NewzIntel.com

Category: Gun Control

  • MIL-OSI Security: Prosecutors in CDCA Charge 45 Defendants with Being Illegal Aliens in U.S. Following Removal – a 3,755% Increase from Previous Year

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LOS ANGELES – Federal prosecutors in the Central District of California this week criminally charged 45 defendants who allegedly illegally re-entered the United States following removal, bringing the total number of defendants charged with this crime since January 20 of this year to 347, a year-over-year increase of 3,755%, the Justice Department announced today.

    The defendants charged were previously convicted of felonies before they were removed from the United States, offenses that include attempted burglary and forgery.

    Since the change in administration this year, federal prosecutors in the seven-county Central District, which includes Los Angeles, have aggressively pursued criminal illegal aliens. In comparison, federal prosecutors in 2024 charged a total of nine defendants with Title 8 United States Code § 1326 – illegal re-entry following removal. In 2023, the office charged eight such defendants.

    “The government has a duty to protect its citizens,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “During the prior administration, this office abdicated its duty by effectively failing to prosecute any illegal re-entry cases. Those days are over. Criminal illegal aliens will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

    “The difference in numbers is staggering,” said United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd M. Lyons. “Since January 20, this jurisdiction has prosecuted 347 illegal aliens for reentering the United States after removal — but last year, there were only nine of these prosecutions. That’s a 3,755% increase in just over a quarter of the time. Partnerships between the U.S. Attorney’s Office, ICE, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the FBI play a critical role in ensuring that individuals who pose threats to public safety are removed from our communities.”

    The crime of being found in the United States following removal carries a base sentence of up to two years in federal prison. Defendants who were removed after being convicted of a felony face a maximum 10-year sentence and defendants removed after being convicted of an aggravated felony face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.

    The recently filed cases include the following defendants:

    • Paulino González-García, 26, of Mexico, was charged via a federal criminal complaint with being an illegal alien found in the United States after removal. González-García was removed in 2018 and has two prior state convictions in Santa Barbara County Superior Court for driving under the influence (DUI). He is in state custody and charged with a third DUI offense. Assistant United States Attorney Christina A. Marquez of the Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
    • Ricardo Cruz-García, 31, of Mexico, was charged via a federal criminal complaint with being an illegal alien found in the United States following removal. Cruz-García was removed in 2019. He has a 2018 conviction for attempted burglary and 2019 convictions in Orange County Superior Court for possession of a controlled substance, possession of unlawful paraphernalia, and forgery. Assistant United States Attorney Christina A. Marquez of the Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.

    Federal prosecutors this week also charged the following defendant:

    • José Rosales Ramírez, 27, of Mexico, was charged via a federal criminal complaint with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Ramirez was caught with possession of two firearms because of his involvement in an incident in Compton where it is alleged that he shot at a moving vehicle. Assistant United States Attorney Christina A. Marquez of the Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.

    A criminal complaint contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating these matters.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Rochester man going to prison for 15 years on gun and drug charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Shawnle McClary, 49, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, was sentenced to serve 180 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Marangola, who handled the case, stated that between 2021 and January 17, 2024, McClary conspired with Timothy Jackson, Jr. a/k/a T a/k/a T-Rock, Gary Fuller a/k/a G, Felicia Collins a/k/a Keisha and others to sell cocaine and fentanyl. McClary regularly packaged cocaine for sale, and transported quantities of cocaine and fentanyl from a stash location at residences on Forester Street to stash and/or sale locations on Angle Street in Rochester. On January 17, 2024, law enforcement searched numerous locations in Rochester utilized by members of the conspiracy as well as McClary’s Mobile Drive residence in the Town of Greece. During the searches, approximately 805 grams of cocaine, 210 grams of fentanyl, 223 grams of cocaine, $7,682 in cash, seven loaded firearms, and drug paraphernalia were seized.

    This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Billings woman man sentenced to 4 years in prison on drug and gun charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BILLINGS – A Billings woman who sold methamphetamine and provided a firearm to a juvenile was sentenced today to 4 years in prison to be followed by 4 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    Ali Sage Hausmann, 26, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and false statement during a firearm transaction.

    U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that in 2022, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated Hausmann for purchasing a gun used by a juvenile during a home invasion. On May 9, 2022, two teenagers burglarized a home in Billings and one of them possessed a Beretta pistol during the burglary. ATF learned Hausmann bought the Beretta at Scheels in Billings one day before the home invasion, which one of the juveniles confirmed during an interview with law enforcement. Approximately two weeks after the burglary, Hausmann pawned the firearm.

    As part of the investigation into the firearm purchase, ATF obtained a search warrant for Hausmann’s Facebook account and learned she was selling methamphetamine. Agents also located messages confirming she purchased the firearm for the juvenile. On December 7, 2022, law enforcement seized 6.9 grams of meth from Hausmann’s residence, along with an additional firearm from her purse. Hausmann admitted to selling methamphetamine and to purchasing the gun for the juvenile.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Patten prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the ATF and the Billings Police Department.

    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 Security: Make DC Safe Again Initiative Continues to Build Momentum

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WASHINGTON – The U.S. Attorney’s Office brought federal firearms charges against 24 defendants in the month of April —more than twice the monthly average since January 2021— and bringing the total number of firearms prosecutions under the Make D.C. Safe Again initiative to 42 since its inception, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr.                                   

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged 24 defendants with federal firearms offenses. This marks the highest number of case adoptions since before January 2021. The surge has taken more dangerous offenders off the streets. Examples of these cases include:

    1. Baltimore Man Indicted on Federal Gun Charge Following Foot Chase in Southeast
    2. Arrest in Chinatown Results in Illegal Firearm Charge
    3. Defendant Charged with Illegal Gun Possession in Superior Court Now Faces Federal Firearm Charge
    4. District Man Indicted for Illegal Firearm Possession Following Arrest in Northeast D.C.
    5. Felon Charged with Possession of Firearm Following Arrest in Southeast

    Make D.C. Safe Again is a law enforcement initiative in support of President Trump’s Executive Order to Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful. Make D.C. Safe Again aims to crack down on gun violence, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenses, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Metropolitan Police Department are investigating these cases.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Meridian Man Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Possession of a Machinegun

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Jackson, MS – A Meridian, Mississippi, man was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for possession of a machinegun.

    According to court documents, Demetriz Romelo Hopson, 25, was found by law enforcement officers in possession of a Glock 9mm handgun that had been equipped with a machinegun conversion device or “switch” while Hopson was attending a football game on the campus of Meridian High School. Hopson pleaded guilty to the charged conduct on January 8, 2025.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives made the announcement.

    The ATF investigated the case with assistance from the Meridian Schools Police Department.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Goff prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Possession of Firearm and Distribution Quantities of PCP Net Felon a 72-Month Prison Sentence

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WASHINGTON – Timothy Eugene Taylor, 36, a previously convicted felon from the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 72-months in prison for being in illegal possession of a semiautomatic pistol and distribution quantities of PCP.

    The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

    Taylor pleaded guilty on Oct. 1, 2024, to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon and unlawful possession with intent to distribute phencyclidine (PCP). In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss ordered Taylor to serve three years of supervised release.

    According to court documents, on August 11, 2023, members of the MPD’s Seventh District Crime Suppression Team were patrolling in a marked vehicle along the 300 block of Livingston Terrace, SE. The area is known to be a high-crime area, where crimes with firearms and gunshots are routinely reported. As the officers were driving, they passed Taylor and another male standing on the 4300 block of 3rd St., SE. Taylor was wearing a black satchel across his torso. One of the officers noticed a distinct L-shaped bulge protruding from the satchel.

