Category: Intelligence Agencies

MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Possessing Methamphetamine and Firearms

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican National, residing in Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing more than a kilogram of methamphetamine and firearms.

Roberto Rosales Gonzales, 24, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays, to one count of possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

On Thursday, March 21, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Gonzales’s residence. During the search of the residence, officers found 59 firearms of various calibers, including two suspected machine guns, assorted ammunition, a firearm silencer, and an inert hand grenade. Officers also found approximately 114.1 grams of suspected fentanyl pills, approximately 1.3 kilograms of methamphetamine, approximately 31.4 grams of suspected heroin, and more than $22,000 in cash.

Under federal statutes, Gonzales is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Jackson County Drug Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

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

MIL Security OSI –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Laredo man admits to robbing bank which led to dangerous pursuit

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

LAREDO, Texas – A 42-year-old resident of Laredo has pleaded guilty to robbing Falcon International Bank, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

On June 10, 2024, Adrian Hernandez entered the location at 212 Bob Bullock Loop in Laredo. He approached the counter and passed a note to the bank teller which read – “this is a bank robbery, give me all the money.”

Hernandez had a gray shirt wrapped around his hand to conceal, or appear to conceal, a weapon. The teller activated the silent alarm and placed the money that was in her teller drawer, including bait money, into a brown paper bag and handed it to Hernandez. He then left the bank, got into his car and sped away.

Authorities later observed a car matching the description of Hernandez’s vehicle parked at a motel. They attempted a felony stop but Hernandez evaded, and a chase ensued. Eventually, Hernandez collided with a chain link fence in the vicinity of Salinas Avenue.

At the time of his arrest, he was wearing the same clothing as viewed in the security footage from the Falcon International Bank.

Law enforcement also found a large amount of cash in the car as well as a yellow note and blue marker.

U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose sentencing at a later date. At that time, Hernandez faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. He will remain in custody pending that hearing.

The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Makens is prosecuting the case.

MIL Security OSI –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Former Military Contractor Pleads Guilty for Deleting Text Messages in Antitrust Division Investigation

Source: United States Attorneys General 11

Today, a Federal Judge accepted a guilty plea to destruction of records in a federal investigation from a former employee of a contractor that provided operation and maintenance services to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for U.S. military installations in South Korea.

According to the information filed in the Western District of Texas, in or about July 2021, David Cruz, 37, deleted text messages with Hyuk Jin Kwon and Hyun Ki Shin. Kwon and Shin were separately charged ‌for fraud and conspiring to rig bids and fix prices on millions of dollars in maintenance and repair subcontracting work provided to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in South Korea and remain fugitives. At Kwon’s suggestion, Cruz deleted text messages after receiving a litigation hold notice from his employer requiring him not to destroy or delete communications. Cruz then covered up the deletion of those text messages after being specifically advised by his employer that there was an ongoing federal investigation.

In the deleted text messages, Cruz discussed with Kwon and Shin the need to get additional bids from their competitor to satisfy the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s competitive bidding requirements for subcontract work. Kwon had previously told Cruz that Cruz should contact him instead of requesting bids directly from Kwon’s competitors.

“The Procurement Collusion Strike Force’s commitment to safeguard taxpayer dollars from collusion and fraud is unwavering,” said Director Daniel Glad of the Justice Department’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF). “The Antitrust Division will not hesitate to prosecute individuals who unlawfully impede our investigations by destroying or covering up evidence.”

“Bid rigging and other acts of fraud against the U.S. Army not only undermine the integrity of critical procurement efforts but also put our Soldiers at risk by providing them capabilities and services which do not meet the high standards necessary to maintain peak lethality,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael DeFamio of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (Army CID), Far East Field Office. “Army CID is grateful for the collaborative efforts of our federal partners at the FBI and the Department of Justice, and we will continue to identify, investigate, and hold accountable those who attempts to defraud the U.S. Government, regardless of where they are in the world.”

“The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) is steadfast in its mission to protect taxpayer funds from fraud and collusion,” said Special Agent in Charge Stanley Newell of DCIS’ Transnational Field Office. “We are equally committed to relentlessly pursuing those who attempt to obstruct our investigations through the destruction or concealment of evidence.”

“Mr. Cruz knowingly destroyed records that were part of an ongoing criminal investigation and has now acknowledged his crime” said Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI is committed to holding accountable military contractors who flout the bidding process and intentionally destroy evidence of their guilt.”

Destruction of records in a federal investigation carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other relevant factors.

The Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal Section, Army CID, DCIS, and the FBI investigated the case.

Assistant Chief Daniel E. Lipton and Trial Attorney Daniel P. Chung of the Antitrust Division prosecuted the case with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew B. Devlin for the Western District of Texas.

In November 2019, the Justice Department created the PCSF, a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government — federal, state and local. To learn more about the PCSF, or to report information on bid rigging, price fixing, market allocation and other anticompetitive conduct related to government spending, go to www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force. Anyone with information in connection with this investigation can contact the PCSF at the link listed above.

MIL Security OSI –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Video: Myanmar, Haiti & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (1 April 2025) | United Nations

Source: United Nations (Video News)

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:
– Myanmar/ Humanitarian
– Myanmar / Special Envoy
– Central Asia
– Haiti
– Deputy Secretary-General/Trip Announcement
– Lebanon/Israel
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Syria
– South Sudan
– Sudan
– Democratic Republic of the Congo
– Central African Republic
– Ukraine
– Briefing

MYANMAR/ HUMANITARIAN
The Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator ad interim for Myanmar, Marcoluigi Corsi, today called on the world to step up support for the people of Myanmar.
Mr. Corsi returned yesterday from a two-day visit to Nay Pyi Taw territory, where he witnessed the widespread destruction of infrastructure, including buildings, roads, and bridges.
He said the most urgent needs are drinking water, hygiene, shelter, food, and medicine.
The UN and its partners, many of whom were in Myanmar already, are actively delivering supplies while conducting assessments to determine the full scale of the needs. Some of these supplies include food, drinking water, shelter and medicine.
The UN Refugee Agency have also rushed emergency supplies from Yangon to some 25,000 earthquake survivors in the Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw areas and are mobilizing more relief items from their existing stocks in Myanmar.
UNICEF and its partners have begun delivering emergency water, sanitation and hygiene kits, medical kits and nutrition supplies – all from its pre-positioned stocks.
The agency is also mobilizing an additional 80 metric tonnes of critical supplies from its global hubs. But, they say this is not enough given the scale of the disaster people of Myanmar are facing.
Telecommunications disruptions, damaged roads and debris continue to hinder the response. Severe shortages of medical supplies, including trauma kits, blood bags, anesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines and tents for health workers.
Search-and-rescue operations continue and responders work tirelessly to save those trapped under collapsed buildings. Currently, 25 urban search-and-rescue teams from 13 countries are operating in the country.
The UN remains deeply committed to reaching people in Myanmar who need aid and we must act swiftly to provide relief before the upcoming monsoon season, which risks worsening the crisis.
Even before this disaster, Myanmar faced an overwhelming humanitarian crisis, with nearly 20 million people in need due to conflict and climate-induced disasters, including recent severe flooding.
Yet, the humanitarian response remains critically underfunded, with $56 million received so far, which is just 5 per cent of the $1.1 billion required.

MYANMAR / SPECIAL ENVOY
The Special Envoy on Myanmar, Julie Bishop, said she stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar as the devastating earthquake has worsened an already dire situation. Many victims still cannot be reached due to severe damage, she said, adding that the earthquake has laid bare the deeper vulnerabilities facing Myanmar’s people and underscored the need for sustained international attention to the broader crisis.
She called for all sides to urgently allow space for humanitarian relief and ensure that aid workers can operate in safety.
Continuing military operations in disaster-affected areas risk further loss of life, Ms. Bishop said, as she called on all parties to the conflict to immediately cease hostilities and focus their efforts on the protection of civilians, including aid workers, and the delivery of life-saving assistance.
A number of countries including Myanmar’s neighbors and ASEAN mechanisms have provided immediate support. The Special Envoy appeals to Member States and other donors to swiftly provide flexible funding to scale up the response.

CENTRAL ASIA
The Secretary-General welcomes the trilateral summit of the leaders of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan, which took place on 31 March in Khujand, Tajikistan.
The summit saw the signing of a trilateral agreement defining the Junction Point of the State Borders of the three countries. It follows the earlier signing of the Treaty on the State Border between the Kyrgyz Republic and Republic of Tajikistan on 13 March. 
The Secretary-General welcomes and encourages further steps to strengthen the spirit of mutual trust, good-neighbourly relations and cooperation in Central Asia. 

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=01%20April%202025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3dFvgGypjA

MIL OSI Video –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: SEC Charges Three Arizona Individuals with Defrauding Investors in $284 Million Municipal Bond Offering That Financed Sports Complex

Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Randall “Randy” Miller, Chad Miller, and Jeffrey De Laveaga with creating false documents that were provided to investors in two municipal bond offerings that raised $284 million to build one of the largest sports venues of its kind in the United States.

As alleged in the SEC’s complaint, in August 2020 and June 2021, Randy Miller’s nonprofit company, Legacy Cares, issued approximately $284 million in municipal bonds through an Arizona state entity to finance the construction of a multi-sports park and family entertainment center in Mesa, Arizona. Investors were to be paid from revenue from the sports complex, and investors were given financial projections for revenue that were multiple times the amount needed to cover payments to investors, according to the complaint. However, the complaint alleges that the defendants fabricated or altered documents forming the basis for those revenue projections, including letters of intent and contracts with sports clubs, leagues, and other entities to use the sports complex. The sports complex opened in January 2022 with far fewer events and much lower attendance and generated tens of millions less in revenue than expected under the false projections, and the bonds defaulted in October 2022, according to the complaint.

“As our complaint alleges, these defendants used fake documents to deceive municipal bond investors into believing a sports complex would generate more than enough revenue to make payments to bondholders,” said Antonia Apps, Acting Deputy Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “Maintaining the integrity of the approximately $4 trillion municipal bond market is critical for local governments and investors alike. The SEC will hold accountable individuals who defraud municipal bond investors.”

The SEC’s complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, charges Randy Miller, Chad Miller, and De Laveaga with violating the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws and seeks permanent injunctions, conduct-based injunctions, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, and civil penalties.

In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York today announced criminal charges for similar conduct.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by William T. Salzmann, Jonathan Grant, Joseph Chimienti, and Creighton Papier and supervised by David Zhou and Rebecca Olsen of the Public Finance Abuse Unit. They were assisted by Steven Varholik of the San Francisco Regional Office. The litigation will be led by Jason Bussey of the San Francisco Regional Office, Mr. Salzmann, and Mr. Grant. The SEC’s investigation is ongoing. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Iranian Company and Two Iranian Nationals Charged with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and for Scheme to Procure U.S. Technology for Iranian Attack Drones

Source: US State of California

Concurrent Action with Department of the Treasury Targets Illicit Iranian Weapons Procurement Network

A criminal complaint was unsealed today charging Hossein Akbari, 63, and Reza Amidi, 62, both of Iran, and an Iranian company, Rah Roshd Company (Rah Roshd), with conspiring to procure U.S. parts for Iranian Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs, also known as drones), conspiring to provide material support to the IRGC – a designated foreign terrorist organization – and conspiring to commit money laundering.

Akbari is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rah Roshd. Amidi is the company’s commercial manager and was previously the commercial manager of Qods Aviation Industries (QAI), an Iranian state-owned aerospace company. They are both citizens of Iran and remain at large.

