NewzIntel.com

Category: Gun Control

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fresno County Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    FRESNO, Calif. — Lakota Tehya Wakley, 21, of Clovis, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to court documents, between Nov. 18, 2024, and Dec. 9, 2024, Wakley conspired with Austin Lloyd Kerns, 53, of Fresno, and others to distribute fentanyl. The investigation began after a fentanyl‑overdose death in Fresno. On Nov. 23, 2024, Wakley connected the overdose victim with Kerns to buy fentanyl pills. Over the next 48 hours, the victim bought fentanyl pills multiple times from Kerns and died soon after of a fentanyl overdose. Wakley received fees for connecting the victim with Kerns.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Fentanyl Overdose Resolution Team (FORT), a multi-agency team composed of Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Fresno and Clovis Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Calvin Lee and Arin C. Heinz are prosecuting the case.

    Charges are pending against Kerns. He is scheduled for a status conference on March 26, 2025, before Magistrate Judge Barbara A. McAuliffe. The charges are only allegations; Kerns is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    Wakley is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff on June 23, 2025. Wakley faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

    This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.), a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. In July 2018, the Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fresno Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for a Series of Vehicle Pipe-Bombings

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    FRESNO, Calif. — Paul New, 57, of Fresno, was sentenced today to three years in prison for conspiracy to destroy property and malicious destruction by means of an explosive device, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to court documents, between November 2022 and February 2023, New committed a series of pipe-bombings on unoccupied vehicles and property in Fresno. The bombings damaged vehicles belonging to two auto-related businesses on Clinton Avenue. On Feb. 19, 2023, a bomb heavily damaged a vehicle used by a home health care business on Fallbrook Avenue.

    On October 9, 2024, co-defendant Scott Eric Anderson was sentenced to three years in prison.

    This case was the product of an investigation by the Fresno Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael G. Tierney prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Helena man admits unlawful possession of firearm in school zone

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HELENA — A Helena man accused of carrying a firearm on the campus of the Jim Darcy Elementary School in Helena admitted to a firearm charge today, Acting U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Racicot said.

    The defendant, Bryant Nicholas Espinoza, 37, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm in a school zone. Espinoza faces a maximum of five years in prison, consecutive to any other count of conviction, a $100,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for June 9. Espinoza was released pending further proceedings.

    The government alleged in court documents that on Feb. 7, 2024, the principal of Jim Darcy Elementary School contacted the Lewis and Clark Sheriff’s Office and advised the responding deputy that a staff member had notified her that the day prior, the parent of a student was on campus and was carrying a firearm. The staff member observed Espinoza standing in front of the school with a small dog. The staffer approached to assist Espinoza, and he informed the staffer he was there to pick up his daughter, who was a student. During the conversation, the staffer observed Espinoza was carrying a firearm. The staffer identified Espinoza in a photo, and   surveillance video showed Espinoza on school property with a small dog and what appeared to be a pistol in a holster on his hip. On April 9, 2024, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the sheriff’s office executed a federal search warrant at Espinoza’s residence and seized a 9mm pistol, two rifles and ammunition. In an interview, Espinoza identified himself in still photos taken from the surveillance video and said that the item on his hip looked like a firearm. Espinoza told agents where the pistol was located at his residence. Agents asked if there was a reason he had the gun at the school, and Espinoza responded that Montana was an “open carry state.”

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

    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.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Barrasso, Lummis Join Colleagues in Urging ATF to Rescind Biden’s Anti-2A Rules

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming John Barrasso

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso, Senate Majority Whip, and U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis, both R-Wyo., joined U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) and their Republican colleagues in sending a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) urging the agency to align with President Trump’s Second Amendment priorities laid out in his recent Executive Order.

    The letter also urged ATF Deputy Director Marvin Richardson to identify and rescind former President Biden’s unlawful firearm regulations, including the “Engaged in the Business” rule, pistol brace rule, so-called “ghost gun” rule, and “zero tolerance” policy under which ATF has revoked the licenses of federal firearm licensees (FFLs) over minor bookkeeping violations.

    “On Friday, February 7, 2025, President Donald J. Trump took decisive action to reaffirm law-abiding Americans’ Second Amendment rights in issuing his Executive Order, Protecting Second Amendment Rights. We urge you to immediately align ATF’s rules and policies with the President’s strong support for the Second Amendment,” the senators wrote.

    “Under former President Joe Biden, ATF adopted numerous policies and rules that infringed upon Americans’ Second Amendment protections. President Trump’s Executive Order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to review and develop a plan of action regarding President Biden’s unlawful firearms regulations. We ask that you work with the Attorney General to quickly identify and rescind these policies.”

    Co-signers of this letter include Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), James Lankford (R-Okla.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.).

    Full text of the letter can be found here.

    Dear Deputy Director Richardson:

    Thank you for your service in leading the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) during the presidential transition. On Friday, February 7, 2025, President Donald J. Trump took decisive action to reaffirm law-abiding Americans’ Second Amendment rights in issuing his Executive Order, Protecting Second Amendment Rights. We urge you to immediately align ATF’s rules and policies with the President’s strong support for the Second Amendment.

    Under former President Joe Biden, ATF adopted numerous policies and rules that infringed upon Americans’ Second Amendment protections. President Trump’s Executive Order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to review and develop a plan of action regarding President Biden’s unlawful firearms regulations. We ask that you work with the Attorney General to quickly identify and rescind these policies. In particular, we call your attention to the following anti-Second Amendment regulations and policies, which must be immediately rescinded:

    • The engaged in the business rule, which is an unconstitutional attempt to move ATF to do all it can to impose universal background checks on law-abiding Americans. ATF has been enjoined, at least temporarily, from enforcing the rule because it violated the text of the Gun Control Act.
    • The pistol brace rule, which improperly reclassifies pistols equipped with stabilizing braces as “short-barreled rifles” (SBRs), thereby subjecting them to stringent regulations and serious criminal penalties under the National Firearms Act and the Gun Control Act. We are troubled by the fact that ATF promulgated this rule after it previously determined that attaching a stabilizing brace to a pistol did not render the pistol an SBR. This rule threatens to put stabilizing braces out of reach of millions of gun owners, including disabled combat veterans who rely on them to be able to shoot heavy pistols. Furthermore, the rule made law-abiding Americans felons overnight for having lawfully purchased stabilizing brace equipped pistols. Multiple courts have already found the rule to be arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act, and it was ordered vacated by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. We appreciate the Government’s recent motions to hold ATF’s 5th and 11th Circuit appeals defending the rule in abeyance and to postpone oral argument, and ATF should work quickly to accede to the vacatur given the ongoing litigation.
    • The so-called “ghost gun” rule, which cracks down on law-abiding hobbyists who are exercising their Second Amendment rights to privately build firearms—a longstanding tradition that traces back to the Colonial Era. The regulations are currently before the Supreme Court, but ATF should act immediately to rescind this rule.
    • The “zero tolerance” policy, under which ATF has revoked the licenses of federal firearm licensees (FFLs) over minor bookkeeping violations. This policy violates a decades-long precedent of ATF working with FFLs to address these minor, unintentional violations and revoking FFL licenses only in cases of major, willful violations that threaten public safety. ATF should develop a program to restore the federal firearms licenses of those FFLs whose licenses were unfairly revoked—or surrendered under duress—where they did not engage in willful conduct (as understood prior to June 23, 2021, when the policy was announced) and do not represent at threat to public safety.

    In addition to promptly rescinding these rules and policies, we urge you to immediately destroy the hundreds of millions of ATF Form 4473 firearm transaction records and other licensee records that are over 20 years old. These records have no particular law enforcement value but do contain the sensitive information of millions of law-abiding gun owners. ATF should likewise return to the policy of allowing FFLs to destroy Form 4473 in their possession that are over 20 years old, which the Biden Administration initiated in violation of the federal prohibition on gun registration. Ending the policy of retaining these very old records will save money for the American taxpayer and counteract ATF’s unconstitutional rule change.

    Furthermore, we urge you to “continue collaboration to improve the process for” National Firearms Act applications. Congress recently instructed ATF to make these improvements. While NFA wait times have improved significantly, ATF must continue to “address ongoing delays in application processing times” until the archaic process is at least as efficient as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. There is no reason that the right to purchase a firearm should be so greatly delayed; a right delayed is a right denied.

    The foregoing should not be considered a full accounting of every action or policy for which ATF may be held responsible under President Trump’s Executive Order but represent obvious and high priority places for ATF to initiate compliance.

    We look forward to working with you through the transition as you implement President Trump’s agenda and reorient ATF toward protecting Americans’ Second Amendment rights.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Apollo Announces 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apollo (NYSE: APO) today announced that its 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders will be held virtually on June 6, 2025, at 9:30 am ET. The record date for the meeting is April 14, 2025. Information on the virtual meeting will be included in the 2025 proxy statement.

    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.

    Apollo Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include, but are not limited to, discussions related to Apollo’s expectations regarding the performance of its business, liquidity and capital resources and the other non-historical statements. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. When used in this press release, the words “believe,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” “should,” “could,” or “may,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to be correct. These statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including but not limited to those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 24, 2025, as such factors may be updated from time to time in Apollo’s periodic filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in Apollo’s filings with the SEC. Apollo undertakes no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. This press release does not constitute an offer of any Apollo fund.

