NewzIntel.com

Category: Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI Security: Imperial Valley Doctor Sentenced for Years-Long Use of Unapproved Cosmetic Drugs

    Source: US FBI

    NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – October 20, 2023

    SAN DIEGO – Tien Tan Vo, a doctor practicing in Imperial Valley, was sentenced in federal court yesterday for crimes related to his years-long use of foreign unapproved and misbranded cosmetic drugs.  According to his plea and court records, Vo injected as many as 178 patients with unapproved drugs that had been smuggled into the United States from Mexico. 

    Magistrate Judge Allison H. Goddard sentenced Vo to three years of probation and ordered him to pay a $201,534 fine and forfeit the $100,767 in proceeds he made from his use of unlawful cosmetic drugs.  A restitution hearing is set for December 7, 2023, to finalize an order for restitution to potential victims.

    In August, Vo pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts: receipt of misbranded drugs in interstate commerce and being an accessory after the fact to Flor Cham, who smuggled the unapproved drugs into the United States from Mexico.  Cham is charged in case number 23-cr-01926-JLS.

    In his plea agreement, Vo admitted that none of the injectable botulinum toxin or lip fillers used by his clinics between November 2016 and October 2020 were approved for use in the United States. This specifically included a botulinum toxin product called “Xeomeen” and an injectable lip filler called Probcel—both products that have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 

    According to court papers, Vo used these unapproved drugs on approximately 178 patients over about four years.  Many were never told that they received unapproved drugs as part of their treatment. 

    “The public faith in the FDA approval process relies on medical providers adhering to those rules,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “By side-stepping the safety and approval protocols of the FDA, Dr. Vo compromised care and put profits before patients. But thanks to the hard work of the agencies and our federal restitution process, those ill-gained profits will be recovered in this case.”

    “Today’s sentencing serves as our promise to use every tool to investigate and hold accountable those who deliberately smuggle and administer products that pose a significant public health threat,” said Chad Plantz, special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. “HSI, together with the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work together to prosecute those individuals who deceive and threaten our communities.”

    “The FDA’s requirements help ensure that patients receive safe and effective medical treatments. Evading the FDA process and distributing unapproved drugs to U.S. consumers will not be tolerated,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert M. Iwanicki, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Los Angeles Field Office.  “We will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who traffic in unapproved drugs.”

    A restitution hearing is set for December 7, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Allison H. Goddard. 

    Potential victims related to this case may provide or request information by emailing USACAS.Cosmetic.Case@usdoj.gov.  Individuals may submit written statements including information about potential losses or requests for refunds that may be included as part of the restitution ordered on December 7, 2023. 

    DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 23cr1700-AHG                                      

    Tien Tan Vo                                                    Age: 47                                   El Centro, CA

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Accessory After the Fact to Entry of Goods by Means of False Statement – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 542 and 3

    Maximum penalty: one year in prison, fine of $100,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss

    Receipt in Interstate Commerce of Misbranded Drugs and Delivery for Pay or Otherwise – Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 331(c) and 333(a)(1)

    Maximum penalty: one year in prison, fine of $1,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss

    AGENCIES

    Homeland Security Investigations

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations

    Federal Bureau of Investigation

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Second “United Against Hate Week” Begins Today

    Source: US FBI

    SAN DIEGO – Beginning today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the San Diego Anti-Hate Coalition launch their second “United Against Hate Week,” joining cities throughout California for a series of events that promote tolerance and respect.

    United Against Hate Week began in the Bay Area as a call for local civic action to stop the hate and implicit biases that are a dangerous threat to the safety and civility of our neighborhoods. The campaign has now spread to more than 200 communities.

    “Combating hate crimes requires a committed, coordinated, and united effort,” said U.S. Attorney Tara K. McGrath. “No one should live in fear of hate-filled violence. The Justice Department is committed to building on our partnerships with all of you to effectively prosecute illegal acts of hate.”

    The full calendar of events for United Against Hate Week can be accessed at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/united-against-hate.

    McGrath will be available for brief interviews about United Against Hate Week. If interested, please contact Kelly Thornton at Kelly.Thornton@usdoj.gov.

    “As we launch this collaborative effort, there are many ways to participate,” said McGrath. “Every person who joins in, increases the impact of this incredibly important campaign to end intolerance. We can all make a difference by learning more about the campaign, attending an event, or following on social media.”

    For more information, please contact Assistant U. S. Attorneys Cindy Cipriani (619-546-9608) and Alicia Williams (619-546-8917) and Law Enforcement/Outreach Coordinator Shastity Urias (619-546-9399). Please follow us on social media @sdantihate to get updates about the upcoming events and resources.

    Members of the public are encouraged to report hate incidents and hate crimes to the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at https://tips.fbi.gov/. Please call 911 if you need emergency assistance.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican Mafia Associate Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

    Source: US FBI

    NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – November 13, 2023

    SAN DIEGO – Juan Castro of San Diego was sentenced today in federal court to 10 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release for selling 109 grams of methamphetamine to a cooperating individual. 

    A government memorandum submitted for Castro’s sentencing described him as a high-ranking member of the San Ysidro (or “Sidro”) street gang and an associate of the Mexican Mafia. Castro oversaw day-to-day operations for Sidro which included collecting payments in exchange for allowing others to commit crimes in the San Ysidro area. The payments, or taxes, were then distributed to high-ranking Mexican Mafia members. In sentencing Castro, U.S. District Judge Larry Alan Burns called him a “hand puppet for the Mexican Mafia.”

    Castro was apprehended after a long-term investigation by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force and Gang Group.

    DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 23-cr-00371-LAB                                        

    Juan Castro                                                     Age: 38                       San Diego, CA

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Distribution of Methamphetamine – Title 21, U.S.C., Section 841(a)(1)

    Maximum penalty: Forty years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of five years, and $5 million fine

    AGENCIES

    Federal Bureau of Investigation – Violent Crimes Task Force – Gang Group (VCTF-GG), which currently includes investigators from the following agencies:

    • Federal Bureau of Investigation
    • San Diego Police Department
    • Homeland Security Investigations
    • Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
    • California Department of Corrections
    • San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
    • Chula Vista Police Department
    • National City Police Department

    Although not currently part of VCTF-GG, during the investigation of this case, VCTF-GG also included investigators from the following:

    • Bureau of Prisons
    • San Diego District Attorney’s Office of Investigations

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fourteen Defendants Indicted in $5 Million California State Unemployment Fraud Scheme

    Source: US FBI

    NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – November 16, 2023

    SAN DIEGO – An indictment partially unsealed today charges 14 defendants with fraud and money laundering offenses for a scheme centered around fraudulent unemployment applications submitted to the California Employment Development Department during the pandemic. The indictment alleges the fraud netted the defendants almost $5.2 million in funds from the state of California.

    According to the indictment, David Constantin and Constantin Bobi Sandu, who was arrested and charged separately in March 2023, helped hundreds of applicants apply for EDD benefits using fraudulent documents. Constantin and Sandu recruited potential applicants through Facebook and met applicants at parks throughout Southern California to complete the application process. Applicants paid Constantin or Sandu a partial fee up front for assisting with fraudulent applications and another fee after applicants received EDD payments.

    The indictment alleges that from July 2020 to August 2022, Constantin transmitted more than $128,000 in fraud proceeds to associates in Romania. Another defendant who fraudulently obtained EDD benefits with Constantin’s help, Eduard Buse, transmitted almost $129,000 to Romania in the same period. Buse also purchased a 2020 BMW X6 with over $105,000 in cash fraud proceeds in December 2022 and shipped the vehicle to Romania. Several other defendants also transmitted fraud proceeds to accounts in Romania.