“Today’s charges lay bare how U.S.-made technology ended up in the hands of the Iranian military to build attack drones,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will continue to put maximum pressure on the Iranian regime. We will relentlessly dismantle illicit supply chains funneling American technology into the hands of Iran’s military and terrorist organizations and pursue those complicit in operations that threaten our country.”

“As alleged in the complaint, the defendants conspired to obtain U.S.-origin parts needed to manufacture drones for military use in Iran and send those parts to Iran in violation of export control laws,” said U.S. Attorney John J. Durham for the Eastern District of New York. “The charges filed today demonstrate the commitment by my office and our law enforcement partners to dismantle illicit supply chains and prosecute those who unlawfully procure U.S. technology in support of a foreign terrorist organization. The IRGC and QAI have been core players in the Iranian military regime’s production of drones, which threaten the lives of civilians, U.S. personnel and our country’s allies. These charges should serve as a warning to those who violate U.S. export control laws and who unlawfully seek to aid Iran’s drone program.”

“The allegations in this case demonstrate the lengths Iranian companies take to evade U.S. sanctions, victimize U.S. businesses, and support the IRGC’s production of drones,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “The FBI and our partners will use all authorities to stop those who seek to evade sanctions and engage in money laundering schemes that support terrorist activities and threaten the lives and interests of Americans and our allies.”

According to court documents, Akbari and Amidi operate Rah Roshd which procures and supplies advanced electronic, electro-optical and security systems to the Government of Iran and designs, builds, and manufactures ground support systems for UAVs. Rah Roshd’s clients include the IRGC and several Iranian state-owned aerospace companies and drone manufacturers, including QAI, Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center (SAIRC) and Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group (SBIG).

Between January 2020 and the present, Amidi and Akbari used Rah Roshd in furtherance of a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions and procure U.S.-origin parts for use in Iranian-manufactured UAVs, including the Mohajer-6 UAV. At least one of those parts was manufactured by a Brooklyn, New York-based company (Company-1). In September 2022, the Ukranian Air Force shot down an Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drone used by the Russian military in Ukraine. The drone recovered by the Ukrainian Air Force contained parts made by several U.S. companies, including Company-1)

To facilitate their scheme, Amidi and Akbari falsely purported to represent companies other than Rah Roshd, including a company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (Company-2) and a company based in Belgium (Company-3). The defendants used a “spoofed” email address, containing a misspelled version of Company-2’s name, to communicate regarding the procurement of parts, including parts manufactured by U.S. companies. The defendants also used various “front” or “shell” companies to pay for UAV parts and to obfuscate the true end destination and the true identities of the sanctioned end users, including QAI and the IRGC, which were acquiring U.S.-made parts through Rah Roshd. Amidi and Akbari also used aliases to obfuscate their true identities in furtherance of the scheme.

Additionally, the defendants conspired to provide material support to the IRGC by providing goods and services, including constructing military shelters, providing cameras and drone field hangers and conspiring to procure drone parts as well as parts to operate drones, including servo motors, pneumatic masts, and engines, for the benefit of the IRGC’s military campaign. The investigation uncovered correspondence from the IRGC, signed by the head of the UAV Command for the IRGC’s Aerospace Force, thanking Rah Roshd for its work on behalf of the IRGC and praising Rah Roshd’s achievements in designing and manufacturing “servo motors” for defense equipment. The letter also included a quote from the Supreme Leader of Iran regarding the importance of self-sufficiency and domestic production to strengthen Iran’s economy and “disappoint the enemies of the Islamic Republic.” The letter also noted continued efforts of Rah Roshd “in strengthening the defensive capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Both Amidi and Akbari possessed documents indicating that they had purchased servo motors for delivery to Iran, including a servo motor contained in the Mohajer-6 drone. Akbari also emailed supplier companies located in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and noted that he was purchasing parts for drones to be shipped to Iran.

Finally, Amidi and Akbari conspired to commit money laundering. They used at least three shell companies, which were all based in the UAE, to pay a PRC-based company that sent invoices to Rah Roshd for the sale of motors. Those payments were processed through U.S.-based correspondent bank accounts. The defendants also used two of these shell companies to pay a separate PRC-based company for the sale of pneumatic masts, which are a component of the operation of the Mohajer-6 drone.

Concurrent with today’s criminal complaint, the Department of Treasury announced sanctions targeting a network of six entities and two individuals based in Iran, the UAE, and the PRC responsible for the procurement of UAV components on behalf of QAI — a leading manufacturer for Iran’s UAV program. According to the Treasury, this network has also facilitated procurement for other entities in Iran’s military-industrial complex, including Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) and SBIG. Today’s action marks the second round of sanctions targeting Iranian weapons proliferators since the President issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 on Feb. 4, ordering a campaign of maximum pressure on Iran.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nina C. Gupta and Lindsey R. Oken for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Rebecca Roth, Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Trial Attorney Charles Kovats of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

Today’s actions were coordinated through the Justice and Commerce Departments’ Disruptive Technology Strike Force. The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation states.

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

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Justice Department to Surge Resources to Indian Country to Investigate Unresolved Violent Crimes

Source: US State of California

Operation Not Forgotten Will Surge 60 FBI Personnel to 10 FBI Field Offices to Support Investigations of Indian Country Violent Crimes

The Justice Department today announced that it will surge FBI assets across the country to address unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country, including crimes relating to missing and murdered indigenous persons.

FBI will send 60 personnel, rotating in 90-day temporary duty assignments over a six-month period. This operation is the longest and most intense national deployment of FBI resources to address Indian Country crime to date. FBI personnel will support field offices in Albuquerque; Denver; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Portland, Oreg.; Seattle; and Salt Lake City. The FBI will work in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions.

FBI personnel will be assisted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, and they will use the latest forensic evidence processing tools to solve cases and hold perpetrators accountable. U.S. Attorney’s Offices will aggressively prosecute case referrals.

“Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with U.S. Attorneys and Tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve.”

“The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands – and Operation Not Forgotten ensures a surge in resources to locate violent offenders on tribal lands and find those who have gone missing,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.

Indian Country faces persistent levels of crime and victimization. At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, FBI’s Indian Country program had approximately 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.

Operation Not Forgotten renews efforts begun during President Trump’s first term under E.O. 13898, Establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. This is the third deployment under Operation Not Forgotten, which has provided investigative support to over 500 cases in the past two years. Combined, these operations resulted in the recovery of 10 child victims, 52 arrests, and 25 indictments or judicial complaints.

Operation Not Forgotten also expands upon the resources deployed in recent years to address cases of missing and murdered indigenous people. The effort will be supported by the Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which places attorneys and coordinators in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the United States to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered indigenous people.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department to Surge Resources to Indian Country to Investigate Unresolved Violent Crimes

Source: United States Attorneys General 2

Operation Not Forgotten Will Surge 60 FBI Personnel to 10 FBI Field Offices to Support Investigations of Indian Country Violent Crimes

The Justice Department today announced that it will surge FBI assets across the country to address unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country, including crimes relating to missing and murdered indigenous persons.

FBI will send 60 personnel, rotating in 90-day temporary duty assignments over a six-month period. This operation is the longest and most intense national deployment of FBI resources to address Indian Country crime to date. FBI personnel will support field offices in Albuquerque; Denver; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Portland, Oreg.; Seattle; and Salt Lake City. The FBI will work in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions.

FBI personnel will be assisted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, and they will use the latest forensic evidence processing tools to solve cases and hold perpetrators accountable. U.S. Attorney’s Offices will aggressively prosecute case referrals.

“Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with U.S. Attorneys and Tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve.”

“The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands – and Operation Not Forgotten ensures a surge in resources to locate violent offenders on tribal lands and find those who have gone missing,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.

Indian Country faces persistent levels of crime and victimization. At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, FBI’s Indian Country program had approximately 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.

Operation Not Forgotten renews efforts begun during President Trump’s first term under E.O. 13898, Establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. This is the third deployment under Operation Not Forgotten, which has provided investigative support to over 500 cases in the past two years. Combined, these operations resulted in the recovery of 10 child victims, 52 arrests, and 25 indictments or judicial complaints.

Operation Not Forgotten also expands upon the resources deployed in recent years to address cases of missing and murdered indigenous people. The effort will be supported by the Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which places attorneys and coordinators in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the United States to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered indigenous people.

MIL Security OSI –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Iranian Company and Two Iranian Nationals Charged with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and for Scheme to Procure U.S. Technology for Iranian Attack Drones

Source: United States Attorneys General 7

Concurrent Action with Department of the Treasury Targets Illicit Iranian Weapons Procurement Network

A criminal complaint was unsealed today charging Hossein Akbari, 63, and Reza Amidi, 62, both of Iran, and an Iranian company, Rah Roshd Company (Rah Roshd), with conspiring to procure U.S. parts for Iranian Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs, also known as drones), conspiring to provide material support to the IRGC – a designated foreign terrorist organization – and conspiring to commit money laundering.

Akbari is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rah Roshd. Amidi is the company’s commercial manager and was previously the commercial manager of Qods Aviation Industries (QAI), an Iranian state-owned aerospace company. They are both citizens of Iran and remain at large.

“Today’s charges lay bare how U.S.-made technology ended up in the hands of the Iranian military to build attack drones,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will continue to put maximum pressure on the Iranian regime. We will relentlessly dismantle illicit supply chains funneling American technology into the hands of Iran’s military and terrorist organizations and pursue those complicit in operations that threaten our country.”

“As alleged in the complaint, the defendants conspired to obtain U.S.-origin parts needed to manufacture drones for military use in Iran and send those parts to Iran in violation of export control laws,” said U.S. Attorney John J. Durham for the Eastern District of New York. “The charges filed today demonstrate the commitment by my office and our law enforcement partners to dismantle illicit supply chains and prosecute those who unlawfully procure U.S. technology in support of a foreign terrorist organization. The IRGC and QAI have been core players in the Iranian military regime’s production of drones, which threaten the lives of civilians, U.S. personnel and our country’s allies. These charges should serve as a warning to those who violate U.S. export control laws and who unlawfully seek to aid Iran’s drone program.”

“The allegations in this case demonstrate the lengths Iranian companies take to evade U.S. sanctions, victimize U.S. businesses, and support the IRGC’s production of drones,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “The FBI and our partners will use all authorities to stop those who seek to evade sanctions and engage in money laundering schemes that support terrorist activities and threaten the lives and interests of Americans and our allies.”

According to court documents, Akbari and Amidi operate Rah Roshd which procures and supplies advanced electronic, electro-optical and security systems to the Government of Iran and designs, builds, and manufactures ground support systems for UAVs. Rah Roshd’s clients include the IRGC and several Iranian state-owned aerospace companies and drone manufacturers, including QAI, Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center (SAIRC) and Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group (SBIG).

Between January 2020 and the present, Amidi and Akbari used Rah Roshd in furtherance of a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions and procure U.S.-origin parts for use in Iranian-manufactured UAVs, including the Mohajer-6 UAV. At least one of those parts was manufactured by a Brooklyn, New York-based company (Company-1). In September 2022, the Ukranian Air Force shot down an Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drone used by the Russian military in Ukraine. The drone recovered by the Ukrainian Air Force contained parts made by several U.S. companies, including Company-1)

To facilitate their scheme, Amidi and Akbari falsely purported to represent companies other than Rah Roshd, including a company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (Company-2) and a company based in Belgium (Company-3). The defendants used a “spoofed” email address, containing a misspelled version of Company-2’s name, to communicate regarding the procurement of parts, including parts manufactured by U.S. companies. The defendants also used various “front” or “shell” companies to pay for UAV parts and to obfuscate the true end destination and the true identities of the sanctioned end users, including QAI and the IRGC, which were acquiring U.S.-made parts through Rah Roshd. Amidi and Akbari also used aliases to obfuscate their true identities in furtherance of the scheme.

