NewzIntel.com

Category: Intelligence Agencies

  • MIL-OSI Security: New York Man Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Crimes Related to Nearly Half Million Dollars Stolen From Local Business Through Computer Malware

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A New York man pleaded guilty in federal court here today to crimes related to laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Columbus strength training equipment manufacturer. 

    Aleksandr Bogomolny, 53, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit and committing money laundering. 

    According to court documents, in May 2021, the FBI received a complaint to its Internet Crime Complaint Center from Rogue Fitness, which is headquartered in Columbus. The company had identified 78 outgoing transfers from a PayPal account between March 29 and April 29, 2021, totaling nearly half a million dollars.

    The FBI discovered a banking Trojan that had infected the computer of a customer service employee just prior to the transfers. The specific Trojan found on the employee laptop is known by the FBI to steal banking credentials and usually targets corporate victims.

    The stolen money was transferred to 22 different card numbers, including to Bogomolny’s Bank of America card.

    Further investigation of Bogomolny’s bank account revealed that between December 2019 and July 2021, he laundered more than $247,000 in criminal proceeds through his account.

    While executing a search warrant at the defendant’s Brooklyn residence, agents found documents that included more than 341,000 unique identifiers like names, addresses, dates of birth and Social Security numbers. The search also discovered images of driver’s licenses, U.S. passports and full lists of full credit card numbers.

    Bogomolny also used the online gambling site FanDuel to conspire to launder money. He and others would steal a victim’s identity and use it to create a FanDuel account. Then criminal proceeds were deposited into the account and later withdrawn. In total, Bogomolny and others used this scheme to deposit nearly $572,000 and withdraw more than $485,000 of the criminal proceeds.

    Finally, Bogomolny’s plea documents detail that, in 2023, the defendant met with undercover FBI agents and agreed to launder $20,000 for a six percent fee. The funds were represented as proceeds of illegal drug activities.

    Between November 2023 and March 2024, Bogomolny sent $18,800 of the original $20,000 back to the undercover FBI agents through multiple ACH transactions.

    Bogomolny later agreed to accept another $50,000 from the undercover agents. He met up with the agents in April 2024 and accepted the money, at which point he was arrested.

    Money laundering and conspiring to launder money are federal crimes punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence, and sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a future hearing based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Jury Finds Columbus Man Guilty of Leading Narcotics, Sex Trafficking & Financial Fraud Conspiracies

    Source: US FBI

    Defendant convicted of coercing addicts into prostitution, leading drug trafficking organization, overseeing pandemic relief fraud scheme, tampering with witnesses

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A jury found a Columbus man guilty on all counts for leading drug, sex trafficking and financial fraud conspiracies and then attempting to obstruct justice and tamper with witnesses.

    The United States proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Ricco Lamonte Maye, 42, used threats, violence and manipulation of drug dependencies to ensure individuals carried out his criminal schemes.

    Maye was found guilty on all 14 counts as charged. The verdict was announced on Nov. 21 following a trial that began on Oct. 31 before Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison.

    “The jury correctly found today that Ricco Maye is a dangerous man who used violence and threats of drug withdrawal to coerce victims into engaging in illegal activity for his own profit,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker.  “As the government proved at trial, Maye oversaw a variety of criminal endeavors, victimizing vulnerable populations, causing the death of one addicted person, and obstructing justice in an ill-fated attempt to avoid accountability. After today’s conviction, he will no longer be able to manipulate and control victims to enrich himself.”

    Court documents and trial testimony detail that Maye used individuals to buy and sell drugs, sell women for sex, and fraudulently apply online for COVID-19 relief funds. Proceeds from all the crimes went to the defendant.

    Beginning in at least 2018, Maye’s drug trafficking organization primarily distributed narcotics to addicts in street-level quantities. He regularly purchased narcotics from supply sources both inside and outside of Ohio and used addicts to help sell the drugs in Columbus. In addition to cash, Maye would accept stolen goods, gift cards, Social Security numbers and other items as payment for the drugs.

    Maye initially gave drugs to women for free and later manipulated their addiction by requiring them to earn drug money through prostitution. Maye provided the means for the women to engage in prostitution – frequently obtaining hotel rooms, having the women driven to the hotels, providing cell phones, and directing Internet prostitution ads. Maye collected the prostitution proceeds, enforced specific rules on the women and punished the women through physical violence.

    Maye was also found guilty of providing fentanyl that resulted in an overdose death. In November 2018, Maye communicated with the victim in the hours before his death. The victim had been obtaining cocaine from Maye off and on for years and sought to obtain cocaine from him again in this instance but received a fatal dose of fentanyl instead.

    Trial testimony detailed that Maye used violence against victims as part of overseeing his drug trafficking organization, including “stomping victims out,” smacking them, punching them, breaking their bones and knocking out their teeth.

    In a financial conspiracy, Maye and other defendants filed for and received more than $30,000 in fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. Maye kept all or a portion of the others’ benefits. 

    Maye was originally charged by indictment in November 2020 and has remained in federal custody since. After his initial arrest, Maye attempted to obstruct the ongoing investigation into his sex trafficking and other criminal activities and conspired to tamper with witnesses. Maye’s obstruction of justice included his directing the threatened murder of a potential government witness. 

    Due to Maye’s prior federal drug trafficking conviction, he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison for distributing a controlled substance that resulted in death and the drug conspiracy charged in his case is punishable by a minimum of 20 years and up to life in prison. The sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion conspiracy is punishable by at least 15 years and up to life in prison. Conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Conspiring to tamper with a witness carries a potential penalty of up to 30 years in prison. Obstructing a sex trafficking investigation is punishable by up to 25 years in prison.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General; Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and other officials with the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, which was formed under Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, announced the guilty verdicts. Senior Litigation Counsel Heather A. Hill and Assistant United States Attorney Kevin W. Kelley are representing the United States in this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Ohio Jail Deputy Charged with Civil Rights Violations

    Source: US FBI

    A three-count indictment was unsealed yesterday charging a former Franklin County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office deputy with two counts of depriving an inmate of his civil rights and one count of conspiring to do the same.

    According to the indictment, in March 2022, Matthew Carey, 27, of Grove City, Ohio, was employed as a deputy with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and he worked in the Franklin County Corrections Center. While he was working, it is alleged that Carey intentionally disclosed a pretrial detainee’s pending charges to another detainee.

    The indictment details that Carey knew the victim detainee had been charged with a sex offense, and that individuals charged with sex offenses were at increased risk of being physically assaulted by other detainees. It is alleged that the other detainee understood Carey’s words and gestures to be directing and authorizing an attack on the victim.

    The indictment charges that Carey had no legitimate law enforcement reason to disclose the victim’s charges, and that, after disclosing that information, Carey took no reasonable steps to protect the victim from the predictable and expected assault by other inmates that Carey had set in motion.

    In addition to the conspiracy, Carey is charged with two counts of depriving the victim of his constitutional rights under color of law, first by depriving the detainee of his right to be free from unreasonable force and second by depriving the detainee of his right to be free from a deputy’s deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of serious harm. The indictment charges that the crimes resulted in bodily injury.

    If convicted, Carey faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count.

    Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio and Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI Cincinnati Field Office investigated the case.

    Deputy Criminal Chief Jessica W. Knight for the Southern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Cameron Bell of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the 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: Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to More Than 20 Years in Prison for Again Distributing, Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Knox County man who was previously convicted of a crime against children was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 250 months in prison for new, similar offenses.

    Lee Allen Goudy, 30, of Howard, Ohio, distributed and possessed child pornography after being convicted of an offense relating to sexual abuse of a minor.

    According to court documents, in August 2023, the FBI received a tip that Goudy was a Tier II registered sex offender and was believed to have uploaded child pornography online.

    At least four cyber tipline reports related to Goudy were generated from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

    The investigation revealed that Goudy had distributed child pornography from a Reddit account via Kik messenger and on Twitter.