    David Constantin was arrested in Romania at the request of the United States on November 13th by Romanian authorities who also served search warrants and seized, among other things, the BMW with California license plates. The Department of Justice will seek Constantin’s extradition to the United States. Buse and defendants Leonard Miclescu, Constantin Iosif Constantin and Florentina Sima were arrested in California and Texas. Nine other defendants remain at large.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Adeline Schulberg and Valerie Chu with assistance from the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, FBI’s Legal Attaché in Bucharest, and Romanian authorities including the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (DCCO) Service for Countering of Organized Criminal Groups, Brigade for Combating Organized Crime (BCCO) – Pitești, County Service for Countering Organized Crime – Teleorman, Romanian Gendarmerie Battalion, Romanian Ministry of Justice, and Romanian Criminal Investigative Directorate – Fugitive Unit.

    DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 23CR2090-LAB                                

    David Constantin                                            Age: 27                                   Arges County, Romania

    aka Vlad Alexandru                           

    Eduard Buse                                                    Age: 30                                   Transient, Romanian

    Leonard Miclescu                                           Age: 49                                   Transient, Romanian

    Constantin Iosif Constantin                            Age: 30                                   Transient, Romanian

    Florentina Sima                                              Age: 29                                   Transient, Romanian

    *Additional defendants are not in custody and their names are redacted

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Title 18, U.S.C. § 1349 — Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud

    Title 18, U.S.C. § 1343 — Wire Fraud

    Maximum penalty: Thirty years in prison, $1 million fine

    Title 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h) — Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments

    Title 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(2)(A) — Laundering of Monetary Instruments

    Title 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(2)(B)(i) — Laundering of Monetary Instruments

    Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $500,000 fine or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved in the transportation, transmission, or transfer, whichever is greater

    AGENCY

    Federal Bureau of Investigation

    San Diego Police Department Economic Crimes Unit

    IRS Criminal Investigation

    California Employment Development Department Investigative Division

    Department of Labor Office of Inspector General

    U.S. Department of Homeland Security

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: California Woman Sentenced in Multi-Million-Dollar Medicare Fraud Scheme

    Source: US FBI

    BOSTON – A California woman was sentenced yesterday for her role in a multi-million-dollar Medicare fraud scheme.

    Stefanie Hirsch, 51, of Los Angeles, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. to three years of probation. Hirsch was also ordered to pay a fine of $2,500. On Feb. 24, 2021, Hirsch pleaded guilty to violating the HIPAA statute.

    Hirsch sold access to a Medicare eligibility tool that allowed Juan C. Perez Buitrago and Nathan LaParl to improperly access patients’ detailed personal, demographic, medical and insurance information. Hirsch owned EI Medical, Inc., a Medicare-enrolled wheelchair and scooter repair company that qualified for access to a health care clearinghouse that contains Medicare patients’ personal, medical and insurance information. Hirsch improperly gave Perez Buitrago and LaParl access to that clearinghouse and charged them about $0.25 per patient eligibility check. Using Hirsch’s credentials, LaParl accessed the personal and medical data of more than 350,000 patients and Perez Buitrago’s credentials were used for 150,000 patients. 

    Perez Buitrago and LaParl pleaded guilty to federal health care crimes in October 2020 and January 2021, respectively.

    Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Johnnie Sharp Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Birmingham Field Division; Phillip Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, Boston Division; and Joshua McCallister, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elysa Q. Wan of Mendell’s Health Care Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fairbanks Man Convicted for Stalking and Murder-for-Hire Plot

    Source: US FBI

    FAIRBANKS – A federal jury today convicted a Fairbanks man for stalking and attempting to arrange a murder for hire. 

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Roger Keeling, 55, devised and solicited a murder for hire plot targeting his former girlfriend while he was in custody on stalking charges.   

    In October 2020 Keeling placed his hands around his girlfriend’s neck, told her he should rip her heart out and threatened to burn her house down. Keeling pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge in state court. The victim applied for and was granted a Domestic Violence Protective Order (DVPO) and it was served on Keeling before his release on the assault charges. Over the next six weeks, Keeling was arrested – and released by the state court – for violating this DVPO multiple times in an escalating pattern that included following the victim, slashing her tires, sending dozens of threatening emails from various “disguised” email accounts and planting disturbing handwritten notes along her usual running route.

    Keeling was arrested for stalking the victim in December 2020. While in custody, Keeling told his cellmate he wanted to find someone to harm his girlfriend. During the next few days, Keeling agreed to pay his cellmate $1,500 to arrange for a hitman to kill her, and after being released by a state court judge, he made an initial payment of $500. During a search of Keeling’s home, Alaska State Troopers and the Federal Bureau of Investigation found numerous notes and documents confirming the existence of the plot, as well as multiple documents and drawings created by Mr. Keeling that showed his desire to see her harmed, including a hand-drawn picture of her home in flames.

    “Every citizen has the right to feel safe as they go about their daily life. With today’s conviction, the victim will no longer live in fear always looking over her back and worried about her personal safety,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Wilson, District of Alaska.

    “The Alaska State Troopers are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to keep the citizens of our great state safe,” said Colonel Bryan Barlow, Director of the Alaska State Troopers. “Investigations like these should serve as a warning to anyone considering soliciting a murder; the Alaska State Troopers and our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners will aggressively investigate and hold accountable anyone that perpetrates these unconscionable acts.”

    Keeling faces up to a five year sentence on the stalking conviction and up to a 10 year sentence on the murder for hire conviction. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The Alaska State Troopers, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fairbanks Police Department conducted the investigation.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Doty and Ryan Tansey are prosecuting the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. 

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Antony A. Jung Named as Special Agent in Charge of the Anchorage Field Office

    Source: US FBI

    Director Christopher Wray has named Antony A. Jung as the special agent in charge of the Anchorage Field Office in Alaska. Mr. Jung most recently served as a section chief in the Information Management Division in Winchester, Virginia.

    Mr. Jung joined the FBI as a special agent in 2004 and was first assigned to the Baton Rouge Resident Agency in the New Orleans Field Office. He investigated criminal matters and led a Safe Streets Gang Task Force. He was also a crisis negotiator.

    In 2009, he transferred to the Miami Field Office. He was then promoted to supervisory special agent and moved to the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI Headquarters and the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Fusion Center, where he served to support the FBI and other federal partners.

    In 2014, Mr. Jung was selected as a supervisory special agent in the Kansas City Field Office in Missouri. Mr. Jung led a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and squad investigating transnational organized crime and OCDETF matters.

    In 2017, Mr. Jung was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Criminal and Administrative Branch of the Anchorage Field Office. He also served as the acting special agent in charge.

    In 2019, Mr. Jung was promoted to section chief in the Information Management Division, where he led the National Name Check Program Section. The program supports partner agencies across the U.S. government vetting more than 3 million persons seeking federal employment, access to sensitive information, systems, facilities, special accesses, and various immigration matters.

    Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Jung was a lieutenant with the Florida Highway Patrol. As a state trooper, he served on the Tactical Response Team and was a certified police and firearms instructor. Mr. Jung served in the Army National Guard. He earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in criminal justice from the University of Central Florida and a doctorate in human services from Capella University. He is a recipient of the FBI Director’s Manuel J. Gonzales Ethics Award.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Nineteen-Year-Old Woman Charged for Assaulting TSA Officers

    Source: US FBI

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – Ma’Kiah Cherae Coleman, 19, of Glendale, Arizona, was indicted on May 17, 2023, by a federal grand jury in Phoenix. The six-count indictment included three counts of assault on Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers and three counts of Interference with Airport Security Screening Personnel. 

    The indictment alleges that, at approximately 6:00 a.m. on April 25, 2023, at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, Coleman interfered with TSA officers who were conducting security screenings at Security Checkpoint D of Terminal 4. The indictment further alleges that during her interference with TSA officers, Coleman inflicted bodily injury on two TSA officers; specifically, she grabbed one officer by the hair, forcing the officer’s head down against a table, and hitting the officer in the head multiple times, and elbowed the other TSA officer in the head. Coleman also is alleged to have bit the hair of a third TSA officer who had come to the aid of the other two officers who were struggling with Coleman during the altercation.

