discount window lending programs, terminating status as an insured depository institution or credit union, or imposing a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation. 

    The bill is based on President Trump’s Fair Access Rule, which was introduced during his first administration and required financial institutions to make individual risk assessments rather than broad decisions regarding entire industries or categories of customers. Cramer helped craft the rule, and his legislation codifies these protections. The Biden administration paused the rule’s implementation in early 2021.

    Cramer’s legislation is a response to United States banks and financial institutions increasingly using their economic standing to categorically discriminate against legal industries and conservatives. For example, Citigroup instituted a policy in 2018 to withhold project-related financing for coal plants, and in 2020, five of the country’s largest banks announced they would not provide loans or credit to support oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, despite explicit congressional authorization. Such exclusionary practices also extend to industries protected by the Second Amendment, with Capital One, among other banks, previously including “ammunitions, firearms, or firearm parts” in the prohibited payments section of its corporate policy manual, and payment services like Apple Pay and PayPal denying their services for transactions involving firearms or ammunition. First Lady Melania Trump and technology companies alike allege banks have debanked them or refused to do business. During his address to the World Economic Forum in January, President Trump highlighted big banks and their discriminatory practices of targeting conservatives.  

    In the years since Cramer first introduced the Fair Access to Banking Act, support has grown every Congress. At the state level, Florida and Tennessee passed Fair Access laws and similar legislation was introduced in Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, and South Dakota. Banks have dropped membership in discriminatory groups which were aimed at starving specific industries.

    The Fair Access to Banking Act is endorsed by several organizations, including the National Shooting Sports Foundation, National Rifle Association, North Dakota Petroleum Council, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, The Digital Chamber, Blockchain Association, Independent Petroleum Association of America, Online Lenders Alliance, Day 1 Alliance, GEO Group, Lignite Energy Council, National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, and National Mining Association.

    The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Jim Banks (R-IN), John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Curtis (R-UT), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jim Justice (R-WV), John Kennedy (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Dave McCormick (R-PA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jim Risch (R-ID), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

    Click here for bill text. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: RELEASE: Mullin, Cramer, Colleagues Reintroduce Fair Access to Banking Act to Protect Legal Industries from Debanking

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator MarkWayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)

    RELEASE: Mullin, Cramer, Colleagues Reintroduce Fair Access to Banking Act to Protect Legal Industries from Debanking

    Washington, D.C. – In recent years, prominent American banks have engaged in a discriminatory practice, referred to as debanking. Banks and financial institutions use their economic standing to categorically exclude law-abiding, legal industries by refusing to lend or provide services to them. This includes industries such as firearms, ammunition, crypto, federal prison contractors, as well as energy producers. 

    U.S. Senators Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and 39 of their Senate GOP colleagues reintroduced the Fair Access to Banking Act, which protects fair access to financial services and ensures banks operate in a safe and sound manner. The legislation requires that lending and services decisions must be based on impartial, risk-based analysis, not political or reputational favoritism. U.S. Representative Andy Barr (R-KY-6) introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives. 

    Specifically, this legislation penalizes banks and credit unions with over $10 billion in total consolidated assets, or their subsidiaries, if they refuse to do business with any legally compliant, credit-worthy person. It also prevents payment card networks from discriminating against any qualified person because of political or reputational considerations. The bill requires qualified banks to provide written justification for why they are denying a person financial services. Further, the Fair Access to Banking Act would penalize providers who fail to comply with the law by disqualifying institutions from using discount window lending programs, terminating status as an insured depository institution or credit union, or imposing a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation. 

    The bill is based on President Trump’s Fair Access Rule, which was introduced during his first administration and required financial institutions to make individual risk assessments rather than broad decisions regarding entire industries or categories of customers. The Biden administration paused the rule’s implementation in early 2021.

    The senators’ legislation is a response to United States banks and financial institutions increasingly using their economic standing to categorically discriminate against legal industries and conservatives. For example, Citigroup instituted a policy in 2018 to withhold project-related financing for coal plants, and in 2020, five of the country’s largest banks announced they would not provide loans or credit to support oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, despite explicit congressional authorization. Such exclusionary practices also extend to industries protected by the Second Amendment, with Capital One, among other banks, previously including “ammunitions, firearms, or firearm parts” in the prohibited payments section of its corporate policy manual, and payment services like Apple Pay and PayPal denying their services for transactions involving firearms or ammunition. First Lady Melania Trump and technology companies alike allege banks have debanked them or refused to do business. During his address to the World Economic Forum in January, President Trump highlighted big banks and their discriminatory practices of targeting conservatives.  