    Approximately 650 videos and 100 images of child sexual abuse material were recovered from Goudy’s iPhone. His collection included sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, and the sexual torture of babies. For example, one video depicted a newborn infant being smacked in the face, grabbed by the throat and shaken back and forth.

    Goudy’s iPhone search history also included searches like “supervised release monitoring iPhone” and “does federal monitoring work on iPhone.”

    A second cell phone of Goudy’s also revealed searches for content related to violence, rape and sex acts against infants and toddlers. That phone included 150 images of child sexual abuse material that Goudy had traded on Discord.

    Goudy was arrested in September 2023 for violating his federal supervised release warrant; he pleaded guilty in April 2024 to the instant child pornography crimes. Goudy was originally sentenced in April 2018 to 78 months in prison.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Cleveland Cautions Holiday Travelers About In-Flight Safety

    Source: US FBI

    FBI Cleveland is advising the public to be ‘air aware’ and understand the general safety precautions ahead of the busy holiday travel season.

    Being safe when traveling by air

    Sexual assault aboard aircraft—which usually takes the form of unwanted touching—is a federal offense and a felony that can land offenders in prison. Typically, men are the perpetrators, and women and unaccompanied minors are the victims. The FBI has seen every combination of victim and perpetrator.

    “Perpetrators look for easy opportunities to violate the space and trust of their victim. With the increased number of travelers during the holiday season, so are the number of people with nefarious intent,” said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen. “That is why we stress that travelers remain air aware, especially when it is easy to become distracted with our devices while in an airport or in-flight.”

    Crimes aboard aircraft fall within the FBI’s jurisdiction, and in the case of in-flight sexual assaults, agents describe elements of these crimes as being strikingly similar. The attacks generally occur on long-haul flights when the cabin is dark. The victims are usually in middle or window seats, sleeping, and covered with a blanket or jacket. They report waking up to their seatmate’s hands inside their clothing or undergarments.

    Compared with a typical year, just a few years ago, the FBI saw a tenfold spike in reported complaints to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding unruly and dangerous passenger behavior on airplanes.

    That number continues to grow.

    While no two incidents are the same, the information below will identify common patterns of sexual offenders onboard aircraft.

    Offenders

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates most perpetrators of sexual violence are known to the victim. However, sexual assaults on airplanes stand out because the victims usually do not know their assailants.

    Generally, sexual crimes are committed by males, and the same holds true when they happen on airplanes. Most often, an assailant sits immediately next to the victim and takes advantage of this proximity. Victims likely sit in a middle or window seat, with the offender closer to or on the aisle, effectively barricading her so she will have to walk past the perpetrator to get out.

    Sexual assaults onboard aircraft follow a predictable pattern that can be routine for experienced offenders. Because flights only last a few hours, assailants undertake a truncated grooming process to draw targets closer for control and exploitation. Grooming involves six steps to perpetrate sexual violence.

    1. Identifying the victim
    2. Gaining trust
    3. Filling a need
    4. Isolating
    5. Initiating sexual contact
    6. Maintaining control

    Though grooming is most frequently applied in the context of targeting minors, the methodology is useful for understanding techniques employed by sexual perpetrators on aircraft for victims of any age.

    Sexual offenders follow the same patterns in the air as they do on the ground but with a shortened timeline.

    In-flight sexual assaults follow a predictable but unfortunate routine, from victim identification to incident. Even if they have never been formally prosecuted, offenders with the boldness to attempt such crimes in a confined space, surrounded by witnesses, and in which they have only a few hours to act have a lot of experience avoiding arrest. Luckily, investigators familiar with this pattern and willing to look into reported incidents can find the information needed to apprehend offenders and protect victims.

    Staying Safe While Flying

    Share these tips with traveling family and friends to ensure they are less susceptible to in-flight sexual assaults.

    • Do not mix medications (even over the counter) with alcohol. These substances can induce deep sleep or affect users in unexpected ways, especially at a high altitude.
    • Dress for comfort, rather than style. Tight clothing can make it easier for sexual predators to access sensitive areas.
    • Flight attendants are there to help. If you do not feel comfortable, ring the call light or get up and ask for assistance or to be reseated.
    • If someone is being inappropriate, politely ask them to stop. It will scare off potential attackers by showing you are aware of their actions. As a worst-case scenario, a regular passenger will give you more space.
    • Trust your gut. Offenders will often test their victims, sometimes pretending to brush against them to see how they react or if they wake up. If such behavior occurs, reprimand the person immediately, and consider asking to be moved to another seat.
    • If your seatmate is a stranger, no matter how polite he or she may seem, keep the armrest between you down.
    • If you are arranging for a child to fly unaccompanied, try to reserve an aisle seat so flight attendants can keep a closer watch on them. Victims have been as young as eight years old.

    If an incident happens, report it immediately to the flight crew and ask that they record the attacker’s identity and report the incident. Flight attendants and captains represent authority on the plane, and they can alert law enforcement, and sometimes deal with the problem in the air. The flight crew can also put the offender on notice, which might prevent further problems.

    If you think you are a victim of sexual assault aboard an aircraft, report the incident to your flight crew and to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI, or contact your local FBI office.

    If alerted in advance, FBI agents can be on hand when the plane lands to conduct interviews and take subjects into custody. FBI victim specialists can respond as well because victims of federal crimes are entitled by law to a variety of services.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Cleveland Warns of Holiday Scams During the 2024 Shopping Season

    Source: US FBI

    The FBI Cleveland Field Office is warning the public of common holiday scams during the 2024 shopping season.

    With the holidays upon us and seasonal shopping in full gear, criminals are set to look for opportunities to take advantage of consumers. The FBI is encouraging shoppers to be vigilant for scams that are designed to steal their money and personal information.

    The two most prevalent holiday scams are non-delivery and non-payment crimes. In Ohio, non-payment or non-delivery totaled over $5.0 million and credit card/check fraud totaled over $6.2 million.

    The FBI’s definition for non-payment/non-delivery is when goods or services are shipped and payment is never rendered (nonpayment), or payment is sent and goods or services are never received or are of lesser quality (non-delivery).

    “Criminals don’t take the holidays off. With so many consumers engaged in holiday shopping, whether in person or online, the capacity to target and scam unsuspecting shoppers grows infinitely. More so, scammers capitalize on our trust and have become quite savvy to our shopping habits. The FBI continues to see an uptick in victims who thought they were shopping through a reputable, valid online vendor, only to discover they’ve either provided their financial or credit card information to a nefarious third party or, after waiting weeks for a purchase to arrive, realize they’ve been scammed,” said Greg Nelsen, FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge. 

    Some of the common holiday scams the FBI warns of are:

    • Online shopping scams: Scammers offer deals through phishing e-mails or advertisements.
    • Social media scams: Scammers use social media sites that appear to offer vouchers or gift cards. These scams often lead consumers to complete online surveys designed to steal personal information.
    • Smartphone app scams: Scammers design mobile apps disguised as free games that steal personal information.
    • Work-from-home scams: Scammers use websites and social media posts that offer working from home. Convenience is the attention grabber, but there may be fraudulent intentions.
    • Gift card scams: Victims receive a spoofed e-mail, call, or text asking them to purchase multiple gift cards for person or business reasons.
    • Charity scams: Criminals set up false charities and profit from individuals who believe they are donating to legitimate organizations.

    Scams take many forms, but if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Some precautions include:

    • Do not open any unsolicited emails or click on any links if they do open the email.
    • Remember to secure banking and credit accounts with strong and different passwords, and secure all other accounts that contain anything of value, such as rewards accounts, online accounts that save payment information, and accounts containing private and personal information.
    • Steer clear of untrustworthy sites or ads offering items at unrealistic discounts or with special coupons.
    • Use caution and take a pause to verify when downloading mobile applications.
    • Consumers should be vigilant when receiving items purchased from online auctions and third-party marketplaces.