    Each conviction for Assault on a Federal Officer resulting in Bodily Injury carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. Assault on a Federal Officer with contact and during the commission of another felony carries a maximum penalty of eight years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. Each conviction for Interference with Airport Security Screening Personnel carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

    An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Coleman has been released from detention on personal recognizance with conditions pending trial.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case with assistance from the Phoenix Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Glenn McCormick, U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

    CASE NUMBER:           23-00780-PHX-DLR
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-080_M. Coleman

    # # #

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

    2023-080_M. Coleman

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four Additional Oath Keepers Sentenced for Seditious Conspiracy Related to U.S. Capitol Breach

    Source: US FBI

    Four members of the Oath Keepers were sentenced this week on seditious conspiracy and other charges for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Their actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

    Roberto Minuta, 39, of Prosper, Texas, was sentenced June 1 to 54 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release.

    Edward Vallejo, 64, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced on June 1 to 36 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release, including the first 12 months to be served on home confinement.

    David Moerschel, 45, of Punta Gorda, Florida, was sentenced on June 2 to 36 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release.

    Joseph Hackett, 53, of Sarasota, Florida, was sentenced on June 2 to 42 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release.

    The four defendants were found guilty of seditious conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to prevent Members of Congress from discharging their official duties on Jan. 23, following a seven-week trial. Hackett was also found guilty of destruction of evidence.

    According to the evidence, in the months leading up to Jan. 6, the defendants and their co-conspirators plotted to oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power, including by amassing an armed “quick reaction force” on the outskirts of the District of Columbia. Beginning in late December 2020, via encrypted and private communications applications, the defendants and various co-conspirators coordinated and planned to travel to Washington, D.C., on or around Jan. 6, 2021, the date of the certification of the electoral college vote. The defendants made plans to bring weapons to the area to support the operation. The co-conspirators then traveled across the country to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area in early January 2021, with paramilitary gear and supplies including firearms, tactical vests with plates, helmets, and radio equipment.

    The defendants conspired through a variety of manners and means, including: organizing into teams that were prepared and willing to use force and to transport firearms and ammunition into Washington, D.C.; recruiting members and affiliates to participate in the conspiracy; organizing trainings to teach and learn paramilitary combat tactics; bringing and contributing paramilitary gear, weapons, and supplies – including knives, camouflaged combat uniforms, tactical vests with plates, helmets, eye protection and radio equipment – to the Capitol grounds; breaching and attempting to take control of the Capitol grounds and building on Jan. 6, 2021, in an effort to prevent, hinder and delay the certification of the electoral college vote; using force against law enforcement officers while inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021; continuing to plot, after Jan. 6, 2021, to oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power and using websites, social media, text messaging and encrypted messaging applications to communicate with co-conspirators and others.

    The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Justice Department’s National Security and Criminal Divisions. Valuable assistance was provided by numerous U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country.

    The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, as well as the Metropolitan Police Department, with significant assistance provided by the FBI’s New York, Dallas, Tampa and Phoenix Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S. Secret Service.

    In the 28 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 320 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. 

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Youth Pastor Pleads Guilty to Transporting Minors for Sexual Activity

    Source: US FBI

          LITTLE ROCK – A former Little Rock youth pastor pleaded guilty today to transporting minors across state lines for the purpose of unlawful sexual activity. Robert Shiflet, 50, now of Denton, Texas, entered his guilty plea earlier today before United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky. Cody Hiland, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Diane Upchurch, Special Agent in Charge of the Little Rock Field Office of the FBI, announced today’s guilty plea

          Shiflet pleaded guilty to two separate instances of criminal conduct. One of these accounts began in 1996, when Shiflet met a 14-year-old girl in the youth group he pastored in Denton, Texas. Shiflet frequently made inappropriate comments to the minor and often told her he loved her. In May of 1997, when the minor was 15 years old, Shiflet led an eighth grade camping trip to the Buffalo National River in Arkansas. Shiflet was able to isolate the minor away from the group and then sexually assaulted her. He told her not to tell anyone.

          Another minor reported that in 2002, when Shiflet was her youth pastor at a Little Rock church, Shiflet engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with her when she was 16 years old. Shiflet had sex with the minor multiple times during 2002-2003, when Shiflet was 32. In the summer of 2002, the youth group attended an event in Panama City, Florida. On that trip, Shiflet asked the minor to ride on the charter bus with him instead of riding on another bus with her friends. On the bus ride, he sexually assaulted the minor.

          “This defendant took advantage of his position of trust as a mentor to young people and instead used his power to isolate and sexually abuse them,” stated U.S. Attorney Hiland. “This predatory behavior is never acceptable, but it is particularly disturbing when the offender is a youth pastor. Our office will continue to aggressively pursue those who commit these deplorable crimes.”

          Shiflet was indicted in June 2020 with three counts of transportation of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and one count of coercion of a minor to engage in sexual activity. In exchange for his guilty plea, the remaining charges were dismissed.

          Judge Rudofsky will sentence Shiflet at a later date. Transportation of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity is punishable by not more than 15 years imprisonment and not more than three years of supervised release. The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Bryant.

    # # #

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

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

    https://www.justice.gov/edar

    Twitter:

    @EDARNEWS

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Arizona Adoption Attorney Sentenced to Over Six Years in Prison for Alien Smuggling for Financial Gain

    Source: US FBI

    Fayetteville, Arkansas – First Assistant United States Attorney David Clay Fowlkes for the Western District of Arkansas, Special Agent in Charge Diane Upchurch of the FBI Little Rock Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Peter Kapoukakis of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Miami Field Office and Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced that Paul Petersen, age 45, of Mesa, Arizona was sentenced today to 72 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a fine and court costs totaling $105,100.00 for Conspiracy to Smuggle Illegal Aliens for Commercial Advantage and Private Financial Gain. The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.

    “The defendant in this case violated the laws of three states and two countries during the course of his criminal scheme,” stated First Assistant United States Attorney Fowlkes.”  He exploited a legal loophole and used it to run an International adoption business outside the necessary oversight from the United States or the Republic of the Marshall Islands.  During the scheme, the defendant lied to state court judges, falsified records, encouraged others to lie during court proceedings, and manipulated birth mothers into consenting to adoptions they did not fully understand.  This unique case merited the strong sentence ordered by the Court today.  It is our sincere hope that this sentence sends a message to those who would seek to conduct human trafficking operations in the Western District of Arkansas, and to those who would seek to manipulate and take advantage of people like the Marshallese citizens in this case.”

    According to the Plea Agreement filed in this case, the FBI, the DSS and local law enforcement, have been actively investigating the criminal activities of Paul Petersen, 44, of Mesa, Arizona, for several years. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement determined that the defendant, Paul Petersen, among other things, orchestrated the travel of several pregnant women from the Republic of the Marshall Islands to the Western District of Arkansas.  The purpose of this travel was for Petersen to arrange adoption of their children by families living in the United States. 

    The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is an island country near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the International Date Line.  In 1983, the United States entered into a Compact of Free Association (hereinafter, the “Compact”) with the RMI government.  The United States and the RMI signed an Amended Compact in 2003, which Congress codified at Public Law 108-188.  Section 141 of the Compact grants RMI citizens the ability to freely enter and take up employment within the United States.  Section 141(b) prohibits RMI citizens from entering the United States under the Compact agreement if their travel is for the purpose of adoption.

    According to the Plea Agreement, the Defendant, Paul Petersen, is a licensed attorney who practices law in Arizona, Utah, and Arkansas.  During the course of the investigation, FBI and DSS agents discovered that Petersen used credit card accounts that he controlled to purchase airline tickets for several women, all citizens of the RMI who did not have official authorization to enter or reside in the United States, to travel from the RMI to the Western District of Arkansas.  This travel arranged and funded by Petersen was in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act because the women were all citizens of the RMI and were not eligible for admission into the United States under the terms of the Compact.  According to State of Arkansas Circuit Court records, the families who adopted these children paid Petersen significant sums of money for him to act as a legal facilitator of the adoptions.  Finally, also according to the Plea Agreement, witness interviews conducted by the agents investigating Petersen revealed that it was part of the conspiracy that Petersen’s co-conspirators offered the women $10,000 to induce them to travel to the United States and consent to the adoptions.