Additionally, the defendants conspired to provide material support to the IRGC by providing goods and services, including constructing military shelters, providing cameras and drone field hangers and conspiring to procure drone parts as well as parts to operate drones, including servo motors, pneumatic masts, and engines, for the benefit of the IRGC’s military campaign. The investigation uncovered correspondence from the IRGC, signed by the head of the UAV Command for the IRGC’s Aerospace Force, thanking Rah Roshd for its work on behalf of the IRGC and praising Rah Roshd’s achievements in designing and manufacturing “servo motors” for defense equipment. The letter also included a quote from the Supreme Leader of Iran regarding the importance of self-sufficiency and domestic production to strengthen Iran’s economy and “disappoint the enemies of the Islamic Republic.” The letter also noted continued efforts of Rah Roshd “in strengthening the defensive capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Both Amidi and Akbari possessed documents indicating that they had purchased servo motors for delivery to Iran, including a servo motor contained in the Mohajer-6 drone. Akbari also emailed supplier companies located in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and noted that he was purchasing parts for drones to be shipped to Iran.

Finally, Amidi and Akbari conspired to commit money laundering. They used at least three shell companies, which were all based in the UAE, to pay a PRC-based company that sent invoices to Rah Roshd for the sale of motors. Those payments were processed through U.S.-based correspondent bank accounts. The defendants also used two of these shell companies to pay a separate PRC-based company for the sale of pneumatic masts, which are a component of the operation of the Mohajer-6 drone.

Concurrent with today’s criminal complaint, the Department of Treasury announced sanctions targeting a network of six entities and two individuals based in Iran, the UAE, and the PRC responsible for the procurement of UAV components on behalf of QAI — a leading manufacturer for Iran’s UAV program. According to the Treasury, this network has also facilitated procurement for other entities in Iran’s military-industrial complex, including Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) and SBIG. Today’s action marks the second round of sanctions targeting Iranian weapons proliferators since the President issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 on Feb. 4, ordering a campaign of maximum pressure on Iran.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nina C. Gupta and Lindsey R. Oken for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Rebecca Roth, Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Trial Attorney Charles Kovats of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

Today’s actions were coordinated through the Justice and Commerce Departments’ Disruptive Technology Strike Force. The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation states.

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

MIL Security OSI –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Fort Collins Resident Charged in Connection With Incident at Tesla Service Center in Loveland

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Cooper Jo Frederick, of Fort Collins, Colorado, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of Malicious Destruction and Attempted Destruction of Property by Fire, and one count of Possession of an Unregistered Destructive Device. The indictment was brought in connection with a fire at a Tesla Service Center in Loveland, CO, which investigators determined had been caused by an incendiary device. Frederick was arrested Friday, March 27, 2025, in Frisco, Texas.

The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation is being handled by the Denver Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Loveland Police Department, with assistance from the Dallas Field Office of the ATF, the FBI Dallas Field Office, and the Frisco, Texas Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by the Violent Crimes and Immigration Enforcement Section of the United States Attorney’s Office.

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

Case Number: 25-cr-00105-NYW

MIL Security OSI –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: KC Area Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Machine Guns

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today for possessing and transferring three machine gun conversion devices.

Demetrius Harris, also known as “Meech,” 24, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill A. Morris, to one count of illegally possessing machine guns – an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 multi-caliber firearm with an AR-type machine gun conversion device and two AR-type machine gun conversion devices.

On Jan. 24, 2024, Harris sold an AR-style firearm containing an auto sear, two additional auto sears, and ammunition to an undercover agent for $1,060.

Machine gun conversion devices, also known as “switches” or “auto sears,” are used to convert semi-automatic weapons into machine guns that fire multiple shots automatically through a single pull of the trigger, enabling more rapid and often less accurate gunfire. Whether or not they are attached to a firearm, these devices constitute machine guns under federal law. It is therefore illegal to possess, sell, or use machine gun conversion devices.

Under federal statutes, Harris is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

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

MIL Security OSI –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Former Official of St. Louis County Charity Admits Stealing Nearly $700,000

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

ST. LOUIS – A former official of a charity that houses adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities on Tuesday admitted embezzling about $690,000 over more than a decade.

Joelle Fouse, 57, pleaded guilty to three felony counts of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Fouse was the manager / director of finance and human resources for the charity and was responsible for payroll, expense reimbursement and maintaining the charity’s books and records. She admitted stealing from the charity in multiple ways.

Fouse caused 181 unauthorized expense payments totaling $407,186 to be transferred into bank accounts she controlled by providing false expense reimbursement information to a third-party payroll processing company. She provided false payroll information that triggered 71 other unauthorized payments totaling $139,810. Her theft, and the unauthorized payments, caused the charity to overpay payroll taxes by approximately $10,694. Fouse also used her company credit card to make 184 unauthorized purchases totaling $133,210. She attempted to cover up her crimes by falsifying financial and accounting records.

Fouse admitted using the money to pay for personal expenses for herself and relatives including travel, clothing, entertainment, restaurants and rent payments. Fouse’s fraud limited the charity’s ability to provide services to the disabled adults it served.

Fouse worked for the charity from October 2012 through December 2023, when she was terminated and her employer contacted federal authorities.

Fouse is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10. Each wire fraud charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.

MIL Security OSI –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Law Enforcement Arrests Man for Making Death Threats Toward Federal Official and MPD Officer

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

WASHINGTON – Robert Andrew Cooper, 68, of Washington D.C., was arrested today and charged in a two-count federal indictment with repeatedly making threatening phone calls, in December 2024, during which he allegedly said he intended to kill a federal official and an officer of the Metropolitan Police Department.

The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Cooper is charged with two counts of interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure. He will make an initial appearance at 1:30 p.m. today.

The case is being investigated by the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Horan.

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 –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: FBI Boston Warns Quit Claim Deed Fraud is on the Rise
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)

Landowners and Real Estate Agents Urged to Take Action to Protect Themselves
The Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is warning property owners and real estate agents about a steady increase in reports of quit claim deed fraud it has received—scams that have resulted in devastating consequences for unsuspecting owners who had no idea their land was sold, or was in the process of being sold, right out from under them.

Known as quit claim deed fraud or home title theft, the schemes involve fraudsters who forge documents to record a phony transfer of property ownership. Criminals can then sell either the vacant land or home, take out a mortgage on it, or even rent it out to make a profit, forcing the real owners to head to court to reclaim their property.

Deed fraud often involves identity theft where criminals will use personal information gleaned from the internet or elsewhere to assume your identity or claim to represent you to steal your property.

“Folks across the region are having their roots literally pulled out from under them and are being left with no place to call home. They’re suffering deeply personal losses that have inflicted a significant financial and emotional toll, including shock, anger, and even embarrassment,” said Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division. “We are urging the public to heed this warning and to take proactive steps to avoid losing your property. Anyone who is a victim of this type of fraud should report it to us.”

Law enforcement and the FBI have been alerted to the fraud at all points in the process and have received reports involving a variety of fraudulent scenarios, including:
- Scammers who comb through public records to find vacant parcels of land and properties that don’t have a mortgage or other lien and then impersonate the landowner, asking a real estate agent to list the property. Homeowners whose properties have been listed for sale don’t know it until they’re alerted, sometimes after the sales have gone through.
- Family members, often the elderly, targeted by their own relatives and close associates who convince them to transfer the property into their name for their own financial gain.
- Fraudsters known as “title pirates” who use fraudulent or forged deeds and other documents to convey title to a property. Often these scams go undetected until after the money has been wired to the scammer in the fraudulent sale and the sale has been recorded.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which provides the public with a means of reporting internet-facilitated crimes, does not have specific statistics solely for quit claim deed fraud, but it does fall into the real estate crime category. Nationwide, from 2019 through 2023, 58,141 victims reported $1.3 billion in losses relating to real estate fraud. Here in the Boston Division—which includes all of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island—during the same period, 2,301 victims reported losing more than $61.5 million.
- 262 victims in Maine lost $6,253,008.
- 1,576 victims in Massachusetts lost $46,269,818.
- 239 victims in New Hampshire lost $4,144,467.
- 224 victims in Rhode Island lost $4,852,220.
The reported losses are most likely much higher due to that fact that many don’t know where to report it, are embarrassed, or haven’t yet realized they have been scammed.

FBI Boston is working with property owners, realtors, county registers, title companies, and insurance companies to thwart the fraud schemes but it’s no easy task. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way business was and continues to be conducted. More and more people have grown accustomed to conducting real estate transactions through email and over the phone. The remote nature of these sales is a benefit to bad actors.

Tips for Landowners:
- Continually monitor online property records and set up title alerts with the county clerk’s office (if possible).
- Set up online search alerts for your property.
- Drive by the property or have a management company periodically check it.
- Ask your neighbors to notify you if they see anything suspicious.
- Beware of anyone using encrypted applications to conduct real estate transactions.
- Take action if you stop receiving your water or property tax bills, or if utility bills on vacant properties suddenly increase.
The FBI can work with our partners to try to stop wire transfers and recover the funds within the first 72 hours. We urge folks to report fraud and suspected fraud to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

MIL Security OSI –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Centralia man sentenced to 10+ years’ imprisonment for possessing firearms as a felon

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a Centralia man to 125 months in federal prison for possessing three firearms as a convicted felon in three separate incidents with police.

Lamar R. Bennett, 33, pleaded guilty in July to three counts of felon in possession of a firearm.

“Three brushes with the law by one defiant felon—this sentence of more than a decade in federal prison sends a strong message that repeat offenders who defy the law can expect to face certain justice in the federal system,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft.

According to court documents, Bennett was convicted as a felon in possession of a firearm in Marion County Circuit Court in 2020, further barring him from legally possessing firearms.

Bennett was the driver of a vehicle in a single-car crash in Washington County on April 21, 2023. Following the accident, Bennett placed a Smith and Wesson 9-millimeter pistol behind a concrete barrier on the side of the highway. Law enforcement recovered the firearm.

On Oct. 14, 2023, emergency personnel and law enforcement responded to Bennett’s residence in Jefferson County. Officers observed a Glock 43X pistol in his sweatshirt and recovered the firearm.

On November 23, 2023, law enforcement tried to conduct a traffic stop on Bennett’s vehicle in Marion County, but he fled. Ultimately, Bennett was apprehended and law enforcement recovered one Ruger SR9C pistol from him.

“This investigation and sentencing are a direct result of FBI Springfield Field Office’s dedication to disrupting and dismantling violent threats in our territory,” said FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson. “This sentencing is a direct warning to those who continue criminal activity in our area.”

Following imprisonment, Bennett will serve three years of supervised release.

The FBI Springfield Field Office, Centralia Police Department and Washington County Sheriff’s Office contributed to the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Hudson prosecuted the case.

