NewzIntel.com

Category: Gun Control

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Sentenced For Drug and Firearm Crimes

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

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – HARRY BANKS (“BANKS”), age 23, of New Orleans, was sentenced on October 22, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion to 97 months incarceration, five (5) years of supervised release and, payment of a mandatory $300 special assessment fee after previously pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute Fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(b)(1)(C) and Title 21, United States Code, Section 846; conspiring to possess firearms in furtherance of  drug trafficking activity, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(o); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).

    According to court records, on December 6, 2022, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Agents saw Jerome Shaquille Wilson driving a white Dodge Challenger in the 1900 block of Frenchmen Street in New Orleans, with a passenger, Gerroy Toca.  Agents subsequently saw Toca, Wilson, and BANKS engaged in apparent illegal narcotics transactions, while in possession of firearms.  Agents later saw BANKS enter the white Dodge Challenger and exit with a pistol that he concealed in his waistband.  Thereafter, New Orleans Police Officers   detained Toca and BANKS.  BANKS was found with 6.7 grams of fentanyl and a Smith & Wesson Model M&P 40 2.0M, .40 caliber pistol, concealed in his waistband. 

    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 track violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the New Orleans Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maurice Landrieu of the Narcotics Unit and Mike Trummel of the Violent Crimes Unit. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Chilton County Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm He Used in a Shooting

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

                Montgomery, Ala. – Today, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced the sentencing of a Chilton County, Alabama man for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On October 23, 2024, a federal judge ordered that 57-year-old Alvin Lee McCary, serve 300 months in prison. A jury found McCary guilty of illegally possessing a firearm following a trial in March of this year. Federal inmates are not eligible for parole.

                According to court records and evidence presented during McCary’s trial, on July 22, 2020, McCary had an argument with another individual at a residence in Clanton, Alabama. The argument escalated and McCary retrieved a shotgun. Witness reported that McCary shot the victim and then fled. When searching McCary’s residence, investigators eventually discovered a shotgun and ammunition at the bottom of a well adjacent to the property. McCary has previous felony convictions and is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

                This case was prosecuted as 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

                The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case, which Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Andreu and Ashley J. Avera prosecuted. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Grafton, Vermont Man Charged with Illegal Possession of a Firearm

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

    Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office stated that Terry Russ, 42, of Grafton, Vermont, has been charged by criminal complaint with possessing a firearm, knowing that he had previously been convicted of a felony.

    On October 23, 2024, Russ appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, who ordered that Russ be detained during the pendency of this matter.

    According to court records, a search warrant was executed at Russ’s residence in Grafton on October 22, 2024. During execution of the search warrant, law enforcement recovered three firearms from the bedroom Russ had identified as his. An on-and-off housemate of Russ’s, who was also present, stated that he had purchased cocaine base and fentanyl/heroin from Russ in Russ’s bedroom and that Russ displayed a silver pistol next to the drugs he was selling. The housemate’s description of the silver pistol’s appearance was consistent with that of one of the firearms recovered from Russ’s bedroom.

    The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that Russ is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Russ faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

    United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Vermont State Police, and the Springfield, Massachusetts Police Department.

    The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Corinne Smith. Russ is represented by Robert Behrens, Esq.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Global: King Charles heckled in Australia: the crown’s role in Indigenous rights in the Commonwealth

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Philip Murphy, Director of History & Policy at the Institute of Historical Research and Professor of British and Commonwealth History, School of Advanced Study, University of London

    That the recent visit of King Charles to Australia – his first as the country’s sovereign – attracted protests will have come as a surprise to very few people.

    The right-wing press in the UK anticipated some kind of snub to Charles from republican, “woke leftist” Australians. The palace had prepared the ground for the visit in a letter to the non-partisan independence group the Australian Republican Movement which repeated its longstanding position that, as with any of the other Commonwealth realms, the question of whether the country became a republic was “a matter for the Australian public to decide”.

    But the message from the most prominent protester was, perhaps, less expected. At the end of a speech by the king at Parliament House in Canberra on October 21, he was heckled by Lidia Thorpe, an independent senator of Aboriginal (Djab Wurrung, Gunnai and Gunditjmara) origin.

    She told him: “You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us – our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people.”

    Earlier in the day, Thorpe had issued a statement outlining her position. In it, she claimed:

    As First Peoples, we never ceded our Sovereignty over this land. The crown invaded this country, has not sought treaty with First Peoples, and committed a genocide of our people. King Charles is not the legitimate sovereign of these lands. Any move towards a republic must not continue this injustice. Treaty must play a central role in establishing an independent nation. A republic without a treaty must not happen.

    Historic treaties

    The recognition of the rights of Aboriginal peoples through a formal treaty has been a demand of Australian indigenous rights campaigners for decades. Indeed, Australia is unusual among British settler colonies in the failure of the crown to forge treaties with Indigenous peoples in the process of imperial occupation. In New Zealand and Canada these treaties continue to be invoked as an historical underpinning of indigenous rights.

    The 1840 Treaty of Waitangi between Māori leaders and the crown as well as the rights and principles that followed from it are certainly politically contentious in New Zealand. Yet the Treaty is still widely regarded as the country’s founding document and a key symbolic basis for inclusion and reconciliation.

    In Canada, the treaties signed by the crown with First Nations peoples are explicitly referenced in the country’s 1982 constitution and are cited by the Canadian government as “a framework for living together and sharing the land Indigenous peoples traditionally occupied.”

    It should not come as much of a surprise that the issue of the the absence of similar treaties in Australia has been raised during the king’s visit. The rather dull itineraries of royal visits provide activists with a perfect opportunity to have their voices heard by journalists desperate for something interesting to write about. There is a history of Aboriginal protesters using them in this way.

    In 1972, the Larrakia people, the traditional owners of the Darwin region in the Northern Territory, used a visit by Princess Margaret to draw attention to a petition asking Queen Elizabeth II to assist them in their demand for land rights and political representation.

    The palace and the governments of the Realms are keenly aware of these sensitivities and plan royal tours accordingly. During his visit to Canada in 2022, for example, while he was still Prince of Wales, Charles made a point of meeting the survivors of the country’s notorious residential schools where thousands of indigenous children suffered abuse.

    Ironically, indigenous treaties with the crown have complicated the republican issue, forcing campaigners for a republic in both New Zealand and Canada to offer assurances that the rights and obligations in those treaties would not be lost if the monarchy was to be abolished.

    The question of reparations

    Charles has followed his Australia visit by flying to Samoa for the summit of the Commonwealth Heads of Government. Again, the UK press sensed trouble ahead, predicting that as head of the Commonwealth Charles might be caught up in a row between the British government and Caribbean nations over the call for reparations for slavery.

    The UK is not the only government in the Commonwealth having to wrestle with colonial legacy issues. But there is no avoiding them.

    Britain has a monarchy steeped in imperial history, with a king who is quite separately sovereign of 14 other realms. Its government continues to profess a belief in the value of the Commonwealth, when its members have little else in common except that most of them were colonised by Britain.

    A recent report by the UK thinktank Policy Exchange, which imagined the Commonwealth playing a greater role in British diplomatic, defence and trade policy, seemed blithely unaware of the tensions within the organisation and the barriers to collective action.

    In a similar vein, UK prime minister Keir Starmer has claimed that he wants to “look forward” and focus on issues such as climate change and boosting prosperity rather than reparations.

    But the Commonwealth is simply not a logical framework for the discussion of these matters. On the other hand, it is uniquely qualified to debate the impact of colonialism and the question of reparatory justice. And even if Britain doesn’t want to have that conversation, other Commonwealth countries certainly do.

    Philip Murphy has received funding from the AHRC. He belongs to the European Movement UK.

    – ref. King Charles heckled in Australia: the crown’s role in Indigenous rights in the Commonwealth – https://theconversation.com/king-charles-heckled-in-australia-the-crowns-role-in-indigenous-rights-in-the-commonwealth-241993

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dauphin County Man Indicted for Robbery

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

    HARRISBURG– The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a federal grand jury indicted Nicholas Silva-Shaffer, age 29, of Dauphin County, for Hobbs Act robbery.

    According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, on or about September 16, 2024, Shaffer approached an employee of a Rite Aid store in Dauphin County.  Shaffer stated that he had a gun and demanded and obtained money from the store employee.

    The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Wesley (Wes) Mishoe is prosecuting the case.