     A federal grand jury indicted Petersen in October 2019, and he entered a guilty plea in June 2020.

    The FBI and the DSS conducted the investigation. First Assistant United States Attorney David Clay Fowlkes, Deputy Criminal Chief Kim Harris, and Assistant United States Attorney Sydney Butler are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division also assisted in the investigation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Craighead County Clerk Federally Indicted

    Source: US FBI

          LITTLE ROCK – A federal grand jury has indicted former Craighead County Clerk Jacob Kade Holliday for allegedly taking more than $1.4 million in county money for his personal use. Cody Hiland, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Diane Upchurch, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Little Rock Field Office, announced the indictment of Holliday, 32, of Jonesboro.

          The indictment, which was returned by the grand jury late on December 1, 2020, alleges that Holliday, as the elected County Clerk in Craighead County, served as the official bookkeeper of county government. In that capacity, Holliday was tasked with keeping an accurate account of all financial transactions within the county. The funds Holliday controlled included county payroll tax obligations as well as employment retirement contributions.

          According to the indictment, from January 29, 2020, to June 24, 2020, Holliday transferred money from the Craighead County Clerk’s banking account to his own personal and business accounts. He then allegedly obtained cashier’s checks in approximately the same amounts and further converted them to his own use.

          “We take all allegations of undermining public trust very seriously,” stated U.S. Attorney Hiland. “In this case and in all potential cases, any reports of public corruption will be thoroughly investigated by our office with the help of our law enforcement partners.”

          “Without the diligent efforts of our partners at the Arkansas State Police, Mr. Holliday’s alleged theft of over $1.4 million from the citizens of Craighead County would not have been uncovered,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Upchurch. “Every day, we work closely with our state partners to protect Arkansans from crimes like the ones alleged in this case.”

          Holliday is charged with 11 counts of wire fraud; one for each of the 11 transactions he made during the time alleged in the indictment. Holliday will appear before United States Magistrate Judge Joe J. Volpe for plea and arraignment on December 17, 2020. The maximum penalty for wire fraud is not more than 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of not more than $250,000, and not more than three years of supervised release.

          The FBI and the Arkansas State Police conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Allison W. Bragg is prosecuting the case.

          An indictment only contains allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    # # #

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

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

    https://www.justice.gov/edar

    Twitter:

    @EDARNEWS

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Texas Man Sentenced to Nine Months in Federal Prison for Operating Website That Offered Computer Attack Services

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – A Texas man was sentenced today to 9 months in federal prison for running a website that allowed paying users to launch powerful distributed denial of service – or DDoS – attacks that flooded tens of thousands of targeted computers with information and prevented them from being able to access the internet.

    Scott Raul Esparza, 24, of Katy, Texas, was sentenced by United States District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald who also ordered two years of supervised release with conditions including a full computer monitoring program after serving his prison sentence.

    Esparza pleaded guilty on March 6 to one count of conspiracy to commit unauthorized impairment of a protected computer and one count of unauthorized impairment of a protected computer.

    From 2019 to September 2022, Esparza operated and co-administrated with Shamar Shattock, 21, of Margate, Florida, a DDoS-for-hire service called “Astrostress.com.” The term “DDoS” refers to a type of computer attack in which multiple computers attempt to make connections through the Internet to a targeted computer at the same time. The amount of internet traffic generated by such an attack quickly overwhelms the capacity of the victim computer, resulting in the victim computer being unable to send, receive or respond to commands.

    Astrostress.com was a type of DDoS-for-hire service known as a “booter” service, referring to its ability to “boot” victims off the internet. Customers of Astrostress.com were offered various levels of subscriptions – depending on how many attacks they wanted to conduct and with what power – and were charged accordingly. This site thus enabled co-conspirators worldwide to set up accounts on Astrostress.com and then use the Astrostress.com resources to direct attacks at internet-connected computers around the globe.

    Esparza was responsible for procuring the attack servers and maintaining the attack functionality of Astrostress.com. Esparza also helped Shattock market the service, and he hired a co-conspirator to assist with responding to support requests from customers of the service.

    Esparza neither owned nor had the rights to use the third-party computers he exploited to generate the amplified attack power made available via the Astrostress.com website. He was aware that his customers were using the site to attack computers that did not belong to the customers, and which the customers had no authorization to impair. Esparza personally conducted thousands of attacks using his own service.

    From September 2021 to September 2022, while Esparza administered the website, customers used Astrostress.com to attack tens of thousands of protected computers. As a result, they impaired or attempted to impair the availability of the victim computers by knocking them offline.

    In or around September 2022, shortly after the FBI caused Astrostress.com to shut down, Esparza called Shattock and left him a voicemail message in which he instructed Shattock to “clear” all his social media accounts “so nothing gets linked back to us.”

    Shattock pleaded guilty in March 2023 to one felony conspiracy count and faces up to five years in federal prison at his sentencing hearing, which is expected to occur in the coming months.

    The FBI investigated this matter as part of Operation PowerOFF, a multi-national effort to combat DDoS-for-hire services.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Cameron L. Schroeder, Chief of the National Security Division, and Aaron B. Frumkin of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section prosecuted this case. Assistant United States Attorney James E. Dochterman of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section is handling the seizure of the Astrostress domain.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: CEO of “Smart Ring” Wearable Tech Company Arrested on Securities Fraud Charges

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – A Boca Raton woman was arrested today on charges alleging she lied to investors to obtain over $2 million for her company ESOS Rings, Inc., which she then used for personal expenses and Ponzi payments to keep the scheme going. 

    Michelle Bisnoff, also known as “Michelle Angeline Silverstein” and “Shelly Silverstein,” 57, previously of Pacific Palisades and Santa Barbara and currently living in Boca Raton, Florida, is charged in a criminal complaint with one count of securities fraud and one count of wire fraud.  Bisnoff was released on bond and ordered to appear for further proceedings in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles on August 7.

    According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, Bisnoff is the founder and CEO of ESOS.  Allegedly, from 2017 through the end of 2023, Bisnoff fraudulently solicited investments in ESOS by falsely representing ESOS’s business activities and profitability, and the returns that the investors would receive on their investments. Bisnoff allegedly told prospective investors that ESOS owned patents for “smart rings,” a wearable device encoded with financial information, which could be used to make contactless payments. Bisnoff allegedly said ESOS earned transaction fees each time a ring was used, generating profits for ESOS.  Bisnoff also allegedly told prospective investors that ESOS was already manufacturing and selling these smart rings, and that ESOS would soon be bought by Apple or another suitor, resulting in a buy back of the investors’ shares at prices significantly above the share price she was offering to the investors. 

    According to the affidavit, neither Bisnoff nor ESOS owned the patents at issue; the majority of investor funds raised were used to allegedly make Ponzi payments to earlier investors and to benefit Bisnoff personally; the prospective acquirors of ESOS had no knowledge of ESOS and/or no plan to provide capital for it; and ESOS had virtually no business operations, let alone profits.

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

    If convicted of both charges, Bisnoff faces a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years. 

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued Bisnoff and ESOS for allegedly fraudulently raising $1.95 million from ESOS investors.  On September 19, 2023, United States District Judge Consuelo B. Marshall imposed a judgment finding Bisnoff and ESOS jointly and severally liable for disgorgement of $566,483, representing net profits from the fraud, as well as $46,836 in pre-judgment interest and a civil penalty of $223,229, with the total amount due—$836,548—to be paid to the SEC within 30 days.  According to the affidavit, to date neither Bisnoff nor ESOS has paid any of the amounts due.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating this matter.  Substantial assistance was provided by the SEC and the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida

    Assistant United States Attorney Ranee A. Katzenstein of the Criminal Appeals Section is prosecuting this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Los Angeles Duo Found Guilty for 10-Day Liquor Store Robbery Spree Ending in Police Chase, Car Crash and Foot Pursuit

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – Two Los Angeles men have been found guilty today for committing a string of robberies in a 10-day span that ended in the duo leading law enforcement in a chase in Los Angeles County before crashing a stolen car into a tree then running across six lanes of highway traffic during rush hour.