MIL Security OSI –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Nigerian National Pleads Guilty to Laundering Millions in Criminal Proceeds Linked to Romance Scams and Business Email Compromise Schemes

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Olumide Olorunfunmi, 39, a Nigerian national, appeared in federal court in Charlotte today and pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy for laundering millions in criminal proceeds linked to romance scams and business email compromise schemes, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. According to documents filed with the court and today’s plea hearing, the scheme caused more than 125 victims to transfer over $4.5 million of proceeds stemming from illegal activities.

Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in North Carolina, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.

Two of Olorunfunmi’s co-conspirators, both Nigerian nationals, have also pleaded guilty to federal charges and are awaiting sentencing. Specifically, Samson Amos, 53, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business. Emmanuel Unuigbe, 42, pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.

As Olorunfunmi admitted in court today, from 2020 through 2023, Olorunfunmi conspired with Amos, Unuigbe, and others to launder the criminal proceeds of various illegal activities, including romance scams that typically targeted elderly victims, and business email compromise schemes (BECs). Court records show that the victims of the schemes were directed to transfer funds into domestic and international bank accounts controlled by Olorunfunmi and his co-conspirators. Upon receiving the fraud proceeds, Olorunfunmi and his co-conspirators transferred the funds to other bank accounts, in the U.S. and overseas.

Olorunfunmi, Amos and Unuigbe profited by keeping a portion of the criminal proceeds obtained through the schemes. They also profited by agreeing to “pay” for the domestic deposits received by others by transferring Nigerian Naira from accounts the co-conspirators controlled in Nigeria to other accounts in Nigeria, based upon a “black market” exchange rate for United States Dollars to Naira.

The charge of money laundering conspiracy carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the FBI for the investigation of the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Ryan with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is in charge of the prosecution.

Business Email Compromise Schemes

BEC schemes, also referred to as “cyber-enabled financial fraud,” are sophisticated scams that often target individuals, employees, or businesses involved in financial transactions or that regularly perform wire transfer payments. Fraudsters are usually part of larger criminal networks

operating in the United States and abroad. There are many variations of BEC schemes. Generally, the schemes involve perpetrators gaining unauthorized access to legitimate email accounts or creating email accounts that closely resemble those of individuals or employees associated with the targeted businesses or involved in business transactions with the victim businesses. The scammers then use the compromised or fake email accounts to send false wiring instructions to the targeted businesses or individuals, to dupe the victims into sending money to bank accounts controlled by perpetrators of the scheme. Generally, the money is quickly transferred to other accounts in the United States or overseas. More information on BEC schemes can be found here.

Romance Scams

In romance scams, fraudsters use a fake online identity to gain a victim’s affection and trust. The fraudsters then use the illusion of a romantic or close relationship to manipulate and/or steal from the victim. The fraudsters want to establish a relationship as quickly as possible, endear themselves to the victim, and gain trust. Fraudsters may propose marriage and make plans to meet in person, but that will never happen. Eventually, they will ask for money. The fraudsters who carry out romance scams are experts at what they do and will seem genuine, caring, and believable, and are present on most dating and social media sites. They also claim to be in the building or construction industry and/or are engaged in projects outside the U.S. That makes it easier to avoid meeting in person and more plausible when they ask for money for a medical emergency or unexpected legal fees. More information on romance scams can be found here.

If you have been the victim of an online scam or know someone who has been victimized, it is important to report it to law enforcement. Please visit ic3.gov, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), to file a complaint.

MIL Security OSI –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Copley Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison for Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

AKRON, Ohio – Brandon E. Crawford, 24, of Copley, Ohio, was sentenced March 11, 2025, by U.S. District Judge David Ruiz to 13 years in prison after he admitted to committing child sexual abuse related offenses (CSAM), also known as child pornography. He pleaded guilty to receipt and distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and possession of child pornography. He was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release after imprisonment and register as a sex offender, per the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act.

According to court documents, Crawford admitted to receiving and distributing CSAM files from about November 2022 to January 2024. During a search warrant execution, federal investigators seized a cellphone that contained sexually explicit content of children. During the investigation, they found that Crawford used social media applications on his cellphone to trade CSAM with others, including at least one image that involved a minor under the age of 12.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI-Akron Field Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter E. Daly for the Northern District of Ohio.

To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

MIL Security OSI –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI: FS Bancorp, Inc. and 1st Security Bank Announce the Promotion of Phillip Whittington to Chief Financial Officer

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, Wash., April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FS Bancorp, Inc. (“Company”) (NASDAQ: FSBW), the holding company for 1st Security Bank of Washington (“1st Security Bank” or “Bank”) announced today that it has named Phillip Whittington as Chief Financial Officer of both the Bank and the Company effective May 1, 2025. Matthew D. Mullet, who previously served as Chief Financial Officer and President will continue to serve as the President for both the Company and the Bank.

“We are delighted to announce Phil’s promotion to Chief Financial Officer,” said Joe Adams the Bank’s CEO. “I am confident his knowledge of the Bank’s accounting, treasury management and financial reporting requirements makes him the ideal person for this position.”

Phillip Whittington has served as the Controller of the Bank since January 2020. Prior to joining 1st Security Bank, he was as a manager at the accounting firm of Elliott Davis located in Columbia, South Carolina. Mr. Whittington, a Certified Public Accountant, received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the College of Charleston and his Master of Accountancy from the University of South Carolina.

About 1st Security Bank of Washington

1st Security Bank offers a range of loan and deposit services primarily to small- and middle-market businesses and individuals in Washington and Oregon. It operates through twenty-seven Bank branches, and one headquarters office that provide loan and deposit services, and loan production offices in various suburban communities in the greater Puget Sound area, the Kennewick-Pasco-Richland metropolitan area of Washington, also known as the Tri-Cities, and in Vancouver, Washington. Additionally, the Bank services home mortgage customers throughout the Northwest predominantly in Washington State including Puget Sound, Tri-Cities and Vancouver.

Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which can be identified by words such as “may,” “expected,” “anticipate”, “continue,” or other comparable words. In addition, all statements other than statements of historical facts that address activities that 1st Security expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Readers are encouraged to read the Securities and Exchange Commission reports of FS Bancorp, particularly its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, for meaningful cautionary language discussing why actual results may vary materially from those anticipated by management.

Contacts:

Joseph C. Adams
Chief Executive Officer

Matthew D. Mullet
President and Chief Financial Officer
(425) 771-5299
www.FSBWA.com

The MIL Network –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Luján, Colleagues Urge AG Bondi to Appoint A Special Counsel to Investigate Trump Administration Signal Chat National Security Breach

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and 28 Senate Democrats in urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to appoint a Special Counsel to thoroughly and impartially investigate whether any of the government officials involved in the Signal chat security breach violated federal criminal law. On March 24, The Atlantic’s editor in chief reported that President Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Waltz had included him in a group text chain with several high-ranking national security officials where highly sensitive, classified, or controlled information was shared and discussed over Signal—an unsecure commercial messaging app.
“In addition to the reckless inclusion of a journalist in the chat, we are deeply concerned about this serious breach in the proper handling of such information and deliberations,” the Senators wrote. “Appointment of a Special Counsel is appropriate where the Department may have a conflict of interest or extraordinary circumstances are present, a criminal investigation is warranted, and it is in the public interest to appoint an outside Special Counsel to investigate the matter. Such circumstances are clearly present here.”
The Signal chat group started by Mr. Waltz included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, among at least 18 other high-ranking government officials. In addition to discussing the sensitive foreign policy implications of military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, these officials proceeded to discuss key operational information regarding the precise timing of the planned attacks, the types of military aircraft and munitions to be used, and the targets and results of the strikes as they occurred. An unprecedented security breach of this magnitude involving top senior government officials presents the kind of extraordinary circumstances clearly contemplated by the Special Counsel regulations.
“These officials conducted a highly sensitive discussion, including of clearly classified or controlled information, over the commercial messaging app Signal, including in some instances on personal devices and while traveling in foreign countries, rather than using the secure U.S. government channels and facilities that are designed and required for the sharing of such information. Despite subsequent claims to the contrary by you, President Trump, and several of the officials involved, including in testimony before Congress, some of the information they shared and discussed over Signal would almost certainly be considered classified or, at a minimum, controlled, prior to and in the immediate aftermath of an impending strike,” the Senators wrote.
In the letter, the Senators raised concerns if the Signal chat violated federal law. For example, gross negligence in handling national defense information may violate the Espionage Act. Importantly, other laws, including the Federal Records Act, require the preservation of certain government records. Destruction of government records or property may constitute a violation of various criminal statutes. Subsequent statements to Congress and testimony before the Houseand Senate Intelligence Committees by several of the officials involved raise additional concerns about potential violations of federal criminal laws that prohibit making false statements to Congress, committing perjury in testimony to Congress, inducing another person to commit perjury, or conspiring to commit any of the foregoing actions.
“During your confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, you assured the American people that everyone will be held to ‘an equal, fair system of justice’ if you were confirmed as Attorney General, and that ‘no one is above the law.’ As the individuals most seriously implicated in this incident include senior officials at the highest levels, including several of your fellow cabinet members, appointment of a Special Counsel is necessary to ensure that the investigation and any ensuing prosecutions are fair, impartial, and independent and that no official, regardless of seniority or political affiliation, is above the law. The people of this country deserve the assurance that this matter will be taken seriously and addressed swiftly. To do so, we urge you to appoint a Special Counsel immediately,” the Senators concluded.
The letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Jack Reed (D-RI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Chris Coons (D-DE), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), John Fetterman (D-PA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ed Markey (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Gary Peters (D-MI).
Full text of the letter is available here and below:
Dear Attorney General Bondi:
On March 24, The Atlantic’s editor in chief reported that President Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Waltz had included him in a group message chain with several high-ranking national security officials where highly sensitive, classified, or controlled information was shared and discussed over Signal—an unsecure commercial messaging app. In addition to the reckless inclusion of a journalist in the chat, we are deeply concerned about this serious breach in the proper handling of such information and deliberations. Given the extraordinary circumstances of this shocking incident and the significant public interests at stake, it is imperative that you immediately appoint a Special Counsel to thoroughly and impartially investigate whether any of the government officials involved violated federal criminal law.
Appointment of a Special Counsel is appropriate where the Department may have a conflict of interest or extraordinary circumstances are present, a criminal investigation is warranted, and it is in the public interest to appoint an outside Special Counsel to investigate the matter. Such circumstances are clearly present here.
The Signal chat group started by Mr. Waltz included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, among at least 18 other high-ranking government officials. In addition to discussing the sensitive foreign policy implications of military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, these officials proceeded to discuss key operational information regarding the precise timing of the planned attacks, the types of military aircraft and munitions to be used, and the targets and results of the strikes as they occurred. An unprecedented security breach of this magnitude involving top senior government officialspresents the kind of extraordinary circumstances clearly contemplated by the Special Counsel regulations.
These officials conducted a highly sensitive discussion, including of clearly classified or controlled information, over the commercial messaging app Signal, including in some instances on personal devices and while traveling in foreign countries, rather than using the secure U.S. government channels and facilities that are designed and required for the sharing of such information. Despite subsequent claims to the contrary by you, President Trump, and several of the officials involved, including in testimony before Congress, some of the information they shared and discussed over Signal would almost certainly be considered classified or, at a minimum, controlled, prior to and in the immediate aftermath of an impending strike.
These shockingly reckless breaches of security protocols for safeguarding sensitive and classified information clearly warrant an investigation into whether any of the government officials involved violated federal laws pertaining to the proper safeguarding and preservation of such information. For example, gross negligence in handling national defense information may violate the Espionage Act. Importantly, other laws, including the Federal Records Act, require the preservation of certain government records. Signal allows users to schedule messages for deletion after certain time periods and Mr. Waltz appears to have set the chat messages to delete initially after one week and then later in the chat changed the setting to delete messages after four weeks. Destruction of government records or property may constitute a violation of various criminal statutes. Subsequent statements to Congress and testimony before the House and Senate Intelligence Committeesby several of the officials involved raise additional concerns about potential violations of federal criminal laws that prohibit making false statements to Congress, committing perjury in testimony to Congress, inducing another person to commit perjury, or conspiring to commit any of the foregoing actions.
Even prior to his first Administration, President Trump campaigned for the need to prosecute and “lock up” individuals who allegedly “bypass government security” or “sent and received classified information on an insecure server.” Further, as an avowedly loyal and zealous advocate for the President, you echoed these same sentiments prior to your confirmation. Given the extraordinary nature of this security breach by senior Trump Administration officials, the likelihood that these actions needlessly endangered American lives and our nation’s security, the importance of putting our nation’s security before partisan political interests, and the range of federal criminal laws that may have been violated, it is imperative that the Department of Justice conduct a thorough investigation to assess the extent of the damage and determine whether any criminal charges are warranted against any of the government officials involved.
During your confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, you assured the American people that everyone will be held to “an equal, fair system of justice” if you were confirmed as Attorney General, and that “no one is above the law.” As the individuals most seriously implicated in this incident include senior officials at the highest levels, including several of your fellow cabinet members, appointment of a Special Counsel is necessary to ensure that the investigation and any ensuing prosecutions are fair, impartial, and independent and that no official, regardless of seniority or political affiliation, is above the law.
The people of this country deserve the assurance that this matter will be taken seriously and addressed swiftly. To do so, we urge you to appoint a Special Counsel immediately.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Tren de Aragua Members Arrested on Federal Charges of International Drug Distribution