    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 USA: ICE worksite enforcement operation results in the arrest of three illegal aliens

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    KENNETT SQUARE, Pa – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, working with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, conducted a worksite enforcement operation at Chavos Tires in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, Feb. 21. Three employees, who are illegal aliens unlawfully present in the United States were encountered, interviewed, and subsequently arrested for administrative immigration violations and detained pending removal. One of those arrested has a criminal history of driving under the influence and assault.

    “The worksite enforcement operation at Chavos Tires is a prime example of our commitment to upholding the laws established by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. By ensuring employers hire legally verified employees, we help protect jobs for U.S. citizens and lawfully employed individuals, eliminate unfair competitive advantages, and strengthen public safety and national security,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Edward V. Owens. “The arrest of three individuals unlawfully present in the United States, underscores the importance of our ongoing efforts to promote compliance with U.S. employment laws and deter illegal employment practices.”

    This investigation began after ICE received information the business was hiring illegal aliens and could be involved with labor exploitation. The investigation into the business operations is ongoing.

    Under federal law, employers are required to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all individuals they hire, and to document that information using the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9. ICE uses the I-9 inspection program to promote compliance with the law, part of a comprehensive strategy to address and deter illegal employment. Inspections are one of the most powerful tools the federal government uses to ensure that businesses are complying with U.S. employment laws.

    ICE’s worksite enforcement strategy includes leveraging the agency’s other investigative disciplines, since worksite investigations can often involve additional criminal activity, such as alien smuggling, human trafficking, money laundering, document fraud, worker exploitation and/or substandard wage and working conditions.

    ICE uses a three-pronged approach to worksite enforcement: compliance, from I-9 inspections, civil fines and referrals for debarment; enforcement, through the criminal arrest of employers and administrative arrest of unauthorized workers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Sentenced After Setting Off Explosive Devices in a Mailbox

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge Raul M. Arias-Marxuach sentenced Patrick Nile Starkey, 57, for Possession of an Unregistered Destructive Device and Felon in Possession of Ammunition. Judge Arias-Marxuach ordered Starkey to 108 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.

    “With the help of the FLOCK camera system, agents were able to identify the defendant,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Starkey was a threat to public safety, and I commend law enforcement for working together swiftly to detain him.”

    According to court documents, on June 12, 2024, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office was investigating a device that exploded in a U.S. Postal Service mailbox. The investigation revealed that Starkey placed two explosive devices and notes inside a mailbox on the private property of an innocent third-party, in an attempt to harass his ex-wife. FLOCK cameras located within the area helped aided law enforcement in initially identifying Starkey as the subject. A search warrant executed on Starkey’s home revealed ammunition and several homemade explosive devices that matched the devices used on the mailbox.

    When agents spoke with Starkey, he admitted to setting off the devices and unlawfully possessing ammunition. He will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Osage County Sheriff’s Office, Tulsa Police Department, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan E. Michel and Joshua M. Carmel prosecuted the case.

    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 PSN, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Previously Deported Mexican National with Prior Convictions Arrested for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN ANTONIO – A Mexican national was arrested in San Antonio on criminal charges related to his alleged illegal possession of a firearm.

    According to court documents, Sergio Lopez Rodriguez, 48, was arrested during a surveillance operation conducted by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force (LSFTF) on Feb. 20. Federal law enforcement agencies had learned that Rodriguez was in the United States illegally and had previously been removed from the country in 2015. In addition to the deportation, Rodriguez was convicted of theft in 2009, of forgery in 2013, and also had been arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. A state arrest warrant was issued for Rodriguez on Jan. 28.

    A filed criminal complaint alleges that, on Feb. 20, LSFTF members surrounded Rodriguez’s vehicle while he was parked a gas station pump. During the arrest, officers allegedly located a handgun, a magazine and .40 caliber ammunition, along with a glass pipe, torch lighter and .9 grams of a crystal-like substance. The complaint also alleges that Rodriguez informed officers that he possessed an AK-47 magazine inside a bag located in the vehicle.

    Rodriguez was booked into the Bexar County Jail for his outstanding warrant and, due to his immigration status, Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer. He is federally charged with one count of illegal alien in possession of a firearm. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

    The U.S. Marshals Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the case, along with the Office of the Texas Attorney General, Bexar County District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Division and Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Fidel Esparza III is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

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

    A handgun, magazine, and .40 caliber ammunition allegedly seized during the arrest in San Antonio, Feb. 20, 2025.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Barrio Azteca Gang Leader and Member Extradited from Mexico to the United States to Face Charges Related to 2010 U.S. Consulate Murders in Juarez

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    Two alleged members of the Barrio Azteca (BA), a transnational criminal organization allied with the Juarez Cartel, were extradited from Mexico to the United States to face charges related to the March 2010 murders of U.S. Consulate employees in Juarez, Mexico. Eduardo Ravelo, also known as Tablas, Tablero, and T-Blas, and Enrique Guajardo Lopez, also known as Kiki, arrived in the United States on Feb. 20 and made their initial appearances today in the Western District of Texas. Ravelo, a former FBI Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitive, and Guajardo were charged in a 12-count third superseding indictment unsealed in March 2011.

    “The defendants allegedly participated in the murder of three U.S. Consulate employees in Mexico in March 2010, along with many other acts of senseless violence,” said Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “No U.S. citizen, on either side of our border with Mexico, should have to live in fear of Barrio Azteca, any other violent border gang, or any drug cartel. The defendants’ extradition to the United States is an example of the Department’s unwavering commitment to eliminating transnational criminal organizations and the pursuit of justice for the victims of those tragic murders in Juarez, Mexico.”

    “The extradition and U.S. custody of these two defendants, who are both alleged to be members of Barrio Azteca operating along the border, is essential to our mission of disrupting and dismantling these dangerous criminal organizations,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “With the help of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, this U.S. Attorney’s Office will aggressively prosecute Ravelo and Guajardo throughout this case for their alleged participation in the 2010 Consulate murders and other gang related activity.”

    “These extraditions demonstrate the FBI’s commitment to holding violent criminals accountable, no matter where they flee,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI and our partners will continue to aggressively pursue the Barrio Azteca and other transnational gangs wherever they operate and seek justice for the victims affected by their violent actions.”

    “The extradition of these two members of the Barrio Azteca transnational criminal organization brings us another step closer to justice for the victims of the 2010 U.S. Consulate murders in Juarez,” said Acting Administrator Derek S. Maltz of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “DEA never forgets and we never give up. Our commitment to pursue the members of violent criminal organizations threatening American lives is as strong as ever, and our message is clear — DEA will use every resource we have to get justice for American lives lost as a result of these violent networks.”

    A total of 35 BA members and associates based in the United States and Mexico were charged in the third superseding indictment for allegedly committing various criminal acts, including racketeering, narcotics distribution and importation, retaliation against persons providing information to U.S. law enforcement, extortion, money laundering, obstruction of justice, and murder. Of the 35 defendants, 10 Mexican nationals, including Ravelo and Guajardo, were charged with the March 13, 2010, murders in Juarez of U.S. Consulate employee Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton; her husband, Arthur Redelfs; and Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, the husband of another U.S. Consulate employee. All the defendants have been apprehended, and 28 have pleaded guilty. Three defendants have been convicted at trial, one committed suicide before the conclusion of his trial, and one is awaiting extradition from Mexico.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at co-defendant trials, the BA is a violent street and prison gang that began in the late 1980s and expanded into a transnational criminal organization. In the 2000s, the BA formed an alliance in Mexico with “La Linea,” which is part of the Juarez Drug Cartel (also known as the Vincente Carrillo Fuentes Drug Cartel or VCF). The purpose of the BA-La Linea alliance was to battle the Chapo Guzman Cartel and its allies for control of the drug trafficking routes through Juarez and Chihuahua. The drug routes through Juarez, known as the Juarez Plaza, are important to drug trafficking organizations because they are a principal illicit drug trafficking conduit into the United States.

    The gang has a militaristic command structure and includes captains, lieutenants, sergeants, and soldiers — all with the purpose of maintaining power and enriching its members and associates through drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, intimidation, violence, threats of violence, and murder.

    According to court documents, Ravelo and Guajardo participated in BA activities, including narcotics trafficking and acts of violence by BA members, both in Mexico and the United States. If convicted, Ravelo and Guajardo each face a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Ravelo’s and Guajardo’s extraditions are the result of close coordination between U.S. law enforcement and the government of Mexico in the investigation and prosecution of this case. The cooperation and assistance of the government of Mexico was essential to achieving the successful extraditions.

    The FBI El Paso Field Office; FBI Albuquerque Field Office, Las Cruces Resident Agency; DEA Juarez Division; and DEA El Paso Division investigated the case. Special assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Federal Bureau of Prisons; U.S. Diplomatic Security Service; Texas Department of Public Safety; Texas Department of Criminal Justice; El Paso Police Department; El Paso County Sheriff’s Office; El Paso Independent School District Police Department; Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission; New Mexico State Police; Dona Ana County, New Mexico Sheriff’s Office; Las Cruces, New Mexico Police Department; Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility and Otero County Prison Facility New Mexico.

    Trial Attorney Jay Bauer of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, Trial Attorney Christina Taylor of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Spitzer for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, and the Criminal Division’s Office of Enforcement Operations provided significant assistance in this case.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Barrio Azteca Gang Leader and Member Extradited from Mexico to the United States to Face Charges Related to 2010 U.S. Consulate Murders in Juarez

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Two alleged members of the Barrio Azteca (BA), a transnational criminal organization allied with the Juarez Cartel, were extradited from Mexico to the United States to face charges related to the March 2010 murders of U.S. Consulate employees in Juarez, Mexico. Eduardo Ravelo, also known as Tablas, Tablero, and T-Blas, and Enrique Guajardo Lopez, also known as Kiki, arrived in the United States on Feb. 20 and made their initial appearances today in the Western District of Texas. Ravelo, a former FBI Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitive, and Guajardo were charged in a 12-count third superseding indictment unsealed in March 2011.