    At the conclusion of a three-day trial, a jury convicted the two defendants with Hobbs Act robbery. They will be sentenced by United States District Judge Hernán D. Vera on October 24:

    Anthony Flores, a.k.a. “BabyGfar”, 28, of Los Angeles; and

    Ivin Kitu Sanford, 32, of Los Angeles.

    According to court documents, beginning in May 2023, the defendants conspired to rob and robbed two BevMo stores, stealing high-end liquor stored behind security glass and, in some instances, threatened employees with violence. Flores and Sanford would then sell the liquor to individuals on Instagram. The incidents involved the following locations:

    • Long Beach: Flores stole approximately $2,604 worth of liquor.
    • Lakewood: Flores stole approximately $800 worth of liquor. Additionally, Hardgraves allegedly threatened to shoot a store employee if he attempted to interfere with the robbery.

    Furthermore, Flores and Sanford conspired to rob two additional BevMo stores located in Pasadena and West Covina.

    After the robberies, Flores was surveilled and seen selling the bottles. Flores was arrested and released. On June 5, 2023, the two defendants again attempted to rob the Canyon Country BevMo store. Flores and Sanford physically subdued a store victim-employee and attempted to steal high-end bottles of liquor. The defendants fled in a stolen silver Dodge Charger with a stolen license plate and attempted to evade officers during a traffic stop. Flores and Sanford led law enforcement on a chase through Los Angeles County before crashing into a tree. After the crash, defendants ran on foot across the California State Route 14, a 65-mile-per-hour highway, during rush hour traffic. Flores and Sanford were later found in bushes in a desolate area.

    “Callous disregard for the law undermines our community’s sense of safety,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “These defendants’ violent robberies and attempts to evade officers put lives at risk.  Our Operation Safe Cities initiative aims to ensure that violent crimes are met with serious consequences, and today’s convictions demonstrate our steadfast commitment to that goal.”

    Operation Safe Cities establishes strategic enforcement priorities with an emphasis on prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime. Across this region, the most damaging and horrific crimes are committed by a relatively small number of particularly violent individuals. This strategic enforcement approach is expected to increase the number of arrests, prosecutions and convictions of recidivists engaged in the most dangerous conduct. It is designed to improve public safety across the region by targeting crimes involving illicit guns, prohibited persons possessing firearms, or robbery crews that cause havoc and extensive losses to retail establishments.

    The case against the third defendant, Jabco Hardgraves, a.k.a. “Jacob Hardgraves,” Baby Monster,” “Lil Turtle”, 27, of Los Angeles is still pending and is not currently set for trial.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, West Covina Police Department, and Long Beach Police Department investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler and Jena A. MacCabe of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Romanian National Sentenced for Using Debit Card Skimming Devices on ATMs to Steal Nearly $150,000 from Victims Throughout California

    Source: US FBI

    FRESNO, Calif. — Christos Mavrokelos, 37, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $75,000 in restitution for illegally using counterfeit debit cards and skimming devices, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

    According to court records, from July 2021 through November 2023, in Fresno and Madera Counties and elsewhere, Mavrokelos knowingly and with intent to defraud, used counterfeit debit cards that contained victims’ stolen account information to make unauthorized cash withdrawals from the victims’ accounts. The victims’ account information was stolen through the use of skimming devices, which are devices that can be surreptitiously installed on bank ATMs and card readers that are used to record victims’ information.

    In total, Mavrokelos made unauthorized cash withdrawals on at least 40 victims’ accounts. The withdrawals were made from banks whose deposits were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Mavrokelos’s misconduct resulted in a total loss of approximately $149,000.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the FBI and the Clovis Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph D. Barton and Cody C. Chapple prosecuted the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Kern County Man Sentenced for Distributing Explosives

    Source: US FBI

    FRESNO, Calif. — Joseph Roy Vigneault, 21, of Lake Isabella, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for distributing explosives to a non‑licensed person, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

    According to court documents, in May 2023, Vigneault and his co-defendant, Michael Roy Anglin, 22, of Wofford Heights, sold and delivered six full boxes and one partial box of Hydromite 880 weighing approximately 350 pounds to a non-licensed person. Vigneault knew or had reason to believe that the Hydromite 880 had been stolen. The boxes containing the explosives were labeled “Explosive, Blasting, Type E” and “Blasting Agent.” The sticks of Hydromite 880 were also individually labeled “Danger” and “Explosive.” Hydromite 880 is one and a half times more powerful than dynamite. Austin Powder West LLC, a licensed explosive distributor, confirmed that 295 sticks of Hydromite 880 went missing from its Lake Isabella storage facility sometime between May 6 and May 11, 2023. The missing explosives included the boxes that Vigneault sold. The value of the unrecovered explosives is $7,603. Vigneault agreed to make restitution to Austin Powder in that amount.

    Anglin has pleaded guilty and is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 21, 2024. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Kern County Woman Pleads Guilty to Six-Year, $825,000 Credit Card Fraud Scheme

    Source: US FBI

    FRESNO, Calif. — Karina Arceo, 34, of Wasco, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft charges for her role in a long-running credit card fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

    According to court records, from February 2016 through August 2022, Arceo and her partner and co-defendant, Miguel Leyva, stole the personally identifiable information (PII) for over 125 victims. They stole much of the PII from patient files at health care providers in Kern County where Arceo worked. Leyva previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years and five months in prison.

    Arceo and Leyva used the stolen PII to open thousands of fraudulent credit cards in the victims’ identities. They used false identification documents to open the credit cards and provided billing addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses over which they had control so that any communications related to the credit cards would go to them instead of the victims. They then made hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent purchases on the credit cards in Kern County and elsewhere. The fraudulent purchases included home appliances, automobile accessories, designer clothing, tickets to concerts and sporting events, and travel, among other items.

    Arceo and Leyva often resold the items that they fraudulently purchased for cash and reaped a windfall because they did not actually pay for the items. They also used checks that had been stolen from companies in Kern County to access the companies’ bank accounts and make fraudulent payments towards the credit cards so as to keep their scheme going. Altogether, their scheme caused a total actual loss of more than $825,000.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton and Arelis Clemente are prosecuting the case.

    Arceo is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 6, 2024. She faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and $250,000 fine for the conspiracy charge, and a mandatory two years in prison, consecutive to other counts, for the identity theft charge. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of the applicable statutory factors and Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fresno Resident Pleads Guilty to Distributing Methamphetamine

    Source: US FBI

    FRESNO, Calif. — Dario Mata-Manzo, 32, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to distribution of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

    According to court documents, in June 2022, Mata-Manzo negotiated for the sale of crystal methamphetamine for $1,200 per pound and subsequently delivered 8 pounds of the drug to undercover officers in Fresno.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and High Impact Investigation Team (HIIT), a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Initiative (HIDTA), which consists of personnel from the California Department of Justice, the Fresno Police Department, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, the California Highway Patrol, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, the Kings County Sheriff’s Office, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

    Mata-Manzo is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on Nov. 20, 2024. Mata-Manzo faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years, and a $10 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Kern County Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Receiving and Distributing Child Pornography

    Source: US FBI

    FRESNO, Calif. — Marcus Tatum, 32, of Bakersfield, was sentenced today to 12 years and five months in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $45,000 in restitution, for receipt and distribution of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

    According to court documents, between February 2012 and March 2018, Tatum used a laptop computer to knowingly receive and distribute over 600 files containing visual depictions of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The files contained images of children under the age of 12 engaging in sexually explicit conduct, as well as engaging in sado-masochistic conduct.

    This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter prosecuted the case.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI San Diego Seeking Nominations for 2024 Citizens Academy

    Source: US FBI

    The FBI San Diego Field Office invites community members to experience a behind-the-scenes look at how the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigates crimes and national security threats to our community by applying to the 2024 FBI San Diego Citizens Academy.