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

HOUSTON – Two Venezuelan nationals and alleged members of the recently designated foreign terrorist organization known as the Tren de Aragua (TdA) have been arrested on charges filed in the Southern District of Texas (SDTX), announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Jesus Miguel Barreto Lezama, 29, who was residing in Houston, has now appeared in federal court in Houston.

Also in custody is Briley Jesus Ballera Farias aka Derek, 32, who was arrested March 30 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he made his initial appearance.

A federal grand jury returned the indictment Jan. 29.

According to the allegations in the indictment, both men participated in a conspiracy, along with others, to import more than five kilograms of cocaine into the United States from Venezuela and Colombia. Barreto Lezama is also charged with importing nearly five kilograms of cocaine into the United States from Colombia between June 26, 2024, and July 3, 2024.

If convicted, they face a up to life in federal prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine.

The FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Colombian National Police. FBI-Houston’s Safe Streets Gang Task Force made the Houston arrest with the assistance of the Houston Police Department, DEA, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Marshals Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz are prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorney David C. Smith from the Department of Justice’s Joint Task Force Vulcan.

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

This case is also part of JTFV, which was created in 2019 to destroy MS-13 and now expanded to target TdA. It is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including SDTX; Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Districts of New Jersey, Utah, Massachusetts, Nevada, Alaska; Northern District of Ohio; Eastern District of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Virginia; Southern District of California; and the District of Columbia; as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI; DEA; Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; and Federal Bureau of Prisons have been essential law enforcement partners and spearheaded JTFV’s investigations.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

MIL Security OSI –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Foreign Influence Registration Scheme implementation

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Oral statement to Parliament

Foreign Influence Registration Scheme implementation

Government announces the implementation of regulations of Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, specifying Russia under the enhanced tier.

With permission Madam Deputy Speaker, I will make a statement on the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme.

The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme – or FIRS – is a fundamental component of the National Security Act, which this House passed in 2023.

The act was a response to the evolving threat of hostile activity from states targeting the UK.

Parts 1 to 3 of the act came into force in December 2023 and have been transformative for our operational partners, with 6 charges already brought against those conducting activity for, or on behalf of, foreign states acting within the UK.

A further 5 individuals involved in these cases have been charged with other offences.

FIRS provides crucial additional powers to protect our democracy, economy and society. It does 3 things:

First, transparency – FIRS provides transparency of foreign state influence in the UK.

Second, disruption – FIRS gives the police and MI5 a critical new disruptive tool, with criminal offences for those who fail to comply with the scheme.

Third, deterrence – FIRS will deter those who seek to harm the UK. They will face a choice – either tell the government about their actions, or face arrest and imprisonment.

Given the benefits of the scheme, I can tell the House today that FIRS will go live on the 1 July.

Political tier

The political influence tier of the scheme, which applies to all states, will allow the UK to be better informed about the nature, scale and extent of foreign influence in the UK’s political system. It will strengthen our resilience against covert foreign influence.

The political tier requires the registration of arrangements to carry out political influence activities in the UK at the direction of any foreign power.

Registrations under this tier will, in most cases, be made available on a public register.

For the first time, members of this House, will now be able to check if anyone seeking to influence them, is doing so at the direction of a foreign power.

A move which I am sure will be welcomed right across this House.

Enhanced tier

The enhanced tier of the scheme has been specifically designed to shed light on activities directed by those foreign powers or entities whose activities pose a threat to the safety and interests of the UK.

It enables the government to specify those foreign powers who pose the greatest threat to our society to ensure transparency of a much broader range of activities than just the political tier.

It will provide an important tool for the detection and disruption of harmful activity against our country.

Last month, I set out our intention to specify Iran under this tier of the scheme.

And I can announce today that we will also specify Russia under the scheme.

Russia presents an acute threat to UK national security. In recent years, its hostile acts have ranged from the use of a deadly nerve agent in Salisbury, espionage, arson and cyber-attacks, including the targeting of UK parliamentarians through spear-phishing campaigns.

And clearly Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has highlighted its intent to undermine European and global security.

To ensure we are responding to the whole of state threat Russia poses, the government intends to specify the head of the state of Russia, their government, agencies and authorities – which will include their armed forces, intelligence services and police forces, parliaments and their judiciaries.

We also intend to specify several political parties which are controlled by Russia, including the United Russia Party.

What this means is that any person – either an individual or an entity such as a company – that is carrying out activity as part of any arrangement with those Russian entities will have to register with FIRS.

Should any of these foreign power-controlled entities – such as political parties – carry out activity in the UK directly, they would also have to register with FIRS.

Madam Deputy Speaker, I hope it will be clear what a powerful tool this is.

Implementing the scheme

Turning to implementation. It is clear that FIRS has the potential to provide greater protection for our security, our democracy and our economy, but we must get implementation right.

In support of the scheme, the government has today laid draft regulations specifying Russia and Iran, introducing new exemptions from the scheme and making provision for the publication of information.

Both this House and the other place will have the opportunity to consider and debate these regulations, under the affirmative procedure. The government has also laid a further set of regulations in relation to the collection and disclosure of information under the scheme.

To support the consideration of the regulations and to assist potential registrants and others to better understand their responsibilities under the scheme, the government has published comprehensive guidance online.

By bringing the scheme into force on the 1 July, the government will be giving sectors 3 months’ notice to help them prepare for the scheme. During that time, the government will work closely with the relevant sectors – including academia and business to ensure they understand their obligations. Taken together, this package will ensure that there is strong compliance with the scheme from day one.

There will also be a 3-month grace period to register existing arrangements.

I know that right honourable and honourable members on both sides of the chamber recognise the challenges posed to the UK by foreign interference.

I hope that all members can support these further steps to keep our country safe.

Of course, as with all national security issues we must stay agile. As I have said, FIRS will be kept under review and any new announcements will be made to the House in the usual away.

Madam Deputy Speaker, it is our duty to defend the safety and interests of the UK.

That is why we are commencing FIRS.

That is why we are introducing greater protections for our democracy.

And that is why we are clamping down on the threat from states that conduct hostile activities in and against the UK.

I commend this statement to the House.

Updates to this page

Published 1 April 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Durbin, Schumer, Democratic Senators Urge AG Bondi To Appoint A Special Counsel To Investigate Trump Administration Signal Chat National Security Breach