    The maximum penalties under federal law for the charge against Shaffer is 20 years imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, a fine, and special assessment. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

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

    # # #

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  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Sentenced For Possession of a Machinegun

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – TOBURREN LINDSEY (“LINDSEY”), age 23, of New Orleans, was sentenced on October 22, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Greg G. Guidry to 18 months incarceration after previously pleading guilty to possession of a machinegun, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(o).  Judge Guidryalso ordered that LINDSEY be placed on supervised release for three (3) years and pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

    According to court records, on February 21, 2023 (Mardi Gras Day), the New Orleans Police Department (“NOPD”) patrolled the 300 Block of Bourbon Street and saw LINDSEY and O’Marion Armstrong walking down Bourbon Street together.  NOPD approached LINDSEY and asked him for identification and when doing so, saw a firearm protruding from LINDSEY’s waistband.  LINDSEY attempted to flee but was detained and, a Glock Model 19, nine-millimeter semi-automatic handgun was recovered from his person.  The loaded firearm contained 30 rounds of ammunition in an attached magazine, as well as one live round in the chamber.

    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 track violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the New Orleans Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mike Trummel of the Violent Crimes Unit. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Castle Man Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Fentanyl and Cocaine Trafficking

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

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl and cocaine, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

    Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Dontae Blackshear, 26, also ordering Blackshear to serve six years of supervised release following his prison term. Blackshear previously pleaded guilty in this case to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and cocaine between May 2021 and October 2022.

    According to information presented to the Court, Blackshear was responsible for trafficking 20 grams of fentanyl and 100 grams of cocaine in 2022. He was on state parole at that time following a 2021 heroin trafficking conviction and prison sentence. The 2021 conviction was preceded by several convictions in separate state prosecutions since 2016, including for assault, two violent burglaries, fleeing/eluding, and conspiracy to commit theft.

    Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

    United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, United States Postal Inspection Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Lawrence County Drug Task Force, Mercer County Drug Task Force, New Castle Police Department, Sharon Police Department, and Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Blackshear.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Birmingham Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison on Gun and Drug Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Birmingham man has been sentenced for gun and drug crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson.

    U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala sentenced Damion Deonte Wade, 24, to 120 months in prison after Wade pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.

    According to the plea agreement, on April 11, 2023, Birmingham Police officers stopped a vehicle for having a tinted windshield; Wade was driving. Officers saw drugs, drug paraphernalia, and firearms in plain view. Officers searched the vehicle and recovered  two digital scales, methamphetamine, fentanyl, a Mak-47, a Glock 10mm extended magazine and an AK-47 magazine.

    ATF investigated the case along with the Birmingham Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Darius Greene prosecuted the case.  

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Rosebud Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Assaulting Fellow Inmate and Possessing a Sawed-Off Shotgun

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Rosebud, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault With a Dangerous Weapon and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm. The sentencing took place on October 21, 2024.

    Kobe Ryan Running Bear, a/k/a Kobe Running Bear-Espinoza, age 21, was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    Running Bear was indicted by a federal grand jury in September of 2023. He pleaded guilty on July 24, 2024.

    The convictions stem from two separate incidents which occurred in July of 2023 within the boundaries of the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. On July 4, 2023, Running Bear was driving a vehicle faster than the posted speed limit in Mission, South Dakota. A law enforcement officer observed Running Bear and initiated a traffic stop, but Running Bear accelerated and attempted to flee. During the pursuit, Running Bear threw a short shotgun from his vehicle. The shotgun was recovered by law enforcement and Running Bear was subsequently apprehended. The short shotgun had a barrel of less than eighteen inches in length and was not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Running Bear will forfeit ownership of the firearm to the United States.

    On July 29, 2023, Running Bear was an inmate at the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Adult Correctional Facility. At one point, Running Bear and another man attacked a fellow inmate and assaulted him with a pencil.

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

    This case 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.

    This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.   

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Parliament Hansard Report – Thursday, 24 October 2024 – Volume 779 – 001435

    Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard

    ORAL QUESTIONS

    QUESTIONS TO MINISTERS

    Question No. 1—Prime Minister

    1. TAMATHA PAUL (Green—Wellington Central) to the Acting Prime Minister: What commitments, if any, will the Government make to ensuring the 44 recommendations from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mosques continue to be implemented?

    Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Acting Prime Minister): First, we would like to acknowledge that March 15 was one of the darkest days for New Zealand. In light of ongoing work, the coordinated cross-Government response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mosques has been concluded. As we announced earlier in the year, the Government made decisions on all remaining royal commission of inquiry recommendations as the coordinated cross-Government response concluded, as well. The majority of the recommendations were either implemented fully or were still being progressed. We implemented 36 of the 44 recommendations, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to ensuring the intent of the royal commission of inquiry is still met with the ongoing work that Government agencies are still doing to keep New Zealanders safe.

    Tamatha Paul: Will he commit to continue to fund He Whenua Taurikura, the violent extremism research centre, noting the increase in Islamophobia and antisemitism and royal commission recommendations on improving how we respond to extremism?

    Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: No, the fact is that the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet is looking at better options for the best use of that funding. Now, detailed questions should, of course, have been addressed to the responsible Minister.

    Tamatha Paul: How is weakening firearms controls consistent with the royal commission’s recommendations to tighten firearms licensing systems?

    Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: The question concerns a subject that is a work in progress at this point of time. The Government has committed to a significant programme to reform firearms law over this parliamentary term and work is substantially already under way. In January this year, the responsibility for the Arms Act 1983 was reassigned from police to the justice portfolio and delegated to the Associate Minister of Justice (Firearms). Reform provides a chance to modernise the regime and simplify the requirements on licensed firearms owners without compromising public safety. And, of course, detailed questions should be addressed to the responsible Minister.

    Ricardo Menéndez March: Point of order. Just noting those statements at the end of both questions, this was a question that was transferred, and I am concerned that after the Government has transferred that question, we just kept getting told that those questions should have been referred to the adequate Minister, when the Government side chose to actually make the Acting Prime Minister answer questions on this topic.

    Rt Hon Winston Peters: Speaking to the point of order, any experienced parliamentarian will know that generic questions can be answered by the Prime Minister, but when it comes to specific details, if they are seriously being sought, the specificity of the detail should be asked of the responsible Minister.

    SPEAKER: I think the problem is that the question was originally asked to the responsible Minister, but then got transferred to the Acting Prime Minister. That means that it’s quite inappropriate to then say that the member should ask the appropriate Minister when, in fact, they did, and the Government, somewhere along the line, decided that it would be the Acting Prime Minister who answered it.

    Tamatha Paul: Will the Government commit to introducing faith as a protected category, noting the royal commission’s recommendations to ensure Aotearoa has fit for purpose hate crime laws and policies?

    Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I’m sorry, Mr Speaker, I didn’t hear the questioner’s question. Could you repeat the question, please?

    SPEAKER: Ask it again, and can you just face your mike—sometimes, they don’t pick everything up. Thank you.

    Tamatha Paul: Yep. Will the Government commit to introducing faith as a protected category, noting the royal commission’s recommendations to ensure Aotearoa has fit for purpose hate crime laws and policies?

    Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Could I just reply, on behalf of the Government, that we will consider all reasonable requests if they are made for the purpose of ensuring that we’re a safer country.

    Tamatha Paul: How will the Government commit to ongoing support for whānau of the shuhada, the bullet-wounded, and the impacted families?

    Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: As someone who sat around the Cabinet table preparing all the work in terms of supporting those families—which was immense and highly responsible and was applauded all around the world—I would say that we’ve continued to make that commitment, going forward.

    Tamatha Paul: How will the Government address the fact that police data shows that 58 percent of all reported faith-motivated hate crimes target Aotearoa’s Muslim community?

    Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Let me say that we’re willing to look into all information, but the country that I belong to is a country called New Zealand, and it will be that way until the New Zealand people decide to change its name—not by some elite purpose, but because we believe in referendum and consensus.

    Ricardo Menéndez March: Point of order. Litigating whether my colleague used “Aotearoa” as opposed to “New Zealand” fails completely to address the question on actually quite a serious issue.

    SPEAKER: No, it definitely addressed the question; whether it addressed it satisfactorily is another matter. Did the member can have another question? No—OK.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Recognizes Exceptional Law Enforcement Work at the 2024 Law Enforcement Awards Ceremony

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

    Burlington, Vermont – On October 23, 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont honored a number of individuals from a variety of law enforcement agencies at the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Law Enforcement Awards Ceremony. Individual investigators and officers from federal, state, and local agencies were nominated by U.S. Attorney’s Office staff in a variety of categories for their outstanding work supporting the mission of this office and promoting public safety. The specific categories and individuals recognized today are as follows:

    Investigative Achievement Award: This award criteria are established for those individuals, both sworn and non-sworn who have significantly contributed to the mission of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  

    • Special Agent Samuel Brown, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – nominated for United States v. Carl Martin.
    • Special Agent Brian Wood, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – nominated for United States v. Carl Martin.
    • Special Agent Nicholas Call, Food and Drug Administration-Office of Criminal Investigations – nominated for United States v. Paul Bateman, Samir Doshi, and Rebecca Buckley.
    • Resident Agent in Charge Derek Roy, Food and Drug Administration-Office of Criminal Investigations – nominated for United States v. Paul Bateman, Samir Doshi, and Rebecca Buckley.
    • Special Agent Jason Tilley, Food and Drug Administration-Office of Criminal Investigations – nominated for United States v. Paul Bateman, Samir Doshi, and Rebecca Buckley.
    • Financial Investigator Joel Garland, Food and Drug Administration-Office of Criminal Investigations – nominated for United States v. Paul Bateman, Samir Doshi, and Rebecca Buckley.
    • Special Agent Erin Nelligan, Homeland Security Investigations – nominated for United States v. Michael Burton.
    • Special Agent Colin Simons, Federal Bureau of Investigation – nominated for United States v. Eric Colson, Gage Colson, and Antonio Vergara.
    • Detective Sergeant Karl Gardner, Vermont State Police – nominated for United States v. Eric Colson, Gage Colson, and Antonio Vergara.
    • Detective Trooper Steven Fauteux, Vermont State Police – nominated for United States v. Eric Colson, Gage Colson, and Antonio Vergara.
    • Detective Sergeant Aaron Lefebvre, St. Albans Police Department, former Detective with the Vermont Drug Task Force and the Newport Police Department – nominated for United States v. Eric Colson, Gage Colson, and Antonio Vergara.