    If you believe you are victim of a scam, contact your financial institution immediately. You should also contact your local law enforcement agency and file a complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) by visiting www.IC3.gov.

    For more information on holiday scams, visit www.fbi.gov/holidayscams.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Seeking Information From Key Bank Robbery

    Source: US FBI

    The FBI Toledo Resident Agency and the Toledo Police Department are seeking the public’s assistance identifying a male subject in connection to a bank robbery that occurred at approximately 1:54 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9 at Key Bank, 5037 Suder Avenue, Toledo.

    Subject Description

    • White male
    • 50-60 years old
    • Standing over 6’ tall
    • Wearing a dark jacket, grey sweatshirt, blue jeans with grey/white tennis shoes

    The subject entered the bank, approached the victim teller, and produced a demand note. He then fled the bank with an undisclosed amount of money and entered an older model Buick vehicle, heading in the direction of South Suder toward Kroger Grocery Store.

    The FBI encourages anyone with information to contact the Toledo Resident Agency at (419) 243-6122 or the Toledo Police Department at (419) 936-3800. Your identity can remain anonymous when submitting tips to the FBI.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement During January 6 Capitol Breach

    Source: US FBI

                WASHINGTON – An Ohio man pleaded guilty today to assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

                Clay Norris (a.k.a. “Clayton Norris”), 48, of Canton, Ohio, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers before U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly. Judge Kelly will sentence Norris on May 1, 2025.

                According to court documents, Norris traveled from Ohio to Washington, D.C., and brought a megaphone. Prior to his trip, Norris messaged others on social media, stating “I’m ready to lay it down in jail in D.C. on the 6th. TRUMP basically saying get wild for are [sic] COUNTRY and freedom’s” and “Heading to D.C., on January 6th and I’ll be ready for war if need be.”

                After Norris arrived in Washington D.C., he made his way toward the East Side of the U.S. Capitol building and walked behind the barricades that marked the restricted permitter. As he did this, Norris chanted thorough his megaphone at police, stating “We get bad news, let us drain that swamp. All we ask is you walk away. Let us bring it” and “You guys got all kinds of crooks in there you aint arresting right now. Arrest the crooks inside.”

                At about 1:45 p.m., Norris pushed the fencing that formed a barricade against U.S. Capitol Police Officer attempting to prevent rioters from advancing toward the Capitol building. Norris briefly breached the line but was repelled by police. He then shouted, “We don’t want you guys. We want them,” referring to the elected officials inside the Capitol. Norris then encouraged other rioters to “Make a stand.”

                At approximately 2:00 p.m., rioters successfully breached the barricades and Norris made his way toward the Capitol. Norris reached the East Central Stairs and encountered another police line. There, Norris continued to yell at police through his megaphone. The police line eventually was forced to retreat. Norris advanced further toward the Capitol and joined a crowd that had surrounded a group of police officers on the building’s terrace near the Rotunda doors. Norris then yelled to other rioters to “Push forward!”

                While on the terrace, Norris reached out his hand and directly pushed a U.S. Capitol Officer’s shield. Norris then attempted to enter into the building but was repelled as police deployed a chemical irritant.

                The FBI arrested Norris on May 3, 2024, in Ohio.

                This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.

                The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Cleveland and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

                In the 47 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,572 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 590 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

                Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

    24cr0358

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Sentenced to Prison for Drug Conspiracy Involving More Than 240 Pounds of Fentanyl and Nearly 100 Pounds of Cocaine

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND – Ronald Rendon-Luna, 37, a Mexican national residing in Painesville, Ohio, has been sentenced to 151 months in prison by U.S. District Chief Judge Sara Lioi, after he pled guilty to engaging in a drug-trafficking conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and being an alien in possession of firearms. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release.

    According to court documents, the Cartel, Gangs, Narcotics and Laundering Task Force of the FBI-Cleveland Division conducted a long-term drug-trafficking investigation that led to the arrest and successful prosecution of Rendon-Luna and three other co-conspirators, including two individuals with direct connections to the Sinaloa Cartel based in Culiacán, Mexico.

    During the investigation, law enforcement officials discovered that, from about June 2022 through January 2023, the leader of the conspiracy, Nefer Ojeda-Elenes, 32, of Upland, California, conspired with Rendon-Luna to use residences in Cleveland and Painesville, and two storage units in Cleveland and Middleburg Heights, to store illegal drugs and proceeds from the sales of the illegal substances. Rendon-Luna, on behalf of Ojeda-Elenes, traveled to area hotels to meet a third co-conspirator, Cameron Harris, 29, of Dayton, who further distributed the drugs in the Dayton, Ohio area. A fourth individual, Trino Alexander Briceno-Matheus, 31, of Miami Beach, Florida, also participated in the conspiracy and is known to have met with Rendon-Luna at an area hotel to pick up approximately $149,640 in proceeds earned from illegal drug activities.

    This organization was responsible for distributing approximately 111 kilograms of fentanyl, and approximately 42 kilograms of cocaine during the course of the conspiracy.

    “These criminals used their Mexican Cartel connections to bring millions of doses of fentanyl—each one potentially fatal—into our communities and distribute those poisons across our state,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “Every day, dangerous drugs like the fentanyl and cocaine that these defendants imported and peddled on our streets destroy lives. Those who seek to expand their illegal drug trade to our District should know that we will use all tools available to stop them from endangering our residents’ lives and the safety of our neighborhoods.”

    During a federal search warrant executed at the related residences and storage units, law enforcement officials found illegal drugs in a storage unit, and confiscated several weapons, including an AK-47 and an AR-15 from Rendon-Luna’s Painesville home.

    Rendon Luna’s co-conspirators were previously sentenced.

    Ojeda-Elenes was sentenced Sept. 17, 2024, to 228 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release.

    Harris was sentenced Aug. 20, 2024, to 151 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release.

    Briceno-Matheus was sentenced July 23, 2024, to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and interstate transportation in aid of racketeering.

    This case was investigated by the FBI-Cleveland Division, with assistance from the Cleveland Division of Police, U.S. Border Patrol (USBP), U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Services, Moreland Hills Police Department, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation & Identification, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Bedford Police Department, Internal Revenue Service, Parma Police Department, Solon Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole, Ottawa County Drug Task Force, Shaker Heights Police Department, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Brooklyn Police Department, North Royalton Police Department, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Police Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Painesville Police Department, Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, Ohio HIDTA, U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi­-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.

    The specific mission of the OCDETF Cleveland Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle major criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations, including criminal gangs, transnational drug cartels, racketeering organizations, and other groups engaged in illicit activities that present a threat to public safety and national security and are related to the illegal smuggling and trafficking of narcotics or other controlled substances, weapons, humans, or the illegal concealment or transfer of proceeds derived from such illicit activities in the Northern District of Ohio. The OCDETF Cleveland Strike Force is composed of agents and officers from the FBI, DEA, ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, USMS, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service, and USBP, along with task force officers from numerous local law enforcement agencies, including the Cleveland Division of Police. Prosecutions are led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Bullard for the Northern District of Ohio.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Muskogee Resident Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison for Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country

    Source: US FBI

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jonathan Gage Wiedel, age 19, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 540 months in prison each for 12 counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country.  The terms are set to be served concurrently, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release.

    The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office.

    On September 9, 2024, Wiedel pleaded guilty to twelve counts of a Superseding Indictment.  As part of the plea, Wiedel admitted that, beginning in August 2022 and continuing through February 2024, while employed as a teacher’s assistant at St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Muskogee, Oklahoma, he sexually abused four children under the age of twelve.  The crimes occurred in Muskogee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

    “The defendant used his position of trust as a teacher’s assistant to prey on the most innocent and vulnerable members of our society,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater.  “Safeguarding children and families in our community is among the FBI’s top priorities, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure predators like Wiedel are brought to justice.”

    “Today’s sentence reflects the unwavering commitment of federal prosecutors and local and federal law enforcement to seek justice for victims and hold the defendant accountable for his reprehensible actions,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.  “This office stands firm in its resolve to continue to protect our children and ensure the safety of our communities.”