    In the years since the first introduction of the Fair Access to Banking Act, support has grown every Congress. At the state level, Florida and Tennessee passed Fair Access laws and similar legislation was introduced in Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, and South Dakota. Banks have dropped membership in discriminatory groups which were aimed at starving specific industries.

    The Fair Access to Banking Act is endorsed by several organizations, including the National Shooting Sports Foundation, National Rifle Association, North Dakota Petroleum Council, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, The Digital Chamber, Blockchain Association, Independent Petroleum Association of America, Online Lenders Alliance, Day 1 Alliance, GEO Group, the Lignite Energy Council, and National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors.

    Joining Sens. Mullin and Cramer on this legislation are Senators Jim Banks (R-IN), John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Curtis (R-UT), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jim Justice (R-WV), John Kennedy (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Dave McCormick (R-PA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jim Risch (R-ID), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

    Read exclusively about the Fair Access to Banking Act in the Daily Wire.

    Click here for bill text. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Jefferson Parish Man Sentenced for Federal Gun and Drug Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JAZZ GILDS (“GILDS”), age 39, a resident of Jefferson Parish, was sentenced on January 30, 2025, by United States District Judge Wendy B. Vitter, after previously pleading guilty to Counts 1 and 3 of a 3-count indictment.  Count 1 charged him with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C).  Count 3 charged him with being a felon in possession of firearms, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).

    GILDS was sentenced to 108 months’ imprisonment as to Counts 1 and 3 of the indictment, to run concurrently.  Judge Vitter also ordered GILDS be placed on supervised release for 3 years and pay a $200 mandatory special assessment fee.

    According to court documents, GILDS became involved in a physical altercation with two individuals at a Jefferson Parish hotel before fleeing in a stolen vehicle.  Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies later apprehended GILDS, who had attempted to flee on foot.  A search of the vehicle uncovered a Ruger Model P942 .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol, and a stolen Anderson Manufacturing Model AM-15, 5.56×45 millimeter caliber semi-automatic rifle.  Additionally, during a search of GILDS’s hotel room, deputies seized illegal narcotics and ammunition.

    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.

    U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Troy Bell of the Violent Crime Unit.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Attorney’s Office Underscores Enforcement of Executive Order on Immigration

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, through United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow, issues the following statement to underscore support for the January 20, 2025, Executive Order, entitled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.”

    Department of Justice agencies in Puerto Rico, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the Bureau of Prisons, underscore their support and partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and all its components in Puerto Rico to enforce our nation’s immigration laws.

    The Justice Department and DHS will also continue to collaborate and work closely with our counterparts within the Government of Puerto Rico, to include the Puerto Rico Department of Justice, the Puerto Rico Department of Public Safety, the Puerto Rico Police Bureau, and other governmental agencies, as well as municipal police departments to protect our communities from harm.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s implementation of the Executive Order will focus on the apprehension and prosecution of criminal aliens, as well as supporting the prosecution and/or expedited removal from the United States of aliens without legal status. The apprehension and prosecution or removal of aliens includes special interest aliens deemed by the DHS to be from a country that poses a national security or counterintelligence threat.

    “Those aliens who are involved in criminal activity, who are fugitives from justice, who have prior criminal convictions and/or come from nations that pose a threat to our national security, remain a priority for the Department of Justice,” said United States Attorney Muldrow. “We are also fully committed to supporting the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security, and all its components, to make Puerto Rico and the United States safer.”

    “The FBI remains committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to uphold the rule of law and ensure public safety,” said Joseph González, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “Through this initiative, continued collaboration and intelligence-driven operations, we are supporting efforts to protect our communities, while adhering to our mission of upholding the Constitution.”

    “Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is dedicated to identifying and prosecuting individuals who are illegally present in the United States, ensuring they are swiftly removed to their home countries,” said Rebecca González-Ramos, Special Agent in Charge of HSI San Juan. “The executive order aims to protect the United States from individuals who pose a threat to public safety by committing crimes.”