    Outstanding Collaborative Investigation Award: This category is limited to those who have demonstrated outstanding efforts to overcome significant challenges in collaboration with multiple agencies in order to meet the mission of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

    • Special Agent Brian Wood, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
    • Special Agent Samuel Brown, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
    • Detective Sergeant Philip Tremblay, Burlington Police Department
    • Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force Officer Durwin Ellerman, Burlington Police Department
    • Sergeant Chase Vivori, Burlington Police Department
    • Special Agent Erin Nelligan, Homeland Security Investigations
      • All nominated for outstanding collaborative investigation in United States v. Ronald Harris, et al.
    • Special Agent Paul Altenburg, Homeland Security Investigations
    • Special Agent Anders Ostrum, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation
    • Criminal Analyst Nancy Woods, Homeland Security Investigations
    • Resident in Charge Alex Zuchman, Homeland Security Investigations
    • Special Agent Michael DeFiore, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, former Detective Corporal with the Vermont Drug Task Force and the South Burlington Police Department
    • Detective Sergeant Dustin Robinson, Vermont State Police
    • Detective Sergeant Philip Tremblay, Burlington Police Department
    • Special Agent Aaron Dince, Homeland Security Investigations
    • Special Agent Colin Simons, Federal Bureau of Investigation
    • Postal Inspector Jonathan Dunham, U.S. Postal Inspection Service
    • Special Agent Brandon Hope, Drug Enforcement Administration
      • All nominated as their agency representatives for outstanding collaborative investigation for United States v. Dajuan Williams, et al.

    Award recipients gathered today at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by colleagues and family. Each recipient received an engraved award commemorating their outstanding efforts. U.S. Attorney Kerest stated: “This is one of the best days of the year when we have the chance to recognize law enforcement officers like today’s awardees in the presence of their families. Today’s awardees make the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office possible, and they do that work with the necessary support of their family and loved ones. We applaud their tireless work and the daily sacrifices they all make.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tahlequah Resident Pleads Guilty To Arson In Indian Country

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

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Wesley Wayne Sutton, age 59, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to Arson in Indian Country.

    The Indictment alleged that, on June 1, 2024, Sutton maliciously set fire to a dwelling.  The crime occurred in Cherokee County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

    The charge arose from an investigation by the Tahlequah Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

    The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.  Sutton will remain in the custody of the United States Marshal Service pending sentencing.

    Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Gross represented the United States.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Grand Jury Indicts Louisville Man for Possession of a Machine Gun

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, returned an indictment on October 16, 2024, charging a local man with illegal possession of a machine gun.  

    U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.

    According to the indictment, Dashawn Sublett, 18, was charged with possessing a Glock Switch Device (machine gun conversion device) on June 26, 2024.  A Glock Switch device allows a semi-automatic handgun to function as an automatic and is defined as a machine gun under federal law.

    Sublett made an initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on October 21, 2024.  If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    This case is being investigated by the LMPD and the ATF.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua R. Porter is prosecuting this case.

    This case is part of the Prohibited Firearm Possessor Initiative (PFP), a collaborative partnership between all levels of law enforcement and prosecutors to reduce violent crime and firearm offenses. On January 23, 2024, Louisville Metro initiated a gun crime reduction initiative focused on investigating and prosecuting illegal firearm possession. The PFP partners include the Louisville Metro Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office, the Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Sentencing of Alamogordo Man Linked to Firearm Used in Fatal Shooting of Police Officer

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – An Alamogordo man was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison for providing the modified shotgun used to shoot and kill an Alamogordo Police Officer.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    According to court documents, Jonah Apodaca, 31, provided a “sawed-off” shotgun to Dominic Cruz De La O which he is accused of later using to shoot and kill Alamogordo Police Officer Anthony Ferguson on July 16, 2023. Apodaca’s DNA was located on the shotgun shell recovered from the chamber of the shotgun and ammunition from the magazine tube.

    Upon his release from prison, Apodaca will be subject to three years of supervised release.

    De La O was charged with possession of a firearm not registered with the National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record and possession of a firearm not identified by a serial number. De La O remains in custody pending trial which is currently scheduled to begin February 26, 2025.

    U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Brendan Iber, Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement today.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the Alamogordo Police Department, New Mexico State Police, and the Otero County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Y. Armijo and Ry Ellison are prosecuting the case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Columbia Man on Federal Supervised Release Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Firearm Possession

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

    COLUMBIA, S.C. —Daisean Montez Skeeters, 30, of Columbia, has pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that on July 17, 2024, Columbia Police Department officers responded to a domestic violence call at Skeeters’ home.  After arriving, police learned there might be firearms in the home. Because Skeeters was already on federal supervised release for a previous federal firearms conviction, agents also spoke to his U.S. Probation Officer, who said he was also advised of firearms in the home. Agents obtained a search warrant for the residence and located two firearms, including one loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition. Agents obtained a second search warrant for Skeeters’ DNA to compare to swabs taken from those firearms. DNA testing confirmed an extremely high probability that Skeeters’ DNA was present on one of the firearms.  Skeeters entered a guilty plea to possessing that firearm as a convicted felon.

    Skeeters was already on federal supervised release following a previous conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm and faces a separate penalty for violating the terms of that release.

    According to a sentencing memorandum filed by the Government in his prior case (3:19-CR-992), Skeeters has a history of leading a street gang that was responsible for a substantial disruption of local communities to include through gun violence, organized drug distribution, and fraud schemes.

    Skeeters faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, and three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment.  United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Skeeters after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

    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.

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Columbia Police Department with forensic assistance from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliott B. Daniels and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Sanford are prosecuting the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Grand Jury Indicts Louisville Man for Possession of a Machine Gun

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

    Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, returned an indictment on October 16, 2024, charging a local man with illegal possession of a machine gun.  

    U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.

    According to the indictment, Dashawn Sublett, 18, was charged with possessing a Glock Switch Device (machine gun conversion device) on June 26, 2024.  A Glock Switch device allows a semi-automatic handgun to function as an automatic and is defined as a machine gun under federal law.

    Sublett made an initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on October 21, 2024.  If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    This case is being investigated by the LMPD and the ATF.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua R. Porter is prosecuting this case.

    This case is part of the Prohibited Firearm Possessor Initiative (PFP), a collaborative partnership between all levels of law enforcement and prosecutors to reduce violent crime and firearm offenses. On January 23, 2024, Louisville Metro initiated a gun crime reduction initiative focused on investigating and prosecuting illegal firearm possession. The PFP partners include the Louisville Metro Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office, the Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: One year of services at Lethbridge Recovery Community

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Alberta’s government is proudly building the Alberta Recovery Model, a system of care that helps people overcome the disease of addiction and supports them in their pursuit of recovery. The province is focused on expanding services that offer prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery. Increased capacity and reduced barriers remain a top priority, which is why Alberta is building 11 recovery communities. The Lethbridge Recovery Community opened one year ago and has provided more than 110 Albertans with long-term addiction treatment.

    Construction on the Lethbridge Recovery Community began in spring 2022. The 50-bed facility had a total capital investment of $19 million and opened its doors in September 2023. Clients of the recovery community receive life-saving addiction treatment at no cost and can stay for up to one year if their situation requires. The average length of stay at the Lethbridge Recovery Community is about four months.   

    “The Lethbridge Recovery Community is a place of hope and healing. It stands as an example of our government’s focus on long-term wellness and recovery. With the Alberta Recovery Model, we are helping people overcome the disease of addiction, rebuild their lives and reconnect with their family, community and culture.”

    Dan Williams, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction

    “We refuse to give up on Albertans suffering from addiction, and we refuse to give up on our communities. Recovery is possible, and facilities like this are making that clear. I am proud to have this treatment centre in our community and am excited about the impact it has had and will continue to bring.”