    “The defendants allegedly participated in the murder of three U.S. Consulate employees in Mexico in March 2010, along with many other acts of senseless violence,” said Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “No U.S. citizen, on either side of our border with Mexico, should have to live in fear of Barrio Azteca, any other violent border gang, or any drug cartel. The defendants’ extradition to the United States is an example of the Department’s unwavering commitment to eliminating transnational criminal organizations and the pursuit of justice for the victims of those tragic murders in Juarez, Mexico.”

    “The extradition and U.S. custody of these two defendants, who are both alleged to be members of Barrio Azteca operating along the border, is essential to our mission of disrupting and dismantling these dangerous criminal organizations,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “With the help of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, this U.S. Attorney’s Office will aggressively prosecute Ravelo and Guajardo throughout this case for their alleged participation in the 2010 Consulate murders and other gang related activity.”

    “These extraditions demonstrate the FBI’s commitment to holding violent criminals accountable, no matter where they flee,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI and our partners will continue to aggressively pursue the Barrio Azteca and other transnational gangs wherever they operate and seek justice for the victims affected by their violent actions.”

    “The extradition of these two members of the Barrio Azteca transnational criminal organization brings us another step closer to justice for the victims of the 2010 U.S. Consulate murders in Juarez,” said Acting Administrator Derek S. Maltz of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “DEA never forgets and we never give up. Our commitment to pursue the members of violent criminal organizations threatening American lives is as strong as ever, and our message is clear — DEA will use every resource we have to get justice for American lives lost as a result of these violent networks.”

    A total of 35 BA members and associates based in the United States and Mexico were charged in the third superseding indictment for allegedly committing various criminal acts, including racketeering, narcotics distribution and importation, retaliation against persons providing information to U.S. law enforcement, extortion, money laundering, obstruction of justice, and murder. Of the 35 defendants, 10 Mexican nationals, including Ravelo and Guajardo, were charged with the March 13, 2010, murders in Juarez of U.S. Consulate employee Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton; her husband, Arthur Redelfs; and Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, the husband of another U.S. Consulate employee. All the defendants have been apprehended, and 28 have pleaded guilty. Three defendants have been convicted at trial, one committed suicide before the conclusion of his trial, and one is awaiting extradition from Mexico.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at co-defendant trials, the BA is a violent street and prison gang that began in the late 1980s and expanded into a transnational criminal organization. In the 2000s, the BA formed an alliance in Mexico with “La Linea,” which is part of the Juarez Drug Cartel (also known as the Vincente Carrillo Fuentes Drug Cartel or VCF). The purpose of the BA-La Linea alliance was to battle the Chapo Guzman Cartel and its allies for control of the drug trafficking routes through Juarez and Chihuahua. The drug routes through Juarez, known as the Juarez Plaza, are important to drug trafficking organizations because they are a principal illicit drug trafficking conduit into the United States.

    The gang has a militaristic command structure and includes captains, lieutenants, sergeants, and soldiers — all with the purpose of maintaining power and enriching its members and associates through drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, intimidation, violence, threats of violence, and murder.

    According to court documents, Ravelo and Guajardo participated in BA activities, including narcotics trafficking and acts of violence by BA members, both in Mexico and the United States. If convicted, Ravelo and Guajardo each face a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Ravelo’s and Guajardo’s extraditions are the result of close coordination between U.S. law enforcement and the government of Mexico in the investigation and prosecution of this case. The cooperation and assistance of the government of Mexico was essential to achieving the successful extraditions.

    The FBI El Paso Field Office; FBI Albuquerque Field Office, Las Cruces Resident Agency; DEA Juarez Division; and DEA El Paso Division investigated the case. Special assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Federal Bureau of Prisons; U.S. Diplomatic Security Service; Texas Department of Public Safety; Texas Department of Criminal Justice; El Paso Police Department; El Paso County Sheriff’s Office; El Paso Independent School District Police Department; Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission; New Mexico State Police; Dona Ana County, New Mexico Sheriff’s Office; Las Cruces, New Mexico Police Department; Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility and Otero County Prison Facility New Mexico.

    Trial Attorney Jay Bauer of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, Trial Attorney Christina Taylor of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Spitzer for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, and the Criminal Division’s Office of Enforcement Operations provided significant assistance in this case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Richmond felon pleads guilty to illegal firearm possession

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man pled guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    According to court documents, on Aug. 12, 2023, Richmond Police officers responded to a 911 call reporting that Trevon Barfield, 28, had a firearm and was pointing it at his former girlfriend at an apartment complex. Barfield had an outstanding arrest warrant at the time.

    When officers found Barfield sitting at the top of a stairwell and informed him of the warrant, Barfield reached for an object in his pocket. After a brief struggle, the officers detained Barfield and recovered a loaded handgun from Barfield’s pocket, as well as a small amount of cocaine.

    Barfield is a previously convicted felon, with two prior convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and cannot legally possess a firearm or ammunition.

    Barfield is scheduled to be sentenced on May 28 and faces up to 15 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police; and Colette Wallace McEachin, Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Richmond, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck accepted the plea.

    Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Groover, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, is prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Wright assisted in the prosecution of this case.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-160.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan to inaugurate the Saras Aajeevika Mela at Noida Haat, Uttar Pradesh tomorrow

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan to inaugurate the Saras Aajeevika Mela at Noida Haat, Uttar Pradesh tomorrow

    Saras Aajeevika Mela aims to help artisans and craftsmen to promote their livelihoods and inclusive growth

    Posted On: 24 FEB 2025 6:01PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister for Rural Development Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan will inaugurate the Saras Aajeevika Mela at Noida Haat, Sector 33 A, Noida, Uttar Pradesh tomorrow. Saras Aajeevika Mela 2025 is being organized from 21stFebruary to 10th March 2025, primarily to showcase the craft and arts of rural India. For the 5thtime, the famous Saras Aajeevika Mela 2025 is being organized by the Ministry of Rural Development with the support of the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) with the theme of tradition, art, and culture and “Developing Export Potential of Lakhpati SHG Didis”. On this special occasion, Ministers of State for Rural Development Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani and Shri Kamlesh Paswan will also be present.

    Visitors are enjoying various products made by Self Help Groups (SHGs) from 30 States. Handloom, Handicrafts & Natural Food Products made by SHGs are showcased on 200 Stalls for exhibition and sale. Besides, 25 Live Food Stalls from 20 States are also showcasing their ethnic cuisines and delicious food items at Noida Haat. Around 450 SHG Members across the country are participating in this Saras Aajeevika Mela.

    The Saras Aajeevika Mela 2025 is featuring excellent displays of various state handlooms, sarees, and dress materials. These include: Andhra Pradesh’s Kalamkari, Assam’s Mekhla Chador, Bihar’s Cotton and Silk, Chhattisgarh’s Kosa Saree, Gujarat’s Bharat Gunthan and Patchwork, Jharkhand’s Tasar Silk and Cotton, Chanderi and Bagh Print from Madhya Pradesh, Eri Products from Meghalaya, Tasar and Bandha from Odisha, Kanchipuram from Tamil Nadu, Pochampally from Telangana, Pashmina from Uttarakhand, Kantha, Batik Print, Tant, and Baluchari from West Bengal. Handicrafts, jewellery, and home decor products from various states are also showcased in Mela. Additionally, natural food products such as ginger, tea, lentils, coffee, papad, apple jam, and pickles are available at food stalls.

    Arrangements for Senior Citizen, Kids Zone and Mother’s Care are made in SARAS Mela. Visitors are also enjoying a variety of cultural programs every day during the SARAS Mela. A dedicated Export Promotion Pavilion is placed in the SARAS Mela Premises at Noida Haat for Development of Export Potential of SHG Didis.

    This initiative, started by the Ministry of Rural Development, aims to help artisans and craftsmen to promote their livelihoods and inclusive growth. This will promote the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ‘Vocal for Local’ campaign and ‘Viksit Bharat by 2047’.

    ******

    MG/RN/KSR

    (Release ID: 2105829) Visitor Counter : 35

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

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

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Edgar Warren Willis Jr., 29, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 27, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a Red Oak Street residence in Charleston where Willis was staying. Officers found a backpack in a bedroom containing a Lorcin Engineering Model L380 .380-caliber pistol during the search. Willis admitted to possessing the seized firearm.

    Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Willis knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, to-wit heroin, on January 21, 2022, and for wanton endangerment and conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver a controlled substance, to-wit heroin, on August 10, 2015, all in Kanawha County Circuit Court.

    Willis is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

    Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Charleston Police Department-Street Crimes Unit.

    United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Samuel D. Marsh is prosecuting the case.

    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.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-89.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Rock Hill Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Their Role in Drug Conspiracy (DOJ)

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

    strong>COLUMBIA, S.C. — Emmanuel Deon Foster, 36, and Bobby Antoinios Hall, 41, both of Rock Hill, have been sentenced for their involvement in a conspiracy to distribute quantities of fentanyl, crack cocaine, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin.   

    Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Foster and Hall had a close relationship with the leader of the conspiracy. Based upon law enforcement efforts, they learned both Foster and Hall purchased fentanyl-lased pills during the time of the conspiracy from the leader.  These pills were then sold to other dealers in the Rock Hill area. Foster also purchased and sold cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine. These drugs were purchased from other members of the conspiracy and sold to other dealers. This operation has been responsible for the arrest and conviction of more than 20 individuals during its existence.

    United States District Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Foster to a total of 120 months imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision. Hall was sentenced to 84 months imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

    This joint law enforcement activity and prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Sally Harrell and Sen. Elena Parent Introduce Legislation to Create Voluntary “No Sell” Firearms List

    Source: US State of Georgia

    ATLANTA (February 24, 2025) — Last week, Sen. Sally Harrell (D–Atlanta) and Sen. Elena Parent (D–Atlanta) filed Senate Bill 224, “Donna’s Law,” to allow Georgia citizens at risk for suicidal ideations to place themselves on the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Firearms Checks List to protect themselves.

    Donna’s Law would allow individuals to place themselves on the list through a healthcare professional or under oath through a probate court in their county of residence. Once an individual applies, they would be placed on the NICS firearms checklist within 24 hours. The legislation also allows applicants to remove themselves from the list no sooner than seven days after they apply.

    “This is an important way we can support and protect people suffering from mental illness. Sadly, as I was working on this bill, a friend of my family took her life with a firearm,” said Sen. Harrell. “Studies show that suicides are often very hasty decisions that are not well thought out. Donna’s Law could help prevent people who are suffering from making impulsive decisions.”

    “The last few years, we’ve been very focused on finding better solutions to help people with mental health issues. Firearms are used in over half of suicides in Georgia. With firearms, there are very few second chances — about 85% of gun suicide attempts result in death,” said Sen. Parent. “We have the opportunity to offer an important tool to reduce the probability of death or self-harm to those who are suffering from mental health challenges and the professionals who treat them.”

    If passed, Georgia would become the fourth state to adopt this legislation. The law is named for Donna Nathan, who suffered from bipolar disorder for 30 years and voluntarily admitted herself to psychiatric treatment facilities to protect herself.  In 2018, she googled “gun stores,” drove to one, purchased a gun and shot herself, ending her life.

    For the full version of SB 224, read here.

    # # # #

    Sen. Sally Harrell represents the 40th Senate District which includes portions of DeKalb and Gwinnett County. She may be reached by phone at (404) 463-2260 via email at sally.harrell@senate.ga.gov.

    Sen. Elena Parent serves as Chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus. She represents the 44th Senate District which includes portions of DeKalb and Clayton County. She may be reached at her office at (404) 656-5109 or by email at elena.parent@senate.ga.gov.

    For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Seven Charged In Central Florida Gun Trafficking Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging six individuals involved in an alleged gun trafficking operation. An additional individual was separately charged by complaint in the same conspiracy. The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit specific firearms recovered in the operation. 

    Name

    (Age, City of Residence)

    		 Charge Maximum Penalties

    Victor Manuel LaFontaine Ruiz

    (31, Poinciana)

    Gun trafficking conspiracy  

    Unlicensed gun dealing, aiding and abetting

    Possession of machinegun

    15 years 

    5 years 

    10 years

    Jose Emanuel Maldonado Rodriguez

    (32, Kissimmee)

    Gun trafficking conspiracy 

    Unlicensed gun dealing, aiding and abetting

    Possession of machinegun

    15 years 

    5 years 

    10 years

    Freddie Geovani Cruz Batiz

    (36, Kissimmee)

    Gun trafficking conspiracy 

    Unlicensed gun dealing, aiding and abetting

    15 years 

    5 years 

    Jomar Manuel Lopez Montanez

    (30, Kissimmee)

    Gun trafficking conspiracy

    Unlicensed gun dealing, aiding and abetting

    Felon in possession

    15 years 

    5 years 

    15 years

    Derrick Yamil Rivera Robles

    (29, Kissimmee)

    Gun trafficking conspiracy 

    Unlicensed gun dealing, aiding and abetting

    Possession of machinegun

    15 years 

    5 years 

    10 years

    Leonardo David Joseph Guerra

    (23, Orlando)

    Gun trafficking conspiracy

    Unlicensed gun dealing, aiding and abetting

    Alien in possession

    15 years 

    5 years 

    15 years

    Jincheng Shi

    (27, St. Cloud)

    Unlicensed gun dealing, aiding and abetting

    Alien in possession

    5 years 

    15 years

    According to court documents, from at least as early as September 2023 onward, Lafontaine and Maldonado operated a gun trafficking ring involving hundreds of firearms, machineguns, machinegun conversion devices, and high-capacity magazines needed for fully automatic weapons. This operation did not involve any federally licensed firearms dealers. Instead, Lafontaine and Maldonado obtained firearms parts, including from Jincheng Shi, a Chinese national. Lafontaine and Maldonado allegedly assembled, manufactured, and modified semi-automatic and automatic firearms using a “ghost gunner” machine and specialized “endmill” drilling devices at a workspace on Maldonado’s property in Kissimmee: 

    From there, Lafontaine and Maldonado, along with assistance from Batiz, sold firearms, including fully automatic weapons and machine gun conversion devices (“chips” or “buttons”) that are used to convert semi-automatic weapons into machineguns. They sold those items to illegal aliens and convicted felons such as Lopez Montanez, Rivera Robles, and Joseph Guerra, who were often brokering such transactions on behalf of other unknown customers.

    On September 17, 2023, for example, Lafontaine showed a fully automatic firearm to a customer that was later sold during this operation and, on October 9, 2023, Lafontaine quoted Rivera Robles (a convicted felon) a price of $150 for a machinegun conversion device known as a “chip,” that Rivera Robles purchased in March 2024.               

    On February 7, 2025, Lafontaine sold Lopez Montanez (a convicted felon) two firearms falsely branded to appear as though they were legitimate firearms manufactured with engraved fake sequential serial numbers. When Lopez Montanez was stopped, he fled from law enforcement and attempted to hide the weapons that were eventually recovered. 

    The next day, Lafontaine delivered five similar firearms to Maldonado.           

    On February 20, 2025, law enforcement executed five search warrants at various locations associated with this conspiracy. The items are still be inventoried.  Preliminarily, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) have recovered at least five AR-style pistols with sequential and identical serial numbers at Maldonado’s residence (depicted below), along with at least three machinegun conversion devices, machinery used to assemble, modify, and manufacture the firearms and machine guns sold through this operation. 

     At Lafontaine’s residence, agents recovered a completed rifle, gun parts, gun manufacturing and modification equipment, and drug distribution paraphernalia with a blender and a powder that field-tested positive for fentanyl, packaged for sale. At Batiz’s residence, agents recovered a handgun and an AR pistol, four machinegun conversion devices, along with drug paraphernalia and powders packaged for distribution that are still being tested. Eight handguns, three rifles, and eight AR-style receivers were recovered from Shi’s residence and storage lockers.

    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 Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Orlando Police Department, Winter Garden Police Department, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, Apopka Police Department, Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and Florida Highway Patrol. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.

    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 part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. 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 www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Minister puts emphasis on safeguarding human rights and international system in address to UN Human Rights Council

    Source: Government of Iceland

    Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir today delivered her address to the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. In her speech, Foreign Minister Gunnarsdóttir emphasized the need to safeguard the United Nations and the international system established after World War II. That the values that the world’s nations agreed to respect were being severely undermined, and she particularly criticized Russia’s illegal, all-out invasion of Ukraine, on the day when leaders have gathered in Kiev to express support for Ukraine exactly three years after the invasion began.

    The Foreign Minister also addressed gender equality, women´s rights and the rights of LGBTQIA+ people in her address to the Human Rights Council, but a strong undercurrent is now working to undermine the achievements that have been made in recent years.

    “For me, the starting point is a simple truth: no person should have to live in fear of persecution and violence. This continues to apply if the persecution is based on a person´s sexual orientation or gender identity. And we will not hesitate to stand up on their behalf here in this venue, amplifying the voices of those who fight for their rights. Because we are all born free and equal,” said Þorgerður Katrín.

    The 58th session of the Human Rights Council is the first since Iceland became a member of the Council, following elections at the United Nations General Assembly in October. The Foreign Minister noted that eighty years have passed this year since the founding of the United Nations and that it is important to recall the important values that were laid down at the beginning. Of course, the United Nations had not always been able to live up to hopes and expectations. “The Israeli warfare in Gaza for fifteen months following the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October 2023 is only the latest testament of the failure of our system to address urgent crises. And yet that complex problem now seems more divisive than ever, the talk of removal of people from Gaza being only the latest example of the crossroads we now find ourselves at,” she said, noting further: “There is only one way to meet these challenges. We must redouble our efforts, recommit ourselves to principles laid out in the UN Charter. It may prove difficult. It may require sacrifices – for sure it will require sacrifices since, after all, the world is a different place than it was in 1945, and the United Nations must reflect those changes through reform and renewal.”

    During her visit to Geneva, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will also deliver an address on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic countries (NB8) at an event commemorating the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine today, and will also deliver an address on behalf of the same countries at an event commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Beijing World Conference on Women. She will also meet with Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, and will hold several bilateral ministerial meetings.

    An overview of Iceland’s key priorities can be found here and on this website dedicated to Iceland’s membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council. 

    Iceland joined the UN Human Rights Council on 1 January 2025 along with seventeen other states from all regions of the world. Iceland previously served on the Council for half a term in 2018-2019, filling the seat vacated by the United States in June 2018.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The quest to extend human life is both fascinating and fraught with moral peril

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Richard Gunderman, Chancellor’s Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University

    Tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson has made it his life’s mission to delay aging and death. Netflix

    “Who wants to live forever?” Freddie Mercury mournfully asks in Queen’s 1986 song of the same name.