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
April 01, 2025
The Senators wrote: “These shockingly reckless breaches of security protocols for safeguarding sensitive and classified information clearly warrant an investigation into whether any of the government officials involved violated federal laws”
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and 29 Senate Democrats sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi urging her to appoint a Special Counsel to thoroughly and impartially investigate whether any of the government officials involved in the Signal chat security breach violated federal criminal law. On March 24, The Atlantic’s editor in chief reported that President Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Waltz had included him in a group text chain with several high-ranking national security officials where highly sensitive, classified, or controlled information was shared and discussed over Signal—an unsecure commercial messaging app.
“In addition to the reckless inclusion of a journalist in the chat, we are deeply concerned about this serious breach in the proper handling of such information and deliberations,” the Senators wrote.“Appointment of a Special Counsel is appropriate where the Department may have a conflict of interest or extraordinary circumstances are present, a criminal investigation is warranted, and it is in the public interest to appoint an outside Special Counsel to investigate the matter. Such circumstances are clearly present here.”
The Signal chat group started by Mr. Waltz included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, among at least 18 other high-ranking government officials. In addition to discussing the sensitive foreign policy implications of military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, these officials proceeded to discuss key operational information regarding the precise timing of the planned attacks, the types of military aircraft and munitions to be used, and the targets and results of the strikes as they occurred. An unprecedented security breach of this magnitude involving top senior government officials presents the kind of extraordinary circumstances clearly contemplated by the Special Counsel regulations.
“These officials conducted a highly sensitive discussion, including of clearly classified or controlled information, over the commercial messaging app Signal, including in some instances on personal devices and while traveling in foreign countries, rather than using the secure U.S. government channels and facilities that are designed and required for the sharing of such information. Despite subsequent claims to the contrary by you, President Trump, and several of the officials involved, including in testimony before Congress, some of the information they shared and discussed over Signal would almost certainly be considered classified or, at a minimum, controlled, prior to and in the immediate aftermath of an impending strike,” the Senators wrote.
In the letter, the Senators raised concerns if the Signal chat violated federal law. For example, gross negligence in handling national defense information may violate the Espionage Act. Importantly, other laws, including the Federal Records Act, require the preservation of certain government records. Destruction of government records or property may constitute a violation of various criminal statutes. Subsequent statements to Congress and testimony before the House and Senate Intelligence Committees by several of the officials involved raise additional concerns about potential violations of federal criminal laws that prohibit making false statements to Congress, committing perjury in testimony to Congress, inducing another person to commit perjury, or conspiring to commit any of the foregoing actions.
“During your confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, you assured the American people that everyone will be held to ‘an equal, fair system of justice’ if you were confirmed as Attorney General, and that ‘no one is above the law.’ As the individuals most seriously implicated in this incident include senior officials at the highest levels, including several of your fellow cabinet members, appointment of a Special Counsel is necessary to ensure that the investigation and any ensuing prosecutions are fair, impartial, and independent and that no official, regardless of seniority or political affiliation, is above the law. The people of this country deserve the assurance that this matter will be taken seriously and addressed swiftly. To do so, we urge you to appoint a Special Counsel immediately,” the Senators concluded.
Along with Durbin and Schumer, today’s letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Peter Welch (D-VT), Jack Reed (D-RI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Chris Coons (D-DE), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), John Fetterman (D-PA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ed Markey (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Gary Peters (D-MI).
Full text of today’s letter is available here and below:
March 31, 2025
Dear Attorney General Bondi:
On March 24, The Atlantic’s editor in chief reported that President Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Waltz had included him in a group message chain with several high-ranking national security officials where highly sensitive, classified, or controlled information was shared and discussed over Signal—an unsecure commercial messaging app. In addition to the reckless inclusion of a journalist in the chat, we are deeply concerned about this serious breach in the proper handling of such information and deliberations. Given the extraordinary circumstances of this shocking incident and the significant public interests at stake, it is imperative that you immediately appoint a Special Counsel to thoroughly and impartially investigate whether any of the government officials involved violated federal criminal law.
Appointment of a Special Counsel is appropriate where the Department may have a conflict of interest or extraordinary circumstances are present, a criminal investigation is warranted, and it is in the public interest to appoint an outside Special Counsel to investigate the matter. Such circumstances are clearly present here.
The Signal chat group started by Mr. Waltz included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, among at least 18 other high-ranking government officials. In addition to discussing the sensitive foreign policy implications of military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, these officials proceeded to discuss key operational information regarding the precise timing of the planned attacks, the types of military aircraft and munitions to be used, and the targets and results of the strikes as they occurred. An unprecedented security breach of this magnitude involving top senior government officials presents the kind of extraordinary circumstances clearly contemplated by the Special Counsel regulations.
These officials conducted a highly sensitive discussion, including of clearly classified or controlled information, over the commercial messaging app Signal, including in some instances on personal devices and while traveling in foreign countries, rather than using the secure U.S. government channels and facilities that are designed and required for the sharing of such information. Despite subsequent claims to the contrary by you, President Trump, and several of the officials involved, including in testimony before Congress, some of the information they shared and discussed over Signal would almost certainly be considered classified or, at a minimum, controlled, prior to and in the immediate aftermath of an impending strike.
These shockingly reckless breaches of security protocols for safeguarding sensitive and classified information clearly warrant an investigation into whether any of the government officials involved violated federal laws pertaining to the proper safeguarding and preservation of such information. For example, gross negligence in handling national defense information may violate the Espionage Act. Importantly, other laws, including the Federal Records Act, require the preservation of certain government records. Signal allows users to schedule messages for deletion after certain time periods and Mr. Waltz appears to have set the chat messages to delete initially after one week and then later in the chat changed the setting to delete messages after four weeks. Destruction of government records or property may constitute a violation of various criminal statutes. Subsequent statements to Congress and testimony before the House and Senate Intelligence Committees by several of the officials involved raise additional concerns about potential violations of federal criminal laws that prohibit making false statements to Congress, committing perjury in testimony to Congress, inducing another person to commit perjury, or conspiring to commit any of the foregoing actions.
Even prior to his first Administration, President Trump campaigned for the need to prosecute and “lock up” individuals who allegedly “bypass government security” or “sent and received classified information on an insecure server.” Further, as an avowedly loyal and zealous advocate for the President, you echoed these same sentiments prior to your confirmation. Given the extraordinary nature of this security breach by senior Trump Administration officials, the likelihood that these actions needlessly endangered American lives and our nation’s security, the importance of putting our nation’s security before partisan political interests, and the range of federal criminal laws that may have been violated, it is imperative that the Department of Justice conduct a thorough investigation to assess the extent of the damage and determine whether any criminal charges are warranted against any of the government officials involved.
During your confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, you assured the American people that everyone will be held to “an equal, fair system of justice” if you were confirmed as Attorney General, and that “no one is above the law.” As the individuals most seriously implicated in this incident include senior officials at the highest levels, including several of your fellow cabinet members, appointment of a Special Counsel is necessary to ensure that the investigation and any ensuing prosecutions are fair, impartial, and independent and that no official, regardless of seniority or political affiliation, is above the law.
The people of this country deserve the assurance that this matter will be taken seriously and addressed swiftly. To do so, we urge you to appoint a Special Counsel immediately.
-30-

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI: Brigitte Custer Joins Unissant as VP, Strategy and Solutions, Strengthening National Security Focus

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

HERNDON, Va., April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Unissant Inc. (Unissant) announced the addition of Brigitte Custer as Vice President, Strategy and Solutions. In her new role, Custer will spearhead strategic initiatives and drive solution development with an emphasis on the national security vertical. Her appointment comes at a pivotal moment in Unissant’s growth, as the company expands its capabilities to address the increasingly complex challenges faced by its clients.

Custer’s addition underscores Unissant’s unwavering commitment to delivering advanced solutions for agencies safeguarding national health and security. For more than three decades, she has served as a technology strategist and trusted advisor to executives and agency heads across the U.S. Intelligence Community, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, Federal Law Enforcement, and now currently for the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA). Prior to Unissant, she held senior leadership positions at CGI, GDIT, Deloitte and operated as an independent strategy consultant.

“Brigitte’s exceptional blend of strategic vision, technical expertise, and dedication to community engagement makes her the perfect fit for Unissant,” remarked President and CEO Sumeet Shrivastava. “We are excited to welcome her and look forward to her contributions in driving our strategic growth and delivering impactful solutions to our clients.”

Custer stated, “My professional journey has always been driven by a desire to bridge the gap between technology and mission needs. I’m excited to join a company that shares this vision and is committed to delivering innovative solutions with mission impact.”

About Unissant
Mission-focused, data-driven—Unissant Inc. (Unissant) delivers for the agencies that keep our nation healthy and safe. Keeping people and mission at the forefront, we apply our domain expertise, data acumen, and technology know-how to achieve breakthrough results. Agencies turn to Unissant for our expertise in AI, advanced analytics, digital excellence, and cybersecurity solutions. Our proven frameworks drive successful execution of complex projects at enterprise scale. With an unwavering commitment to advancing mission outcomes, our teams engineer human-centered, innovative solutions that accelerate time to value. We bring honesty, integrity, and dependability to every interaction with our employees, clients, and partners.

For more information, visit us at www.unissant.com.

For more information:
Theresa White
Director, Growth Enablement and Marketing
TWhite@Unissant.com
+1 703.889.8500, ext 124

The MIL Network –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: The dark side of psychiatry – how it has been used to control societies

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Caitjan Gainty, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, King’s College London

In his new book, No More Normal, psychiatrist Alastair Santhouse recalls an experience from the 1980s when he was a university student in the UK helping deliver supplies to “refuseniks” – Soviet citizens who were denied permission to leave the USSR. These people often faced harsh treatment, losing their jobs and becoming targets of harassment. Some were even diagnosed with a psychiatric condition called “sluggish schizophrenia”.

By the time Santhouse encountered this diagnostic category, sluggish schizophrenia had been kicking around psychiatry in the Soviet Union for some time. It first entered the diagnostic lexicon in the 1930s, coined to describe cases in which adults diagnosed with schizophrenia had displayed no symptoms of the disorder in childhood.

This notion of a symptomless disorder gave it tremendous value to Soviet officials in the 1970s and 80s, who wielded it ruthlessly against those who suddenly suffered from delusions of wanting a better society or hallucinatory desires to emigrate.

But they weren’t the only ones to wield psychiatry to repress and control. “Punitive” or “political” psychiatry has proven to be quite a useful tool in many parts of the world. One well-known case is that of Chinese political activist Wang Wanxing, who marked the third anniversary of the 1989 pro-democracy student protests in Tiananmen Square by unfurling his own pro-democracy banner on that same spot.

He was immediately arrested, jailed, and then diagnosed with “political monomania”: a “condition” characterised by the irrational failure to agree with the state. For treatment, he was confined for 13 years in a psychiatric hospital, part of the Ankang (“peace and health”) network of psychiatric institutions where dissidents like him were forcefully medicated and subjected to “treatments” such as electrified acupuncture.

More recent applications of punitive psychiatry pop up periodically in our news feeds and disappear just as quickly. Some women who removed their headscarves or cut their hair as part of anti-government protests in Iran in 2022 were diagnosed with antisocial behaviour, forcefully institutionalised and subjected to “re-education”.

Women in Iran who protested against wearing hijabs were sent for re-education.
Alexandros Michailidis/Shutterstock

In 2024, in Russia, an activist’s choice of T-shirt, bearing the slogan “I am against Putin”, was considered so problematic that it required the summoning of a “psychiatric emergency team”.

As in the Soviet Union, the advantages of punitive psychiatry were not a little Orwellian: diagnosing a citizen with a mental illness made it easier to isolate their ideas, cut them off physically and discourage similar behaviour.

Not just authoritarian regimes

While authoritarian regimes certainly seem to wield it with the most abandon, punitive psychiatry has not been absent in the west. Indeed, at the height of the civil rights movement in the US, black activists protesting generations of racial prejudice and injustice were subjected to much the same diagnostic regime.

One example was the pastor and activist Clennon W. King, Jr. who was arrested and confined to a mental institution in 1958 after he attempted to enrol at the all-white University of Mississippi for a summer course. It was an act so inconceivable that the state of Mississippi thought he must be insane.

And, according to his FBI record, the militant civil rights leader Malcolm X was a “pre-psychotic paranoid schizophrenic”: a diagnosis made based on his activism and protest speech. As Jonathan Metzl has shown, the descriptors used to “diagnose” Malcolm X were later enshrined in the American Psychiatric Association’s 1968 updated definition of schizophrenia. Dissent in the US was as potentially pathological as dissent anywhere else.

Though each of these cases undoubtedly constitutes a gross misuse of psychiatry, the practice of making distinctions between what constitutes normal and abnormal behaviour is fundamental to the discipline. And, as Metzl’s account of the shifting definition of schizophrenia implies, psychiatric disorders are especially sensitive to social change.

Unlike most physical illnesses, psychiatric illnesses often have few physiological signs. Whereas a broken bone on an X-ray can be declared unambiguously broken, psychiatric problems are diagnosed in terms of constellations of symptoms, written on but not in the body, and recounted by patients in conversation with their therapist, or via a listing of these symptoms on one of the many diagnostic questionnaires that make up the psychiatric diagnostic arsenal.

Psychiatry’s bible

These are then matched to symptom clusters listed in psychiatry’s bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). Though in the everyday practice of mental health, there is much more to this process, in theory, the closeness of this match designates the absence or presence of disease.

That psychiatric diagnoses are unusually socially responsive is by and large unavoidable. Our mental health is itself socially specific, so much so that some have argued that something as apparently universal as depression, for example, is actually an illness specific to western or even just anglophone cultures.

Whether that hypothesis is true or not has no bearing on whether depression is in fact real. It only suggests what psychiatry intrinsically acknowledges already: that mental health has a critically significant social component.

As the use of psychiatry for these punitive purposes makes clear, this necessary malleability lends itself to abuse. The radical psychiatrists of the 1970s certainly believed so when they re-examined the very notion of normal, exposing its role in policing society and enforcing categories of exclusion. It’s how homosexuality ended up as a diagnosable psychiatric illness in the 1952 edition of the DSM – a pathology built by and for the norms of the American mainstream.

But it’s a malleability that can also lead to change in the opposite direction, where society – we, you and I – revisit and change these boundaries. Homosexuality was removed from the DSM in 1973, not because of any new scientific information, but because of a targeted gay rights activist campaign and, more indirectly, the slow shift over the intervening decades toward greater social inclusion.

In his book, Santhouse reflects on where we are now in psychiatry, at a time when there is, to quote his clever title, “no more normal”. Though the definition of normal is always in a state of flux, ours is a moment of diagnostic surfeit, in which mental health clinicians have had to cede space to a superabundance of resources that allow us – even encourage us – to diagnose ourselves.