    The mission of the FBI Citizens Academy is to foster a greater understanding of the role of federal law enforcement in the community through frank discussion and education.

    Classes for the program will be held Tuesday evenings from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. March 5, 2024, to April 22, 2024. During the eight-week academy, students gain insight into the structure and operation of FBI field offices and resident agencies and learn about the services the FBI provides to local and state law enforcement agencies.

    Attendees represent a diverse blend of multiple business sectors, community, academic, and religious leaders who are essential to developing an ambassador group for the field office to represent in the community we serve and live within.

    Nominations for the 2024 class may be submitted by past and/or present FBI employees, Citizens Academy graduates, or any individual wishing to nominate themselves. The deadline for nominations is November 13, 2023. Please visit fbi.gov/sandiego for more information about the Citizen’s Academy and the nomination process. Questions about the Citizens Academy should be sent to FBI San Diego’s Community Outreach team at SD_Outreach@fbi.gov.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Imperial County Dentist and Former Office Manager Plead Guilty in Multimillion-Dollar Medicare Fraud

    Source: US FBI

    SAN DIEGO – Dr. Javad Aghaloo, an Imperial County dentist, and Theresa Flores, his office manager, pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday, admitting that they conspired to defraud Medicare and cover it up. 

    Aghaloo entered a guilty plea to conspiring to commit health care fraud by billing Medicare for procedures that were not covered, not performed, or otherwise not necessary. As part of his plea, Aghaloo agreed to forfeit more than $1 million in property and pay restitution to Medicare in the amount of $8,476,466.23.  Flores entered a guilty plea to obstructing a Medicare audit.

    According to court records, Aghaloo and others recruited Medicare beneficiaries to get dental work done at one of Aghaloo’s offices. To recruit Medicare patients, Aghaloo and Flores marketed dental services to individuals in Imperial County as being covered by Medicare. Aghaloo and Flores knew this was untrue since Medicare does not cover dental services.

    Once a Medicare beneficiary was in one of Aghaloo’s offices, Aghaloo and others performed some type of procedure (usually a tooth extraction) and submitted false claims to Medicare using the person’s Medicare beneficiary number. Since tooth extractions are not covered by Medicare, Aghaloo’s offices instead submitted false claims for procedures like bone grafts that were never performed. 

    Between March 1, 2016, and October 18, 2018, Aghaloo and Flores caused Aghaloo’s dental offices to submit over 7,000 false claims to Medicare, totaling over $18 million for which Aghaloo’s offices were paid $8,476,466.23 by Medicare. 

    To conceal the fraud, between April of 2017 and October of 2018, Flores and Rosas caused false documents to be submitted to Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC. (“NHS”), a Federal auditor for the Medicare program.

    Sentencing is set for January 12, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Alexander. 

    DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 23cr0616-JO                                     

    Javad Aghaloo                                                Age: 50                                   San Diego, CA

    Theresa Flores                                                 Age: 45                                   San Diego, CA

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud, a felony, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.

    Maximum Penalty:  Five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. 

    Obstructing a Federal Audit, a felony, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1516.

    Maximum Penalty:  Five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. 

    AGENCIES

    Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Second Executive Admits Participating in $150 Million Fraud on Qualcomm

    Source: US FBI

    NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – October 5, 2023

    SAN DIEGO – Ali Akbar Shokouhi, the primary investor of a technology company sold to Qualcomm for over $150 million, pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting his role in a massive fraud.

    Shokouhi, a San Diego resident, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering related to a transaction involving proceeds of the fraud on Qualcomm. In his plea agreement, Shokouhi admitted that he schemed with co-defendant Karim Arabi and others to hide both Arabi’s and Shokouhi’s involvement in Abreezio—the tech firm that they marketed to Qualcomm. 

    Arabi was a Qualcomm employee throughout the entire marketing period, and hiding his involvement in the firm and the development of its patented technology allowed Abreezio’s principals to claim that the company was an “angel-funded” outside firm while disguising its true connections to Qualcomm.  In that regard, Shokouhi admitted Arabi was intimately involved in Abreezio’s formation, development, and marketing to Qualcomm, including choosing the “Abreezio” name.  Shokouhi further admitted that he referred to Arabi by a different name in text messages with co-conspirators to obscure Arabi’s involvement in Abreezio.  According to court documents, Qualcomm agreed to pay roughly $180 million for Abreezio—$150 million of which was paid in October 2015. 

    Like co-defendant Sanjiv Taneja, who recently pleaded guilty and admitted his own role in the fraud, Shokouhi acknowledged that he never actually met the purported creator of Abreezio’s core technologies, who is Arabi’s family member and was never involved in the company’s technical or strategic decision-making as far as Shokouhi knew.

    Shokouhi further admitted that he and Arabi concealed Shokouhi’s involvement in Abreezio in part because Shokouhi had previously been terminated from Qualcomm because of a conflict-of-interest violation.  As part of his plea agreement, Shokouhi agreed to forfeit over $16 million that he personally received from Qualcomm’s purchase of Abreezio, and to pay restitution.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas W. Pilchak, Janaki G. Chopra and Eric R. Olah.

    DEFENDANTS                                 Case Number 22-CR-1152-BAS                                       

    Karim Arabi                                        Age: 57                                   San Diego, CA

    Sanjiv Taneja                                      Age: 60                                   Cupertino, CA

    Ali Akbar Shokouhi                            Age: 64                                   San Diego, CA

    AGENCIES

    Federal Bureau of Investigation

    Internal Revenue Services, Criminal Investigation

    United States Marshals Service

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former San Diego Police Officer and Three Others Sentenced for Crimes Stemming From Years-long Operation of Illicit Massage Businesses

    Source: US FBI

    NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – October 13, 2023

    SAN DIEGO – Peter Griffin, a retired San Diego police vice detective, attorney, and private investigator, was sentenced in federal court today to 33 months in custody for his central role in a conspiracy to operate five California- and Arizona-based illicit massage businesses that profited for years by selling commercial sex under the guise of offering therapeutic massage services. 

    Griffin’s three co-defendants – Kyung Sook Hernandez, Yu Hong Tan, and Yoo Jin Ott – who managed the illicit massage businesses in Griffin’s network and actively concealed the scheme from law enforcement, were each sentenced to six months in custody.

    According to court documents and admissions in plea agreements, the defendants owned and operated “Genie Oriental Spa,” “Felicita Spa,” “Blue Green Spa,” “Maple Spa,” and “Massage W Spa,” located in the greater San Diego area and in Tempe, Arizona, between 2013 and August 2022.  The criminal scheme included incorporating their businesses with state agencies, managing the businesses’ illicit proceeds, advertising commercial sexual services online, recruiting and employing women to perform commercial sex services in the businesses, and benefiting financially from the illegal enterprises. 

    The defendants leased multiple commercial properties as storefronts, leased and bought residential properties to use as housing for employees, and secured credit card processing equipment to facilitate the illegal businesses. Griffin oversaw nearly every aspect of the illicit businesses, making himself indispensable to their operation, and assumed the role of “boss.” 

    Through the course of the scheme, the defendants exploited the victims, mostly vulnerable, non-English speaking immigrants from Korea and China with limited employment opportunities and financial resources; pressured and expected the employees to perform commercial sex services inside the businesses; and made substantial financial profits from the illegal commercial sexual activity. When one employee initially refused to perform commercial sexual services, one of the defendants instructed her to “leave [her] morals in China” in order to “make the customers happy.” 

    Griffin, who left the department in 2002, previously worked as a detective with the Vice Operations Unit of the San Diego Police Department, a unit tasked with dismantling the very businesses he operated and promoted for personal profit.  Throughout the nine-year criminal scheme, Griffin used the experience and skills he acquired through his work as a vice detective – skills honed by his education as an attorney and work as a private investigator – and his reputation as a former police officer to help the businesses evade law enforcement; conceal evidence; pressure employees to engage in commercial sex; maintain a façade of legitimacy; and thwart regulatory inspections, investigations, and any official action against the businesses. 