    The answer: Quite a few people – so much so that life extension has long been a cottage industry.

    As a physician and scholar in the medical humanities, I’ve found the quest to expand the human lifespan both fascinating and fraught with moral peril.

    During the 1970s and 80s, for example, The Merv Griffin Show featured one guest 32 times – life extension expert Durk Pearson, who generated more fan mail than any guest except Elizabeth Taylor. In 1982, he and his partner, Sandy Shaw, published the book “Life Extension: A Practical Scientific Approach,” which became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller and sold over 2 million copies. One specific recommendation involved taking choline and vitamin B5 in order to reduce cognitive decline, combat high blood pressure and reduce the buildup of toxic metabolic byproducts.

    Last year, Pearson died at 82, and Shaw died in 2022 at 79.

    The 1982 book by Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw, ‘Life Extension: A Practical Scientific Approach,’ has sold millions of copies.
    Amazon

    No one can say for sure whether these life extension experts died sooner or later than they would have had they eschewed many of these supplements and instead simply exercised and ate a balanced diet. But I can say that they did not live much longer than many similarly well-off people in their cohort.

    Still, their dream of staying forever young is alive and well.

    Consider tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson’s “Project Blueprint,” a life-extension effort that inspired the 2025 Netflix documentary “Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever.” His program has included building a home laboratory, taking more than 100 pills each day and undergoing blood plasma transfusions, at least one of which came from his son.

    And Johnson is not alone. Among the big names investing big bucks to prolong their lives are Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Google founders Sergei Brin and Larry Page, and Oracle’s Larry Ellison. One approach involves taking senolytics – drugs that target cells that may drive the aging process, though more research is needed to determine their safety and efficacy. Another is human growth hormone, which has long been touted as an anti-aging mechanism in ad campaigns that feature remarkably fit older people. (“How does this 69-year-old doctor have the body of a 30-year-old?” reads one web ad).

    These billionaires may reason that, because of their wealth, they have more to live for than ordinary folks. They may also share more prosaic motivations, such as a fear of growing old and dying.

    But underlying such desires is an equally important ethical – and, for some, spiritual – reality.

    Quality versus quantity

    Is it a good thing, morally speaking, to wish to live forever? Might there be aspects of aging and even death that are both good for the world and good for individuals?

    Cicero’s “On Aging” offers some insights. In fact, the ancient Roman statesman and philosopher noted that writing about it helped him to find peace with the vexations of growing old.

    In the text, Cicero outlines and responds to four common complaints about aging: It takes us away from managing our affairs, impairs bodily vigor, deprives us of sensual gratifications and brings us to the verge of death.

    To the charge that aging takes us away from managing our affairs, Cicero asks us to imagine a ship. Only the young climb the masts, run to and fro on the gangways, and bail the hold. But it is among the older and more experienced members of the crew that we find the captain who commands the ship. Rome’s supreme council was called the Senate, from the Latin for “elder,” and it is to those rich in years that we look most often for wisdom.

    Cicero was keen to distinguish between quantity and quality of life.
    Crisfotolux/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    As to whether aging impairs bodily vigor, Cicero claimed that strength and speed are less related to age than discipline. Many older people who take care of themselves are in better shape than the young, and he gives examples of people who maintained their vigor well into their later years. He argued that those who remain physically fit do a great deal to sustain their mental powers, a notion supported by modern science.

    Cicero reminds readers that these same pleasures of eating and drinking often lead people astray. Instead, people, as they age, can better appreciate the pleasures of mind and character. A great dinner becomes characterized less by what’s on the plate or the attractiveness of a dining partner than the quality of conversation and fellowship.

    While death remains an inevitable consequence of aging, Cicero distinguishes between quality and quantity of life. He writes that it is better to live well than to live long, and for those who are living well, death appears as natural as birth. Those who want to live forever have forgotten their place in the cosmos, which does not revolve around any single person or even species.

    Those of a more spiritual bent might find themselves drawn to the Scottish poet George MacDonald, who wrote: “Age is not all decay; it is the ripening, the swelling of the fresh life within, that withers and bursts the husk.”

    Embracing the circle of life

    What if the dreams of the life extension gurus were realized? Would the world be a better place?

    Would the extra good that a longer-lived Einstein could have accomplished be balanced or even exceeded by the harm of a Stalin who remained healthy and vigorous for decades beyond his death?

    At some point, preserving indefinitely the lives of those now living would mean less room for those who do not yet exist.

    Pearson and Shaw appeared on many other television programs in the 1970s and 1980s. During one such segment on “The Mike Douglas Show,” Pearson declared: “By the time you are 60, your immune function is perhaps one-fifth what it was when you were younger. Yet you can achieve a remarkable restoration simply by taking nutrients that you can get at a pharmacy or health food store.”

    For Pearson, life extension was a biomedical challenge, an effort more centered on engineering the self rather than the world.

    Despite making a living as life extension gurus, Durk Pearson, right, and Sandy Shaw didn’t live much longer than most Americans.

    Yet I would argue that the real challenge in human life is not to live longer, but to help others; adding extra years should be seen not as the goal but a byproduct of the pursuit of goodness.

    In the words of Susan B. Anthony: “The older I get, the greater power I seem to have to help the world; I am like a snowball – the further I am rolled, the more I gain.”

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

    – ref. The quest to extend human life is both fascinating and fraught with moral peril – https://theconversation.com/the-quest-to-extend-human-life-is-both-fascinating-and-fraught-with-moral-peril-249430

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Apollo to Acquire Bridge Investment Group

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Scaled Investment Platform Expands Apollo’s Origination Capabilities in Residential and Industrial Real Estate

    Bridge Manages $50 Billion of High-Quality AUM in Complementary Sectors Aligned with Apollo’s Long-Term Growth Strategy

    NEW YORK and SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apollo (NYSE: APO) and Bridge Investment Group Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BRDG) (“Bridge” or the “Company”) today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement for Apollo to acquire Bridge in an all-stock transaction with an equity value of approximately $1.5 billion.

    Founded in 2009, Bridge is an established leader in residential and industrial real estate as well as other specialized real estate asset classes. Led by an experienced senior leadership team and over 300 dedicated investment professionals with significant real estate investment and operating expertise, Bridge’s forward-integrated model, nationwide operating platform and data-driven approach have fostered organic growth and consistently produced desirable outcomes across asset classes.

    Bridge will provide Apollo with immediate scale to its real estate equity platform and enhance Apollo’s origination capabilities in both real estate equity and credit, which is expected to benefit Apollo’s growing suite of hybrid and real estate product offerings. Bridge manages approximately $50 billion of high-quality AUM in real estate products targeting both institutional and wealth clients and is expected to be highly synergistic with Apollo’s existing real estate equity strategies and leading real estate credit platform. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Apollo’s fee-related earnings upon closing.

    Apollo Partner and Co-Head of Equity David Sambur said, “We are pleased to announce this transaction with Bridge, which is highly aligned with Apollo’s strategic focus on expanding our origination base in areas of our business that are growing but not yet at scale. Led by a respected real estate team including Executive Chairman Bob Morse and CEO Jonathan Slager, Bridge brings a seasoned team with deep expertise and a strong track record in their sectors. Their business will complement and further augment our existing real estate capabilities, and we believe we can help scale Bridge’s products by leveraging the breadth of our integrated platform. We look forward to working with Bob and the talented Bridge team as we seek to achieve the strategic objectives we laid out at our recent Investor Day.”

    Bridge Executive Chairman Bob Morse said, “We are proud to be joining Apollo and its industry-leading team, who share our commitment to performance and excellence. This transaction will allow the Bridge and Apollo teams to grow on the strong foundation that Bridge has built since 2009 as we work to pursue meaningful value and impact for our investors and communities. With Apollo’s global integrated platform, resources, innovation and established expertise, we are confident that Bridge will be positioned for the next phase of growth amid growing demand across the alternative investments space.”

    Transaction Details
    Under the terms of the transaction, Bridge stockholders and Bridge OpCo unitholders will receive, at closing, 0.07081 shares of Apollo stock for each share of Bridge Class A common stock and each Bridge OpCo Class A common unit, respectively, valued by the parties at $11.50 per each share of Bridge Class A common stock and Bridge OpCo Class A common unit, respectively.

    Upon the closing of the transaction, Bridge will operate as a standalone platform within Apollo’s asset management business, retaining its existing brand, management team and dedicated capital formation team. Bob Morse will become an Apollo Partner and lead Apollo’s real estate equity franchise.

    A special committee of independent directors for Bridge (the “Special Committee”), advised by its own independent legal and financial advisors, reviewed, negotiated and unanimously recommended approval of the merger agreement by the Bridge Board of Directors, determining that it was in the best interests of Bridge and its stockholders not affiliated with Bridge management and directors. Acting upon the recommendation of the Special Committee, the Bridge Board of Directors approved the merger agreement. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions for transactions of this nature, including approval by a majority of the Class A common stock and Class B common stock of Bridge, voting together and the receipt of regulatory approvals. Certain members of Bridge management and their affiliates, collectively owning approximately 51.4% of the outstanding voting power of the Class A common stock and Class B common stock of Bridge, have entered into voting agreements in connection with the transaction and have agreed to vote in favor of the transaction in accordance with the terms therein. Subject to and upon completion of the transaction, shares of Bridge common stock will no longer be listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Bridge will become a privately held company.