    “The Drug Enforcement Administration remains resolute in its mission to protect the communities of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands from the devastating impact of drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations. These criminal networks not only threaten public safety through the distribution of dangerous narcotics but also exploit immigration vulnerabilities to further their illicit enterprises. Through intelligence-driven investigations, collaborative enforcement operations, and strategic partnerships with our federal, state, and local counterparts, the DEA will aggressively target those who pose a threat to our national security and the well-being of our citizens. Our enforcement efforts will focus on identifying, disrupting, and prosecuting individuals and organizations engaged in drug trafficking, money laundering, and violent crime. Additionally, we remain committed to supporting the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice in the apprehension and prosecution of criminal aliens involved in drug-related offenses. The DEA Caribbean Division will continue to conduct high-impact operations aimed at preventing narcotics and criminal elements from infiltrating our shores. These enforcement efforts are crucial in ensuring the safety and security of the people of Puerto Rico and the continental United States. The message is clear: those who attempt to use our territory as a gateway for illicit activities will be met with the full force of federal law enforcement,” stated Michael A. Miranda, Special Agent in Charge of DEA Caribbean Division.

    “We stand in unison with our Federal and Puerto Rico partners in this all-hands-on deck to stem the tide of illegal immigration,” said Christopher A. Robinson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Miami Field Division.

    The United States Marshals Service, whose mission includes apprehending federal and state fugitives, will lead an initiative – Operation Homeland – to focus resources and coordinate enforcement operations with DOJ and DHS components on the apprehension of alien fugitives charged with federal and local crimes.

    “Historically, the United States Marshals have played a crucial role in serving our nation by apprehending and removing dangerous fugitives from our communities. In this instance, we have teamed up with our federal law enforcement partners to focus on apprehending non-U.S. citizens who have active criminal warrants. We are confident that these collaborative efforts will lead to safer communities. We encourage all citizens to continue cooperating with our investigations to help locate these fugitives and bring them to justice,” said Wilmer Ocasio-Ibarra, U.S. Marshal District of Puerto Rico.

    As recently announced by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), on January 30, 2025, the below-listed individuals entered into Puerto Rican waters without inspection and were detained by the CBP. Earlier that day, Coast Guard had previously boarded the sailing vessel Mistress, but the vessel was allowed to continue its voyage to St. Martin.  Instead of going to St. Martin, the S/V Mistress entered U.S. waters without inspection and anchored off La Parguera, where they were arrested and processed for expedited removal by DHS officials, including the United States Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Specifically, the following eight individuals were encountered on a private boat off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico:

    Name                                    Country of Citizenship

    Erlanbek Narkoziev              Kyrgyzstan

    Jafar Valamatov                    Russia

    Kanal Assylbekov                 Kazakhstan

    Nikita Torshin                       Kazakhstan

    Sanjarjon Sidikov                  Uzbekistan

    Shackhat Uurustamov           Kyrgyzstan

    Odiljon Azimov                     Kyrgyzstan

    Shukrat Akhemodov              Russia

    “Every day CBP Officers are responsible with determining the admissibility of aliens arriving at our ports of entry.  Foreign travelers requesting entry undergo an inspection and determination of admissibility to the United States, and if they are not admissible, they are returned to their point of embarkation,” indicated Roberto Vaquero, Director of the San Juan Office of Field Operations. “Our officers will be vigilant in determining admissibility and will also inspect authorized presence from passengers in domestic flights as they try to reach the Continental US.”

    “The Ramey Sector of the US Border Patrol remains steadfast in protecting our Caribbean borders and deter irregular migration attempts.  U.S. immigration law makes it a crime to enter or attempt to enter without requesting admission at a port of entry designated for that purpose by immigration officials,” stated Reggie Johnson, Acting Chief Patrol Agent. “Migrants should know that they will face full legal consequences of unlawful entry.”

    “Air and Marine Operations agents and assets will support the whole of government effort to enforce immigration laws and protect our borders from emerging threats,” said Christopher Hunter, Director of the Caribbean Air and Marine Branch. “AMO safeguards our Nation by anticipating and confronting security threats through our aviation and maritime law enforcement expertise, innovative capabilities, and partnerships at the border and beyond.”