    Nathan Neudorf, MLA for Lethbridge-East

    At each of the recovery communities the province has built or will build, residential treatment focuses on mental health and wellbeing, individual and group therapy, development of healthy habits and social skills, employment training and other supports that put people on a pathway of success. These programs help Albertans become healthy members of society.  

    The Lethbridge Recovery Community is operated by Fresh Start Recovery and serves men 18 years of age or older. Their next-door facility supports women in their pursuit of recovery as well.

    “Over this past year, we’ve seen lives change. These personal journeys reflect a shared dedication to holistic recovery and creating a stronger, more resilient community. With the support of the Government of Alberta and community partners, this shared effort has been proven to bring people together and build real pathways of hope.”

    Bruce Holstead, executive director, Fresh Start Recovery

    Three recovery communities are currently operational in Red Deer, Lethbridge and Gunn. Eight more are in progress or under construction. Five of these are in partnership with Indigenous communities: Blood Tribe, Siksika Nation, Tsuut’ina Nation, Enoch Cree Nation and the Métis Nation within Alberta. Calgary, Grande Prairie and Edmonton will also be home to recovery communities.

    “I’m coming to see that entering treatment is only the start. With the support of the staff and the community here, I’m beginning to face my past and make real changes. Recovery is giving me the tools I need for this journey, and I’m genuinely excited to keep growing and moving forward with their help.” 

    Sean P., client, Lethbridge Recovery Community

    “The recovery community changed my life. From the moment I entered treatment, I found a supportive environment that felt like home. I return for weekly alumni and milestone meetings, welcoming new members. Whenever I need to reconnect, I know I can return, confident that support is always available, and I no longer feel alone.” 

    Tony C., alumni, Lethbridge Recovery Community

    Alberta’s government is making record investments and removing barriers to recovery-oriented supports for all Albertans regardless of where they live or their financial situation. In addition to adding more than 10,000 publicly funded addiction treatment spaces, the province has expanded access to the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program, which provides same-day access to life-saving treatment medication.

    Quick facts:

    • Albertans struggling with opioid addiction can contact the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program (VODP) by calling 1-844-383-7688, seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. VODP provides same-day access to addiction medicine specialists. There is no wait list.

    Related information

    • Alberta Recovery Model
    • Recovery communities

    Related news

    • Opening doors to recovery in southern Alberta (Sept. 21, 2023)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Our most global, transparent Global Diversity & Inclusion Report yet

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Our most global, transparent Global Diversity & Inclusion Report yet

    Today, I am sharing Microsoft’s 2024 Diversity & Inclusion Report, our most global and transparent report to date. This marks our sixth consecutive annual report and the eleventh year sharing our global workforce data, highlighting our progress and areas of opportunity.

    Our ongoing focus on diversity and inclusion is directly tied to our inherently inclusive mission — to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more, enabling us to innovate in the era of AI. As we approach our company’s 50th anniversary, we remain deeply committed to D&I because it is what creates transformational solutions to the most complex challenges for customers, partners and the world.

    Key data

    We gather a range of data, which is presented in specific ways throughout the report. In the following section, it is important to understand the distinction between our *Broader Microsoft business and our **Core Microsoft business.

    New and expanded data

    • Datacenters: As we lead the AI platform shift, our workforce continues to expand to include employees with varied backgrounds and roles, and we are sharing new data this year on a growing employee population in datacenter roles. The population of datacenter employees grew 23.9% globally and 28.9% in the US in 2024, more than tripling since 2020.
    • In our most global report to date, we expanded new global Self-ID data to include Indigenous and military employees, as well as those with disabilities. For example, 5.7% of global employees in our core Microsoft business self-identified as having a disability, an increase of 0.2 percentage points year over year.
    • We continue to have pay equity. For median unadjusted pay analysis, the data shows we have made progress in narrowing the gaps. This year we expanded pay equity analysis and median unadjusted pay analysis to not only include women inside and outside the US, but also include a combined view of women globally. Increasing representation for women and racial and ethnic minority groups at more senior levels, combined with maintaining pay equity for all, will continue to reduce the median unadjusted pay gap. 

    Representation

    • Representation of women in our core Microsoft workforce is 31.6%, an increase of 0.4 percentage points year over year. Additionally, the representation of women in technical roles is 27.2%, an increase of 0.5 percentage points year over year.
    • Representation of women in our core Microsoft workforce rose year over year at all leadership levels except Executive.
    • Leadership representation in our core Microsoft workforce of Black and African American employees at the Partner + Executive level grew to 4.3%, an increase of 0.5 percentage points year over year. Leadership representation in our core Microsoft workforce of Hispanic and Latinx employees at the Executive level rose to 4.6%, an increase of 0.8 percentage points year over year.
    • In our broader Microsoft workforce, representation of racial and ethnic minority groups is 53.9%, an increase of 0.6 percentage points year over year.

    Culture and inclusion in focus

    Employee sentiment and engagement

    • Our semi-annual Employee Signals survey focuses on employee experience and helps us deepen our understanding so we can adjust our efforts where needed. These insights show that employees continue to feel like they are thriving, with a global and US score of 76. Within Employee Signals, we focus on thriving, which we define as “being energized and empowered to do meaningful work.” This is designed to measure employees’ sense of purpose, which is important to personal and professional fulfillment. We survey employees on three dimensions of thriving: Feeling energized, feeling empowered and doing meaningful work.
    • Our Daily Signals survey results indicate employee perceptions around Microsoft’s commitment to creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace increased two points year over year to an average score of 79.
    • Since introducing the concept of allyship to employees in 2018, we have inspired and led a positive impact on our culture. As of June 2024, 95.6% of employees reported some level of awareness of the concept of allyship, up from 65.0% in 2019 when we first started asking employees about their awareness.

    A commitment that spans decades

    Our annual D&I report not only reviews our data, but also illuminates the intentional strategy and actions that have helped us make progress across our company’s journey.

    Examples include:

    • Being one of the first Fortune 500 companies to expand antidiscrimination policy and benefits to LGBTQIA+ employees in 1989.
    • Announcing our Racial Equity Initiative in June 2020, outlining actions and progress we expect to make by 2025 to help address racial injustice and inequity in the US for Black and African American communities.
    • Launching immersive D&I learning simulations in 2021, allowing employees to practice crucial D&I skills, such as recognizing and addressing bias, responding to microaggressions and demonstrating effective allyship.
    • Building on more than a decade of helping to reskill military service members through our Microsoft Software and Systems Academy (MSSA), and this year expanding this skilling opportunity to train military spouses for portable, in-demand IT roles.
    • Introducing pronouns and self-expression features in Microsoft 365, an innovation brought directly to fruition because we listened to, and collaborated with, customers, partners and employees who asked for these features.

    A mission as bold as ours

    At Microsoft, we’re guided by our mission, worldview and culture. Our mission is the why; it drives our actions. Our worldview is the what, shaping our strategy and products. Culture is the how, influencing everything with a focus on growth and innovation. Culture is also the who: Who makes up the workforce, who services our customers, who innovates the future of tech. The diversity of the workforce, combined with inclusion, unlocks individual and collective potential. This is what is necessary to stay relevant, compete at scale and win.

    Every person. Every organization. Every day. Everywhere.

    Here’s to making progress for the next 50 years.

    Lindsay-Rae

    Notes

    * Broader Microsoft business: Includes the core Microsoft business, plus minimally integrated companies. Employees of joint ventures and newly acquired companies are not included in the data, including Activision, Blizzard, and King. LinkedIn was acquired in December 2016, GitHub was acquired in June 2018, and Activision, Blizzard, and King were acquired in October 2023. We provide standalone data for these three acquisitions. Nuance Communications was acquired in March 2022 and fully integrated in August 2023. 

    **Core Microsoft business: Represents 88.4% of the worldwide broader Microsoft workforce. 

    Tags: Diversity and Inclusion Report

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Sampson County Men Indicted Following October 2023 Murder of Five

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RALEIGH, N.C. – United States Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr., is announcing federal charges against two men arising from the murders of five people in a Sampson County house in October 2023. The indictment alleges that the two are responsible for the murders.

    In a superseding indictment returned on August 27, 2024, a federal grand jury charged Robert Andrew Daquan Williams, aka “Double Tap, Drew and TTG,” age 31, and Derek George, aka “Pete,” age 35, with drug distribution and robbery charges. The superseding indictment also alleges possession of a firearm to further the drug and robbery charges and that the firearm was discharged resulting in the murder of five victims.

    Williams and George are each charged with one count of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base (crack), one count of conspiracy to commit a Hobbs Act Robbery, one count of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Williams also faces one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. A third individual named in the indictment is charged with illegal gun possession but is not currently facing charges related to the murders.

    If convicted, Williams and George face punishment up to and including the death penalty. Williams has been in custody since November 9, 2023. George was arrested following the federal indictment and remains in custody.