    The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.  Wiedel will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Pippin represented the United States.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Savanna Police Officer Sentenced to 40 Years After First Guilty Verdict Obtained Under 2022 Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act Enhanced Penalties

    Source: US FBI

    A federal judge sentenced former Savanna Oklahoma Police Officer (SPD), Jeffrey Scott Smith, 35, to 40 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman during a traffic stop and obstructing justice by turning off his body-worn camera and dash camera in an effort to avoid recording the assault. This case represents the first sexual assault conviction and sentence under the 2022 Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act that added enhanced penalties for civil rights offenses involving sexual misconduct.

    Evidence presented at trial established that on Nov. 2, 2022, Smith, working his first solo shift for SPD, conducted a traffic stop of the victim, K.H., and her then-boyfriend, J.G. After running their licenses, Smith realized that J.G.’s license had recently expired. He had J.G. and K.H. get out of J.G.’s car to switch who was driving. Smith issued J.G. a speeding ticket, and then began asking personal questions, including how long they had been in their relationship. At this point, while still speaking to J.G. and K.H., Smith manually deactivated his SPD body worn camera (BWC).

    Smith then asked K.H. what she did for work. K.H. reluctantly admitted that she danced at a gentlemen’s club. Upon hearing K.H.’s answer, Smith asked to search J.G.’s car. During the search, Smith looked in K.H.’s purse and found a pre-rolled promotional marijuana cigarette from K.H.’s work. Rather than arrest her, or issue her a ticket, Smith walked back to his patrol car and manually deactivated his dashboard camera. Once the defendant had K.H. in his vehicle he sexually assaulted her.

    “Smith’s despicable acts traumatized the victim and soiled the reputation of the law enforcement community,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. “The sentence imposed is just punishment, and I am thankful to the FBI, the OSBI, and the prosecutors for their exceptional work in holding the defendant accountable for his crimes.”

    “The entire law enforcement profession is disparaged when an officer betrays the oath to protect and serve. That is exactly what Mr. Smith did on his first solo shift as a police officer,” said Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. “I am proud of the joint effort by the FBI, OSBI, and US Attorney’s Office to hold Smith accountable for his despicable actions. The sentence handed down today represents our commitment to pursuing justice for victims, and to protecting the reputation of those who wear the badge with integrity.”

    The Oklahoma City FBI Field Office investigated the case with the assistance of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

    Trial Attorney Laura Gilson of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Paladino and Clay Compton for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Oregon Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement During January 6 Capitol Breach

    Source: US FBI

                WASHINGTON – An Oregon man pleaded guilty today to assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

                Andy Steven Oliva-Lopez, 27, of Milwaukie, Oregon, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers before U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan. Judge AliKhan will sentence Oliva-Lopez on Jan. 17, 2025.

                According to court documents, Oliva-Lopez drove from his home in Oregon with a friend to attend the Jan. 6, 2021, “Stop the Steal” rally scheduled to take place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. After attending the rally, Oliva-Lopez walked toward the Capitol and made his way to the West Plaza, which was, by that time overrun with rioters. At that location, United States Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department officers attempted to maintain lines of defense and were struggling to prevent rioters from advancing further to the building.

                At about 2:04 p.m., Oliva-Lopez, wearing a full-face respirator mask, sprayed streams of orange-colored bear spray at the faces and heads of police officers on the West Plaza. Over the course of several minutes, Oliva-Lopez did this on three distinct occasions. Sometime later, the crowd forced their way through, up, and over police barricades and past officers. The crowd then advanced to the exterior façade of the Capitol, where it was not lawfully authorized to remain. At such time, the certification proceedings were still underway, and the exterior doors and windows of the United States Capitol were locked or otherwise secured.

                Along with other members of the crowd, Oliva-Lopez climbed up the stone balustrade of a set of stairs adjacent to the temporary scaffolding erected for the Inauguration. This scaffolding was located well inside the restricted perimeter of the Capitol building and its grounds, and it was in an area that was not open to the public.

                The FBI arrested Oliva-Lopez on Jan. 23, 2024.

                This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

                This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Portland and Washington Field Offices, which identified Oliva-Lopez as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #285 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

                In the 44 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,504 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 560 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

                Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Three Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Roles in Fatal Fentanyl Overdose of Southern Oregon Teenager

    Source: US FBI

    MEDFORD, Ore.—Three Oregon men were sentenced to federal prison Thursday for distributing fentanyl that caused the overdose death of a Medford teenager.

    Hunter Fenstermaker, 23, a Medford resident, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison and six years’ supervised release; Napoleon Gomez, 22, also of Medford, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison and six years’ supervised release; and Conner Lee Francis, 27, of Portland, Oregon, was sentenced to 73 months in federal prison and four years’ supervised release. All three were also ordered to pay restitution to the victim’s family.

    According to court documents, on September 7, 2021, officers from the Medford Police Department responded to a report of an overdose death of a local 17-year-old high school student. Investigators soon learned the teenager had taken a counterfeit Percocet pill containing fentanyl, and, within days, identified Fenstermaker, Gomez and Francis as the teen’s first-, second- and third-level drug suppliers.

    On February 3, 2022, a federal grand jury in Medford returned a five-count indictment charging Fenstermaker and Gomez with distributing fentanyl, and Francis with possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

    On April 9 and June 17, 2024, respectively, Fenstermaker and Gomez pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl to a person under twenty-one. On June 24, 2024, Francis pleaded guilty to possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute.

    On May 14, 2024, a fourth individual—John Rocha, 31, of Medford—was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for his role in the Medford teen’s overdose death. Rocha was the teen’s fourth-level drug supplier.

    This case was investigated by the FBI, the Medford Police Department, and the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement Team (MADGE). It was prosecuted by Marco A. Boccato, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

    MADGE is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force that identifies, disrupts, and dismantles local, multi-state, and international drug trafficking organizations using an intelligence-driven, multi-agency prosecutor-supported approach. MADGE is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and is composed of members from the Medford Police Department, the Jackson County Sheriff and District Attorney’s Offices, the Jackson County Community Corrections, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

    The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Serial Bank Robber Sentenced to Federal Prison

    Source: US FBI

    PORTLAND, Ore.—A Washington State man who admitted to committing at least ten bank robberies, including five while armed, was sentenced today to more than 23 years in federal prison.

    Clifford Court Uptegrove, 61, of Yakima, Washington, was sentenced to 280 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.

    According to court documents, on December 17, 2021, approximately 14 months after being granted a compassionate release from federal prison, Uptegrove entered an Umpqua Bank branch in Hermiston, Oregon, brandished a firearm, and demanded large denomination bills from one of the bank’s tellers. After Uptegrove collected more than $13,000 in cash, he fled the bank and attempted to steal an occupied truck in nearby parking lot.

    Shortly after, a Hermiston police officer spotted Uptegrove and attempted a traffic stop. Uptegrove led the officer on a brief pursuit before stopping and being placed under arrest without further incident.

    On January 19, 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging Uptegrove with armed bank robbery, possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Later, on April 11, 2024, Uptegrove pleaded guilty to armed bank robbery.

    This case was investigated by the FBI and Hermiston Police Department and was prosecuted by Cassady Adams and Gregory Nyhus, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Arizona Man Pleads Guilty for Making Online Threats Against Public Servants Including Federal Officials

    Source: US FBI

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – Michael Lee Tomasi, 37, of Rio Verde, Arizona, pleaded guilty yesterday to making threats against federal officials. 

    From May 2021 through November 2023, while living in Colorado and Arizona, Tomasi used a social media platform to express a desire to incite violence and threaten a variety of individuals and groups, including a city district attorney, a state court judge, a member of Congress and other federal officials and law enforcement officers. Tomasi pleaded guilty to posting a threat on Aug. 26, 2023, to kill FBI agents in order to impede, intimidate, or interfere with FBI agents’ performance of their official duties. Specifically, Tomasi admitted that, on that day, he posted: “Shoot the FBI first and ask questions later. . . .  Any FBI [] have a problem with that[,] come to my house and see what happens. Shoot before they even pull their guns out of their trunk and you shoot to kill.” 