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Stafford Man Indicted for Firearms, Meth Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Stafford, Mo., man who purchased more than 50 firearms has been indicted by a federal grand jury for illegally trafficking firearms and methamphetamine.

    David Allen Gaunt, 57, was charged in a 16-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The indictment replaces a criminal complaint that was filed against Gaunt on Jan. 16, 2025.

    The federal indictment alleges that Gaunt participated in a conspiracy to traffic firearms from June 21, 2023, to Jan. 23, 2025. Those firearms, according to the indictment, included a Kalashnikov pistol, a Century Arms pistol, a Tokarev shotgun, a Canik pistol and an HS Produkt pistol. In addition to the conspiracy, Gaunt is charged with one count of trafficking those firearms to a recipient who was legally prohibited from possessing them.

    The federal indictment also charges Gaunt with being an unlawful user of a controlled substance while in possession of 15 different firearms. Gaunt is charged with four counts of making a false statement to a licensed firearms dealer in order to purchase firearms, four counts of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, four counts of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of distributing methamphetamine.

    According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Gaunt has personally purchased more than 50 firearms. On every purchase, the affidavit says, Gaunt marked “No” on the federal form that asked, “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?” Eighteen of these firearms have been recovered by law enforcement, from Gaunt and others. Additionally, 11 of the firearms Gaunt purchased have been either sold to or pawned at pawn shops.

    Springfield police officers seized three of those firearms during the execution of two search warrants in separate drug-trafficking investigations in June 2023, and the Greene County Sheriff’s Department seized one of those firearms during enforcement activities in July 2023. All of the firearms were seized from individuals who were legally prohibited from possessing firearms, the affidavit says, and were traced to Gaunt as the original purchaser.

    On Aug. 16, 2023, Springfield police officers stopped Gaunt near S. Glenstone Avenue and E. St. Louis Street. When officers searched his vehicle, they found six firearms. On Nov. 6, 2024, Springfield officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle operated by Gaunt. Officers seized a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol from Gaunt’s waistband. A clear plastic bag of methamphetamine was found in the center console of the vehicle.

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

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Violent crime in South Africa happens mostly in a few hotspots: police resources should focus there – criminologist

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Guy Lamb, Criminologist / Senior Lecturer, Stellenbosch University

    Crime researchers use murder (or homicide) rate per 100,000 as a crude measure of the general level of violent interpersonal crime globally. According to the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime, South Africa’s murder rate of 45 per 100,000 (2023/24) is the second highest for countries that publish crime data.

    The South African Police Service crime data shows that levels of attempted murder, armed robbery and robberies at homes have soared over the past 10 years. Other categories of violent crime, such as assault and sexual violence, also remain high.

    High crime rates have had considerable negative effects on the country’s economy. The destructive impact of violent crime is estimated to cost the equivalent of 15 % of GDP.

    In 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa indicated that government would seek to reduce violent crime by 50% within a decade. The police budget increased by 24% from 2018/19 to 2024/25. But the murder rate increased by 25%, from 36 per 100,000 in 2018/19 to 45 per 100,000 in 2023/24.

    I have spent 25 years researching violent crime and policing in South Africa. I also wrote a 2022 book, Policing and Boundaries in a Violent Society, and conducted various studies for the Institute for Security Studies.

    In my view, the logical approach for government is to attend to the top 100 high crime areas. I’ll show why below. It must use the resources of the departments in its justice, crime prevention and security cluster to intervene in targeted, evidence-based ways, to combat and prevent crime.

    Where crime is happening and what police are doing

    Violent crime in South Africa has consistently been highly concentrated in a small number of urban areas. For example, 20% of all reported murders occur in just 30 policing areas (2.6% of the 1,149 policing areas). About 50% of all violent crime occurs in 100 policing areas (9% of the precincts).

    Place-based crime reduction interventions have yielded positive results in high crime cities in a variety of countries, such as the US, Argentina and Trinidad and Tobago.

    But in South Africa, the approach to fighting crime has focused instead on arrests and on force. This is why increasing the funding hasn’t had results.