    “The charges brought in this case demonstrate the partnership between local, state and federal law enforcement to investigate and prosecute individuals believed to be contributing to violence in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. “In this case, a combination of old-fashioned police work and community tips led to the identification and ultimate arrest of those that are alleged to have caused this act of violence. We will continue to work together to ensure the safety of our communities and to ensure justice for those that perpetrate violent criminal activity.”

    “Five people were taken from their families by this crime which impacted the entire community. We hope these federal charges can bring some sense of peace and justice for everyone affected,” said Robert M. DeWitt, the Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in North Carolina.

    “Too many lives were lost in another case of senseless violence,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms Tobacco and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “This incident has had a major impact on the community, and it is important that ATF and our partners apply every resource available to identify, apprehend and bring the individuals who are alleged to be responsible for this terrible crime to justice.”

    “As the sheriff of Sampson County, it is my responsibility to use every resource available to help keep the residents of Sampson County safe,” said Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton. “I greatly appreciate all the people and agencies that have assisted in this investigation.”

    The Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, the Clinton Police Department, the FBI, the ATF, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tyler Lemons  and Casey Peaden are prosecuting the case. This is an ongoing investigation. If any person has information related to these crimes, please contact the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office at 910-592-4141 or the FBI.

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

    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 7:24-CR-00013-D-BM.

    An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Denver Man Convicted Of Being A Felon In Possession Of Ammunition By Federal Jury

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Tyrell Braxton, 25, of Denver, was found guilty by a federal grand jury of being a felon in possession of ammunition.

    According to the facts established at trial, in the early morning hours on August 19, 2023, a large group of people gathered on the southwest corner of 28th and Welton in Denver. Shortly before 4 am, multiple gunshots were heard, and Denver Police officers were dispatched to a shooting. Surveillance video from a nearby home showed Braxton repeatedly displaying a firearm for hours prior to the shooting. The video also showed Braxton getting into a man’s face before firing six shots at the man and the people standing near him. This man was shot and killed.  Two women were shot and injured. After Braxton started shooting, other individuals on scene also began to fire, and a second man was shot and killed. Ultimately, law enforcement recovered 71 spent shell casings that were identified as being fired from eight different firearms. Braxton fled the scene with his firearm and was a fugitive before being captured. Braxton was on federal supervised release at the time for a prior unlawful possession of a firearm and had been released from prison in April 2023.

    “Violent criminals have no place on our streets,” said Acting United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Matt Kirsch. “Our office works hard to hold repeat offenders accountable for their actions, and I am grateful for the dedicated support of our local law enforcement partners.”

    Sentencing will be held on January 29, 2025.

    United States District Court Judge R. Brooke Jackson presided over the trial. The Denver Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives handled the investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Celeste Rangel and Special Assistant United States Attorney Leah Perczak handled the prosecution.

    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.

    Case Number: 24-cr-00029-RBJ-1

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: October 22nd, 2024 Heinrich Highlights New Ballistics Testing Machine in Las Cruces to Help Tackle Gun Violence & Solve Violent Crime in Southern New Mexico

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, highlighted recent funding he’s secured for law enforcement to tackle gun violence, solve crimes, and hold criminals accountable in Southern New Mexico, including a new ballistics testing machine, known as a National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) machine, for Las Cruces.
    Currently, there are only four NIBIN machines in New Mexico: two in Albuquerque, one in Santa Fe, and one on loan in Las Cruces, which the Las Cruces Police Department demonstrated today. Over $1 million Heinrich secured through the Appropriations process will add four new NIBIN machines for Las Cruces, Farmington, Gallup, and Roswell.
    CAPTION: Heinrich visits with the Las Cruces Police Department to discuss funding he’s secured for a new NIBIN machine in Las Cruces, October 22, 2024.
    “A permanent NIBIN machine in Las Cruces will make a real difference in helping to solve violent crime in the region, allowing law enforcement to trace firearms used in crimes and hold criminals accountable, all while saving officers valuable time and resources,” said Heinrich. “When it comes to crime, my focus is on preventing what we can and solving it when we can’t. These machines will help us do both – solving the crimes that happen before those same criminals can do more harm. I will continue to deliver investments to support and better equip our law enforcement with the tools needed to keep New Mexicans safe.”
    NIBIN machines are vital to assisting law enforcement in identifying and prosecuting crimes involving firearms through ballistic intelligence.  
    The intelligence gathered by these NIBIN machines will go to the New Mexico Attorney General’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center, where dedicated and trained analysts will use the information to trace and network firearms used in crimes across the state. The Center will then be able to feed that information back to law enforcement agencies to improve identification of suspects and support successful prosecutions. In addition to securing funding for the NIBIN machines, Heinrich secured language in the 2024 Appropriations Bill directing the expanded use of NIBIN for state and local agencies in the Southwest Border region.     
    Heinrich-secured funding for the Las Cruces Police Department
    Heinrich secured $194,000 in the 2024 Appropriations Bills for the Las Cruces Police Department to purchase equipment to safely analyze fentanyl and other illicit narcotics and create a community engagement effort to educate youth on the dangers of illicit drugs. 
    In the 2o23 Appropriations Bills, Heinrich secured $1,750,000 for the Las Cruces Police Department’s Regional Critical Response Team to purchase emergency response equipment to keep New Mexicans safe. The legislation also included $450,000 Heinrich secured for the Las Cruces Police Department to purchase camera trailers, drones, automatic license plate readers, and auto-activated car and body cameras to improve public safety and accountability. 
    For a list of Heinrich’s actions to support law enforcement and first responders across New Mexico, click here. 
    Heinrich’s longtime leadership to tackle gun violence:     
    A gun owner and father, Heinrich has long worked to advance and pass bipartisan policies that save lives, protect public safety, and reduce gun violence. 
    The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) was the first significant federal gun safety legislation to become law in 30 years. During the bill negotiations, Heinrich specifically worked with U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) to increase criminal penalties for straw purchases and stop illegal gun trafficking out of our country.  
    Heinrich-led gun trafficking and straw purchase provisions:
    Heinrich-led provisions in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act increased criminal penalties for straw purchasers and made it a crime, for the first time ever, to traffic firearms out of the United States. Straw purchasers are people who buy guns for those who cannot buy them directly themselves due to their age, felony criminal convictions, or other limitations. By increasing penalties for straw purchasing, Heinrich’s provision is helping to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and those who would use them against our communities. By making it illegal to traffic firearms out of the country, Heinrich’s provision gave law enforcement the tools needed to prosecute and disrupt the flow of firearms to Mexico and the Northern Triangle, fueling the violence that has driven so many to flee their home countries.  
    To date, the Department of Justice has charged more than 600 defendants using BSCA’s gun trafficking and straw purchasing laws, removing hundreds of firearms off the streets in the process. These cases are significant, often preventing and prosecuting highly dangerous activity, such as crimes linked to organized trafficking rings and transnational criminal organizations.  
    For example, in March 2024, the Justice Department charged several defendants with trafficking and straw purchasing over 100 firearms, including many military-grade weapons, that were allegedly intended to be smuggled to a Mexican drug cartel. In April, a defendant was sentenced to 276 months in prison for firearms trafficking and straw purchasing, as well as distribution of fentanyl, where the evidence showed that two of the trafficked firearms had been used in gang-related shootings. Late last year, a defendant was sentenced to two years in prison for running an illegal gun trafficking enterprise, repeatedly taking money to lie on firearm purchase forms and obtain weapons for convicted felons. 
    In New Mexico, the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico has charged 11 defendants with BSCA violations.  
    In June, Heinrich brought his Banning Unlawful Machinegun Parts (BUMP) Act, bipartisan legislation to ban bump stocks, to the Senate floor through a unanimous consent (UC) request. The effort directly followed a recent Supreme Court ruling to overturn a Trump-era ban on bump stocks, devices designed to indiscriminately kill the highest number of people in the shortest amount of time. U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), objected to Heinrich’s UC request, blocking passage of the legislation. Since the Supreme Court ruling, over 20 senators have signed onto Heinrich’s BUMP Act, bringing support up to over a quarter of the Senate.  
    Heinrich, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and former Senator Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) initially introduced the BUMP Act in the 115th Congress, following the October 1, 2017, mass shooting in which a bump stock was used to fire more than 1,000 bullets into a crowd in just 10 minutes, killing 60 people. U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) also cosponsored that legislation.  
    Last November, Heinrich introduced the Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act, legislation to protect communities from gun violence, while safeguarding Americans’ constitutional right to own a firearm for legitimate self-defense, hunting, and sporting purposes. In addition to regulating the sale, transfer, and manufacture of gas-operated semi-automatic weapons, the GOSAFE Act would prevent unlawful modifications of permissible firearms, including bump stocks. Earlier this summer, Heinrich announced that his GOSAFE Act has been introduced in the House by U.S. Representative Lucy McBath (D-Ga.).       
    In July 2023, Heinrich cosponsored the bicameral Ghost Guns and Untraceable Firearms Act, led by Blumenthal, to require online and other sellers of gun-making kits to comply with federal firearm safety regulations.      
    In 2017, Heinrich cosponsored the bipartisan Fix NICS Act, which now requires federal and state authorities to produce background check implementation plans and holds federal agencies accountable for reporting relevant criminal records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). He also led the successful call to repeal the Dickey Amendment, which had previously prevented the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from funding research on gun violence and its effects on public health. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Harris and Trump differ widely on gun rights, death penalty and other civil liberties questions

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Donovan A. Watts, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Auburn University

    The Bill of Rights secures key liberties for U.S. citizens against the government’s power. U.S. Congress via Wikimedia Commons

    As the election nears, voters are considering the two leading presidential candidates’ records on a wide range of issues, including civil liberties – a broad term used to describe the constitutionally protected freedoms that protect citizens from excessive government power. These key freedoms are contained in the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. For example, the protection for free speech under the First Amendment and the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment define people’s abilities to criticize the government and own weapons for private use.