    Further information regarding terms and conditions contained in the definitive merger agreement will be made available in Bridge’s Current Report on Form 8-K, which will be filed in connection with this transaction.

    Bridge Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2024 Earnings
    Bridge will no longer be holding its fourth quarter and full-year 2024 earnings conference call and webcast scheduled for February 25, 2025, due to the pending transaction.

    Advisors
    BofA Securities, Citi, Goldman, Sachs & Co. LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Newmark Group are acting as financial advisors, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is acting as legal counsel and Sidley Austin LLP is acting as insurance regulatory counsel to Apollo. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is serving as financial advisor to Bridge and Latham & Watkins LLP is acting as legal counsel. Lazard is serving as financial advisor to the special committee of the Bridge Board of Directors and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP is acting as legal counsel.

    Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

    This press release contains statements regarding Apollo, Bridge, the proposed transactions and other matters that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, discussions related to the proposed transaction between Apollo and the Company, including statements regarding the benefits of the proposed transaction and the anticipated timing and likelihood of completion of the proposed transaction, and information regarding the businesses of Apollo and the Company, including Apollo’s and the Company’s objectives, plans and strategies for future operations, statements that contain projections of results of operations or of financial condition and all other statements other than statements of historical fact that address activities, events or developments that Apollo and the Company intends, expects, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future. Such statements are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions made based on information currently available to management. All statements in this communication, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements that may be identified by the use of the words “outlook,” “indicator,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “seek,” “anticipates,” “plan,” “forecasts,” “could,” “intends,” “targets,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, but not all forward- looking statements include such words. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, many of which are beyond the control of Apollo and the Company, that could cause actual results and performance to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. Factors and risks that may impact future results and performance include, but are not limited to, those factors and risks described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Apollo’s and the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and such reports that are subsequently filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

    The forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which include, but are not limited to, and in each case as a possible result of the proposed transaction on each of Apollo and the Company: the ultimate outcome of the proposed transaction between Apollo and the Company, including the possibility that the Company’s stockholders will not adopt the merger agreement in respect of the proposed transaction; the effect of the announcement of the proposed transaction; the ability to operate Apollo’s and the Company’s respective businesses, including business disruptions; difficulties in retaining and hiring key personnel and employees; the ability to maintain favorable business relationships with customers and other business partners; the terms and timing of the proposed transaction; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement and the proposed transaction; the anticipated or actual tax treatment of the proposed transaction; the ability to satisfy closing conditions to the completion of the proposed transaction (including the adoption of the merger agreement in respect of the proposed transaction by the Company’s stockholders); other risks related to the completion of the proposed transaction and actions related thereto; the ability of Apollo and the Company to integrate the businesses successfully and to achieve anticipated synergies and value creation from the proposed transaction; global market, political and economic conditions, including in the markets in which Apollo and the Company operate; the ability to secure government regulatory approvals on the terms expected, at all or in a timely manner; the global macro-economic environment, including headwinds caused by inflation, rising interest rates, unfavorable currency exchange rates, and potential recessionary or depressionary conditions; cyber-attacks, information security and data privacy; the impact of public health crises, such as pandemics and epidemics and any related company or government policies and actions to protect the health and safety of individuals or government policies or actions to maintain the functioning of national or global economies and markets; litigation and regulatory proceedings, including any proceedings that may be instituted against Apollo or the Company related to the proposed transaction; and disruptions of Apollo’s or the Company’s information technology systems.

    These risks, as well as other risks related to the proposed transaction, will be included in the Registration Statement (as defined below) and Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus (as defined below) that will be filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction. While the list of factors presented here is, and the list of factors to be presented in the Registration Statement and Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus are considered representative, no such list should be considered to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have a material adverse effect on Apollo’s and the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are inherently subject to uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Except as required by applicable law or regulation, neither Apollo nor the Company undertakes (and each of Apollo and the Company expressly disclaim) any obligation and do not intend to publicly update or review any of these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    No Offer or Solicitation

    This press release is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy or an invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities or the solicitation of any vote in any jurisdiction pursuant to the proposed transactions or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act. Subject to certain exceptions to be approved by the relevant regulators or certain facts to be ascertained, the public offer will not be made directly or indirectly, in or into any jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the laws of such jurisdiction, or by use of the mails or by any means or instrumentality (including without limitation, facsimile transmission, telephone and the internet) of interstate or foreign commerce, or any facility of a national securities exchange, of any such jurisdiction.

    Additional Information Regarding the Transaction and Where to Find It

    This press release is being made in respect of the proposed transaction between Apollo and the Company. In connection with the proposed transaction, Apollo intends to file with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4, which will constitute a prospectus of Apollo for the issuance of Apollo common stock (the “Registration Statement”) and which will also include a proxy statement of the Company for the Company stockholder meeting (together with any amendments or supplements thereto, and together with the Registration Statement, the “Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus”). Each of Apollo and the Company may also file other relevant documents with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction. This document is not a substitute for the Registration Statement or Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus or any other document that Apollo or the Company may file with the SEC. The definitive Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus (if and when available) will be mailed to stockholders of the Company.

    INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ IN THEIR ENTIRETY THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT, THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT MAY BE FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THESE DOCUMENTS, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Investors will be able to obtain free copies of the Registration Statement and Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus (if and when available) and other documents containing important information about Apollo, the Company and the proposed transaction, once such documents are filed with the SEC through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with, or furnished to, the SEC by Apollo will be available free of charge by accessing the Investor Relations section of Apollo’s website at https://ir.apollo.com. Copies of the documents filed with, or furnished to, the SEC by the Company will be available free of charge by accessing the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at https://www.bridgeig.com. The information included on, or accessible through, Apollo’s or the Company’s website is not incorporated by reference into this communication.

    Participants in the Solicitation

    Apollo, the Company, and certain of their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Company’s stockholders in respect of the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of Apollo, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is contained in its Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, dated April 26, 2024 (the “Apollo Annual Meeting Proxy Statement”), which is filed with the SEC. Any changes in the holdings of Apollo’s securities by Apollo’s directors or executive officers from the amounts described in the Apollo Annual Meeting Proxy Statement have been or will be reflected in Initial Statements of Beneficial Ownership of Securities on Form 3 (“Form 3”), Statements of Changes in Beneficial Ownership on Form 4 (“Form 4”) or Annual Statements of Changes in Beneficial Ownership of Securities on Form 5 (“Form 5”) subsequently filed with the SEC and available at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Information about the directors and executive officers of the Company, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is contained in its Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, dated March 21, 2024 (the “Company Annual Meeting Proxy Statement”), which is filed with the SEC. Any changes in the holdings of the Company’s securities by the Company’s directors or executive officers from the amounts described in the Company Annual Meeting Proxy Statement have been or will be reflected on Forms 3, Forms 4 or Forms 5, subsequently filed with the SEC and available at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the Registration Statement and the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction when such materials become available. Investors should read the Registration Statement and the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus carefully when available before making any voting or investment decisions.

    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 Bridge Investment Group
    Bridge is a leading alternative investment manager, diversified across specialized asset classes, with approximately $50 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2024. Bridge combines its nationwide operating platform with dedicated teams of investment professionals focused on select verticals across real estate, credit, renewable energy and secondaries strategies.

    Contacts

    For Apollo:

    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

    For Bridge:

    Shareholder Relations:
    Bonni Rosen Salisbury
    Bridge Investment Group Holdings Inc.
    shareholderrelations@bridgeig.com

    Media:
    Charlotte Morse
    Bridge Investment Group Holdings Inc.
    (877) 866-4540
    charlotte.morse@bridgeig.com

    H/Advisors Abernathy
    Eric Bonach / Dan Scorpio
    (917) 710-7973 / (646) 899-8118
    eric.bonach@h-advisors.global / dan.scorpio@h-advisors.global

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: RBI imposes monetary penalty on The Guntur District Co-operative Central Bank Ltd., Andhra Pradesh

    Source: Reserve Bank of India

    The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated February 18, 2025, imposed a monetary penalty of ₹50,000/- (Rupees Fifty Thousand only) on The Guntur District Co-operative Central Bank Ltd., Andhra Pradesh (the bank) for contravention of provisions of Section 31 read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (BR Act). This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers conferred on RBI under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Sections 46(4)(i) and 56 of the BR Act.

    The statutory inspection of the bank was conducted by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2023. Based on supervisory findings of contravention of statutory provisions and related correspondence in that regard, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the said provisions. After considering the bank’s reply to the notice and oral submissions made during the personal hearing, RBI found, inter alia, that the following charge against the bank was sustained, warranting imposition of monetary penalty:

    The bank had failed to publish its accounts and balance-sheet for the Financial Year 2022-23 and also to furnish the copies thereof to RBI / NABARD within the prescribed timeline.

    This action is based on deficiencies in statutory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers. Further, imposition of this monetary penalty is without prejudice to any other action that may be initiated by RBI against the bank.

    (Puneet Pancholy)  
    Chief General Manager

    Press Release: 2024-2025/2246

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Third Caithness Area Place Plan public engagement event takes place in Lybster

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    The first public drop-in sessions held last week in Wick and Thurso saw many residents coming forward to provide their views on what should be in the new Caithness Area Place Plan.  At the same time, they were able to find out more and make comment about the Council’s Highland Investment Plan, Highland Local Delivery Plan and feed into the consultation on the Visitor Tourism Levy.