And that makes this an interesting moment: one in which we explicitly see our vision of mental health being remapped onto the shifting politics of identity and inclusion that permeate now. Insofar as this forces us to reckon with the social aspects of our mental health in a more explicit way than we are used to, perhaps this is no bad thing.

Caitjan Gainty has received funding from the Wellcome Trust.

– ref. The dark side of psychiatry – how it has been used to control societies – https://theconversation.com/the-dark-side-of-psychiatry-how-it-has-been-used-to-control-societies-248493

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China unveils historic lunar sample exhibition in Beijing

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, April 1 — For the first time, lunar samples collected from the Moon’s near and far sides are put on display together at an exhibition that opened Tuesday in Beijing.

The exhibition at the National Museum of China is themed around China’s lunar exploration program over two decades and jointly hosted by the museum and the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The samples were collected by China’s Chang’e-5 and Chang’e-6 missions.

The exhibition also displays hundreds of valuable artifacts as well as pictures and documents related to China’s lunar exploration program that was officially approved in 2004.

According to the organizers, the exhibition provides a comprehensive overview of the country’s lunar exploration efforts, highlighting its historical background, development, major achievements and future goals.

The exhibition will run for two months.

MIL OSI China News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: FBI Warns Public to Beware of Scammers Impersonating Law Enforcement and Government Officials
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

The FBI Philadelphia Field Office is warning the public of fraud schemes in which scammers impersonate law enforcement or government officials in attempts to extort money or steal personally identifiable information.

Government and law enforcement impersonation scams can come in various forms, most commonly email or phone calls.

On the phone, scammers often spoof caller ID information, so fraudulent calls appear to be coming from an agency’s legitimate phone number. Recipients should hang up immediately and report the call to law enforcement.

Fraudulent emails may give the appearance of legitimacy by using pictures of the FBI Director and/or the FBI seal and letterhead. Common hallmarks of a scam email include misspellings, missing words, and incorrect grammar.

Be advised, law enforcement does not call or email individuals threatening arrest or demanding money.

To avoid becoming a victim of this scam:
- Be wary of answering phone calls from numbers you do not recognize.
- Do not send money to anybody that you do not personally know and trust.
- Never give out your personal information, including your Social Security number, over the phone or to individuals you do not know.
The FBI will never:
- Call or email private citizens to demand payment or threaten arrest. You will also not be asked to wire a “settlement” to avoid arrest.
- Ask you to use large sums of your own money to help catch a criminal.
- Never request you send money via wire transfer to foreign accounts, cryptocurrency, or gift/prepaid cards
- Call you about “frozen” Social Security numbers or to coordinate inheritances.
If you believe you are a victim of a law enforcement or government impersonation scam:
- Cease all contact with the scammers immediately
- Notify your financial institutions and safeguard any financial accounts
- Contact your local law enforcement and file a police report
- File a complaint with the FBI IC3 at www.ic3.gov.
- Be sure to keep any financial transaction information, including prepaid cards and banking records and all telephone, text, or email communications.
If you think you are a victim of this, or any other online scam please file a report with your local law enforcement agency and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov.

MIL Security OSI –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: FBI Philadelphia Raises Awareness About Sexual Assaults on Airplanes

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

PHILADELPHIA—April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the FBI Philadelphia Field Office is taking that opportunity to alert the public about a serious federal crime: sexual assault aboard aircraft.

Sexual assault aboard aircraft—which usually takes the form of unwanted touching—is a felony that can land offenders in prison.

To respond to incidents at airports or on airplanes, each of the FBI’s 55 field offices have airport liaison agents (ALA). These agents are assigned to the nearly 450 U.S. aviation facilities that have passenger screening operations regulated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and respond to crime aboard an aircraft, a violation which falls within the FBI’s special investigative jurisdiction. 

“Everyone has the right to fly without being subjected to abusive or sexual misconduct,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, special agent in charge of FBI Philadelphia. “Alongside our airport and law enforcement partners, the FBI is committed to supporting victims and holding offenders fully accountable for their actions.”

To support and assist victims of federal crimes, the FBI has Victim Specialists in field offices across the country.

We encourage everyone to be aware of their surroundings while onboard an airplane. If you have been a victim of sexual assault aboard an aircraft, or have witnessed one take place, report it your flight crew, airport authority police, and the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.

You can reach out to FBI Philadelphia at (215) 418-4000.

For victim services resources on sexual assault, visit: Navigating the Impact of Sexual Assault — FBI

MIL Security OSI –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI: Turbo Energy’s SUNBOX Home All-In-One Energy Storage System Meets U.S.’s Highest Standards for Safety, Reliability and Performance
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Company Granted UL Certifications After Undergoing U.S.’s Most Demanding Testing and Evaluation Processes

Company Advances U.S. Market Launch with Planned Installations in Five States

VALENCIA, Spain, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Turbo Energy, S.A. (NASDAQ:TURB) (“Turbo Energy” or the “Company”), a global provider of leading-edge, AI-optimized solar energy storage technologies and solutions, today announced that it has completed one of the most rigorous safety certification processes in the United States and received Underwriters Laboratories (“UL”) 5500 and 9540 certifications for its innovative SUNBOX Home all-in-one solar energy storage system for residential applications. The UL certification mark is one of the most widely recognized product accreditations in the U.S. and is regarded a pre-requisite for permitting and insurance purposes.

Now available in the U.S., SUNBOX Home is a complete intelligent solar energy storage system powered by Turbo Energy’s patented AI algorithms and processes that allow homeowners to fully optimize the energy efficiency of their solar power panel installations

Commenting on the mission critical milestone, Mariano Soria, Chief Executive Officer of Turbo Energy, stated, “This UL certification is one of the most important criteria in the permitting of new technologies for use in homes and businesses, affirming that our solutions meet rigorous safety standards and regulatory requirements. Moreover, with the award of these certifications, Turbo Energy is empowered to take a significant step forward in our Company’s expansion strategy aimed at penetrating and ultimately dominating the U.S. market for highly advanced, user-friendly solar energy storage solutions.”

In collaboration with its U.S. partner Connection Holdings, Turbo Energy is in the process of launching SUNBOX Home in the U.S. with units already shipped stateside and initial residential installations being scheduled as part of the Company’s planned American beta initiative being conducted in California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.

SUNBOX Home is an all-in-one back-up solar energy storage solution for split phase installations, modular with energy storage capacity up to 20.48 kWh. Supported by Turbo Energy’s proprietary, cloud-based SaaS solution powered by Artificial Intelligence, SUNBOX Home users benefit from intelligent data collection, optimized stored energy management and predictive analytics which provide real-time insight into weather and electricity price forecasts, solar panel performance, energy consumption and material cost savings opportunities, among other key metrics.

Underwriters Laboratories was established in 1894 and is the world’s largest non-profit product safety certification organization, with global name recognition and acceptance. Products intended to be used in homes and businesses must be listed by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (“NRTL”) such as Underwriters Laboratories which are accredited by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”). Turbo Energy teamed with Intertek Group, plc, one of the world’s leading total quality assurance providers, to manage its testing, inspection and certification processes, resulting in SUNBOX Home’s UL certification for safety, quality and performance.

About Turbo Energy, S.A.

Founded in 2013, Turbo Energy is a globally recognized pioneer of proprietary solar energy storage technologies and solutions managed through Artificial Intelligence. Turbo Energy’s elegant all-in-one and scalable, modular energy storage systems empower residential, commercial and industrial users expanding across Europe, North America and Latin America to materially reduce dependence on traditional energy sources, helping to lower electricity costs, provide peak shaving and uninterruptible power supply and realize a more sustainable, energy-efficient future. A testament to the Company’s commitment to innovation and industry disruption, Turbo Energy’s introduction of its flagship SUNBOX represents one of the world’s first high performance, competitively priced, all-in-one home solar energy storage systems, which also incorporates patented EV charging capability and powerful AI processes to optimize solar energy management. Turbo Energy is a proud subsidiary of publicly traded Umbrella Global Energy, S.A., a vertically integrated, global collective of solar energy-focused companies. For more information, please visit www.turbo-e.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of the business of the Company, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control, including the risks described in our registration statements and annual report under the heading “Risk Factors” as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Turbo Energy, S.A. specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For more information, please contact:
At Turbo Energy, S.A.
Dodi Handy, Director of Communications
Phone: 407-960-4636
Email: dodihandy@turbo-e.com

Attachment
- U.S., SUNBOX Home
The MIL Network –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI: NANO Nuclear Energy Bolsters its Regulatory Licensing Team with the Addition of Veteran Nuclear Professional Brent Hamilton as Director of Quality Assurance
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

New York, N.Y., April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) (“NANO Nuclear” or “the Company”), a leading advanced nuclear energy and technology company focused on developing clean energy solutions, today announced the appointment Brent Hamilton as its Director of Quality Assurance.

This appointment continues a series of important additions to NANO Nuclear’s engineering, scientific and regulatory licensing personnel as the Company seeks to progress its proprietary, advanced nuclear micro reactor designs through construction, demonstration, regulatory licensing and ultimately commercialization.

Mr. Hamilton has over 26 years of quality control, quality engineering, and quality assurance experience, primarily in nuclear construction for commercial nuclear, Department of Energy projects, and nuclear fuel manufacturing. In these roles, he gained extensive experience in the development of Quality Management Systems and their implementation. Each were focused on meeting key regulatory licensing regulatory requirements, including those included as part 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B; 10 CFR Part 70; 10 CFR Part 830; DOE O 414.1D; and/or CSA N286. His experience and knowledge are expected to be of great benefit in the identification of critical project attributes and the development of processes to validate them.

“It is an honor to assume this role and contribute my expertise in implementing robust quality assurance programs for NANO Nuclear’s reactors in development,” said Brent Hamilton, Director of Quality Assurance of NANO Nuclear. “My background spans multiple nuclear initiatives, and I firmly believe that the U.S. nuclear industry’s future depends on innovative, dedicated teams like the one at NANO Nuclear. I look forward to helping ensure that all of NANO Nuclear’s technologies are built to the highest quality standards as we advance our plans.”

Figure 1 – NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. Appoints Brent Hamilton as its Director of Quality Assurance.

Mr. Hamilton is expected to bring invaluable insight and guidance as NANO Nuclear’s reactor development projects move forward. Mr. Hamilton has held quality leadership positions in projects such as: early site work for the Plutonium Processing Facility at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL); development of manufacturing scale processes for TRISO fuel and establishment of a pilot facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and construction of the Spent Fuel Handing Project (SFHP) for the Naval Reactors Facility in Idaho. Mr. Hamilton has spent many years involved with the construction of the AP1000 reactor projects in Georgia and South Carolina and the Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride Conversion Facility in Kentucky.

“NANO Nuclear is rapidly expanding its roster with veteran nuclear energy professionals who have in-depth experience working closely with the U.S. Department of Energy, and Brent’s arrival reflects that trend and our commitment to retaining the best talent we can,” said Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear. “His expertise aligns perfectly with our vision to advance our reactor designs to the next stage of development and I’m confident he will be a key contributor to NANO Nuclear’s growth.”