    “Threats of violence against elected officials, judges, and FBI agents pose immense danger to the physical safety of individual victims and undermine our very system of government,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will hold to account anyone who targets public servants with illegal threats of violence.”

    “Threatening law enforcement officers and elected officials strikes at the heart of our communities and our democracy,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The men and women of the FBI work tirelessly every day to defend our homeland and protect the American people. I am proud of their selfless spirit — putting themselves in harm’s way to keep others safe — and we will hold accountable anyone who threatens them.”

    “This disgruntled defendant threatened officials from all three branches of government,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona. “Moreover, he was prepared to carry out his threats: when arrested he had a loaded handgun in his vehicle, as well as other firearms and body armor in his home. The prosecution of threats offenses makes Americans safer.”

    Tomasi pleaded guilty to making threats against federal officials. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 23, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The FBI is investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raymond K. Woo and Abbie Broughton Marsh for the District of Arizona are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Dmitriy Slavin of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

    CASE NUMBER:            CR-23-01751-PHX-DWL
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-112_Tomasi

    # # #

    For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
    Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Washington State Man Arrested on Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Actions During January 6 Capitol Breach

    Source: US FBI

                WASHINGTON — A Washington State man was arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges related to his alleged conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His alleged actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

                Thomas Hodo, 47, of Snohomish, Washington, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony civil disorder and misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a capitol building or grounds.

                The FBI arrested Hodo on Aug. 20, 2024, in Phoenix, Arizona, and he made his initial appearance in the District of Arizona.

                Codefendant Derek Noftsger was previously charged for his role in the events of January 6, 2021.

                 According to court documents, Noftsger and Hodo were identified in open-source video standing near a line of police officers on Jan. 6, 2021, on the West Plaza of the U.S. Capitol grounds.  At approximately 1:37 p.m., Hodo allegedly joined with a group of rioters who attempted to pull a bike rack barricade away from police as Noftsger stood nearby and watched. About one minute later, Hodo walked over to Noftsger and appeared to place a flag in Noftsger’s backpack. Hodo then appeared to take an item from Noftsger bag and threw the item in the direction of the police line.

                About six minutes after throwing an item in the direction of officers, Hodo approached the police line and began to speak using a megaphone. In part, Hodo stated, “it is our constitutional duty, we have to stand up to a tyrannical government, we are not supposed to secede to a tyrannical government,” then went on to claim that he supported the police, before proclaiming that “every treasonous traitor will be hung . . . . we will take our country back.” After handing off the megaphone to another rioter, he looked at the officers on the police line and said, “you guys are a f— disgrace.”

                At approximately 2:26 p.m., multiple rioters began to push against the police line near the two defendants. Officers on the police line pushed the rioters back, and, in response, it is alleged that Noftsger picked up a police officer’s riot shield from the ground and faced a Metropolitan Police Department officer. When officers pushed back a rioter near Noftsger, he allegedly lifted the riot shield above his head with both hands and threw it at the officers.

                It is then alleged that Hodo picked up an object off the ground that appeared to be a canister of pepper spray and attempted to spray it at the officers; however, the canister was not deployed. Hodo then allegedly threw the canister in the direction of the police officers.

                At about 2:28 p.m., rioters on the West Plaza overran the police line and Noftsger and Hodo climbed onto the Southwest Scaffolding. The two men then made their way to the Lower West Terrace and unfurled the flag that they had been carrying. In an open-source video, Hodo can be heard stating, “It could get a lot worse, we came in peace this time, it could get a lot worse, believe me we are well armed if we need to be.”

                This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.

                The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Seattle and Washington Field Offices. Hodo was identified as Bolo (Be on the Lookout) #421 on its seeking information images. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

                In the 43 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,488 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including nearly 550 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

                Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Midway Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

    Source: US FBI

    FAYETTEVILLE –A Midway, Arkansas, man was sentenced on June 7, 2023, to 240 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing for the United States District Court in Fayetteville.

    According to court documents, on September 8, 2022, investigators with the State of Arkansas 14th Judicial District Drug Task Force assisted Arkansas Department of Community Corrections Parole Officers with a search of the residence of Bobby Joe Amescua Gray, II, age 34, in Midway, Arkansas.  Upon the arrival of investigators, Gray attempted to flee out of the rear of the residence but was quicky apprehended.  Gray’s vehicle was searched, resulting in the discovery of 4.467 kilograms of 100% pure methamphetamine, a firearm, packaging and scales associated with methamphetamine sales and over $5,000 in United States Currency derived from methamphetamine sales.

    U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.

    The State of Arkansas 14th Judicial District Drug Task Force and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Carter prosecuted the case for the United States.

    Today’s announcement is part of the Western District of Arkansas’ Operation Home on Ice, which is part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program.  The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy.  OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.  Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement.  The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illicit drug supply.

    Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov , WDAR Case No. 3:22 CR 30013-001.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lavaca Man Sentenced in $134 Million COVID-19 Health Care Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme

    Source: US FBI

    FORT SMITH – A Lavaca, Arkansas, man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $29,835,825.99 in restitution for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and money laundering.

    Billy Joe Taylor, age 44, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and money laundering on October 27, 2022. According to court documents, Taylor and his co-conspirators submitted more than $134 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare in connection with diagnostic laboratory testing, including urine drug testing and tests for respiratory illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, that were medically unnecessary, not ordered by medical providers, and not provided as represented. Taylor and his co-conspirators obtained medical information and private personal information for Medicare beneficiaries, and then misused that confidential information to repeatedly submit claims to Medicare for diagnostic tests. According to court documents, Taylor and his co-conspirators received more than $38 million from Medicare on those fraudulent claims.

    U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes for the Western District of Arkansas; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson, of the FBI’s Little Rock division; Special Agent in Charge Jason Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Dallas Regional Office; and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Altemus of the IRS-Criminal Investigation, Dallas Field Office, made the announcement

    The FBI, HHS-OIG, and IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

    First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elser of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas and Senior Litigation Counsel Jim Hayes and Trial Attorney D. Keith Clouser of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section’s National Rapid Response Strike Force prosecuted the case.

    The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, comprised of 15 strike forces operating in 25 federal districts, has charged more than 5,000 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $24 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Paragould Man Who Shot at Police Officers Sentenced to 10 Years In Prison

    Source: US FBI

          LITTLE ROCK—A Paragould man who admitted to shooting at police officers was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison today by United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky, the maximum sentenced allowed by law.

          On February 7, 2021, Paragould police officers observed Taj Harris, 23, walking near the area of Walnut Street and Second Street in Paragould. Officers knew Harris had an active warrant for his arrest. As an officer attempted to take Harris into custody, Harris pulled out a firearm and began shooting at the officer, forcing the officer to dive to the ground to avoid being shot. A second Paragould officer saw Harris shoot at the first officer and saw that officer dive to the ground. Believing the first officer had been hit, the second officer fired multiple shots at Harris, who then returned fire at the second officer.

          Officers then pursued Harris on foot, who fled the scene. A civilian trapped Harris between a house and a fence by threatening him with a golf club and flagged down officers to make the arrest. Officers then located a stolen firearm with a large capacity magazine next to Harris’s feet. Harris is a convicted felon. The next day, in a phone conversation with his mother from the Greene County Jail, Harris admitted to his mother that he shot at police officers, and that he intended on shooting them if they tried to put their hands on him.

          On July 6, 2021, a federal grand jury indicted Harris for being a felon in possession of a firearm, a charge that carries a maximum of 120 months’ imprisonment. Harris pleaded guilty to the charge on November 15, 2022. In addition to the 10 years in prison Harris must serve, he was sentenced to three years of supervised release to follow. There is no parole in the federal system.