    These successful sessions saw residents from across Caithness being asked for their views and priorities across a number of themes including health and well-being; housing and population; transport and getting around; nature and environment; work and economy; community facilities and services.  An evening on-line session was also held for those not able to attend in person.

    The final drop-in session which will focus on the Area Place Plan, is being held in Lybster Community Hall from 2pm – 5pm on Wednesday 26 February. 

    There is also an opportunity to respond to the survey and pop your ideas on the virtual noticeboard. Young people will also find a specific “ideas board” so encourage the whole family to submit their comments.  The survey and ideas boards will be available on-line until Friday 7 March after which the draft Area Place Plan will be considered by Caithness Committee.

    Caithness Committee Chair Councillor Ron Gunn said, “We were delighted to see so many people come along to the engagement sessions which covered a number of plans and projects which are currently in development.  However, we would also welcome further engagement and hope as many people as possible will come along to the final drop-in session in Lybster or visit the website and leave their ideas there.”

    24 Feb 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Guilty of Federal Controlled Substances and Federal Gun Control Acts Violations

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ARMOND BURNETTE (“BURNETTE”), age 35, of New Orleans, pled guilty on February 11, 2025 to a three-count indictment charging him with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C), and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).

    BURNETTE faces a maximum penalty of (20) years imprisonment, at least three (3) years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1,000,000, for possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances; and a maximum penalty of fifteen (15) years  imprisonment, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.00 for the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  BURNETTE also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count.

    According to court documents, on June 23, 2023, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officers observed BURNETTE who was wanted for multiple attachments, walking in the French Quarter.  NOPD officers approached BURNETTE but he fled and was arrested a short time later.  BURNETTE was found in possession of  a plastic bag with twenty-one (21) individually wrapped baggies containing fentanyl, and 3.39 grams of cocaine.  On April 25, 2024, NOPD officers conducting a drug investigation, observed BURNETTE exit a silver BMW in the 600 block of Iberville and enter a bar wearing a backpack.  Officers met BURNETTE as he was exiting the bar without the backpack.  Officers located the bag, that contained a firearm, near a poker machine inside the bar.

    Officers opened the bag and found a firearm.  Thereafter, officers searched the silver BMW and recovered one bag containing seven bags of fentanyl, a digital scale, and a small amount of methamphetamine.

    After searching the backpack , officers also recovered six dosages of Tapentadol, ecstasy pills, approximately 4 grams of cocaine, and  a stolen .40 caliber Smith & Wesson 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 track violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.  Assistant United States Attorney Michael E. Trummel of the Violent Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bogalusa Man Indicted for Federal Drug and Gun Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – FERNANDO BRISTER (“BRISTER”), age 35, and resident of Bogalusa, Louisiana was indicted on January 31, 2025, announced Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson.  Count One of the indictment charged him with distribution of Methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C).  Count Two charged him with being a felon in possession of firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1), 924(a)(8), and 942(e).

    If convicted, BRISTER faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least 3 years of supervised release for Count One.  For Count Two, BRISTER faces not less than 15 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release.  BRISTER also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee as to both counts.

    According to court documents, on January 31, 2023, BRISTER knowingly and intentionally distributed methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, to an undisclosed person.  On February 6, 2023, BRISTER was a felon and  knowingly possessed a Glock Model 43, nine–millimeter caliber pistol and ammunition.

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

    Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

    The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Washington Parish Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Troy Bell of the Violent Crime Unit. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Josh Shapiro, the Pennsylvania State Police, and state and local leaders provide an update after tragic shooting in York County

    Source: US State of Pennsylvania

    February 22, 2025 – York, PA

    Josh Shapiro, the Pennsylvania State Police, and state and local leaders provide an update after tragic shooting in York County

    Josh Shapiro, the Pennsylvania State Police, and state and local leaders provide an update after tragic shooting in York County

    List of Speakers:
    Timothy J. Barker, York County District Attorney
    Governor Josh Shapiro

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Accuracy and Aloha: Pacific Marines compete in the Marine Corps Marksmanship Competition Pacific

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    The Marine Corps Shooting Team hosted the Marine Corps Marksmanship Competition Pacific at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, from January 23 to January 31, 2025. 

     Throughout the competition Pacific Marines, Sailors and officers with the Honolulu Police Department trained and competed for a week for the opportunity to be invited to the Marine Corps Marksmanship Championship at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.  

    While the event is a competition, the true goal of MCMC-PAC is to advance the lethality of the Corps and build camaraderie across a multitude of experience and backgrounds. 

    “My favorite part is getting to see the shooters grow and develop as marksmen, as well as Marines,” said Sgt. Dylan Kelley, an instructor and competitor with the Marine Corps Shooting Team, “We’re giving the Marines an opportunity to come out here, compete against their peers, compete against fellow Marines and give them a chance to see where they are at.” 

    Kelley instructed approximately 72 shooters throughout the competition. Those shooters ranged from first time competitors to veteran shooters, all with various capabilities with their weapon system.  

    “It takes the ‘Every Marine a Rifleman’ and actually makes it a true statement,” says Master Gunnery Sgt. Derrick R. Stanfield, intelligence chief, G-2, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, and competitor since 2012. “It applies a lethality factor.” 

    Throughout the event, competitors participated in three training days, one individual pistol match, consisting of four stages, and two individual rifle matches, both consisting of two stages. Following the individual matches, the teams battled it out in a team pistol and rifle match. 

    Winners of each match not only get invited to compete in championships but were awarded both trophies and medals for their accomplishments.  

    “Two years ago, I was lucky enough to place bronze,” said Capt. Tyler Ashton, commander, Headquarters and Service Company, Headquarters and Service Battalion, MARFORPAC, and team captain of MARFORPAC’s rifle team, “Getting a group of 22 Marines out of the office to come out and shoot is important for morale and skills, and I am happy to be a part of it.” 

    After all the rounds were scored and the aroma of gunpowder floated towards the horizon, the Marine Corps Shooting Team awarded the victors.  

    Staff Sgt. Christian Cachola, operations chief, Marine Corps Shooting team, won gold for rifle with an overall combined score of 188.24% 

    Maj. Tanner Grover, Oceana planner, G-2, MARFORPAC, won gold for pistol with an overall score of 100% 

    The first-place rifle team trophy was awarded to 1st Lt. Xavier Chido, aviation supply officer, Gunnery Sgt. Ger Lao, basic engineer equipment mechanic, Sgt. Isiah Crossguns, hygiene equipment operator, Sgt. Rodolfo Vergara, systems technician and Lance Cpl. Carlos Dowdney, systems technician, all with Marine Aircraft Group 24 with an overall score of 70.90%. 

     The first-place pistol team trophy was awarded to Maj. Tanner Grover, Capt. Tyler Ashton, Master Gunnery Sgt. Derrick Stanfield, Sgt. Ty Countryman, instrumentalist, and Cpl. Andrew Crume, Instrumentalist, all with MARFORPAC, with an overall score of 100%. 

    “Even though I didn’t medal, I feel like I have improved exponentially as shooter.” said Cpl. Matthew Benfield, combat graphic specialists, MARFORPAC, and first-time competitor, “This is an amazing opportunity that all Marines should take to not only improve their shooting but learn from the very best.” 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE executes federal search warrant at local rental equipment business

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    SAN JUAN, P.R. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement executed a federal criminal search warrant at a local San Juan rental equipment business, Feb 21., as part of an ongoing ICE Homeland Security Investigations worksite enforcement criminal investigation targeting establishments allegedly involved in labor exploitation and the employment of undocumented aliens from Dominican Republic and Haiti.

    The ICE HSI-led immigration enforcement operation was supported by other federal agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Enforcement Removal Operations, U.S. Marshals, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, U.S. Border Patrol, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the FBI.

    During the search warrant, no arrests were conducted, however ICE HSI seized documents and digital media devices for evidence purposes. The documents included employment records, tax records, I-9 forms, bank statements, sales, and contracts information. The digital media devices included electronic equipment, such as cellular telephones and computers.

    ICE HSI San Juan Special Agent in Charge Rebecca González-Ramos said, “This investigation encompasses several aspects of our mission in Puerto Rico. We are not only enforcing immigration laws but also identifying any labor exploitation crimes including forced labor, a modality of human trafficking.”

    If you see Say Something, Say Something. Call ICE HSI Communication Center at 787-729-6969.

    Members of the public can follow us on X @HSISanJuan.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Woman Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Burning Down Local Business

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Carey Alice Hernandez was sentenced in federal court today to 70 months in prison for intentionally setting fire to Off Road Warehouse to cover up the disappearance of more than $700,000 while she was in charge of company finances.

    In April 2024, after a four-day trial, jurors found Hernandez guilty of malicious destruction of a building by means of fire, witness tampering and making false statements.

    In late 2018, the owner of Off Road Warehouse, also known as ORW, which sold and installed automotive parts and gear for off-roading, decided to sell the business located at 7915 Balboa Avenue. The prospective purchaser conducted an audit of ORW, which revealed that between January 2015 and March 2019, while Hernandez was serving as bookkeeper and controller in charge of the company books and records, $744,621 had gone missing from the company.

    The jury found that in the early morning hours of March 28, 2019, Hernandez started the fire at Off Road Warehouse, causing the building to burn to the ground.

    “This defendant intentionally set a dangerous inferno in what appears to have been an attempt to conceal a massive theft. And then she leaned on her minor daughter to try and cover up her crimes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden. “Fortunately, no one was physically hurt, but this devastating loss for ORW, and the extraordinary danger of intentionally setting a fire, demanded accountability. And today, justice was served.”