    The police arrested around 1.5 million criminal suspects a year between 2019/20 and 2023/24. (The exception was 2020/1, with 2.8 million arrests due to COVID-19 lockdown violations.)

    A negative outcome of this police action has been rising civil claims against police, amounting to R67.4 billion (US$3.6 billion) as of March 2024 (47,818 claims).

    The police have also used militarised approaches, such as Operation Shanela. Officers have been encouraged to be more forceful against alleged criminals.

    There is very little evidence to suggest that militarised policing reduces violent crime. It can actually contribute to declining public trust in the police. Only 27% of the population consider police trustworthy (from 47% in 1999).

    Despite the police budget increasing in recent years, their effectiveness has been undermined by declining personnel numbers. In 2018, there were 150,639 police personnel. This has dropped to 140,048 in recent years. There has also been a substantial reduction in the police reserve force.

    A gangster shows off his gun and ammunition at the Cape Flats, Cape Town. Rodger Bosch/AFP via Getty Images.

    A further challenge is the high rate of recidivism (re-offending). An estimated 90% of offenders commit crime again after leaving prison.

    Six actions for 100 worst areas

    I argue that six things need to happen in the 100 worst crime areas:

    • reduce the number of firearms in circulation

    • improve the number of court-ready police dockets

    • improve place-based crime intelligence

    • reduce alcohol harms

    • provide rehabilitation and support services for offenders

    • boost community safety organisations.

    Firearms control

    Firearms are the leading weapon used in murders and in several categories of robberies. They are also commonly used in sexual violence, and feature in gangsterism and organised crime.

    Confiscating illegal firearms and ammunition, and securing convictions for those found in possession of illegal firearms, will have a positive impact in the target areas.

    This requires a close working relationship between police and the National Prosecuting Authority to collect appropriate evidence and prepare court dockets adequately.

    Rulings by magistrates that declare certain people unfit to possess licensed firearms must be monitored regularly.

    Court-ready police dockets

    The National Prosecuting Authority has undergone reforms over the past six years to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the criminal justice system. As a result, it has secured high conviction rates for several categories of violent crimes. However, many police dockets lack sufficient reliable evidence for the prosecutors to present so as to secure convictions in court.

    As the table below shows, the vast majority of recorded violent crime cases do not result in a court conviction.

    Police officials in high crime areas are typically overwhelmed by the large number of criminal cases they need to investigate. That means only a small number of dockets that have a likelihood of securing a conviction are prepared.

    More resources are needed to increase cooperation between the police and prosecutors.

    Place-based crime intelligence

    Better crime intelligence could result in better control of illegal firearms and higher quality police dockets.

    Police crime intelligence and other departments in the justice and security cluster must cooperate and share information.

    Alcohol harms

    Several forms of violent crime are linked to excessive alcohol consumption. Unregulated alcohol outlets present the most risky context for committing violence. There is an opportunity for police, prosecutors (especially through the Community Prosecutions Initiative) and municipalities to collaborate to reduce alcohol related crime and harms in the top 100 high crime areas.

    This requires more effective monitoring and policing of alcohol outlets to ensure better compliance with liquor laws.

    Rehabilitation and support services for offenders

    It is likely that recidivism rates would be reduced if former prisoners and their families had better rehabilitation services in the top 100 high crime areas. Studies suggest that the most effective and practical programmes are those that focus on substance abuse, restorative justice, mental health, education and income generation.

    Such services could give former inmates a means to generate an income legally.

    Community safety organisations

    Studies have shown that crime can be reduced when police and other government entities work closely with community organisations to devise solutions.

    Community police forums and neighbourhood watches are examples of these kinds of arrangements.

    They can collect intelligence and help the authorities design and implement evidence-based crime prevention actions that focus on the areas where crime is concentrated, and on the situations that tend to drive crime.

    – Violent crime in South Africa happens mostly in a few hotspots: police resources should focus there – criminologist
    – https://theconversation.com/violent-crime-in-south-africa-happens-mostly-in-a-few-hotspots-police-resources-should-focus-there-criminologist-248233

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: IADC Committees – Play an Active Role in Advancing the Drilling Industry!

    Source: International Association of Drilling Contractors – IADC

    Headline: IADC Committees – Play an Active Role in Advancing the Drilling Industry!