    According to his plea agreement, on several occasions, Griffin used his status as a former law enforcement officer to falsely assure local authorities that his businesses would be operated legitimately. On another occasion, Griffin flashed his badge to a local officer responding to a citizen complaint regarding one of his illicit businesses.  Additionally, Griffin told an employee that he was a former police officer and instructed her not to “open [her] mouth” about working at the illicit massage business. Griffin’s co-defendants similarly informed employees of Griffin’s law enforcement background and his resulting “connections” and promised he would protect the illegal businesses from law enforcement detection. Griffin also abused resources he had access to by virtue of his private investigator license to obtain information on customers and employees on behalf of the illicit massage businesses.

    “Illicit massage businesses hide in plain sight in many communities in America, including our district,” said U.S. Attorney Tara K. McGrath.  “Operators of these businesses often profit through exploitation. For years, Peter Griffin used his connections as a former police officer for his own criminal profiteering. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to prosecuting these kinds of offenses, protecting our communities, and ensuring that legitimate local businesses are not tarnished by criminal activity.”

    “No one is above the law. I’m appalled that someone who once took an oath to protect our community could prey on the vulnerable,” said San Diego Chief of Police David Nisleit. “I’m proud of our own SDPD officers who helped make this investigation possible and I commend our partner agencies for their diligence in holding Peter Griffin and his accomplices accountable. This is an important step toward justice for the survivors of these crimes.”

    “Law enforcement professionals swear an oath to protect and defend our communities, and the spirit of that oath should live on even when we stop carrying a badge,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher, IRS Criminal Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office. “Mr. Griffin preyed on people who should have felt safer because of his presence. He and his co-conspirators failed in their attempts to conceal their illicit activities because of our special agents’ unique ability to follow the money and a strong cross-agency effort to find the evidence to bring these predators to justice.”

    “Peter Griffin abused and exploited vulnerable women by pressuring them into providing commercial sex for profit while taking advantage of his status in the community,” said Chad Plantz, special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. “This sentence sends a clear message to those who mistakenly believe they can get away with such repugnant crimes. HSI, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, will continue to work vigorously to bring to justice those who exploit and victimize vulnerable members of our community.”

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill S. Streja, Trial Attorney Caylee Campbell of the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, and Trial Attorney Leah Branch of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

    DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 22cr1824-JO                              

    Peter Griffin                                                    79

    Kyung Sook Hernandez                                 59

    Yu Hong Tan                                                  57

    Yoo Jin Ott                                                     46

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Conspiracy, Interstate and Foreign Travel or Transportation in Aid of Racketeering (ITAR),

    Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison, $250,000 fine

    Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud

    Maximum Penalty: Thirty years in prison, $1 million fine

    Engaging in Monetary Transactions in Property Derived from Specified Unlawful Activity

    Maximum Penalty: Ten years in prison, $250,000 fine or twice amount of criminally derived property

    Misprision of a Felony

    Maximum Penalty: Three years in prison, $250,000 fine

    AGENCIES

    Homeland Security Investigations

    Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation

    San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, a regional, multi-agency effort led by the California Department of Justice dedicated to supporting survivors and holding traffickers accountable.  The task force is comprised of numerous federal, state, and local agencies, as well as the Southwest Border High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program. 

    U.S. Department of Justice, Money Laundering Asset Recovery Section, Special Financial Investigations Unit

    Federal Bureau of Investigation

    San Diego Police Department

    San Diego Sheriff’s Department

    Escondido Police Department

    San Diego County District Attorney’s Office

    Tempe, Arizona Police Department. 

    Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former U.S. Navy Service Member Sentenced for $2 Million Insurance Fraud Scheme

    Source: US FBI

    NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – October 17, 2023

    SAN DIEGO – Christopher Toups, who at the time of his crimes was a chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy, was sentenced in federal court to 30 months in prison after admitting that he and others defrauded an insurance program meant to compensate service members who suffer serious and debilitating injuries while on active duty.

    Toups’ sentence followed his guilty plea to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to his plea agreement, participants in the scheme obtained approximately $2 million in payments from fraudulent claims submitted to Traumatic Servicemembers Group Life Insurance Program, or TSGLI, and Toups personally obtained about $400,000. TSGLI was funded by service members and the Department of the Navy.

    Toups admitted that from 2012 to at least December 2015, he conspired with his then-spouse Kelene McGrath, Navy Dr. Michael Villarroel, and others to obtain money from the United States by making claims for life insurance payments based on exaggerated or fake injuries and disabilities.

    “Lying and stealing funds meant for injured service members is appalling,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting those who serve, and this case is an excellent example of law enforcement collaboration to do just that.”

    “Fraudulently filing claims for unearned benefits diverts compensation from deserving service members who suffered serious and debilitating injuries while on active duty,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebeccalynn Staples with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Western Field Office. “This sentence holds the defendant accountable for his egregious actions, and the VA OIG will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to ensure schemes like this are uncovered, investigated, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

    “Mr. Toups participated in a fraud scheme that defrauded the American taxpayer and diverted vital money, care, and resources from service members recovering from traumatic injuries,” said Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the NCIS Economic Crimes Field Office. “This sentence demonstrates the commitment of NCIS and its partners to combatting fraud that harms the Department of the Navy and its warfighters.”

    “Stealing from a program set in place to aid injured and disabled servicemembers diverts compensation from deserving individuals,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “Willingly defrauding the American people, especially those who protect our country, will not be tolerated. The FBI will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to ensure those who commit such acts are held accountable.”

    According to the plea agreement, in addition to submitting his own TSGLI claims based on fake injuries and disabilities, Toups encouraged numerous current or former Navy service members to submit claims and sometimes told them to provide medical records to McGrath. McGrath, a nurse, falsified or doctored medical records to exaggerate or fake injuries. Villarroel certified that he reviewed the records and determined activities of daily living were lost or impaired and consistent with the claimed injuries as required for claims to be processed and qualify, at times supporting the determination by falsely stating he interviewed the claimant. Villarroel also, at times, provided others’ medical records for McGrath to use in fabricating claims.

    Toups admitted that he encouraged recipients of claim payments to give him part of the money, sometimes characterizing it as a “processing fee.” McGrath and Villarroel received part of the kickback depending on their involvement in the claim. Toups paid Villarroel in cash and by cashier’s check. At times, Toups and others conducted financial transactions in amounts under $10,000 to evade perceived financial reporting requirements.

    According to court records, Toups and his co-defendants were part of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Expeditionary Support Unit One (“EOD ESU One”), based in Coronado, California. Toups was a Chief Petty Officer Construction Mechanic.

    DEFENDANT           18CR1674-JLS

    Christopher Toups      46        White, GA

    RELATED CASES

    Kelene Meyer                         18CR1674-JLS                       Jacksonville, FL

    Dr. Michael Villarroel            18CR1674-JLS                       Coronado, CA

    Paul Craig                               18CR1674-JLS                       Austin, TX

    Richard Cote                           18CR1674-JLS                       Oceanside, CA

    Earnest Thompson                  18CR1674-JLS                       Murrieta, CA

    Ronald Olmsted                      20CR0659-JLS                       Mobile, AL

    Anthony Coco                         20CR0197-JLS                       San Diego, CA

    Stephen Mulholland               20CR0052-JLS                       Panama City Beach, FL

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Toups:

    18 U.S.C. § 1349, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud

    Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison, $250,000 fine, forfeiture and restitution

    Others:

    18 U.S.C. § 1349, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud

    Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison, $250,000 fine, forfeiture and restitution

    18 U.S.C. § 1343, Wire Fraud

    Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison, $250,000 fine, forfeiture and restitution

    18 U.S.C. § 287, Making a False Claim

    Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison, $250,000 fine

    AGENCIES

    Federal Bureau of Investigation

    Naval Criminal Investigative Service

    Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Minnesota Man Charged with Production of Child Pornography

    Source: US FBI

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – Michael Thompson of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been charged by complaint with one count of production and attempted production of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

    According to court documents, on December 29, 2024, Michael Benjamin Thompson, 37, drove from Minnesota to Iowa to visit a teenage minor, whom he had met online.   While there, Thompson engaged the minor in various sexual activities. Thompson and the minor continued messaging and on January 30, 2025, Thompson induced the minor victim to send him sexually explicit images.  