    The officers made a U-turn to talk with him. As they pulled up, the officers noticed that Taylor had moved the satchel and turned his body to obscure their view of the bag. Officers asked Taylor if he had a gun and if he would fold his bag in half. Taylor replied, “No, I live right here” and pointed to a nearby house. Officers exited their marked car to get a better look at the satchel. Taylor immediately fled into the building. Officers followed, found Taylor standing in front of an apartment door, and cuffed him. An officer opened the satchel and found a loaded Smith and Wesson M&P 9 2.0 9mm, semiautomatic pistol with 21 rounds loaded in its extended magazine. The officer also recovered from the satchel three vials of liquid phencyclidine, commonly known as PCP. The quantity of PCP was indicative of distribution rather than personal use.

    Taylor has a previous felony conviction for illegal possession of a firearm.

    This case was investigated by the MPD’s Seventh District Crime Suppression Team and the ATF. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Helfand.

    23cr406

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Marathon County Woman Sentenced to 2 ½ Years for Conspiring to Traffic Methamphetamine

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jessica L. Colby, 29, Stratford, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 30 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. This prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Colby pleaded guilty to this charge on January 31, 2025.

    In early 2024, investigators with the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force began investigating a group of individuals who were distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine in the Marathon County area. Colby was identified as a facilitator for the group.

    Following a series of controlled purchases of methamphetamine involving other co-defendants in March and April 2024, task force officers executed a search warrant a residence that Colby shared with co-defendant Joshua Lake. Officers found approximately 2 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1 kilogram of cocaine, 2 rifles, over $24,000 in cash, drug ledgers, and other drug trafficking paraphernalia during the search.

    Further investigation revealed that between January 22, 2024, and April 15, 2024, Colby assisted in the distribution of approximately 23 kilograms of methamphetamine and 6 kilograms of cocaine. Colby assisted by picking up and delivering bulk shipments of drugs – at times on her own, as well as making payments to the cartel-connected sources of supply. In addition, Colby admitted to having her own drug customers.

    At sentencing, Judge Conley weighed the severity of Colby’s conduct, including the large quantities of drugs involved and her active role in the conspiracy, against her lack of a prior criminal record and her extraordinary conduct while on pretrial release.

    Three others were charged in connection with this drug trafficking conspiracy. Mercadys Perkins was convicted of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and sentenced to 6 years in federal prison on April 17, 2025. Dustin Brunker was convicted of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and sentenced to 7 years in federal prison on April 24, 2025. Joshua Lake has pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 4, 2025.

    The charge against Colby was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force comprised of investigators from the FBI, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, Portage County Sheriff’s Office, Mountain Bay Police Department, Wausau Police Department and Wisconsin National Guard Counter Drug Program. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force also assisted with the case. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force consists of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. The Marathon County District Attorney’s Office also assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson prosecuted this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Five Members and Associates of a Long Island-Based Drug Trafficking Organization Indicted for Narcotics Distribution

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Members of “No Budget” Allegedly Distributed Cocaine and Fentanyl Across Long Island, Perpetrated the March 2023 Killing of a Bay Shore Man and Shooting of a Potential Witness

    Earlier today, at the federal court in Central Islip, an indictment was unsealed charging five members and associates of a Long Island-based drug trafficking organization known as “No Budget” with conspiring to distribute cocaine and fentanyl since 2017.  Nicholas Andrade, Julian Hutchins, Prince Jones, Jose Lopez, and Ryan O’Malley engaged in a years’ long drug trafficking operation transporting fentanyl and 137 kilograms of cocaine across the country for distribution primarily in Long Island and Queens, New York.  Andrade, the leader of the organization, is also charged for his role in the March 9, 2023 murder of Jose Manuel Sosa in Bay Shore and the March 10, 2023 shooting in Queens of a potential witness to the murder.  The four defendants arrested today in New York were arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Steven I. Locke who ordered them detained pending trial.  Hutchins was arrested in Florida and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date.  If convicted of the charges, the defendants face up to life in prison.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, announced the arrests and charges.

    “As alleged, the defendants participated in the large-scale distribution of deadly narcotics across Long Island and committed crimes of extreme violence to maintain their drug business,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “My Office and our law enforcement partners will continue working tirelessly to eradicate the scourge of fentanyl and drug-related violence on Long Island and the related harm these dangerous drugs pose to our communities.”

    Mr. Durham expressed his appreciation to the Suffolk County Police Department, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, New York City Police Department, New York State Police, Queens District Attorney’s Office, and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for their work on the case.

    “The indictment against these individuals who ran a drug trafficking organization known as “No Budget” spared no cost at using violence to run their illicit drug distribution of cocaine and fentanyl,” stated DEA Special Agent in Charge Tarentino.  “Thanks to the hard work and determination of the DEA and our law enforcement partners, we were able to remove 137 kilos of cocaine destined for the streets of Long Island.  The DEA remains committed to protecting our communities”

    As alleged in court filings, since 2017, the defendants carried out the large scale trafficking and distribution of fentanyl and cocaine on Long Island and maintained a series of stash houses in Queens and on Long Island.  Throughout the investigation, phone records and surveillance regularly captured the defendants meeting with one another and exchanging duffle bags, luggage, or other bags in manners consistent with narcotics trafficking.  As a result of court-authorized searches, law enforcement recovered dozens of kilogram wrappers with cocaine residue, kilogram presses used to reshape narcotics, packaging materials, and quantities of fentanyl and cocaine.  On April 27, 2025, law enforcement intercepted a truck travelling from California to New York containing a shipment of 137 kilograms of cocaine destined for No Budget’s distribution operation.  In total, the investigation revealed that the defendants were responsible for the distribution of over 235 kilograms of cocaine and 20 kilograms of fentanyl. 

    In addition to Andrade’s narcotics operation, he directed several violent crimes, including the March 2023 murder of Sosa and the subsequent attempted murder of a potential witness to the murder.  Sosa’s murder was precipitated by a dispute that had escalated over the preceding months between Andrade, Sosa, and another Long Island based drug dealer.  In early March 2023, Andrade and others planned to rob Sosa’s residence.  However, on March 9, 2023, Andrade directed other members of No Budget to kill Sosa.  Later that day, when Sosa was alone in his driveway, the shooter exited a borrowed Audi and shot Sosa multiple times, killing him.  The shooter and getaway driver sped away and the two met up with Andrade.  

    The next day, in an effort to cover up No Budget’s involvement in Sosa’s murder, Andrade and the shooter developed a plan to lure John Doe-1—the owner of the Audi used in the murder—to a location in Queens and kill him.  When John Doe-1 arrived at the location, acting at Andrade’s direction, the shooter had a brief conversation with John Doe-1 in the Audi, and upon exiting the Audi, turned and fired into the vehicle, striking John Doe-1 in the head.  John Doe-1 sustained serious injuries but ultimately survived his wounds. 

    This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. 

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

    The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States  Attorneys James R. Simmons and Michael R. Maffei are in charge of the prosecution.

    The Defendants:

    NICHOLAS ANDRADE
    Age:  37
    White Plains, New York

    JULIAN HUTCHINS
    Age:  43
    White Plains, New York

    PRINCE JONES
    Age:  36
    Mineola, New York

    JOSE LOPEZ
    Age:  43
    Elmont, New York

    RYAN OMALLEY
    Age:  34
    Port Jefferson Station, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-147 (GRB)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Gun Charge Filed Against Convicted Felon

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant Charged as Part of Make D.C. Safe Again Initiative

    WASHINGTON — Antoine Gatling, 32, of the District of Columbia, was indicted yesterday in U.S. District Court, for unlawful possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a felony, as part of the “Make D.C. Safe Again” initiative. The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

    Make D.C. Safe Again is a public safety initiative led by U.S. Attorney Martin that is surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District of Columbia. This initiative was created to address gun violence in the District, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenders, and seek detention for federal firearms violators. A man convicted of robbery with a dangerous weapon in 2011was indicted yesterday on firearms and ammunition charges by a federal grand jury in Washington D.C.