    With the start of the new year, many people find themselves reviewing the past year and actively thinking about what they want the this year to look like. If your professional goals for this year include expanding your network, growing your skillset, taking opportunities to learn something new, or volunteering your time towards something you care about, you might consider joining an IADC Committee.

    Much of what is accomplished at IADC is done so through the input, action, and collaborative efforts of our Members. Joining an IADC Committee is a great way to advance the drilling industry while also advancing your personal and professional growth. With 18 active committees and a plethora of subcommittees, there are a variety of options for you to choose from.

    IADC Committees undertake initiatives that influence safe, efficient, and environmentally sound drilling operations worldwide. While all of our committees are open to welcoming new members to join on an ongoing basis, the following committees are actively seeking new members.

    Technical Publications Committee 

    The mission statement of the IADC Technical Publications Committee is to “Create a comprehensive, practical, and readily understandable series of peer-reviewed publications on well construction and integrity in the energy industry to educate and guide personnel at all levels.”

    If you’re interested in joining the Technical Publications Committee or would like more information, please reach out to IADC staff liaison Bill Krull at bill.krull@iadc.org.

    Young Professionals Committee

    IADC’s Young Professionals Committee is seeking new members to participate in the Young Professionals Summit Planning Committee.

    The 2nd annual IADC Young Professionals Summit will take place on 23 October 2025. This one-day event is specifically designed to empower the next generation of leaders as they share their experiences navigating our evolving industry, growing brands, and leveraging unique strengths to forge a path in oil and gas. The summit provides a great opportunity for YPs to connect and network with fellow young professionals, helping to build a strong community as the future of our industry.

    If you’re interested in joining the Young Professionals Summit Planning Committee or would like more information, please reach out to IADC staff liaison Angie Gunden at angie.gunden@iadc.org.

    Contracts Committee

    The mission of IADC’s Contracts Committee is “To promote clarity and efficiency in commercial documentation within the global drilling community and foster a wider understanding of contracts and risk management.” The Contracts Committee welcomes members of all backgrounds, such as Operations, Sales, Marketing, etc. It is not necessary to be an attorney to join. The Committee’s first meeting of 2025 will be held later in the first quarter, with the date to be determined at this time.

    If you’re interested in joining the Contracts Committee or would like more information, please reach out to IADC staff liaison Mike DuBose at mike.dubose@iadc.org.

    Supply Chain Committee

    The Supply Chain Committee is experiencing a strategic refresh under new leadership, with a plan to expand membership and reinvigorate its impact and engagement.

    The purpose of the IADC Supply Chain Committee is to facilitate the exchange of ideas, knowledge sharing, and interaction amongst drilling contractors, suppliers, and other IADC groups with the aim of implementing best practices for the betterment of the drilling industry.

    If you’re interested in joining the Supply Chain Committee or would like more information, please reach out to IADC staff liaison Thad Dunham at thad.dunham@iadc.org.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Violent crime in South Africa happens mostly in a few hotspots: police resources should focus there – criminologist

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Guy Lamb, Criminologist / Senior Lecturer, Stellenbosch University

    Crime researchers use murder (or homicide) rate per 100,000 as a crude measure of the general level of violent interpersonal crime globally. According to the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime, South Africa’s murder rate of 45 per 100,000 (2023/24) is the second highest for countries that publish crime data.

    The South African Police Service crime data shows that levels of attempted murder, armed robbery and robberies at homes have soared over the past 10 years. Other categories of violent crime, such as assault and sexual violence, also remain high.

    High crime rates have had considerable negative effects on the country’s economy. The destructive impact of violent crime is estimated to cost the equivalent of 15 % of GDP.

    In 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa indicated that government would seek to reduce violent crime by 50% within a decade. The police budget increased by 24% from 2018/19 to 2024/25. But the murder rate increased by 25%, from 36 per 100,000 in 2018/19 to 45 per 100,000 in 2023/24.

    I have spent 25 years researching violent crime and policing in South Africa. I also wrote a 2022 book, Policing and Boundaries in a Violent Society, and conducted various studies for the Institute for Security Studies.