    In turn, as a scholar of American politics, I have seen that Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have very different records on these crucial American rights.

    First Amendment freedoms of speech and press

    As California’s attorney general, Harris indirectly found herself in a battle with the First Amendment. For many years, state law required nonprofit organizations registered in California to report names and addresses of donors of amounts over US$5,000 in a single year. In 2010, the year before Harris became attorney general, her predecessor began actually enforcing that law, which Harris continued when she took office in 2011. In 2014, several conservative groups sued Harris, saying her office’s enforcement of the law was violating their First Amendment right to give money anonymously.

    Part of Harris’ job was to oversee the defense of the law in court, arguing that soliciting donor names did not bar donor disclosure requirements like California’s. The case lasted beyond her term as California’s top law enforcement officer: The U.S. Supreme Court declared parts of the law unconstitutional in 2021, after Harris had become vice president.

    While he was president, Trump’s First Amendment record was more about the media than free speech. He repeatedly declared the press “the enemy of the people.” He has suggested that media outlets who provide coverage he dislikes lose their broadcasting licenses and has pressed to change laws about libel in ways that would make it easier for public figures to file suit against unfavorable coverage.

    As California’s attorney general, Kamala Harris worked to reduce gun violence in the state.
    Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

    Second Amendment right to bear arms

    Dating back to her tenure as a district attorney in San Francisco and as California’s attorney general, Harris has been an advocate for stricter gun control laws. However, she is not seeking to take away Americans’ guns – and recently revealed that she herself is a gun owner.

    When serving as district attorney in San Francisco, Harris worked with the city’s mayor at the time, Gavin Newsom, to develop some of the strictest local gun regulations in the country. In December 2004, Proposition H was placed on the ballot and passed by majority vote in November 2005. Proposition H banned possessing a handgun within San Francisco, with a few exceptions, and banned purchasing, possession, distribution and manufacturing of all firearms in the city. However, the proposition was overruled by the San Francisco Superior Court, which said gun ownership should be regulated at the state level.

    And in 2008, as the U.S. Supreme Court was preparing to hear a key gun control case, Harris led 18 elected prosecutors who urged the justices that a broad right to gun ownership could endanger local and state firearm laws. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual the right to possess firearms.

    However, the Supreme Court’s ruling did not stop Harris in her continued fight for gun regulation. She pushed for additional funding to confiscate guns from thousands of people whom California law said were banned from having them. Later as a U.S. senator from 2017 to 2021, Harris continued to advocate for gun regulation by sponsoring bills that would have enacted universal background checks and ban assault rifles.

    During Harris’ term as vice president, she oversaw the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which seeks to focus government attention on a wide range of policies to reduce gun violence, including restrictions on firearms, increased mental health services and new powers for prosecutors to use against people who use firearms when committing a crime.

    In 2019, while he was president, Donald Trump spoke to a National Rifle Association meeting and expressed support for the organization.
    AP Photo/Michael Conroy

    Trump’s record on firearms, meanwhile, has been mixed. As president, he signed legislation in 2017 that softened background check requirements for gun buyers with particular mental illness diagnoses. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, he objected to the fact that many local orders to close businesses to protect public health included shutting gun shops.

    Yet in 2018, he also moved to ban bump stocks – a device attached to a semiautomatic firearm that enables it to fire more rapidly. His ban was overturned by the Supreme Court in June 2024.

    Trump also supported and signed the Fix NICS Act, a bipartisan law that strengthened reporting to the federal gun background checks system by requiring federal agencies to submit semiannual certification reports to the attorney general on their compliance with recordkeeping and transmission requirements.

    Eighth Amendment protections against ‘cruel and unusual punishments’

    The Eighth Amendment’s protection against “cruel and unusual punishments” has often been used by the Supreme Court to evaluate uses of the death penalty.

    Harris has consistently pledged to refuse to seek the death penalty in criminal cases, noting a multitude of systemic flaws that result in its disproportional application based on defendants’ race and income. She also noted the cost to taxpayers of keeping prisoners on death row. Harris’ position was tested just months into her service as district attorney when a police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty in 2004. Harris declined to seek the death penalty for the shooter, who was convicted of murder and is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

    While attorney general of California, however, she defended in court the state’s power to impose the death penalty. But when, in March 2024, the state’s governor – Newsom – declared a halt to executions, sparing all 737 people on California’s death row, Harris praised the action.

    Trump’s record on capital punishment dates back long before his political career. In 1989, he took out full-page newspaper ads calling for the return of the death penalty in New York. He specifically wanted it to be applied to the Central Park Five, five young Black and Hispanic men who were wrongly accused of raping and beating a woman. They pleaded not guilty but served years in prison before being exonerated by DNA evidence and the actual criminal’s confession.

    During his term as president, Trump resumed federal executions after a 17-year hiatus, executing 13 people in the last six months of his presidency, the last of which was just four days before his term ended.

    All in all, as voters decide who to vote for in the upcoming election, analyzing both candidates’ record on civil liberties is a good step in making an informed decision.

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

    – ref. Harris and Trump differ widely on gun rights, death penalty and other civil liberties questions – https://theconversation.com/harris-and-trump-differ-widely-on-gun-rights-death-penalty-and-other-civil-liberties-questions-240762

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Prevents Tax Dollars from Funding Anti-Second Amendment Groups

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    WASHINGTON – To combat discrimination against gun owners, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is supporting theFirearm Industry Non-Discrimination (FIND) Act to stop the federal government from entering into contracts with entities that promote anti-Second Amendment policies.
    Because of her tireless commitment to protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners, Senator Ernst recentlyearned an “A+” rating from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). 
    This summer, Ernst crushed some clays at Ingawanis Adventure Base in Bremer County.
    “Taxpayers should not be funding groups that are actively working to erode and eliminate their God-given right to protect themselves and their families,” said Ernst. “The Second Amendment is foundational to this country and under no circumstance should the federal government be doing businesses with those looking to infringe upon the Constitution. I will always stand up for gun owners and protect their rights from gun grabbers in Washington.”
    “We’re thankful for Senator Ernst’s focus on protecting the rights of lawful citizens practicing their Second Amendment. Her support of the FIND Act will halt discriminatory practices against the firearm industry in their tracks. We look forward to continuing our work with Senator Ernst to expose and correct the infringement of our Constitutional rights,” said John B. McLaughlin, Iowa Firearms Coalition Chairman.
    “Under the Firearm Industry Non-Discrimination (FIND) Act, ‘woke’ corporations that choose to use their financial might to deny essential services to members of the firearm industry would no longer benefit from taxpayer-funded federal contracts. We thank Senator Ernst for supporting the FIND Act and for her commitment to preserving and protecting the Second Amendment rights of her constituents and the industry that makes the exercise of those rights possible. It is because of her efforts that Senator Ernst earned an A+ on the 2024 NSSF Congressional Report Card, which is a comprehensive analysis of our elected representatives’ positions on firearm and ammunition industry priorities in the 118th Congress,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel.
    “It’s been a joy to work with Sen. Ernst and her office to protect the 2nd Amendment and to know that we woman have such a strong supporter in her,” said Jeanelle Westrom, Iowa Director of Women for Gun Rights.
    Click here to read the bill.
    Background:
    Senator Ernst has fought back against numerous attempts by the Biden-Harris administration to infringe upon the Second Amendment.
    She led the FIREARM Act to protect gun dealers’ Second Amendment rights in the face of the Biden Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) “zero tolerance” crackdown.
    Ernst worked to hold the ATF accountable by standing up against ATF agents knocking on the doors of private residences, where many law-abiding gun owners live, and asking them to display a recently purchased firearm.
    She has also exposed the ATF’s routine misclassification of administrative positions as law enforcement jobs, improperly costing the federal agency millions in pay and enhanced benefits over a five-year span.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fort Myers Felon Pleads Guilty To Unlawfully Possessing Stolen Firearm And Silencer

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

    Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Trequille Donte Rodreguez, Sr. (31, Fort Myers) today pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing an unregistered firearm silencer. He faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

    According to court records, while executing a search warrant at the residence of Rodreguez on July 2, 2024, officers from the Fort Myers Police Department located a Ruger firearm and a firearm silencer inside a bag in one of the bedrooms.  Both the firearm and the suppressor had been reported stolen in a car burglary approximately one month earlier in Hendry County. Two latent fingerprints were lifted from the silencer. Both were later identified as belonging to Rodreguez. As a convicted felon who previously served time in Florida state prison for firearms and burglary offenses, Rodreguez is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.    