    According to court documents, Gatling, who was previously convicted of robbery, was arrested in Southeast Washington D.C. on March 1, 2024, after a 911 caller requested police assistance regarding a burglary in progress at an apartment located at 4500 3rd St. SE. The caller specified that an individual wearing a black jacket, black pants, and black and white shoes was armed with a handgun and appeared to be attempting to break into a first-floor apartment within the apartment complex. Within minutes, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrived at the location, identified Gatling, who matched the description of the 9-1-1 caller and was found just outside of the location of the attempted burglary, and detained him. After conducting a protective pat-down for safety, officers felt what they believed to be a firearm in a satchel strapped across Gatling’s back, and ultimately removed a Llama Especial .380. Officers later identified a round of 9mm ammunition as well as a 9mm magazine on Gatling’s person as well.  Further investigation revealed that Gatling had been convicted of robbery with a dangerous weapon in Prince George’s County Circuit Court.  As a person who had been convicted of a criminal charge carrying a sentence of at least a year, Gatling was prohibited from possessing either the firearm or ammunition.

    The charge carries a statutory maximum of 15 years. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The case is being investigated by the MPD and the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

    The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Domestic Abuser Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a Firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Brandon Mitchell, 28, from Mason City, Iowa, pled guilty in federal court April 30, 2025, to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.  Mitchell was previously convicted twice for domestic abuse assault in the Iowa District Court for Cerro Gordo County, and as a result, was prohibited from possessing firearms. 

    At the plea hearing, Mitchell admitted having two prior convictions for misdemeanor domestic violence and being an unlawful user of marijuana.  Evidence further showed that on February 24, 2024, when Mitchell received the 9mm pistol, he was under indictment for attempted murder, intimidation with a dangerous weapon, and possession of a firearm by a domestic abuser.  Mitchell also admitted that during a search warrant at his residence he discarded the 9mm pistol out of a bedroom window in an attempt to avoid being found in possession of a firearm.   

    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.

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

    The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Iowa Division of Narcotic Enforcement, and Mason City Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.  

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

    The case file number is 24-3038.  

    Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Brooklyn-Based Gang Associate Convicted of Racketeering, Drug Trafficking, and Committing a July 2020 Shooting

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant Trafficked Narcotics in Maine and Fired Eleven Shots Near a Brooklyn Playground, Injuring Two Victims

    Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, a federal jury convicted Demetrius Johnson on all counts of an indictment charging him with racketeering, narcotics trafficking, and firing a gun in connection with those crimes.  The defendant was an associate of a Brooklyn-based gang known as the “Bully Gang,” a violent street gang that operated in and around Bedford Stuyvesant. Today’s verdict followed a two-week trial before United States District Judge Brian M. Cogan.  When sentenced, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum of twenty years in prison and a maximum sentence of life.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Bryan Miller, Special Agent-in-Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division (ATF); and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the verdict.

    “Today’s verdict holds the defendant accountable for teaming up with a dangerous criminal enterprise that—in the defendant’s own words—was known for money and violence,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “Along with other members and associates of the Brooklyn-based Bully Gang, the defendant trafficked massive quantities of deadly drugs up and down the East Coast between New York and Maine, where they were sold for substantial profit.  And when conflict arose during the drug operation, the defendant resorted to near-deadly violence, firing almost a dozen shots towards a playground and injuring two victims.  As a result of this investigation, more than 50 members and associates of the Bully Gang have been convicted for their crimes, showing that my Office and our law enforcement partners will not rest until violent criminal enterprises are fully dismantled.”

    “These convictions put an end to the reign of terror committed by this gang, shattering the myth that criminals can commit atrocious acts without consequence,” stated ATF Special Agent-in-Charge Miller.  “This is the result of a multi-year investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies spanning multiple jurisdictions.  I commend our law enforcement partners—NYPD, NYC Department of Investigations, and our law enforcement partners in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maine, and prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office—for their relentless efforts in making our communities safer.  In particular, I am proud of the men and women of ATF NY and the ATF/NYPD Joint Firearms Task Force, who fight every day to prevent violence in any form, and are committed to dismantling and disarming violent gangs that plague our streets.  ATF once again reaffirms its unwavering commitment to protecting the public from violent offenders.”

    “These convictions represent the culmination of an extensive investigation combined with a vigorous prosecution,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch.  “The stakes could not have been higher because these gang members were responsible for an assortment of despicable crimes, including murder, robbery, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and bribery. A powerful message has been sent: Our city will not tolerate such criminal activity, and the NYPD and our law enforcement partners will keep working tirelessly to identify and investigate these enterprises and bring the individuals involved to justice.” 

    Johnson was convicted of participating in the Bully Gang’s years-long narcotics trafficking scheme, in which large quantities of drugs, including cocaine base and heroin, were transported from New York and New Jersey to Maine.  There, members and associates of the gang sold the drugs out of a rotating series of stash houses.  As proven at trial, the conspiracy was responsible for trafficking thousands of kilograms of narcotics and generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.  Johnson personally sold drugs in connection with this Bully Gang racket and recruited other participants to join the scheme.  

    One of those participants was a former fellow gang member (“John Doe”), who Johnson enlisted to travel from Brooklyn to Maine to sell drugs.  In 2020, after John Doe returned from Maine, a dispute arose between the two over payment owed to John Doe in connection with the drug scheme.  On July 18, 2020, Johnson attempted to murder John Doe, who was seated on a bench at a Brooklyn playground with his one-year-old child. Johnson hit and injured both John Doe and a bystander.

    Since 2020, 53 defendants have been publicly charged with a variety of crimes in connection with this investigation.  To date, 52 of those defendants have pled guilty or been convicted at trial.  One remains a fugitive.            

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Joy Lurinsky, Victor Zapana, and Michael J. Castiglione are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Special Agent Rebecca Sidhu and NYPD Detective Brian Hilt from the Office’s Criminal Investigations Unit and Paralegal Specialists Elizabeth Reed and Amara Mayo.

    The Defendant:

    DEMETRIUS JOHNSON (also known as “Q”)
    Age:  29
    Brooklyn, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 20-CR-239 (BMC)

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  • MIL-OSI Security: South Bend Man Sentenced to 82 Months in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SOUTH BEND – Johnny Daniels, 44 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.

    Daniels was sentenced to 82 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.

    According to documents in the case, in April 2024 Daniels illegally possessed a loaded firearm while he assaulted and threatened the life of another person during the course of stealing items from a residence. Daniels’ prior convictions include numerous felony offenses, any one of which make it unlawful for him to possess the firearm in this case, including a robbery in which the victim was shot and killed.

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the South Bend Police Department and the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph P. Falvey.

    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 Economics: Déclaration d’ouverture du Président de la réunion du Comité directeur du Partenariat pour le coton

    Source: WTO

    Headline: Opening statement by the Chair of the meeting of the Steering Committee of the Partnership for Cotton