    In my view, the logical approach for government is to attend to the top 100 high crime areas. I’ll show why below. It must use the resources of the departments in its justice, crime prevention and security cluster to intervene in targeted, evidence-based ways, to combat and prevent crime.

    Where crime is happening and what police are doing

    Violent crime in South Africa has consistently been highly concentrated in a small number of urban areas. For example, 20% of all reported murders occur in just 30 policing areas (2.6% of the 1,149 policing areas). About 50% of all violent crime occurs in 100 policing areas (9% of the precincts).

    Place-based crime reduction interventions have yielded positive results in high crime cities in a variety of countries, such as the US, Argentina and Trinidad and Tobago.

    But in South Africa, the approach to fighting crime has focused instead on arrests and on force. This is why increasing the funding hasn’t had results.

    The police arrested around 1.5 million criminal suspects a year between 2019/20 and 2023/24. (The exception was 2020/1, with 2.8 million arrests due to COVID-19 lockdown violations.)

    A negative outcome of this police action has been rising civil claims against police, amounting to R67.4 billion (US$3.6 billion) as of March 2024 (47,818 claims).

    The police have also used militarised approaches, such as Operation Shanela. Officers have been encouraged to be more forceful against alleged criminals.

    There is very little evidence to suggest that militarised policing reduces violent crime. It can actually contribute to declining public trust in the police. Only 27% of the population consider police trustworthy (from 47% in 1999).

    Despite the police budget increasing in recent years, their effectiveness has been undermined by declining personnel numbers. In 2018, there were 150,639 police personnel. This has dropped to 140,048 in recent years. There has also been a substantial reduction in the police reserve force.

    A further challenge is the high rate of recidivism (re-offending). An estimated 90% of offenders commit crime again after leaving prison.

    Six actions for 100 worst areas

    I argue that six things need to happen in the 100 worst crime areas:

    • reduce the number of firearms in circulation

    • improve the number of court-ready police dockets

    • improve place-based crime intelligence

    • reduce alcohol harms

    • provide rehabilitation and support services for offenders

    • boost community safety organisations.

    Firearms control

    Firearms are the leading weapon used in murders and in several categories of robberies. They are also commonly used in sexual violence, and feature in gangsterism and organised crime.

    Confiscating illegal firearms and ammunition, and securing convictions for those found in possession of illegal firearms, will have a positive impact in the target areas.

    This requires a close working relationship between police and the National Prosecuting Authority to collect appropriate evidence and prepare court dockets adequately.

    Rulings by magistrates that declare certain people unfit to possess licensed firearms must be monitored regularly.

    Court-ready police dockets

    The National Prosecuting Authority has undergone reforms over the past six years to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the criminal justice system. As a result, it has secured high conviction rates for several categories of violent crimes. However, many police dockets lack sufficient reliable evidence for the prosecutors to present so as to secure convictions in court.

    As the table below shows, the vast majority of recorded violent crime cases do not result in a court conviction.

    Police officials in high crime areas are typically overwhelmed by the large number of criminal cases they need to investigate. That means only a small number of dockets that have a likelihood of securing a conviction are prepared.

    More resources are needed to increase cooperation between the police and prosecutors.

    Place-based crime intelligence

    Better crime intelligence could result in better control of illegal firearms and higher quality police dockets.

    Police crime intelligence and other departments in the justice and security cluster must cooperate and share information.

    Alcohol harms

    Several forms of violent crime are linked to excessive alcohol consumption. Unregulated alcohol outlets present the most risky context for committing violence. There is an opportunity for police, prosecutors (especially through the Community Prosecutions Initiative) and municipalities to collaborate to reduce alcohol related crime and harms in the top 100 high crime areas.

    This requires more effective monitoring and policing of alcohol outlets to ensure better compliance with liquor laws.

    Rehabilitation and support services for offenders

    It is likely that recidivism rates would be reduced if former prisoners and their families had better rehabilitation services in the top 100 high crime areas. Studies suggest that the most effective and practical programmes are those that focus on substance abuse, restorative justice, mental health, education and income generation.

    Such services could give former inmates a means to generate an income legally.

    Community safety organisations

    Studies have shown that crime can be reduced when police and other government entities work closely with community organisations to devise solutions.

    Community police forums and neighbourhood watches are examples of these kinds of arrangements.