“Brent is a highly experienced professional who brings a comprehensive understanding of nuclear reactor development, particularly our newly acquired KRONOS MMR^™ Energy System and portable LOKI MMR^™ from his tenure at Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation,” said James Walker, Chief Executive Officer of NANO Nuclear. “His continuity in this area will be essential as we work to quickly move our reactors through the next stages of development. I am pleased to welcome a professional of his caliber to our expanding team.”

About NANO Nuclear Energy, Inc.

NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) is an advanced technology-driven nuclear energy company seeking to become a commercially focused, diversified, and vertically integrated company across five business lines: (i) cutting edge portable and other microreactor technologies, (ii) nuclear fuel fabrication, (iii) nuclear fuel transportation, (iv) nuclear applications for space and (v) nuclear industry consulting services. NANO Nuclear believes it is the first portable nuclear microreactor company to be listed publicly in the U.S.

Led by a world-class nuclear engineering team, NANO Nuclear’s reactor products in development include patented KRONOS MMR^™ Energy System, a stationary high-temperature gas-cooled reactor that is in construction permit pre-application engagement U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in collaboration with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U. of I.), “ZEUS”, a solid core battery reactor, and “ODIN”, a low-pressure coolant reactor, and the space focused, portable LOKI MMR^™, each representing advanced developments in clean energy solutions that are portable, on-demand capable, advanced nuclear microreactors.

Advanced Fuel Transportation Inc. (AFT), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is led by former executives from the largest transportation company in the world aiming to build a North American transportation company that will provide commercial quantities of HALEU fuel to small modular reactors, microreactor companies, national laboratories, military, and DOE programs. Through NANO Nuclear, AFT is the exclusive licensee of a patented high-capacity HALEU fuel transportation basket developed by three major U.S. national nuclear laboratories and funded by the Department of Energy. Assuming development and commercialization, AFT is expected to form part of the only vertically integrated nuclear fuel business of its kind in North America.

HALEU Energy Fuel Inc. (HEF), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is focusing on the future development of a domestic source for a High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel fabrication pipeline for NANO Nuclear’s own microreactors as well as the broader advanced nuclear reactor industry.

NANO Nuclear Space Inc. (NNS), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is exploring the potential commercial applications of NANO Nuclear’s developing micronuclear reactor technology in space. NNS is focusing on applications such as the LOKI MMR^™ system and other power systems for extraterrestrial projects and human sustaining environments, and potentially propulsion technology for long haul space missions. NNS’ initial focus will be on cis-lunar applications, referring to uses in the space region extending from Earth to the area surrounding the Moon’s surface.

For more corporate information please visit: https://NanoNuclearEnergy.com/

For further NANO Nuclear information, please contact:

Email: IR@NANONuclearEnergy.com
Business Tel: (212) 634-9206

PLEASE FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES HERE:

NANO Nuclear Energy LINKEDIN

NANO Nuclear Energy YOUTUBE

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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release and statements of NANO Nuclear’s management in connection with this news release contain or may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this context, forward-looking statements mean statements related to future events, which may impact our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “potential”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would” or “may” and other words of similar meaning. In this press release, forward-looking statements include those related to the anticipated benefits to NANO Nuclear of the appointment of Mar. Hamilton, as well as the Company’s regulatory plans in general, as described herein. These and other forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this news release and represent management’s current views and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control. For NANO Nuclear, particular risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the following: (i) risks related to our U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) or related state or non-U.S. nuclear fuel licensing submissions, (ii) risks related the development of new or advanced technology and the acquisition of complimentary technology or businesses, including difficulties with design and testing, cost overruns, regulatory delays, integration issues and the development of competitive technology, (iii) our ability to obtain contracts and funding to be able to continue operations, (iv) risks related to uncertainty regarding our ability to technologically develop and commercially deploy a competitive advanced nuclear reactor or other technology in the timelines we anticipate, if ever, (v) risks related to the impact of U.S. and non-U.S. government regulation, policies and licensing requirements, including by the DOE and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, including those associated with the recently enacted ADVANCE Act, and (vi) similar risks and uncertainties associated with the operating an early stage business a highly regulated and rapidly evolving industry. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. These factors may not constitute all factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in any forward-looking statement, and NANO Nuclear therefore encourages investors to review other factors that may affect future results in its filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov and at https://ir.nanonuclearenergy.com/financial-information/sec-filings. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this news release, except as required by law.

Attachment
- NANO Nuclear Energy Inc.
The MIL Network –
April 2, 2025

MIL-OSI: ISS Recommends Shareholders Vote “FOR” Amplify’s Proposed Acquisition of Assets from Juniper Capital

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

HOUSTON, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Amplify Energy Corp. (NYSE: AMPY) (“Amplify” or the “Company”) announced that Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”), a leading independent proxy advisory firm, has recommended that shareholders vote “FOR” the Company’s proposed merger with Juniper Capital’s upstream Rocky Mountain portfolio companies. The Company issued the following statement in response to ISS’ recommendation:

The Amplify Board of Directors (the “Board”) and management team are pleased that ISS agrees our pending merger will promote continued growth and long-term shareholder value. ISS took the time to discuss the merger with us, evaluated its benefits and assessed any potential concerns through its independent review process. We appreciate that, after conducting its diligence, ISS recommended FOR our proposed merger.

In its report, ISS concluded¹ that: “[Amplify] appears to have run a reasonable process and the proposed transaction, which was the best option available following discussions with multiple parties, appears to be better than a standalone scenario given increased scale, projected free cash flow accretion, synergy opportunities, and the increased optionality for portfolio optimization.”

We believe this transaction represents a compelling opportunity to enhance long-term shareholder value by significantly strengthening Amplify’s financial position, diversifying its asset base, and creating operational efficiencies. We anticipate the proposed merger will:

Drive free cash flow and value accretion:
- 2025 free cash flow per share projected to increase from $0.50 per share to greater than $0.70 per share²
- Total proved reserve value projected to increase ~89%, from $688 million to $1.3 billion³

Increase portfolio flexibility:
- New Rockies asset base allows Amplify the opportunity to accelerate value creation through portfolio optimization
- Lower operating cost to improve resiliency of asset base in low or high commodity price environment

Enhance organic growth potential:
- Juniper assets include multi-year inventory of identified, high quality undeveloped drilling locations
- Proved undeveloped drilling locations adjacent to premier public company operators

Unlock meaningful operating synergies:
- Pro-forma Adjusted EBITDA per BOE expected to increase 40% due to higher oil weighting and lower cost structure⁴
- Pro-forma G&A per BOE expected to decrease >20% due to economies of scale⁵

Preserve shareholder value:
- Increased free cash flow and scale, along with expected refinancing, projected to increase liquidity and flexibility
- Free cash flow provides optionality to reduce leverage and return capital to shareholders

The Board continues to recommend that shareholders vote “FOR” the two proposals regarding the merger. The Special Meeting of Shareholders to approve the proposals is scheduled to take place virtually on April 14, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. Central Time. The methods for voting and submitting proxies are described in the distributed proxy materials for the Special Meeting.

About Amplify Energy
Amplify Energy Corp. is an independent oil and natural gas company engaged in the acquisition, development, exploitation and production of oil and natural gas properties. Amplify’s operations are focused in Oklahoma, the Rockies (Bairoil), federal waters offshore Southern California (Beta), East Texas / North Louisiana, and the Eagle Ford (Non-op). For more information, visit www.amplifyenergy.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements.” All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this press release that addresses activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Terminology such as “could,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “expect,” “may,” “continue,” “predict,” “potential,” “project” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the Company’s expectations of plans, goals, strategies (including measures to implement strategies), objectives and anticipated results with respect thereto. These statements address activities, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future, including things such as projections of results of operations, plans for growth, goals, future capital expenditures, competitive strengths, references to future intentions and other such references. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause the Company’s actual results or financial condition to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, forward-looking statements contained in this press release specifically include the expectations of plans, strategies, objectives and growth and anticipated financial and operational performance of the Company and its affiliates. Please read the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, and if applicable, the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, which are available on the Company’s Investor Relations website at https://www.amplifyenergy.com/investor-relations/default.aspx or on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov, for a discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those in such forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. All forward-looking statements in this press release are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future results or otherwise.

Cautionary Note on Reserves and Resource Estimates
The SEC permits oil and gas companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only proved, probable and possible reserves. Any reserve estimates provided in this press release that are not specifically designated as being estimates of proved reserves may include estimated reserves or locations not necessarily calculated in accordance with, or contemplated by, the SEC’s latest reserve reporting guidelines. You are urged to consider closely the oil and gas disclosures in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other reports and filings with the SEC.

Important Additional Information Regarding the Mergers Will Be Filed With the SEC.
In connection with the proposed mergers, the Company has filed a definitive proxy statement. The definitive proxy statement has been sent to the stockholders of record of the Company. The Company may also file other documents with the SEC regarding the mergers. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF AMPLIFY ARE ADVISED TO CAREFULLY READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT MATERIALS FILED WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE MERGERS, THE PARTIES TO THE MERGERS AND THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MERGERS. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of the definitive proxy statement and other relevant documents filed by Amplify with the SEC from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Security holders and other interested parties will also be able to obtain, without charge, a copy of the definitive proxy statement and other relevant documents (when available) by (1) directing your written request to: 500 Dallas Street, Suite 1700, Houston, Texas or (2) contacting our Investor Relations department by telephone at (832) 219-9044 or (832) 219-9051. Copies of the documents filed by the Company with the SEC will be available free of charge on the Company’s website at http://www.amplifyenergy.com.

Participants in the Solicitation.
Amplify and certain of its respective directors, executive officers and employees may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed transaction. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of the stockholders of Amplify in connection with the transaction, including a description of their respective direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is included in the definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC. Additional information regarding the Company’s directors and executive officers is also included in Amplify’s Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and 2024 Proxy Statement, which was filed with the SEC on April 5, 2024. These documents are available free of charge as described above.

Footnotes

1)	Permission to use quotation neither sought nor obtained
2)	Based on Amplify March 5, 2025, guidance and full year 2025 Juniper forecast at flat pricing; (NYMEX WTI, HH) – $71.00, $3.75. Free cash flow is a non-GAAP measure. Amplify believes that a quantitative reconciliation of such forward-looking information to the most comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP cannot be made available without unreasonable efforts. A reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure would require Amplify to predict the timing and likelihood of future transactions and other items that are difficult to accurately predict. This forward-looking measure, or its probable significance, can be quantified with a reasonable degree of accuracy. Accordingly, a reconciliation of the most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP measures is not provided.
3)	2024 Year End reserves are evaluated at flat pricing: (NYMEX WTI, HH) – $70.00, $3.50
4)	Based on Amplify 3Q24 reported results, 3Q24 Juniper unaudited results adjusted for G&A synergies (pro-forma G&A excluding synergies equal to $3.38/Boe)
5)	Based on Amplify G&A per BOE in 3Q24, assuming $1 MM of incremental G&A post-merger and Juniper production in 3Q24

Contacts

Amplify Energy

Jim Frew — Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(832) 219-9044
jim.frew@amplifyenergy.com

Michael Jordan — Director, Finance and Treasurer
(832) 219-9051
michael.jordan@amplifyenergy.com

FTI Consulting

Tanner Kaufman / Brandon Elliott / Rose Zu
amplifyenergy@fticonsulting.com

The MIL Network –

April 2, 2025

Category: Intelligence Agencies

Foreign Influence Registration Scheme implementation

Political tier

Enhanced tier

Implementing the scheme

Updates to this page

Not just authoritarian regimes

Psychiatry’s bible