    S.E. Professeur Oramah, Président d’Afreximbank,S.E. Mme Alimatou Shadiya ASSOUMAN, Ministre du Commerce et de l’Industrie, BéninCher Eric Trachtenberg, Directeur exécutif du Comité consultatif international du coton,Cher Gunther Berger, Directeur général, ONUDIChère Mme Kanayo Awani, Vice-présidente exécutive, Commerce intra-africain et Développement des exportations, AfreximbankExcellences, distingués collègues, partenaires et parties prenantes,Mesdames et Messieurs
    Au nom de la Directrice générale de L’Organisation mondiale du commerce, Ngozi et en mon nom personnel, je vous souhaite la bienvenue à cette réunion du Comité de pilotage du Partenariat pour le Coton.
    Je vous présente toutes mes excuses de ne pouvoir être présent physiquement avec vous au Caire comme c’était initialement prévu.
    Je reste pleinement engagé dans le travail important que nous menons ensemble dans le cadre du Partenariat, et je me réjouis à l’avance des résultats de vos échanges.
    Permettez-moi de remercier chaleureusement les autorités égyptiennes et l’Afreximbank pour leur accueil et l’organisation de cette réunion importante.
    Mes remerciements s’adressent bien sur également à nos partenaires de l’ONUDI, pour leur rôle moteur dans notre partenariat, ainsi qu’à l’ensemble de ceux qui y participent — gouvernements, organisations internationales, institutions financières,  et acteurs du secteur privé — au premier rang desquels nous reconnaissons tous les pays du C4, qui en sont les inspirateurs et portent la cause de l’économie du coton depuis près d’un quart de siècle à l’OMC.  
    Pour nos discussions des deux prochains jours, notre objectif est clair : trouver les moyens de renforcer les chaînes de valeur du secteur coton–textile–habillement dans les pays du C4 «+»: le Bénin, le Burkina Faso, le Tchad, le Mali et la Côte d’Ivoire, en créant davantage de valeur ajoutée, en élargissant les opportunités commerciales, et en assurant des résultats de développement durables.
    Concrètement, il s’agira de :
    Présenter les rapports nationaux et celui régional issus des différentes consultations dans les pays du C4+ ;
    Identifier les priorités nationales ainsi que les besoins en matière d’assistance technique et de financement des investissements ;
    Échanger sur les mesures de soutien et les options de financement proposées par les institutions financières, sur la base des rapports issus des consultations nationales.
    Cette réunion du Comité de pilotage se tient à un moment charnière, au terme d’un travail collectif considérable de mise à jour de l’état des lieux de la filière coton et des enjeux de notre Partenariat. En juin 2024, le Comité de pilotage a validé les conclusions d’une étude de référence menée par l’ONUDI, avec l’appui du Centre du Commerce International. En septembre 2024, des consultations nationales se sont tenues sur cette base dans les cinq pays du C-4+. Ces consultations ont permis d’identifier les priorités du secteur coton-textile-habillement, sur lesquelles des présentations vous seront faites dans un instant.
    L’enthousiasme autour du Partenariat, la diversité des parties prenantes et institutions représentées ici aujourd’hui, les perspectives prometteuses que laissent espérer les études nationales ainsi, la mobilisation des institutions financières, montrent une dynamique tournée vers l’action.
    C’est cette dynamique que nous voulons nourrir, avec déjà, en ligne de mire, l’échéance de la prochaine conférence ministérielle de l’OMC, au printemps 2026, qui se tiendra en terre africaine, à Yaoundé, et pourrait représenter une nouvelle étape pour notre mobilisation. 
    C’est en nous plaçant dans cette perspective optimiste que j’ouvre la réunion de notre comité de pilotage. Je forme le vœu que nos échanges au cours de ces deux journées soient porteurs de résultats concrets pour l’industrialisation et la transformation locale du coton dans les pays partenaires.
    Nous pourrons rapporter ces résultats aux membres de l’OMC lors de notre prochaine discussion sur le coton, prévue le 14 mai à l’OMC, qui abordera toutes les problématiques auxquelles fait face l’industrie cotonnière dans les pays du C4 et les autres pays en développement.
    Je vous remercie de votre attention et cède à présent la parole à Son Excellence Madame Kanayo Awani, Vice-Présidente exécutive du Commerce intra-africain et du Développement des exportations à Afreximbank.
    A très bientôt à Genève.

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    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Member of Violent Gang Sentenced to Nearly Five Years in Prison for Racketeering and Firearm and Drug Trafficking Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – A Boston-area man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his role in Cameron Street, a violent Boston gang.

    Jonathan Darosa, a/k/a “Jeezy,” 32, of Boston, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to 57 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In January 2025, Darosa pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise (more commonly referred to as RICO or racketeering conspiracy); one count of being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition; one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and oxycodone; and one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

    Over the course of a two-year investigation, Darosa was identified as a member of Cameron Street. On two separate occasions, Darosa distributed cocaine and oxycodone to a cooperating witness. Additionally, in an interaction with law enforcement, Darosa threatened officers, telling them “If I had a gun on me, I would have shot at you,” “I am not going back to jail,” and “I keep it on my hip.” In April 2021 in Dorchester, law enforcement observed Darosa wearing a “waist bag” across his chest – law enforcement had recovered firearms from similar bags in the past. During a search of Darosa’s person, a Taurus 9 millimeter semi-automatic pistol containing 12 rounds of assorted 9 millimeter ammunition, including one round in the chamber, was recovered.

    According to court documents, Cameron Street is a violent gang based largely in the Dorchester section of Boston that used violence and threats of violence to preserve, protect and expand its territory, promote a climate of fear and enhance its reputation.

    Darosa has been convicted on three prior occasions of unlawful possession of a firearm, including a 2016 conviction in Suffolk Superior Court for which he served a three-year prison sentence.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Feld Division; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office; Suffolk, Plymouth, Norfolk and Bristol County District Attorney’s Offices; and the Canton, Quincy, Randolph, Somerville, Brockton, Malden, Stoughton, Rehoboth and Pawtucket (R.I.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl and Charles Dell’Anno of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.

    This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    The remaining defendants named in the indictment are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Convicted Felon to Serve 52 Months in Prison for Discharging a Firearm After Calling 911

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOISE – Santiago Prieto, 65, of Nampa, was sentenced to 52 months in federal prison for unlawful possession of a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott announced today.

    According to court records, in January 2024, paramedics responded to an emergency call from Prieto. When paramedics arrived, Prieto refused to open the door to his hotel room. Paramedics then heard two gunshots from inside the room. Law enforcement responded and heard another gunshot coming from the window of Prieto’s room. One officer saw a firearm pointed in the direction of other responding officers. Officers were eventually able to convince Prieto to exit his room unarmed. After officers arrested Prieto, he admitted to firing two shots out of the window. Inside the room, officers found a 9mm pistol, along with several shell casings

    At the time of the offense, Prieto was on parole for a felony arson conviction. Prieto was prohibited from possessing firearms due to several prior felony convictions, including aggravated battery and battery on a correctional officer. Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Prieto to serve 3 years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

    “I commend the successful efforts of the Boise Police Department to deescalate the situation and achieve Prieto’s safe surrender.” Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott stated. “This case highlights how dangerous it is for the community when violent offenders have access to firearms.”

    Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott thanked the Boise Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office for their cooperative efforts that led to the charge in this case.

    This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Manweiler, who was hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth.

    This case was 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: Sun Prairie Man Sentenced to 4 Years for Illegally Possessing Firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Curtis White III, 21, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 4 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.  White pleaded guilty to the firearm charge on February 13, 2025.

    On September 30, 2024, police in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, received a telephone call from a person who reported that White was in possession of a gun. Officers responded to the caller’s apartment complex in Fitchburg and immediately searched the area around the apartment complex for White. Officers found him a few blocks away.

    After he was arrested, White admitted that he possessed a firearm when he approached the caller’s apartment and that his fingerprints would be on the gun. White further stated that he wrapped up the firearm in a sweatshirt and falsely claimed he tossed it in the vicinity of Williamsburg Way and Whitney Way in Fitchburg.

    The following day, October 1, 2024, officers reviewed White’s jail calls and heard him provide a person with directions on where to find the firearm.  Based on his directions, officers found a loaded black Sarsilmaz 9mm handgun wrapped in a black sweatshirt in a stairwell in the basement of an apartment building in Fitchburg.

    At the time of his offense, White had previously been convicted of eight felony offenses in Dane County, including burglary and bail jumping.

    At the sentencing hearing, Judge Peterson stated that White was a very dangerous person who had displayed an “unrelenting pattern” of criminal behavior.  Judge Peterson noted that White made his situation worse by lying to officers about the firearm’s location after he was arrested and recently assaulting two inmates while in jail awaiting sentencing.  Judge Peterson concluded that a 4-year sentence was necessary to protect the public from White’s violent and unpredictable conduct.

    This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.

    The charge against White was the result of an investigation conducted by the Fitchburg Police Department. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force also assisted with the case. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force consists of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers (TFOs) from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner prosecuted the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Las Cruces Couple Charged with Evidence Tampering in Federal Investigation of Suspected Gang Member

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge and his wife are facing federal charges related to alleged evidence tampering in a case involving a suspected member of a Venezuelan criminal organization.