    They can collect intelligence and help the authorities design and implement evidence-based crime prevention actions that focus on the areas where crime is concentrated, and on the situations that tend to drive crime.

    Guy Lamb receives funding from the Research Council of Norway and the British Academy.

    – ref. Violent crime in South Africa happens mostly in a few hotspots: police resources should focus there – criminologist – https://theconversation.com/violent-crime-in-south-africa-happens-mostly-in-a-few-hotspots-police-resources-should-focus-there-criminologist-248233

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch Testifies Before the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies

    Source: United States Attorneys General 13

    Good morning, Chairman Shelby, Vice Chairwoman Mikulski and distinguished members of the Subcommittee.  I appreciate this opportunity to appear before you today to discuss steps the Department of Justice is taking to reduce gun violence and ensure smart and effective enforcement of our nation’s gun laws.

    As this Subcommittee well knows, our nation faces an epidemic of gun violence that has taken a devastating toll on communities throughout the country.  Each and every year, tens of thousands of Americans are injured or killed by firearms – in armed robberies, domestic disputes, suicides, accidents, shootouts and heinous acts of mass violence.  From law enforcement officers shot down while defending their communities, to children killed in tragic accidents, our friends and family members, neighbors and fellow citizens are being taken from us – day after day after day.

    As the list of tragedies involving firearms has grown, so has the American people’s belief that we must do more to stem the tide of gun violence – and this administration is committed to doing our part.  The executive actions that the President announced two weeks ago, including the measures I recommended to him, are essential components of our effort.  They are important steps that are within the Executive’s power to clarify existing legal provisions, focus enforcement efforts and spur innovation.

    I have complete confidence that the common sense steps announced by the President are lawful.  They are consistent with the Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court and the laws passed by Congress.  For example, the Gun Control Act lists the people who are not allowed to have firearms – such as felons, domestic abusers and others.  Congress has also required that background checks be conducted as part of sales made by federally licensed firearms dealers to make sure guns stay out of the wrong hands.  The actions announced by the President, which focus on background checks and keeping guns out of the wrong hands, are fully consistent with the laws passed by Congress.

    Taken together, the new executive actions will bring progress on a number of fronts.  By clarifying what it means to be “engaged in the business” of dealing firearms, we raise awareness of and enhance compliance with laws that are already on the books.  By issuing new regulations, we ensure that licensed dealers who ship weapons will report them if they are lost or stolen in transit and that those trying to acquire some of the most dangerous weapons through trusts or corporations undergo background checks.  By enhancing our national system of background checks, we will be better prepared to keep guns out of the wrong hands in the first place.  By increasing access to mental health care treatment with a proposed $500 million investment to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), we will not only be helping those in need, but also curbing gun deaths – the majority of which result from suicide.  And by supporting research on gun safety technology, we will be laying the groundwork for a safer future and drawing on our strength as the most technologically advanced nation on Earth.

    The steps that I have outlined – and the actions that President Obama has described – are all well-reasoned measures, well within existing legal authorities, built on work that’s already underway.  They clarify laws that are already on the books – because clear notice will help ensure that those laws are followed.  They direct important resources to our law enforcement agents – because these men and women deserve to have the support they need to do their difficult jobs effectively.  They lay the groundwork for state governments to more easily provide information to our background check system and for helping people with mental illnesses gain access to care – because in addition to helping people get the treatment they need, we must make sure we keep guns out of the hands of those who are prohibited by law from having them.  And they invest in research and promising technology that will make weapons safer – because problem-solving through innovation has always been one of our country’s greatest strengths.

    I am confident that these actions will help to make our people safer, our communities more secure and our law enforcement more effective.  But I also have no illusions that these measures by themselves will end gun violence in America.  At a time when there is so much work to be done and so much capacity for progress, there are many areas where only Congress can act.  We would welcome the opportunity to work with you to further these goals.  That’s why I am so grateful to have this opportunity to speak with you today about how we can work together to reduce gun violence in this country.  And I look forward to continuing this conversation in the days ahead as we discuss how to keep our promise to protect and defend every American’s right to safety and security and to life and liberty.

    At this time, I’d be glad to answer any questions you may have.

    MIL Security OSI –