          The case was investigated by the Paragould Police Department and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney J. William Crow prosecuted the case for the United States.

    # # #

    This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the

    United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

    https://www.justice.gov/edar

    Twitter:

    @EDARNEWS

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Arkansas Man Sentenced for Assaulting Law Enforcement During January 6 Capitol Breach

    Source: US FBI

                WASHINGTON – An Arkansas man was sentenced today on a felony charge for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

                Peter Francis Stager, 44, of Conway, Arkansas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras to 52 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a deadly or dangerous weapon on Feb. 16, 2023. In addition to the prison term, Judge Contreras ordered 36 months of supervised release and restitution of $2,000.

                According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Stager was part of a large, armed mob that attacked police officers at the Lower West Terrace entrance of the U.S. Capitol building. At 4:27 p.m., police officers had been defending the archway opening to a corridor leading from the Lower West Terrace to the interior of the Capitol building for nearly two hours, advancing and retreating as rioters fought their way into the entrance. At this time, Stager was positioned toward the bottom of a set of steps that led to the archway, carrying a flagpole with an American flag affixed.

                Stager watched as co-defendants attacked the police line and dragged a police officer, facedown and headfirst, out of the line and into the crowd of rioters. Once the others had dragged the officer into the crowd, Stager raised the flagpole that he was carrying and beat the downed police officer, striking him at least three times.

                After assaulting the police officer, Stager ascended the steps toward the archway where a second officer was lying on the ground, fending off attacks from other rioters. Stager stood over the officer and yelled, “Fuck you! Fucking traitor!”  Later in the day, Stager was filmed pointing at the Capitol building and stating, “Everybody in there is a disgrace. That entire building is filled with treasonous traitors. Death is the only remedy for what’s in that building.”  Stager went on to say that “Everybody in there is a treasonous traitor. Every single one of those Capitol law enforcement officers, death is the remedy, that is the only remedy they get.”

                Stager was arrested on Jan. 14, 2021.

                This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

                This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Little Rock Field Office and Washington Field Office, which listed Stager as #80 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police.

                In the 30 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,069 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Little Rock Partners with Arkansas Law Enforcement Agencies in Nationwide Sex Trafficking Operation

    Source: US FBI

    LITTLE ROCK, AR— The FBI, working with its state and local partners, identified and located 200 victims of sex trafficking during a nationwide enforcement campaign, called “Operation Cross Country.” The operation also led to the identification or arrest of 126 suspects of child sexual exploitation and human trafficking offenses and 68 suspects of trafficking were identified or arrested.

    Through targeted operations and collaborative efforts, Operation Cross Country achieved significant milestones in recovering victims, apprehending offenders, and raising public awareness about these heinous crimes. The FBI and its partners located 59 minor victims of child sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation offenses and located 59 actively missing children during its two-week operation in July.

    The FBI-led nationwide initiative, in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), focused on identifying and locating victims of sex trafficking and investigating and arresting individuals and criminal enterprises involved in both child sex and human trafficking. Law enforcement agencies conducted targeted operations to identify and apprehend offenders, dismantling criminal networks and preventing further harm to victims. Those suspects identified will be subject to additional investigation for potential charges.

    “Human traffickers prey on the most vulnerable members of our society, and their crimes scar victims—many of them children—for life. The FBI’s commitment to combating this threat will never waver, and we will continue to send our message that these atrocities will not be tolerated,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “This operation would not be possible without the commitment and collaboration from our state and local law enforcement partners, and it demonstrates our continued focus on actively pursuing the criminals responsible for these heinous violations and connecting those impacted with dedicated victim services and resources.

    FBI Little Rock agents partnered with Arkansas victim advocacy organizations and law enforcement partners from Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Bentonville Police Department, El Dorado Police Department, Greenland School District Police Department, Little Rock Police Department, Lowell Police Department, Mountain Home Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Pea Ridge Police Department, Rogers Police Department, Siloam Springs Police Department, and the Tontitown Police Department. Over the course of the two-week operation, this team identified and recovered three victims, arrested one individual for attempting to engage in unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, and arrested another individual in connection with the recovery of a minor.

    “Combating child exploitation and human trafficking in Arkansas will continue to be a top priority for FBI Little Rock and our law enforcement partners,” said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson. “The success of Operation Cross Country showcases our commitment to partnering with state and local police agencies to keep Arkansas communities safe.”

    The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to combating child exploitation and human trafficking. Operation Cross Country is just one facet of the Bureau’s ongoing efforts to protect the most vulnerable members of society and hold offenders accountable. The FBI encourages continued vigilance, cooperation, and reporting from the public to help identify and recover victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Father and Son Admit Role in International Market Manipulation Scheme Related to New Jersey Deli

    Source: US FBI

    CAMDEN, N.J. – A father and son today admitted to orchestrating a large-scale market manipulation scheme related to two publicly traded companies, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

    Peter Coker, Sr., 82, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Peter Coker, Jr., 56, formerly of Hong Kong, China, both pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn to securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud.

    James Patten, 65, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina previously pleaded guilty to the same charges.

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

    From 2014 through September 2022, Peter Coker Sr., Peter Coker Jr., and Patten conspired to enrich themselves through a scheme to manipulate securities prices via a pattern of coordinated trading, which injected inaccurate information into the marketplace, creating false impressions of supply and demand for these securities.

    As part of the securities fraud scheme, the defendants targeted two publicly traded companies—Hometown International Inc. and E-Waste Corp.—which were both traded on the OTC Link Alternative Trading System, also known as the OTC Marketplace. The OTC Marketplace is an alternative trading system that contains three tiers of markets, which are largely based on the quality and quantity of the listed companies’ information and disclosures.

    Coker Sr., Coker Jr., and Patten took steps to gain control of both entities’ management and stock with the ultimate intention of entering reverse mergers, a transaction through which an existing public company merges with a private operating company. A successful reverse merger would allow the defendants to sell shares of each entity at a significant profit.

    In or around 2014, two New Jersey residents began the process of opening a local deli in Paulsboro, New Jersey. One of the individuals discussed his interest in opening the deli with Patten, a long-time friend, who suggested the creation of Hometown International, an umbrella corporation, under which the deli would operate as a wholly owned subsidiary. Unbeknownst to the deli owners, after Hometown International was formed, Patten and his associates began positioning Hometown International as a vehicle for a reverse merger that would yield substantial profit to them.

    Around October 2019, Hometown International began selling shares on the OTC Marketplace. Shortly thereafter, Patten, Coker Sr., and Coker Jr. undertook a calculated scheme to gain control of Hometown International’s management and its shares from the deli owners. Coker Sr., Coker Jr., and Patten took similar actions to gain control of E-Waste Corporation’s stock and management.

    Once the defendants gained control of Hometown International and E-Waste’s shares, they arranged for the transfer of millions of shares of stock to a number of nominee entities, including entities controlled by Coker Jr., in an effort to mask their control of the shares.

    In addition, the defendants transferred shares to family members, friends, and associates and gained control over their trading accounts by obtaining their log-in information in order to conceal the defendants’ involvement. The defendants then used those accounts to commit a number of coordinated trading events, often referred to as match and wash trades, to trade in Hometown International and E-Waste Corp.’s stock on both sides of the transaction.

    These tactics artificially inflated the price of Hometown International and E-Waste’s stock by giving the false impression that there was a genuine market interest in the stock. Their scheme had the ultimate impact of artificially inflating Hometown International’s stock by approximately 939 percent and E-Waste’s stock by approximately 19,900 percent.

    The securities fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine. The conspiracy to commit securities fraud carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense whichever is greatest.

    Judge O’Hearn scheduled Coker, Jr.’s sentencing for April 2, 2025 and Coker Sr.’s sentencing for May 13, 2025.