    According to court records, on April 24, 2025, Jose Luis “Joel” Cano, 67, and Nancy Ann Cano, 68, were arrested at their Las Cruces home following a federal investigation into their connection with Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an undocumented Venezuelan national suspected of being affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang. Federal authorities allege that the Canos hired Ortega-Lopez for home repairs and later allowed him to reside in their guesthouse.

    On February 28, 2025, Ortega-Lopez was arrested at the Cano residence and charged with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms. Investigators identified evidence, including clothing, tattoos, and social media content, which indicates Ortega-Lopez’s association with Tren de Aragua, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

    Following Ortega-Lopez’s arrest, authorities allege that Jose Cano destroyed a cellphone belonging to Ortega-Lopez by smashing it with a hammer and discarding the remains, believing it contained incriminating photos and videos. Nancy Cano is accused of conspiring to delete Ortega-Lopez’s Facebook account to eliminate evidence.

    “The allegations against Judge Dugan and Judge Cano are serious: no one, least of all a judge, should obstruct law enforcement operations,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Doing so imperils the safety of our law enforcement officers and undermines the rule of law. The Department of Justice will continue to follow the facts — no one is above the law.”

    “Sanctuary jurisdictions that shield criminal aliens endanger American communities,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This Justice Department will not stand by as local officials put politics over public safety. Reckless sanctuary city policies create a sanctuary for one class—criminals. Those days are over.”

    Jose Cano is charged with tampering with evidence, while Nancy Cano faces conspiracy to tamper with evidence. Both have been released on $10,000 bond each, are prohibited from contacting Ortega-Lopez, and must restrict tenants and guests at their properties to those who can provide proof of citizenship or legal residency.

    “Judges are responsible for upholding our country’s laws. It is beyond egregious for a former judge and his wife to engage in evidence tampering on behalf of a suspected Tren de Aragua gang member accused of illegally possessing firearms,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to dismantling this foreign terrorist organization by disrupting its criminal operations in New Mexico. That starts by prosecuting those who support gang members — including judges.”

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Jason T. Stevens, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso, made the announcement today.

    Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case with assistance from FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Y. Armijo, Randy Castellano, and Elizabeth Tonkin is prosecuting the case.

    A criminal complaint 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: Florence Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    FLORENCE, S.C. — David Antwan Johnson, 45, of Florence, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

    Evidence presented to the court showed that, on the evening of Dec. 22, 2022, a Florence County Sheriff’s deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Johnson in Florence. Johnson initially refused to stop but eventually stopped in a yard and ran from the car. During the chase, Johnson changed from running away from law enforcement to running toward law enforcement with a hand in his pocket. As law enforcement worked to detain Johnson, a loaded.357 firearm fell from Johnson’s jacket. Johnson later admitted to possessing the gun.

    In addition to the firearm, law enforcement found various drugs at the scene. A marijuana blunt was found near where Johnson had been apprehended, and a bag with approximately 26 grams of marijuana was found on the path Johnson had run during the foot chase. Johnson admitted there was likely cocaine and crack cocaine in his vehicle. Law enforcement searched the vehicle and found nearly 4 grams of crack cocaine and nearly 7 grams of cocaine, split among more than 30 baggies.  

    United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III, sentenced Johnson to 60 months of imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system.

    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 Florence County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Flynn is prosecuting the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Orleans Parish Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking and Carrying a Firearm During Drug Trafficking Offense

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that DEVIN HILLIARD, age 49, of New Orleans, was sentenced on April 24, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon, for selling drugs and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.

    According to court documents, DEVIN HILLIARD was engaged in drug trafficking in the New Orleans area and was apprehended carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.

    The defendant was sentenced to sixty-six (66) months of imprisonment followed by five (5) years of supervised release.  The defendant was also ordered to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of three hundred dollars.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorney Richard R. Pickens, II of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of 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.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lake County Convicted Felon Facing Up To 15 Years In Federal Prison For Illegally Possessing A Firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Gregory Coleman III (28, Leesburg) has been arrested on an indictment charging him with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. If convicted, Coleman faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. 

    According to the court records, Coleman has been convicted of four state felonies, including aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting law enforcement with violence, fleeing or attempting to elude, and possession of cocaine.  Following these convictions, on November 4, 2023, Coleman sold a firearm to a confidential source who was working with federal law enforcement. Coleman told the source that he had more firearms, but he wanted to keep them for himself. As a convicted felon, Coleman is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Eustis Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Jacksonville Men Indicted For Their Alleged Roles In A Series Of Armed Robberies Across Florida

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Nathaniel Cox (34, Jacksonville) and Ahli Fields (33, Jacksonville) for their respective roles in a series of armed robberies and attempted robberies from commercial business locations throughout the Middle District of Florida. If convicted on all counts, each faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. Cox, who has a prior conviction for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence in 2015, faces a minimum penalty of 75 years’ imprisonment. Fields faces a minimum penalty of 7 years in federal prison.

    According to the indictment, on June 9, 2020, Cox and Fields conspired to commit and committed an armed robbery of a grocery store in Ormond Beach, during which they brandished a firearm. A few months later, Cox committed two additional robberies and brandished a firearm on each occasion. During the same timeframe, Cox attempted three additional robberies. Cox is also charged with possessing ammunition as a convicted felon on two occasions in September 2020. As a convicted felon, Cox is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. 

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the Ormond Beach Police Department, the Titusville Police Department, the Palmetto Police Department, and the Ocala Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How can Mark Carney reduce violent crime in Canada? Through prevention and youth outreach

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jeffrey Bradley, Ph.D. Candidate, Legal Studies, Carleton University

    Newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney and the governing federal Liberals must work to reverse the trends in rising violent crime. Canada needs a federal minister with clear responsibility for the prevention of violent crime, supported by a deputy minister with no other responsibilities than stopping violence before it happens.

    The evidence and successes in other countries suggest this approach could reduce violent and serious crime by 50 per cent in the next five years.

    Canadian homicide rates have increased by 50 per cent in the past 10 years, returning to levels from the early 2000s. Black and Indigenous Canadians are victimized at rates several times higher than the national rate. Intimate partner and sexual violence are at epidemic levels, with one in three women experiencing some form in their lifetime.

    Recent federal and provincial election campaigns left the impression that spending more on prisons and policing is enough to stop violent and serious crime.

    But if long prison sentences reduced violent crime, then American cities would be the safest in the world — they are not. If higher police salaries resulted in less violence in Canada, then Edmonton and Winnipeg would be Canada’s safest cities — they are not.



    Read more:
    Two years after the defund the police movement, police budgets increase across Canada

    How to truly reduce violent crime

    Current crime-fighting proposals lack concrete, evidence-based actions and proven public health strategies that are known to significantly and cost-effectively reduce violent crime.

    Over the last 50 years, research in Canada and internationally has identified a short list of programs proven to reduce violent crime by as much as 50 per cent within three years.

    These initiatives are promoted by prestigious organizations such as the World Health Organization and the United Kingdom’s Youth Endowment Fund. The non-partisan Washington State Institute for Public Policy has also demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of many of these programs compared to the dominant systems of policing and incarceration. These initiatives include:

    • Community violence interveners who build trust with the young men most involved in violence and help them go back to school, get job training and gain control over the emotions that lead to senseless violence.

    • Stop Now and Plan, developed in Toronto, reaches young men as they enter adolescence to problem-solve instead of resorting to violence.

    • The Black-led Youth Association for Academics, Athletics, and Character Education puts this science to work to tackle the high rates of deaths and injuries involving young Black men.

    • Participation in courses that prevent sexual violence by shifting societal norms about consent and encouraging students to take action as bystanders.

    The scene in the U.K. and the U.S.