    At today’s hearing, U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta described the defendant’s actions as “wanton, deliberate and destructive” and “a very dangerous crime” that put firefighters at risk. She noted the crime was made even worse when she asked her daughter to lie for her.

    According to evidence presented at trial, surveillance footage showed the defendant driving an SUV with dark rims near her home and the fire scene. The following day, she lied to federal agents and ORW employees, claiming her SUV had light rims. Video footage from the area contradicted her claims about the vehicles rims, leading to convictions for witness tampering and false statements.

    ATF’s National Response Team (NRT) investigated this case in conjunction with San Diego’s Metro Arson Strike Team (MAST). The NRT is ATF’s mobile, rapid response team which investigates the cause and origin of large fires, explosions and bombings at the request of local public safety agencies.

    “Arson crimes are not victimless,” said Acting ATF Los Angeles Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jose Medina. “These criminal acts destroy lives, property, and businesses.  In this case, the motive was greed—fire was used as a cover-up for criminal activity. ATF remains steadfast in its mission to bring arsonists to justice and ensure safer communities. We will relentlessly pursue and remove these offenders from society. I want to acknowledge the dedication of our National Response Team and San Diego’s Metro Arson Strike Team (MAST) for their work in determining the fire’s origin and cause.”

    A hearing to determine the restitution that Hernandez owes the victims of her crimes is scheduled for March 14, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. before Judge Ohta.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Brehm and Carl Brooker.

    DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 22cr145-JO                                         

    Carey Alice Hernandez                                  Age: 46                                   Rathdrum, Idaho

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Malicious Destruction of Building by Means of Fire – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 844(i)

    Maximum penalty: No less than five years in prison and no more than 20 years and $250,000 fine

    Witness Tampering – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1512(b)(3)

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

    False Statements – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1001(a)(2)

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

    INVESTIGATING AGENCY

    Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Armed Career Criminal Convicted for Possession of Firearms Linked to Miami-Dade Shootings, Homicide

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – After a three-day bifurcated trial, a Miami federal jury found Nathaniel Martin, 45, guilty of possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Later that same day, the jury found that Martin qualified as an Armed Career Criminal based on his criminal history, including prior convictions for robbery, cocaine trafficking, and armed robbery.

    Based on the evidence at trial, police responded to a market in Miami Gardens based on a tip that a person of interest in an open investigation was camped out in the alley behind that market. When police arrived, they observed Martin sitting in a chair at the end of the alley rifling through a bookbag. Surveillance footage from the interior and exterior of the market showed Martin handling the bookbag, a plastic bag, and other belongings in and around the market. Police later recovered the bookbag, which contained fourteen rounds of live ammunition, and the plastic bag, which contained two semiautomatic pistols and additional ammunition.

    Additional evidence at trial included text messages from the day of the arrest in which Martin asked if he could hide his guns under a friend’s bed, DNA evidence for each of the firearms, and recorded jail calls from the day of the arrest in which Martin lamented that police had recovered “the weapons.”

    According to other filings in the case, one of the pistols recovered from Martin returned ballistic matches to shell casings recovered from a December 2023 shooting in Miami Gardens and a January 13, 2024 homicide in Miami Gardens. 

    U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez presided over the trial. Martin faces a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years of imprisonment, and a maximum term of imprisonment up to life. The sentencing hearing has been set for May 2, 2025. Judge Martinez will sentence Martin after a review of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge John F. Dion, Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, announced the verdicts. 

    The ATF and the Miami Gardens Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sterling M. Paulson and Altanese Phenelus are prosecuting the case.

    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 gun violence and other violent crime, 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.

    You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr- 20065.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Michael White Sentenced to 100 Years on Federal Charges Related to Murder of Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ABINGDON, Va. – Michael Donivan White was sentenced today to 100 years in federal prison on federal charges related to the November 2021 murder of Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler and a wide-ranging drug conspiracy.

    White, 36, of South Carolina, pled guilty to eight counts in relation to the murder of Officer Chandler.  Specifically, he pled guilty to one count of causing the death of a person using a firearm, in which the killing was first-degree murder, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of conspiring to distribute or possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of possessing with the intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of using a place for the purpose of distributing or using a controlled substance, one count of using a communication facility in committing any felony-controlled substance offense, one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, one count of possession of a stolen firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and using, brandishing and discharging that firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

    “Today in U.S. District Court in Abingdon, Michael White was sentenced to spend the next 100 years of his life in federal prison for murdering Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler,” Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee said today. “No matter how righteous our prosecution was or how just this sentence is, no amount of jail time can bring back Officer Chandler. Our only hope is that today’s sentence brings some level of closure to Officer Chandler’s friends and family, the Big Stone Gap Police Department, and the Southwest Virginia law enforcement community. To all of the men and women who worked tirelessly to bring Michael White and his co-conspirators to justice, the Department of Justice is eternally grateful.”

    “We can never bring Officer Michael Chandler back, and no sentence will ever fill the void left in the hearts of his family, friends, law enforcement community, and the Big Stone Gap community. But today’s hearing helped bring some closure to his family. Michael White will spend decades behind bars for the cold-blooded murder of a hero. We will never stop fighting for those who put their lives on the line for our safety and security. Officer Chandler, you will never be forgotten,” said Attorney General Jason Miyares. “I commend the entire law enforcement community in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee for their dedicated work on this case, including the lead agencies, the Virginia State Police, ATF, the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, the Big Stone Gap Police Department, in addition to all agencies who assisted with this case. This case highlights the important collaboration between our federal and state partners, and I wish to specifically thank Virginia Senior Assistant Attorney General Suzanne Kerney-Quillen for her key role in this case. My office stands firmly with law enforcement across the Commonwealth and will continue to pursue all avenues possible to ensure that anyone who harms or kills a police officer is held fully accountable. I am honored that my office could support the investigation and prosecution concerning the senseless death of Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler.”

    “Virginia State Police is pleased to have been able to help bring Michael White to justice and provide some closure to the family and friends of Officer Michael Chandler,” said Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Hanley, Interim Superintendent of Virginia State Police. “Officer Chandler was working to make the Commonwealth a better place and made the ultimate sacrifice.”

    “We offer our deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and colleagues of Officer Michael Chandler as they continue to navigate this horrific tragedy “said ATF Washington Field Division Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood. “We hope that this sentencing provides comfort to Officer Chandler’s family. It is also our hope that this sends a clear message of accountability to those that actively engage in violent crime especially when it results in injury or death to those who devote their lives to protecting and serving our communities. Prioritizing violent crime and enforcing federal firearms laws remain at the forefront of our daily mission.”

    According to court documents, beginning in August 2021 and continuing even after the time of his arrest, White and 18 other defendants participated in a conspiracy to distribute more than 15 kilograms of methamphetamine, in addition to heroin and fentanyl.

    Tragically, at approximately 4:00 a.m. on November 13, 2021, Big Stone Gape Police Officer Michael Chandler responded to a dispatch call at 2505 Orr Street in Big Stone Gap, known locally as “the red house.” Upon arriving at the red house, Officer Chandler encountered a vehicle outside the residence. Officer Chandler requested backup, telling dispatch, “This car is taking off on me.” Inside the vehicle, Michael White told a female co-defendant, Misty Ward, to “get the fu*k out of there” because there were drugs in the vehicle and that “he was not going back to jail.”  Ward started to drive off as directed, but then stopped and got out of the vehicle. At that point, White attempted to flee the scene, however the vehicle got stuck in the grass. Officer Chandler approached the vehicle on the driver’s side.

    White brandished a Taurus 9mm pistol and immediately fired eight shots through the driver’s side window and door, striking Officer Chandler’s wrist and abdomen just below his bulletproof vest.

    Officer Chandler died later that evening from his injuries.

    Following the shooting, law enforcement identified White as a suspect. White was later located at a motel in Kingsport, Tennessee and a subsequent search of the motel room found a Taurus, 9mm pistol. Further testing ultimately proved this firearm to be the same one that fired the shots that killed Officer Chandler.

    This investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Virginia State Police, the United States Marshal’s Service, the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Norton Virginia Police Department, the Kingsport Tennessee Police Department, the Big Stone Gap Police Department, the Wise County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the East Tennessee Drug Task Force, and the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force, which is comprised of investigators from the Virginia State Police, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Wise County Sheriff’s Office, City of Norton Police Department, and Big Stone Gap Police Department.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lena L. Busscher and Danielle Stone, as well as Special Assistant United States Attorney and Virginia Senior Assistant Attorney General Suzanne Kerney-Quillen prosecuted the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Rock Hill Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Their Role in Drug Conspiracy

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    COLUMBIA, S.C. — Emmanuel Deon Foster, 36, and Bobby Antoinios Hall, 41, both of Rock Hill, have been sentenced for their involvement in a conspiracy to distribute quantities of fentanyl, crack cocaine, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin.   

    Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Foster and Hall had a close relationship with the leader of the conspiracy. Based upon law enforcement efforts, they learned both Foster and Hall purchased fentanyl-lased pills during the time of the conspiracy from the leader.  These pills were then sold to other dealers in the Rock Hill area. Foster also purchased and sold cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine. These drugs were purchased from other members of the conspiracy and sold to other dealers. This operation has been responsible for the arrest and conviction of more than 20 individuals during its existence.

    United States District Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Foster to a total of 120 months imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision. Hall was sentenced to 84 months imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

    This joint law enforcement activity and prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.

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