    U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, and special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan in Newark, with the investigation. He also thanked special agents from FBI Charlotte, FBI Los Angeles, FBI San Francisco, FBI Denver, and FBI Knoxville, for their assistance.

    The government is represented by Lauren E. Repole, Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Webman of the Economic Crimes Unit. 
     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Part-Time Actor from O.C. Sentenced to Over Eight Years in Prison for Soliciting Investors for Shell Companies Peddling Bogus COVID Cure

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – An Orange County man and part-time actor was sentenced today to 98 months in federal prison for soliciting investors in companies that marketed what in fact were a bogus cure and treatment for COVID-19 during the pandemic’s early days.

    Keith Lawrence Middlebrook, 57, of Huntington Beach, was sentenced by United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer, who also fined him $25,000 and ordered him immediately remanded to federal custody to begin serving his prison sentence. 

    At the conclusion of a three-day trial in May 2024, a jury found Middlebrook guilty of 11 counts of wire fraud.

    In March 2020, Middlebrook solicited potential investors in California, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Colorado via text messages, videos and statements posted on YouTube and Instagram about his purported cure for COVID-19. Middlebrook called this so-called cure “QC20,” and he also marketed a purported COVID treatment, which he called “QP20.”

    Middlebrook claimed to have personally developed a “patent-pending” cure and a treatment to prevent coronavirus infection. Middlebrook fraudulently solicited investments in various companies with a series of false promises. These fraudulent claims included miraculous results from the prevention product and the cure, risk-free and 100 percent guaranteed “enormous returns” on investments,” and that former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Earvin “Magic” Johnson was a director and officer of Middlebrook’s company. He induced victims to invest their money by promising them enormous returns. Judge Fischer based Middlebrook’s sentence in part on finding that he obstructed justice by his lying on the witness stand when he testified about his purported relationship and business dealings with Johnson.

    To bolster these claims, Middlebrook lied that a party in Dubai had offered to purchase his companies for $10 billion, and this offer would secure the victim-investors’ investments in the companies. He also lied that he had secured funding from seven investors who had each already invested between $750,000 and $1 million.

    The FBI arrested Middlebrook in this case in March 2020 after Middlebrook delivered pills – purportedly the treatment that prevents coronavirus infection – to an undercover agent who was posing as an investor.

    The FBI investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Kenneth R. Carbajal of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Joseph S. Guzman of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Brentwood Man Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Insider Trading Scheme That Netted More Than $650,000 in Illegal Gains

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – A man from the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison for his role in an insider trading scheme that netted more than $650,000 in illicit profits.

     Shahriyar Bolandian, 36, was sentenced by United States District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. to 24 months in federal prison. A forfeiture order will be imposed at a later date.

    At the conclusion of a five-day trial, a jury in April 2024 found Bolandian guilty of six counts of insider trading. 

    “This defendant – now a convicted felon – illegally traded on inside information to enrich himself and others,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “All those who seek to get rich by manipulating the financial markets and taking advantage of others should think again – there will be consequences for this misconduct.”

    In 2012 and 2013, Bolandian received material non-public information about two upcoming corporate acquisitions by publicly traded companies. Bolandian then used the inside information to trade in advance of the public announcements of Integrated Device Technology Inc.’s April 2012 planned acquisition of PLX Technology Inc., and Salesforce.com Inc.’s June 2013 acquisition of ExactTarget Inc.

    As a result of his illegal trades, Bolandian’s personal share of the scheme’s illicit proceeds was $450,000, which he used, among other things, to cover previous trading losses and repay loans to family and friends. 

    The United States Securities and Exchange Commission in August 2015 filed a civil complaint against Bolandian and others in connection with the scheme. That litigation remains pending.

    Judge Hatter today also sentenced Kevan Sadigh, 37, formerly of Encino and now a Miami resident, to two years of probation and ordered forfeiture in the amount of $36,684 and a money judgment in the amount of $206,525. In a separate, six-day trial, a jury in July 2024 found Sadigh guilty of seven counts of insider trading. Sadigh’s personal share of the illicit proceeds was approximately $200,000. 

    The Corporate and Securities Fraud Strike Force is designed to expand and prioritize complex corporate and securities fraud investigations, some of which involves corporate executives and other individuals involved in criminal conduct. Members of the Strike Force examine accounting fraud, insider trading, and other matters that directly impact the financial system and trading markets. 

    The FBI investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew M. Roach of the General Crimes Section and Solomon D. Kim of the Major Frauds Section, and Trial Attorney Della Sentilles of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former State Government Employee and Her Former Boyfriend Plead Guilty to Fraudulently Obtaining COVID Jobless Benefits

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – A former employee of the California Employment Development Department (EDD), which administers the state’s unemployment insurance (UI) program, pleaded guilty this afternoon to fraudulently obtaining more than $750,000 in COVID jobless relief.

    Phyllis Hope Stitt, 61, of Carson, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and bank fraud for filing at least 29 fraudulent UI claims that caused the EDD to suffer approximately $768,958 in losses. Also pleading guilty today to the same charge was Kenneth Earl Riley, 64, of South Los Angeles, Stitt’s former boyfriend.

    According to their plea agreements, Stitt and Riley had been in a relationship as domestic partners with each other for over a decade at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when Stitt was employed by the EDD as an employment program representative. Her job duties included determining claimant eligibility for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and performing claim processing activities.

    From March 2020 to September 2021, while using the access and information available to her in her position with the EDD, Stitt acquired the names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and other personal identifying information of victims that were used to submit fraudulent claims.

    Stitt then filed fraudulent applications for UI benefits without the victims’ knowledge or consent, and then increased the amount of UI benefits paid out by backdating the fraudulent requests to maximize the claims.

    Stitt certified the fraudulent applications alleging that the victims had submitted their employment history and driver’s license information, and she confirmed they were unemployed because of the pandemic and actively were searching for work.

    Many of the victims were ineligible to receive these benefits because they were currently employed, not unemployed because of the pandemic, or were deceased at the time.

    In filing the fraudulent applications, Stitt used mailing addresses that Riley had access to. Debit cards and accounts created as a result of these fraudulent applications were then accessed by Riley and others, who made cash withdrawals at ATMs, bank transfers and retail purchases.

    United States District Judge André Birotte Jr. scheduled sentencing hearings for May 9, at which time each defendant will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.

    On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Central and Eastern Districts of California to jointly head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. The Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors, as well as those who committed multiple instances of pandemic relief fraud. The Strike Force uses prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. Additional information regarding the Strike Force may be found at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-covid-19-fraud-strike-force-teams.

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

    The United States Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, the FBI, and the California Employment Development Department – Investigation Division investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorney Steven M. Arkow of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Chairman of High Times’ Parent Agrees to Plead Guilty in Scheme to Give Undisclosed Payments to Analyst Touting its Securities Offering

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – The founder and chairman of Hightimes Holding Corp., the company that publishes High Times magazine, has agreed to plead guilty to joining a criminal conspiracy to pay more than $150,000 in undisclosed compensation to an analyst for an investment newsletter that touted its stock and assisted Hightimes in raising at least $6 million.

    Adam Levin, 45, of Marina Del Rey, was charged last month with one count of conspiracy to tout securities for undisclosed compensation. In a plea agreement filed December 20, Levin agreed to plead guilty to that felony offense.

    Levin is scheduled to appear January 14 in United States District Court to make his initial appearance in this case.

    Levin is the fourth defendant to be charged in this scheme in which companies paid the analyst at “Palm Beach Venture,” an investment newsletter with subscribers nationwide. That analyst, Jonathan William Mikula – along with his associate, Christian Fernandez, who acted as a money launderer for the scheme; and Raj Beri, the CEO of a Beverly Hills company who brokered deals for undisclosed payments by other issuers, each received a portion of the payments. Mikula, Fernandez and Beri each pleaded guilty last year and are scheduled to be sentenced in July.

    The payments made by executives such as Levin were in exchange for Palm Beach Venture publishing promotional pieces for securities offerings, according to court documents.      