    Public health strategies that diagnose the risk factors that contribute to crime and implement effective solutions have cut crime in half in other countries.

    In the 2000s, the Scottish city of Glasgow established a small violence reduction unit and organized community outreach to young men most involved in a violent lifestyle. The results were a 50 per cent reduction within three years.

    By 2020, the U.K. replicated the violence reduction unit model across more than half the country, where independent evaluations have demonstrated a 25 per cent reduction in violent crime in areas with a unit. While some areas are still facing problems with youth violence, experts point to multi-agency work as most effective when partners prioritized youth violence.

    Not satisfied with this rate of progress, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised in 2024 to halve knife crime in 10 years in addition to dramatically reducing the rates of violence against women in the same time period.

    In 2023 in the United States, Joe Biden’s administration established the White House Office on Gun Violence Prevention and provided funding for cities to implement proven solutions, including community violence interveners.

    Stakeholders said these efforts were helping to reduce homicides. After Donald Trump’s administration shuttered the office earlier this year, a Democratic senator tabled a bill to establish it permanently.

    The mayor of Boston based her public health strategy on convening citywide departments, community organizations and experts in violence prevention. By increasing outreach workers and teaching problem-solving skills, Mayor Michelle Wu promised to reduce violence by 20 per cent within three years — only to overachieve by cutting it by 50 per cent in two years

    What Canadian officials should do

    The Ontario Police Act calls for public health strategies called community safety and well-being plans to tackle the risk factors that contribute to crime and monitor results.

    When she was elected in 2023, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow called for strategies to combat gun violence and violence against women. She called for “a scientific public health approach, like the one exemplified by Glasgow’s efforts to address violence as a public health issue (that) has proven effective in reducing violence.”

    Chow emphasized targeted interventions and monitoring results. But her funding has not yet followed the vision. In 2025, only $5 million was earmarked for prevention efforts, while $48 million was needed for more police and emergency services to respond to the increase in violence in Toronto.

    No Canadian officials are doing the smart planning or making the affordable and smart investments to reduce violent and serious crime significantly.

    Carney can and should lead by example. The federal government can invest in stopping violence before it happens by:

    • Developing the human capacity nationally for smart community safety planning;

    • Establishing a knowledge centre on violence prevention;

    • Shifting from its current funding model of short-term projects to partnering with the provinces via sustained and adequate funding of effective violence prevention programs.

    Prevention saves money

    Parliamentary committees have recommended an annual investment equivalent to five per cent of spending on police and corrections, or about $400 million federally, and $900 million from other orders of government.

    Research, results and best practices make clear that a 25 per cent reduction in violent and serious crime could be achieved within five years, and a 50 per cent reduction in a decade.

    That would mean 200 fewer lives lost and more than 500,000 fewer victims of violence in the next five years, and significantly less money — as much as $1.5 billion — spent annually on police and prisons.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. How can Mark Carney reduce violent crime in Canada? Through prevention and youth outreach – https://theconversation.com/how-can-mark-carney-reduce-violent-crime-in-canada-through-prevention-and-youth-outreach-254978

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Convicted Robber Indicted on Gun Charge

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant Charged as Part of Make D.C. Safe Again Initiative

    WASHINGTON — Ricky Howard, 28, of the District of Columbia, was indicted yesterday in U.S. District Court, for unlawful possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a felony, as part of the “Make D.C. Safe Again” initiative. The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

    Make D.C. Safe Again is a public safety initiative led by U.S. Attorney Martin that is surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District of Columbia. This initiative was created to address gun violence in the District, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenders, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.

    Howard, who was convicted of robbery with a dangerous weapon in 2013, was arrested on June 10, 2024, after a 911 call requested police assistance in a domestic dispute in Northeast Washington D.C. When Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers arrived, they observed Howard carrying a rifle in his hands. Howard, however, entered his residence with the rifle before the officers could investigate. When he exited the residence a few minutes later, Howard walked to a black Jeep that was registered to his wife, opened the passenger side door, and walked toward the front passenger’s side of the Jeep. Officers investigated the area and discovered a black firearm underneath the Jeep near the front passenger’s side tire. Howard’s DNA was found on the firearm. As a person who had been convicted of a criminal charge carrying a sentence of at least a year, Howard was prohibited from possessing a firearm. Further investigation revealed that Howard had been convicted of robbery with a dangerous weapon in Circuit Court for Prince George’s Court, as well as threatening or intimidating a witness. Both charges carry a potential sentence of at least a year of incarceration.

    This case is being investigated by the MPD and the ATF Washington Field Division.

    The case is being prosecuted by the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Elizabeth Man Sentenced to 15 Years’ Imprisonment for Spree of Armed Robberies

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TRENTON, N.J. – An Elizabeth, New Jersey man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for committing a series of three armed robberies, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

    Dayshawn Brimfield, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi to a five-count Information, charging him with one count of bank robbery, two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle. Judge Quraishi imposed sentence in Trenton federal court.

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

    On April 2, 2021, Brimfield robbed a bank in Hazlet, New Jersey. Brimfield entered the bank and handed a teller a note, which stated, among other things “This is a Robbery I have a Gun I will Kill Someone if you do not follow these instructions.” On April 17, 2021, Brimfield stole a motor vehicle in Elizabeth, New Jersey, which he used as the getaway car in his later robberies. On April 20, 2021, Brimfield robbed a convenience store in Aberdeen, New Jersey. Brimfield entered the store and displayed the handgun that he was carrying to the cashier before taking money from the store’s register and fleeing the scene. On April 20, 2021, Brimfield robbed another convenience store in South Plainfield, New Jersey. Brimfield entered the store and pointed a handgun at the cashier. Brimfield took the cashier’s wallet and cellular phone before emptying the store’s registers and fleeing the scene. Brimfield fled New Jersey in the stolen vehicle, but was ultimately apprehended by law enforcement in Lancaster County, Nebraska. Brimfield led officers on a brief, high-speed chase before crashing into a fence on the side of the highway.

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Quraishi sentenced Brimfield to 5 years of supervised release and ordered restitution to the victims of Brimfield’s offenses.

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI, Newark Division, Red Bank Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly; detectives of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago; as well as officers of the Hazlet Police Department, under the direction of Chief Robert Mulligan; the South Plainfield Police Department, under the direction of Chief Peter J. Papa; and the Nebraska State Patrol with the investigations leading to this sentencing.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Ramey of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton.

                                                               ###

    Defense Counsel:        Teri S. Lodge, Esq. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: .50 caliber straw purchaser convicted in relation to firearms destined for Mexico

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

    HOUSTON – A federal jury has convicted a 49-year-old Houston man of making a false statement in the purchase of firearms and purchasing firearms knowing they were to be exported to Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    The jury deliberated for less than 20 minutes before finding John Castellano guilty following a three-day trial. 

    On or about Dec. 16, 2019, Castellano lied to a federal firearms licensed dealer. He falsely claimed he was purchasing two Barrett .50 caliber rifles for himself, each valued at approximately $8,000 each. In reality, they were intended for others and ultimately destined for Mexico.

    The jury heard evidence that Castellano purchased the rifles with approximately $17,000 in cash from Jacinto Zuniga.

    Evidence revealed Castellano had picked up the firearms from a federal firearms licensed dealer with a friend and previously convicted felon.

    The jury also heard he was attempting to obtain additional Barrett .50 caliber rifles before authorities’ interdiction.

    Experts provided testimony regarding the regulations and various licensing requirements necessary for exporting firearms to Mexico. The jury also had the opportunity to view the Barrett .50-caliber rifles Castellano had straw purchased.

    The defense attempted to convince the jury that the accusations were false and that he was wrongfully accused. Castellano took the stand and told the jury the incriminating text messages between him and the codefendant were lies, and that he was just making up a fictional story.  

    They did not believe those claims and found Castellano guilty as charged.

    U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein presided over the trial and set sentencing for July 25. At that time, Castellano faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

    Castellano was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

    Zuniga, 44, Houston, previously pleaded guilty for his role in the scheme.  