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Fort Myers Police Department, and the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Member Of Anti-Government Militia Pleads Guilty To Unlawful Possession Of Machinegun Conversion Devices And A Silencer

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

    Ocala, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Joshua Fries (30, Ocala) has pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful possession of unregistered National Firearms Act (NFA) weapons: a silencer (Count One) and machinegun conversion devices (Count Two). Fries faces up to 10 years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set. 

    According to court documents, Fries provided a confidential informant with two auto sears (machinegun conversion devices) and a silencer, all of which he made himself. During their conversations, Fries disclosed to the informant that he was part of a local anti-government militia group and that he made silencers, auto sears, and other weapons for the militia. Contrary to federal law, none of these devices were registered to Fries in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record—a database maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.   

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Callaos.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Oahu Man Sentenced to Over 16 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking And Illegal Gambling Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson announced that Maliu Tauheluhelu, 40, of Honolulu, was sentenced yesterday in federal court by U.S. District Judge Jill A. Otake to 200 months of imprisonment followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, and conspiring to operate illegal gambling businesses. Tauheluhelu pleaded guilty to two counts of an Indictment on February 15, 2024.

    Tauheluhelu admitted to conspiring with his co-defendants, Maafu Pani, Touanga Niu, and Desmond Morris, to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine between 2020 and 2022. Tauheluhelu obtained multi-pound shipments of methamphetamine and cocaine on Oahu and arranged for its distribution throughout Hawaii, including to Maui.

    Tauheluhelu admitted that during this same time period, he, Pani, and Niu also conspired to operate illegal gambling businesses on Oahu and Maui. Tauheluhelu operated multiple illegal gambling businesses on Oahu, including one at 980 Queen Street, and a “VIP room” operating out of Tauheluhelu’s Staxx Sports Bar & Grill location in Waianae.

    Pani, Niu, and Morris each pled guilty to federal felonies and were sentenced earlier in 2024 for their roles in the conspiracy. Pani was sentenced to 192 months of imprisonment, Niu was sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment, and Morris was sentenced to 72 months of imprisonment.

    “This sentence demonstrates that those who traffic dangerous drugs and operate illegal game rooms will face serious consequences,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Sorenson. “We are committed to holding criminal enterprises accountable and protecting our community from the destruction caused by drugs like methamphetamine. Illegal game rooms, like those run by Tauheluhelu, are magnets for violence and criminal activity. This outcome is the result of exceptional coordination and effort by our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.”

    “Yesterday’s sentencing reflects years of collaboration among multiple law enforcement agencies to dismantle a dangerous criminal organization,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “The FBI—in coordination with our partners across all levels of government—will continue to use every available resource to protect our communities and bring these criminal enterprises to justice.”

    “Our collective efforts send a clear and decisive message: criminal enterprises that exploit and endanger our communities should think twice, as there is zero tolerance for such actions,” said Maui Chief of Police John Pelletier. “We are deeply grateful to our federal partners—FBI Honolulu and the DEA—and to the dedicated MPD officers and personnel who worked tirelessly to bring this operation to a successful conclusion. This achievement was made possible by the unwavering commitment, shared resources, and intelligence of all the involved agencies, reaffirming our dedication to keeping our communities safe for residents and visitors.”

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

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Task Force Officers from the Maui Police Department, with assistance from the Maui Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Nammar prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Expanding the Suffolk Crime Analysis Center

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the expansion of the Suffolk Crime Analysis Center, one of 11 in the nationally recognized, one-of-a-kind network funded and supported by the State Division of Criminal Justice Services in partnership with local law enforcement agencies statewide. New York State invested nearly $1 million to triple the center’s size and double the number of professionals who respond to requests for assistance and provide investigative support that helps local law enforcement agencies solve, prevent and reduce crime. Preliminary data show 44 shooting incidents with injury reported last year by the Suffolk County, Nassau County, and Hempstead police departments, the fewest on record since 2006, when the three departments began reporting this data to the State. Meanwhile, preliminary data from January through September 2024, the most recent available, showed a 7 percent reduction in reported crime on Long Island when compared to the same nine-month period in 2023.

    “Public safety is my number one priority — and this expansion enables law enforcement to share intelligence, analysis and support to identify hotspots and crime patterns that help them work smarter,” Governor Hochul said. “The intelligence-sharing and coordination facilitated by these centers allows law enforcement agencies across the State to focus resources where they are needed most, maximizing our ability to keep New Yorkers safe.”

    Located at the Suffolk County Police Department Headquarters in Yaphank, the Suffolk Crime Analysis Center is more than triple its original size: 5,000 square feet compared to 1,700 square feet when it was first established in 2019.The Center now accommodates seating for 45, up from 16, and features a state-of-the-art, 24-foot-wide, 4.5-foot-high video wall. The Center is staffed with crime analysts and law enforcement personnel, funded by State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS); the Suffolk County Police Department; the county’s District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, Probation Department, and Child Protective Services; Nassau County Police Department; the New York City Police Department; MTA Police Department, the New York State Police; the New York Air National Guard; the State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision; and the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program.

    New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Commissioner Rossana Rosado said, “Crime analysts play a critical role in supporting law enforcement investigations. At our Crime Analysis Centers, these professionals work with local, state and federal law enforcement personnel who share their knowledge and expertise and leverage technology to access information and data that results in a more targeted, strategic approach to solving and deterring crime. I applaud the work of these dedicated public servants, commend our partners in Suffolk County and across the state for their continued collaboration and support, and thank Governor Hochul for her investment in this vital work and commitment to keeping New Yorkers safe.”

    New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said, “I applaud Governor Hochul for her continued support and for recognizing the critical role that crime analysis plays in solving and addressing the crimes that impact our neighborhoods and communities daily. Resources like the Suffolk Crime Analysis Center are imperative to collecting and sharing crucial data with our law enforcement partners so that together, we can solve crimes more quickly and prevent future incidents.”

    The Suffolk County, Nassau County, and Hempstead police departments are among the 28 police departments and other law enforcement agencies in 21 counties that receive nearly $36 million through the State’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative to reduce shootings and save lives. Those three Long Island agencies collectively reported double-digit declines in the shooting metrics GIVE agencies are required to report to the State. When comparing last year to 2023:

    • Shooting incidents with injury declined 39 percent (44 v. 72).
    • The number of individuals injured by gunfire decreased 35 percent (59 v. 91).
    • There were six fewer individuals killed by gun violence, a 38 percent decrease (10 v. 16).

    Preliminary index crime reported by police agencies on Long Island showed a 7 percent reduction from January through September 2024 vs. 2023. Violent crime (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) decreased 4 percent and property crime (burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft) declined 7 percent.

    Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, DCJS has received record-level funding for the Crime Analysis Center Network ($18 million), GIVE ($36 million), SNUG Street Outreach Program ($21 million) and Project RISE ($20 million), four key initiatives that provide funding and support to local law enforcement and community partners working to address the causes and consequences of gun violence and other crime.

    In her FY26 Executive Budget, Governor Hochul continues those investments and adds another $13 million to establish the New York State Crime Analysis and Joint Special Operations Command Headquarters. The command headquarters would be a strategic information, technical assistance and training hub for the 11 centers 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.

    Last year alone, staff at the Suffolk Center received 30,010 requests for service – nearly a quarter of the 130,928 total requests received by the network – and assisted 70 different law enforcement agencies with cases ranging from hit and run crashes to murders. An executive board of directors oversees the center, composed of officials from DCJS, the Suffolk County Police Department, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, and Shelter Island Police Department, which represents the Suffolk County Chiefs of Police Association.

    Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said, “Suffolk County’s number one priority is to keep our communities safe. As host to one of the largest intelligence centers in the state, we further our commitment to public safety through the implementation of advanced technology and allocation of necessary resources for our local law enforcement agencies to effectively investigate and deter crime.”

    Suffolk County Acting Police Commissioner Robert Waring said, “The Crime Analysis Center is a great resource that brings representatives from law enforcement agencies together in one location, allowing for easy communication and shared resources. By having the technology in this center, along with analysts identifying trends and patterns, we are furthering our mission of solving and deterring crime.”

    Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said, “The expansion of the Suffolk Crime Analysis Center (CAC) is a great step towards transparency and collaboration with all our law enforcement partners. The CAC is a vital support system for the men and women in law enforcement and who are out in the field day in and day out putting their lives on the line for the citizens of Suffolk County. Having representatives from multiple organizations in the same room sharing intelligence in real time is the key to effective policing. There is no replacement for communication, collaboration and the open flow of information between all law enforcement agencies. It is a key to success.”

    Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. said, “The expansion of the Suffolk Crime Analysis Center is a strategic investment in public safety and will further improve the effectiveness of law enforcement operations. By increasing staffing and expanding the center’s footprint, Suffolk County law enforcement agencies will be better equipped to coordinate intelligence, streamline investigations, and bring more criminals to justice. Thank you to Governor Hochul and our New York State partners for their support in ensuring Suffolk County remains at the forefront of innovation to keep our communities safe.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fifth Defendant in San Antonio Firearm Burglary Crew Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison as the final defendant in a case involving a five-man burglary crew.

    According to court documents, Victor Valenciana aka Vick, 30, and his four co-conspirators targeted and burglarized Ford pickup trucks in the parking lots of retail locations, malls and restaurants. Together they stole firearms, high-value items and occasionally the vehicles themselves. To evade law enforcement detection, the individuals would rent vehicles and use them to travel to the burglary locations. Additionally, they would steal license plates from similar-looking vehicles and install the stolen license plates on the rental vehicles. In all, the group stole and sold more than 100 firearms from vehicles in the San Antonio area between July 2021 until January 2022.

    On Oct. 5, 2022, Valenciana, Alejandro Arias, 26, Richard Hernandez aka Panek, 26, Andrew Blue Riojas, 26, and Aureliano Villareal aka AJ, 28, all from San Antonio, were charged in a 17-count indictment, which included on count of conspiracy to receive and possess stolen firearms and multiple counts of felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm. Valenciana was arrested Nov. 17, 2022 and has remained in federal custody. He pleaded guilty Aug. 14, 2024, to the conspiracy charge and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.

    “These five criminals will spend a combined 53 years in federal prison for their activity thanks to the investigative work and partnerships of our outstanding federal and local law enforcement agencies,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “I continue to ask residents to ensure that, if you must leave a firearm in your vehicle, you do so safely and properly. Thieves continue to target specific vehicles and can successfully break in and escape in a matter of seconds.”

    “This sentence serves as notice to would be offenders that ATF is committed to breaking the cycle of firearms trafficking no matter how it occurs,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael Weddel for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Houston Division. “The vast majority of firearms stolen from vehicles, end up being used as crime guns. We encourage gun owners to practice safe storage of firearms and to remember that your vehicle is not a safe. ATF will continue to leverage every resource that we have to see to it that each offender is held to account for their criminal behavior.”

    “Criminal networks that steal firearms and high-value items not only jeopardize public safety, but also fuel illegal activity across our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee for the Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Division. “These defendants were part of a poly-criminal organization that targeted vehicles to steal firearms, which were then sold and trafficked, some recovered in Mexico, posing a serious threat to public safety. This sentencing underscores HSI’s commitment to dismantling these criminal networks and protecting the American public.”

    “We sincerely thank our federal partners for their vital support in cracking down on vehicle burglars targeting firearms,” said Chief William McManus for the San Antonio Police Department. “Their collaboration is making our community safer.”

    Valenciana and his co-conspirators received a combined 639 months in federal prison. Arias was sentenced to 150 months on Jan. 16; Hernandez was sentenced to 78 months in prison Dec. 19, 2024; Riojas was sentenced to 151 months Aug. 15, 2024; and Villareal was sentenced to 140 months July 16, 2024.   

    ATF, HSI and SAPD investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Nowinski prosecuted the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Woman Charged With Discharging Firearm During Assault of United States Border Patrol Agent

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Teresa Youngblut, 21, and who is believed to be from Washington state, has been charged by criminal complaint with one count of using a deadly weapon while assaulting a United States Border Patrol agent, and one count of using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to that assault. Her initial court appearance has not yet been scheduled.

    According to the charging affidavit, during the afternoon of January 20, 2025, a United States Border Patrol agent initiated a traffic stop of a Toyota Prius on Interstate 91 in Coventry, Vermont. The car was occupied by Youngblut and a man who was a citizen of Germany and whose immigration status was in question. Youngblut and her companion had come to the attention of law enforcement a few days earlier when a hotel employee in Lyndonville expressed concern about them being dressed in tactical clothing and protective gear, while also being armed. Law enforcement also observed the couple in the Prius earlier on January 20 at a Walmart parking lot in Newport, Vermont. At that time, the German man was seen wrapping unidentifiable objects with aluminum foil while seated in the vehicle.

    According to the affidavit, during the January 20 vehicle stop, both Youngblut and her companion were armed. During the stop, Youngblut fired her handgun without warning toward at least one of the Border Patrol Agents while outside the vehicle. Her German companion also tried to draw a firearm, and at least one Border Patrol Agent fired his service weapon. The exchange of gunfire resulted in Border Patrol Agent David Maland sustaining fatal injuries. Youngblut and her companion were also shot. The German man was pronounced dead at the scene, and Youngblut was taken to the hospital for medical care.

    The investigation into this incident is ongoing. It is being led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with substantial assistance from the Vermont State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations, United States Border Patrol, the Newport, Vermont, Police Department, and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.

    Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher stated: “The events leading to this prosecution tragically demonstrate how the men and women of law enforcement regularly put their lives on the line as they try to keep our communities and our country safe. The United States Attorney’s Office is deeply grateful for those with the courage to do such dangerous work. We intend to honor them, and the memory of Border Patrol Agent Maland, by performing our prosecutorial duties so that justice may be done.” Drescher also commended the investigative collaboration demonstrated by the FBI, Vermont State Police, ATF, and the other agencies involved.

    Craig Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albany Field Office, stated: “Agent Maland bravely served his country as a member of the United States Air Force. He continued that service when he answered the call to protect and serve as a law enforcement officer, making him a shining example of service over self. This arrest proves the FBI, together with our partners, will work diligently to ensure any individual who uses a firearm to assault such a public servant will be brought to justice.”

    “The senseless and tragic killing of a United States Border Patrol agent is a stark reminder of the immense sacrifices law enforcement officers make to protect our nation,” said James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of ATF Boston Field Division. “ATF stands resolute with our partners to bring justice to the individual responsible. Our deepest condolences go out to the agent’s family, colleagues, and all who are grieving this profound loss.”

    Chief United States Border Patrol Agent Robert Garcia stated: “We appreciate all our law enforcement partners’ response to this tragic event as we continue our mission of protecting this nation’s border and ensuring public safety.”

    The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations and that Youngblut is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Youngblut faces a maximum prison sentence of life and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years if convicted of the charges in the complaint. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

    The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Lasher. Youngblut is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Iceland donates an additional CHF 200,000 to WTO Fish Fund

    Source: WTO

    Headline: Iceland donates an additional CHF 200,000 to WTO Fish Fund

    Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: “I warmly welcome Iceland’s second contribution to the WTO Fish Fund, which reflects its strong commitment to sustainable fisheries and multilateral cooperation. Building on its previous donation, this latest contribution will be instrumental in supporting developing and LDC members as they work to implement the historic Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.”
    Ambassador Einar Gunnarsson of Iceland said: “Iceland is proud to support the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism as part of our longstanding commitment to sustainable fisheries and ocean health. By contributing to this fund, we aim to assist developing and least-developed countries in implementing the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, ensuring that they have the tools and capacity to join global efforts to protect marine ecosystems. Sustainable Development Goal 14.6 reminds us that collective action is essential, and Iceland remains dedicated to playing its part in fostering sustainable and equitable use of our shared ocean resources.”
    The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies will enter into force upon its acceptance by two-thirds of WTO members. Eighty-nine WTO members have formally accepted the Agreement. Twenty-two more formal acceptances are needed for the Agreement to come into effect. Because the new Agreement will involve adjustments and enhancements to WTO members’ legislative and administrative frameworks, their transparency and notification obligations, and their fisheries management policies and practices, Article 7 of the Agreement provides for the creation of a voluntary funding mechanism to finance targeted technical assistance and capacity building to help developing and least developed country members with implementation.
    The Fund is operated by the WTO, with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the World Bank Group. These core partners bring together relevant expertise to support members seeking assistance to implement the Agreement.
    Iceland contributed CHF 500,000 to the Fish Fund in September 2023; including the most recent donation, Iceland has contributed a total of CHF 700,000 to the Fish Fund. Between 2002 and 2025, Iceland has contributed CHF 1,025,000 to various WTO technical assistance trust funds.
    More information on the fund, which became ready to accept donations on 8 November 2022, is available here.

    MIL OSI Economics –