    Federal law requires full and public disclosure from anyone who has received payment – directly or indirectly – from an issuer for publishing, publicizing or circulating any advertisement or communication that describes the issuer’s security offered for sale.

    According to Levin’s plea agreement, in 2020 and 2021, “Hightimes raised approximately $20 million from more than 10 investor-victims, with at least $6 million in investment proceeds associated with Palm Beach Venture’s promotion.”

    In exchange for the favorable articles in the newsletter, Levin admitted he paid $150,000 via wire transfers, as well as tens of thousands of dollars for entertainment expenses.

    To conceal the scheme, Levin entered into a sham “marketing agreement” and routed the payments through a Canadian bank to a shell company in Canada, according to the plea agreement.

    Mikula then caused Palm Beach Venture to promote Hightimes’ securities offering on April 6 and September 23 in 2020 in articles that falsely stated, “Neither the Palm Beach Research Group nor its affiliates receive compensation for bringing this deal to you,” the plea agreement states.

    Levin also admitted that he lied to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission when he denied knowing that he entered into a “pay-for-play arrangement.”

    The FBI is investigating this matter.

    The SEC filed a civil action against Hightimes that was resolved in 2023 with Hightimes agreeing to a cease-and-desist order and paying a penalty of $558,071.

    Any investors who believe they are a victim of the crimes in this scheme are encouraged to go to https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/united-states-v-jonathan-william-mikula-christian-fernandez-and-amit-raj-beri for further information and updates regarding this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorney Adam P. Schleifer of the Corporate and Securities Fraud Strike Force is prosecuting this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Kidnapper Who Abducted Six-Year-Old to Peru Pleads Guilty

    Source: US FBI

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Edwin Alonso Cuadros Bravo, 54, formerly residing in Sacramento, pleaded guilty to interstate and international kidnapping conspiracy, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to court documents, in November 2021, Cuadros Bravo and his wife and co‑defendant Yulisa Alexsandra Guevara Wintong abducted their six-year-old grandchild from Sacramento and took the victim to Peru. Despite pleading from the mother, Cuadros Bravo and Guevara Wintong did not return the victim to the United States. In December 2022, the victim was returned to Sacramento as a result of government intervention.

    Cuadros Bravo was detained following his first appearance and he remains in custody. Guevara Wintong has not yet appeared to answer the charges against her. The charges are only allegations; she is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica M.A. Alegría is prosecuting the case.

    Cuadros Bravo is scheduled for sentencing on April 21, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd. Cuadros Bravo faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. 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.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking

    Source: US FBI

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jose Luis Ramos, 56, of Michoacan, Mexico, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to five years in prison for conspiracy to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to court documents, Ramos was intercepted on a wiretap coordinating the delivery of 10 pounds of methamphetamine in Southern California. Two pounds of that methamphetamine was ultimately seized by the FBI in Sacramento.

    This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cameron L. Desmond and Alstyn Bennett prosecuted the case.

    Ramos’ co-defendant, Jesus Celaya, was sentenced on Oct. 10, 2024, to 73 months in prison for distribution of methamphetamine.

    The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: San Diego Man Indicted for Sending Threatening Communication to LGBTQ Victim

    Source: US FBI

    NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 13, 2024

    SAN DIEGO – George Joseph Wellinger II of San Diego made his first appearance in federal court today to face charges that he sent a threatening email to a member of the LGBTQ community.

    The victim was targeted after being interviewed for a KTLA news report about a hate-inspired murder in Lake Arrowhead in 2023.

    According to the indictment, the email called the victim “another alphabet clown that wants to take a dirt nap, too,” and included a link to the KTLA news report which featured the victim and others discussing the murder of a Lake Arrowhead business owner who had been gunned down for hanging a Pride flag in her business.

    The email continued: “We know what you look like and know where are you are….only a matter of time….Love it….get ur ghey on sister….scissor it up….we coming for ur rainbow azz. Click Click!!!!;

    Wellinger was arraigned on an indictment charging him with Transmitting a Threatening Communication. The indictment alleges Wellinger targeted his victim because of her sexual orientation.

    “Hate crimes are designed to terrify both the victim and the community,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “The U. S. Attorney’s Office works tirelessly on prosecuting these cases to send our own message: San Diego is no place for hate.”

    “Today’s indictment serves as a reminder there is no room for hate in our community,” said Stacey Moy, Special Agent in Charge for the FBI San Diego Field Office. “Hate crimes remain one of the top FBI priorities and we will continue to protect and safeguard our communities.”

    Wellinger was taken into custody early today and at today’s hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara L. Major set a $50,000 bond and ordered home detention and electronic monitoring.

    If you or anyone you know believes you have been the victim of a hate crime, please contact the FBI at https://tips.fbi.gov/home. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacqueline M. Jimenez and Alicia Williams are prosecuting this case.

    DEFENDANT                                               Case Number: 24-CR-1591                                       

    George Joseph Wellinger II                            Age: 48                                   San Diego, CA

    CHARGE

    Transmitting a Threatening Communication – Title 18 U.S.C., § 875(c)

    Maximum penalty: Five years in prison

    INVESTIGATING AGENCY

    Federal Bureau of Investigation

    For more information and resources about the department’s work to combat hate crimes, visit https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.

    *The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.       

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  • MIL-OSI Security: San Diego Man Charged with Using Explosives to Burglarize ATMs

    Source: US FBI

    NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 23, 2024

    SAN DIEGO – Son Nguyen of San Diego was arrested early today and charged in federal court with two counts of damaging property in connection with using explosives on two ATMs.

    Nguyen, who unsuccessfully attempted to steal money from the machines, was tracked through surveillance video, vehicle registration and facial features, the complaint said. He was taken into custody by the FBI at his Mira Mesa residence and is scheduled to make his first appearance in federal court Monday.

    According to the complaint, at approximately 3:24 a.m. on June 8, 2024, Nguyen drove up to an ATM outside of California Coast Credit Union on Governor Drive in San Diego. Nguyen got out of his car and brought a five-gallon blue plastic container with a white spout to the area in front of the ATM. He then appeared to insert a black polyvinyl chloride plastic (“PVC”) hose into the ATM. A short time later, a small explosion occurred inside the ATM. Despite efforts to pull money out of the machine, Nguyen left empty handed.

    San Diego Police officers responded to an alarm at the credit union and observed a white PVC pipe connected to a black PVC pipe with two batteries taped to it. They also observed pieces of what looked like a blue balloon around the ATM.  Approximately 20 feet from the ATM was another plastic pipe. 

    According to the complaint, a few weeks later, at approximately 2:10 a.m. on June 28, 2024, Nguyen drove up to another ATM in Rancho Bernardo outside of a First Citizen’s Bank branch in San Diego. He then repeated the same steps. After electrical components caught fire and smoke started coming out of the ATM, Nguyen returned and attempted to extract cash from the machine but was unsuccessful.

    Investigators used surveillance camera video to track the defendant and his vehicle. While serving a court-authorized search warrant at Nguyen’s home, investigators found gas, black powder, potassium nitrate sulfur, explosive pre-cursor chemicals, a paper that explains how to make black powder and a firearm in Nguyen’s residence, among other equipment and clothing items consistent with those used during the attempts.

    “Fortunately, neither of these incidents resulted in injury or successful theft of cash,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “With the discovery of chemicals and equipment in the search today, future attempts were also thwarted.”

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Sherwood and Shital Thakkar.

    DEFENDANT                                               Case Number                         24-mj-03215

    Son Thanh Nguyen                                         Age: 44                                   San Diego, CA

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Use of an Explosive to Damage Property – 18 U.S.C., Section 844(i)

    Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison

    INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

    Federal Bureau of Investigation

    San Diego Police Department

    San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad

    City of San Diego’s Hazmat Team

    A complaint itself is not evidence that the defendant committed the crimes charged. The defendant is presumed innocent until the Government meets its burden in court of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

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