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with the assistance of Houston Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations and Department of State. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Smith and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Stotts are prosecuting the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Kaine, Colleagues Reintroduce Assault Weapons Ban

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP), (both D-VA) and 40 of their congressional colleagues reintroduced the bicameral Assault Weapons Ban of 2025, legislation that would revive the 1994 nationwide ban on assault weapons two decades after the original ban expired in 2004. This legislation would ban the sale, transfer, manufacture, and import of military-style assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and other high-capacity ammunition feeding devices that have repeatedly been used in mass shootings across the nation.
    “Gun violence continues to rock communities across the country over and over without meaningful intervention from lawmakers,” said Warner. “It’s time that we step up and once again put in place this commonsense safeguard to better protect Virginians from these weapons of war.”
    “Everyone in America should be able to live free from the fear of injury or death caused by a firearm,” said Kaine. “I’m proud to reintroduce this commonsense gun safety legislation that will once again put in place this essential safeguard to make Virginia and our nation a safer place for all, and I’ll keep pushing for additional legislation to make our communities safer from gun violence.”
    While the 1994 ban was in place, the United States saw gun massacres decline by 37% and mass shooting fatalities were 70% less likely. When the ban expired, deaths in a gun massacre rose 239%. A ban on assault-style weapons is widely supported by Americans. 
    In addition to Senators Warner and Kaine, the bill is led by U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) and co-sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
    Congresswoman Lucy McBath (D-GA-06) is leading the bill’s reintroduction in the U.S. House of Representatives. 
    The bill has been endorsed by Brady: United Against Gun Violence, GIFFORDS, Newtown Action Alliance, Everytown for Gun Safety, March for Our Lives, Sandy Hook Promise, and the National Parent Teacher Association. 
    Warner and Kaine have long supported gun violence protection measures. Earlier this month, Kaine introduced the Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act and the bipartisan Banning Unlawful Machinegun Parts (BUMP) Act, two pieces of legislation that will help protect communities from gun violence by limiting large capacity ammunition feeding devices and prohibiting the sale of bump stocks, devices that are used to turn semiautomatic weapons into machine guns by increasing their rate of fire. Warner and Kaine have championed the Virginia Plan to Reduce Gun Violence Act, legislation to federally enact a series of commonsense gun violence prevention measures adopted by Virginia since 2020, including provisions to mandate reporting of lost and stolen firearms, prevent children from accessing firearms, and implement a one-handgun-a-month policy.
    Full text of the bill is available here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: APRA funds consultation and support

    Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

    Superannuation system consultation

    Industry consultation

    We’re committed to conducting consultation with the community to effectively manage and shape the tax, superannuation and registry systems.

    You can find details of matters under consultation for superannuation including who to contact.

    The superannuation system consultation framework includes arrangements and processes specifically for raising superannuation issues. Our consultation arrangements are organised into:

    Within these links you will find listed the current groups related to superannuation.

    You can also access the monthly ATO consultation report which describes the ATO consultation activities including advice and guidance products and legislative instruments released for comment.

    Cross-agency forum for innovative retirement income stream products

    The cross-agency process allows product providers to raise topics or issues arising from innovative retirement income stream products with the government agencies that regulate these products and the entities that provide them.

    Please see Cross agency process for innovative retirement income stream products for detailed information on this subject.

    Funds and insurance entities can email the co-ordinator at retirementincomestreams@ato.gov.au.

    Legal and technical support

    Find law, interpretations and policy that the ATO uses when making decisions on our ATO Legal database.

    Access guidance specifically for legal and Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (SISA) regulatory issues:

    Find guidance on superannuation measures at New legislation.

    Law interpretation enquiries

    For advice on the application of the law to a specific individual or group of taxpayers or clients lodge an enquiry using the Online services for businessExternal Link.

    Subscribe to news and updates

    Read the latest updates on tax, super and registry services for APRA-regulated superannuation funds at Super funds newsroom. Information on historical Client Relationship Team (CRT) alerts can also be found there.

    Subscribe to ATO newsletters and alertsExternal Link to receive:

    • Super CRT Alerts for APRA funds
    • Super funds newsletter for APRA funds.

    Subscribe to:

    • RSS newsfeeds to receive updates on topics you’re interested in
    • Email subscriptions to receive updates on topics you’re interested in at a frequency of your choosing.

    Online learning and webinars

    Super – ato tvExternal Link offers on demand videos and webinar recordings on relevant topics including:

    • member account transaction service – baseline design
    • understanding Excess transfer balance determination
    • indexation of the transfer balance cap
    • unclaimed money, lost member and in-active low balance account reporting obligations
    • event-based reporting for APRA funds.

    Publications

    Most PDF copies of our publications can be downloaded off our site.

    If you require printed materials to be sent to you (or PDFs emailed to you) please visit Order ATO publications.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI: Apollo Closes on $8.5 Billion for Accord+ Strategy, including $4.8 Billion for Second Vintage Fund

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, May 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apollo (NYSE: APO) today announced it has closed on $8.5 billion in total commitments for the Accord+ strategy, inclusive of $4.8 billion for Accord+ Fund II (“the Fund”) as well as separately managed accounts and related structures. The successful close of the second vintage exceeds internal targets and brings total assets for Apollo’s hybrid credit business to approximately $40 billion.

    Accord+ II employs an opportunistic strategy focusing on high-conviction investments across the credit spectrum. The Fund is expected to tactically allocate to high quality, top of the capital structure investments across both private corporate credit and asset-backed finance as well as secondary opportunities as informed by prevailing market conditions.

    “As rates stay higher-for-longer and volatility impacts capital flows, we see an attractive market for opportunistic credit investments, alongside our highest-conviction themes,” said Chris Lahoud, Partner and Head of Opportunistic Credit at Apollo. “We believe our scaled, integrated Credit platform positions us well to execute with speed and certainty in all market environments, including periods of dislocation.”

    John Zito, Co-President of Apollo Asset Management and Head of Credit, added, “We are pleased to see strong investor demand for the latest vintage of our Accord+ series, which we view as a result of our investment acumen, alignment and the market opportunity at hand. Accord+ is also a great illustration of our focus on product innovation, building upon the original Accord dislocation strategy to respond to investor needs and deploy capital to many of our best ideas throughout market cycles.”

    The Accord+ II close reflects broad support from a global and diverse group of investors including pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions and family offices. Apollo intends to continue building its Accord strategy family within its hybrid business, including future funds and bespoke credit solutions tailored to institutional and wealth clients.

    Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP represented Apollo in connection with the closing of the Accord+ II Fund.

    About Apollo
    Apollo is a global, high-growth alternative asset manager. In its asset management business, Apollo seeks to provide clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade to private equity, with a focus on three core strategies: yield, hybrid, and equity. For more than three decades, Apollo’s investing expertise across its fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, Apollo’s retirement services business, it specializes in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Apollo’s patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns its clients, the businesses it invests in, its team members, and the communities it impacts to expand opportunity and drive positive outcomes. As of December 31, 2024, Apollo had approximately $751 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.

    Apollo Contacts
    Noah Gunn
    Global Head of Investor Relations
    Apollo Global Management, Inc.
    (212) 822-0540
    IR@apollo.com

    Joanna Rose
    Global Head of Corporate Communications
    Apollo Global Management, Inc.
    (212) 822-0491
    Communications@apollo.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Guns in America: A liberal gun-owning sociologist offers 5 observations to understand America’s culture of firearms

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By David Yamane, Professor of Sociology, Wake Forest University

    About 86 million American adults own at least one of the estimated 400 million firearms in the U.S. today. Paul Campbell, iStock / Getty Images Plus

    An Asian American and lifelong liberal from the San Francisco Bay Area, I became a first-time gun owner as a 42-year-old in 2011. I began a now 14-year journey into an unfamiliar and complex world of firearms. In my work, I draw on both my personal experiences and sociological observations to understand the long-standing presence of a robust legal gun culture in America.