    Thompson was charged via criminal complaint in U.S. District Court. He had his detention hearing on May 2, 2025 before Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright and was ordered to remain in custody pending further proceedings.

    “We are experiencing an epidemic of online-facilitated sex abuse in Minnesota,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.  “My office will continue to aggressively prosecute predators who use the internet to prey on our vulnerable children.”  

    “Crimes against children violations are among the most reprehensible crimes we investigate,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to ensure that those who exploit or harm children are brought to justice. We will continue to work closely with our partners to pursue offenders and safeguard our communities.”

    This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the Ankeny Police Department.

    If you believe you or your child may be a victim of Michael Thompson, please call the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Ruth S. Shnider is prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Announces Results of Operation Restore Justice: 205 Child Sex Abuse Offenders Arrested in FBI-Led Nationwide Crackdown, Including One in the District of South Dakota

    Source: US FBI

    SIOUX FALLS – Today, the Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators. The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders in the nationwide crackdown. The coordinated effort was executed over the course of five days by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department’s Criminal Division, and United States Attorney’s Offices around the country.
     
    “The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims — especially child victims — and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest, and prosecute every child predator who preys on the most vulnerable among us,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate.”

    “Every child deserves to grow up free from fear and exploitation, and the FBI will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who exploit the most vulnerable among us,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Operation Restore Justice proves that no predator is out of reach and no child will be forgotten. By leveraging the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state and local partners, we’re sending a clear message: there is no place to hide for those who prey on children.”

    Those arrested around the country are alleged to have committed various crimes including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors, and child sex trafficking. In South Dakota, the FBI received a Cybertip through NCMEC that Brandon Rouillard, age 31, of Evergreen, South Dakota, had engaged in sexual conversations with a local 14-year-old girl over Facebook. The FBI investigated the Cybertip and learned Rouillard requested that the 14-year-old send him sexual videos and images constituting child sexual abuse material. Rouillard received and saved the child sexual abuse material to his Facebook account. Rouillard also discussed meeting the 14-year-old for a sexual encounter. Rouillard was arrested on a criminal complaint on May 1, 2025, and his initial appearance was held before a federal magistrate judge on May 2, 2025. He was detained pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 9, 2025.

    “The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of South Dakota routinely partners with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement to hold accountable those who seek to sexually exploit children through social media applications and gaming platforms,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “Whether part of a nationwide effort, a local operation, or an individual investigation, our office does not shy away from aggressively prosecuting those who use the Internet to take advantage of vulnerable youth in our communities.”

    “Protecting children from exploitation is one of the FBI’s highest priorities,” said Special Agent in Charge, Alvin M. Winston Sr., of FBI Minneapolis. “Operation Restore Justice underscores the strength of our partnerships and our shared determination to bring child predators to justice. Those who exploit children should know there is no hiding place – we will find you and bring you to justice.”

    In many cases, parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a critical role in bringing these offenders to justice. It is of vital importance that parents and guardians talk frequently and openly with children about responsible Internet use. It is also essential that the community understands the warning signs of cyberbullying and sextortion, including:

    1. Sudden changes in behavior, such as becoming withdrawn, anxious, or secretive;
    2. Abruptly deleting social media accounts or frequently creating new accounts;
    3. Turning off or hiding devices in the presence of a parent or other adult;
    4. Clearing their web browser cache and/or history;
    5. Unexplained money or gift cards; and
    6. Spending less time with friends.

    This effort follows the Department’s observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April and underscores the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children, seeking justice for victims, and raising awareness through community education. These types of cases are brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.

    The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org.

    The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.

    Other online resources:

    Electronic Press Kit

    Violent Crimes Against Children

    How we can help you: Parents and caregivers protecting your kids

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine Within the Pine Ridge Reservation and in Rapid City

    Source: US FBI

    RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on May 6, 2025.

    Phil Pond, age 42, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    A federal grand jury indicted Pond in January 2024. He pleaded guilty on July 29, 2024.

    From 2022 to 2024, Pond and others conspired to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine in South Dakota. Some of the co-conspirators traveled to the Denver area, and/or acquired the methamphetamine locally from Pine Ridge and Rapid City. Pond knew some of this methamphetamine he was selling would be further distributed. Evidence presented at Pond’s sentencing established that he acted as the enforcer and used intimidation, force, and threats of violence against others to acquire money to satisfy their drug debts. Pond was a leader and organizer of the conspiracy and also provided methamphetamine to a person under the age of 21.

    This case was investigated by the FBI and the Badlands Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is comprised of agents from the FBI, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, Martin Police Department, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan Poppen and Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four Pierre Residents Sentenced to Substantial Terms in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance

    Source: US FBI

    PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced four Pierre, South Dakota, residents convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencings took place on May 5, 2025.

    Whitney Marrowbone, age 30, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

    Wendy Mealer, age 49, was sentenced to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

    Brent Larvie, age 36, was sentenced to four years and six months in federal prison, followed by three of supervised release.

    David Rinehart, age 33, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

    All four defendants were each also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    These convictions stemmed from a drug distribution conspiracy beginning in June 2023 and continuing until September 2024.  Marrowbone, Mealer, Larvie, and Rinehart were involved in an extensive conspiracy with several other individuals to distribute methamphetamine in and around Pierre and surrounding areas. The four co-defendants received significant quantities of methamphetamine from two other co-defendants, Heather and Misty Stahlhoefer, and then further distributed it. During the course of the investigation law enforcement recovered over 550 grams of pure methamphetamine.

    Heather Stahlhoefer is scheduled to be sentenced May 14, 2025, and Misty Stahlhoefer is scheduled to be sentenced July 14, 2025.

    This case was investigated by the FBI North Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Pierre Police Department, the Chamberlain Police Department, and the Lyman County Sheriff’s Office.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meghan Dilges.

    Marrowbone, Rinehart, Mealer, and Larvie were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Second Former Memphis Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Federal Civil Rights and Conspiracy Charges Tied to Death of Tyre Nichols

    Source: US FBI

    Memphis, TN – A former Memphis, Tennessee, Police Department (MPD) officer facing federal civil rights charges for the tragic killing of Tyre Nichols pleaded guilty in federal court today.

    Emmitt Martin III, pleaded guilty to civil rights and conspiracy charges arising out of the Jan. 7, 2023, incident. Martin is the second MPD officer to plead guilty in this case.

    On Sept. 12, 2023, a federal jury returned a four-count indictment against Martin and four co-defendants. The charges included using excessive force resulting in the death of Nichols; aiding and abetting each other in using that excessive force; failing to intervene to stop the excessive force; failing to render medical aid; and conspiring or taking action to cover up their misconduct. On Nov. 2, 2023, co-defendant Desmond Mills entered a guilty plea to civil rights and conspiracy charges.

    The remaining three defendants will face a federal trial scheduled for Sept. 9.

    In today’s court appearance, Martin pleaded guilty to counts one and three of the indictment. Count one charged Martin with using excessive force and failing to intervene in the unlawful assault. Count three charged Martin with conspiring to cover up his use of unlawful force by omitting material information and by providing false and misleading information to his supervisor and to others. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 5. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

    Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee, and Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Memphis Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI Memphis Field Office investigated this case. 

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Pritchard and Elizabeth Rogers for the Western District of Tennessee and Special Litigation Counsel Kathryn E. Gilbert, Trial Attorney Andrew Manns and Deputy Chief Forrest Christian of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case. 

    ###

    Topic

    CIVIL RIGHTS

    Components

    Civil Rights Division 

    Civil Rights – Criminal Section 

    Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 

    USAO – Tennessee, Western

    Press Release Number: 24-1049

    MIL Security OSI –