    In contrast to the dominant scholarly approaches, which focus on gun deviance and harm, I find there is more to firearms than criminal violence, injury and death; more to gun owners than straight white men; and more to gun culture than democracy-destroying right-wing politics.

    Let me share five observations essential to understanding guns in America:

    1. Guns are normal

    About 86 million American adults – 1 in 3 – own at least one of the estimated 400 million firearms in the U.S. today.

    Imagine if everyone who uses TikTok in the U.S. owned a gun – and then add the population of New York City. That is enough gun owners to fill over 1,000 NFL stadiums.

    Humans have used projectile weapons like rocks and spears from the beginning. This unbroken history continues in every society, with firearms as the weapon of choice in all but the most isolated communities. People who could legally own guns in colonial America commonly did so. Even today, civilian firearms ownership remains exceptionally high in the U.S. compared with other industrialized nations.

    The right of everyday Americans to own guns is a deep part of American culture, enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and many state constitutions.

    2. Gun culture 2.0

    The culture of guns in the U.S. has evolved over time.

    Before the mid-1800s, people primarily used firearms for practical purposes: hunting for food, defense from and offense against indigenous populations, controlling enslaved people, expanding territory and fighting against oppressive rulers.

    Kevin Dixie, at a firearms retailer and gun range in Ballwin, Mo., believes that gun rights are about empowering minority communities and ensuring freedom for every American.
    AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

    Starting in the mid-1800s, Americans developed a more complex gun culture that included recreational hunting, organized target shooting and gun collecting. These elements continue today, but, in a shift, Americans increasingly own guns for self-defense.

    Evidence for the evolution to what I call “Gun Culture 2.0” appears in three key areas: surveys about why people own guns, the loosening of gun-carrying laws beginning in the 1980s, and changes in both the types of firearms sold and how companies market them, especially toward small, concealable pistols.

    3. Gun ownership is diverse

    Black Americans have a particularly strong tradition of gun ownership dating at least to the 19th-century abolitionist movement.

    Today, 1 in 4 Black Americans, as well as 1 in 5 Latinos and 1 in 4 women, personally own a gun. Twenty percent of gun owners consider themselves politically liberal. For every four evangelical Protestants who own handguns, three people who don’t identify with any religion own them too. Scholars are even beginning to discover the importance of LGBTQ+ gun owners.

    Gun Culture 2.0 is more diverse and inclusive than the United States’ historical gun culture because security is a universal human concern.

    The response to feelings of insecurity varies. Portfolios of protective measures in the U.S. include home security systems, dogs, the hyperlocal social networking service Nextdoor, gated communities and firearms.

    4. Guns are lethal tools

    Many tools like knives and chainsaws are lethal, meaning they have the capacity to cause death. Guns differ because their lethality is by design. Consequently, guns can make dangerous situations more deadly.

    Despite their ubiquity and deadly potential, accidental firearm deaths are relatively rare and declining in the U.S., numbering fewer than 500 annually in recent years. Most gun deaths are intentional, with suicides accounting for 58% and homicides for 38% of 46,728 gun deaths in 2023.

    While the U.S. has a moderate overall suicide rate compared with other developed countries, it has a firearm suicide rate that substantially exceeds these other nations. This is because firearms are widely available and highly lethal. When people attempt suicide using guns, they die in up to 90% of cases.

    Similarly, although the U.S. is not exceedingly violent or criminal compared with peer nations, its criminal violence is more deadly because these lethal tools are more frequently involved.

    Starting in the mid-1800s, Americans developed a more complex gun culture that included recreational hunting, as depicted in this 1852 lithograph of woodcock hunters.
    Universal History Archive/Getty Images

    5. Guns are paradoxical

    Despite high rates of firearm suicide and homicide, most guns in the U.S. will not kill anyone, and most American gun owners will not commit violence against themselves or others. My calculations, based on the 2023 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, indicate that just one gun death occurred per 8,560 firearms and 1,840 gun owners – meaning at least 99.99% of guns and 99.95% of gun owners were not directly involved in fatalities that year.

    These observations collectively point to a final insight: Guns resist simple categorization and embody multiple paradoxes.

    To different people, they are fun and frightening, dangerous and protective, diffuse and concentrated, unifying and divisive, attractive and repulsive, interesting and controversial, useful and useless, good and bad, and neither good nor bad.

    This is to say, guns are not inherently anything. They take on different meanings according to the various purposes to which people put them.

    A realistic view requires maintaining a clear-eyed understanding of the lethal capabilities of firearms. But the tendency to focus exclusively on firearms-related harms, while understandable, becomes a problem, in my view, when it fails to acknowledge the normality of guns and the diversity of gun owners.

    David Yamane has received funding from The Louisville Institute for the Study of American Religion to study church security. He is a member of the Liberal Gun Club, National African American Gun Association, and National Rifle Association, and financially supports the Liberal Gun Owners 501c4 and Walk the Walk America 501c3 organizations.

    – ref. Guns in America: A liberal gun-owning sociologist offers 5 observations to understand America’s culture of firearms – https://theconversation.com/guns-in-america-a-liberal-gun-owning-sociologist-offers-5-observations-to-understand-americas-culture-of-firearms-251084

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Apollo Closes its Debut Secondaries Fund at $5.4 Billion, Exceeding Target

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, May 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apollo (NYSE: APO) today announced the final close of Apollo S3 Equity and Hybrid Solutions Fund I (“ASEHS” or the “Fund”), the flagship equity secondaries drawdown strategy of Apollo’s Sponsor and Secondary Solutions (S3) platform, with approximately $5.4 billion in commitments. The final closing exceeded the target, reflecting strong support from a diverse group of global investors including pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions and the Wealth segment. The new fund brings total capital raised across the Apollo S3 platform to nearly $10 billion since launching in August 2022.

    S3 and ASEHS seek to provide a holistic set of financing and liquidity solutions, including secondary investments, net asset value (NAV) loans, GP lending, staking and more, for private markets sponsors and investors across asset classes, leveraging Apollo’s expertise in private markets and global, integrated platform. Following record levels of secondary transaction activity in 2024, Apollo believes the Fund is well positioned to continue to address significant market needs for dynamic liquidity solutions for GPs and LPs while providing strong alignment with investors.

    Co-Heads of Apollo S3 Steve Lessar, Veena Isaac and Konnin Tam said, “We believe this successful fundraise solidifies S3 as a leading investment platform providing flexible capital solutions across the secondaries landscape. The strong support that we received from our global investors reflects our differentiated platform and strategy, our disciplined, partnership-oriented approach, as well as the vast and growing opportunity set in private market secondaries.”

    Apollo Co-President Scott Kleinman said, “We have made incredible progress since launching our S3 business unit less than three years ago, efficiently scaling a new business line in a high-growth market. The provision of liquidity solutions in a variety of formats to both sponsors and LP investors is an increasingly important part of the financial ecosystem, and we believe the S3 platform is positioned as a creative capital solutions provider of choice amid robust market demand.”

    Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP represented Apollo in connection with the closing of ASEHS.

    About Apollo

    Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade credit to private equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of December 31, 2024, Apollo had approximately $751 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.

    About Apollo S3

    S3 is Apollo’s Sponsor & Secondary Solutions business. S3 provides flexible capital solutions to asset managers and limited partners across the risk-reward spectrum. S3 is a natural extension of Apollo’s global investment platform, offering partner-oriented capital across asset classes including private equity, private credit, infrastructure and real estate. To learn more about S3, please visit http://www.apollos3.com/.

    Contacts

    Noah Gunn

    Global Head of Investor Relations

    Apollo Global Management, Inc.

    212-822-0540

    ir@apollo.com

    Joanna Rose

    Global Head of Corporate Communications

    Apollo Global Management, Inc.

    212-822-0491

    communications@apollo.com

    The MIL Network –