NewzIntel.com

Category: Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI Security: Omaha Men Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud

    Source: US FBI

    United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Calvin J. Carter, 22, and Malik M. Washington, 28, both of Omaha, Nebraska, were sentenced on May 15, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Carter and Washington to 18 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Carter and Washington are released from prison, they each will begin a 3-year term of supervised release. Chief Judge Rossiter also ordered both to pay restitution in the amount of $180,315.54.

    From April 2021 through December 2022, Carter and Washington recruited and obtained bank account information from individuals that owned personal bank accounts at various financial institutions in the District of Nebraska and elsewhere.  Through investigative techniques, law enforcement learned that Carter and Washington created counterfeit checks making it appear as though the checks were legitimately issued by businesses to those individuals.  They then presented the counterfeit checks to financial institutions, falsely represented the checks to be legitimate.  Carter and Washington would then withdraw cash from bank accounts into which the counterfeit checks were deposited.

    During the duration of this conspiracy, Carter and Washington caused, and attempted to cause, counterfeit checks to be deposited into bank accounts at various financial institutions resulting in the loss of $180,315.54.

    This case was investigated by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Sentenced for Crimes Committed on the Santee Sioux Nation Indian Reservation

    Source: US FBI

    United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Mongecka (aka “Monga”) Eastman, 24, originally of South Dakota, was sentenced on May 15, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for assault resulting in serious bodily injury and sexual abuse without consent. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Eastman to 120 months’ imprisonment on the assault case, to run concurrent with the 120-month sentence imposed by Judge Buescher in the sexual abuse case. There is no parole in the federal system. After Eastman’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release on the assault case to run concurrent with a 10-year term of supervised release on the sexual abuse case.

    In February 2021, Eastman subjected a minor female to a sexual act without her consent. Eastman entered the minor female’s bedroom in Santee, Nebraska, while she was changing her clothes. Eastman then forced himself on the minor victim, twisting her arm to the point of pain and pinning her to a bed before sexually assaulting her. The minor victim later disclosed the sexual assault to a trusted adult, who notified law enforcement.

    In September 2023, Eastman seriously assaulted an adult male victim in multiple rural locations on the Santee Sioux Nation Indian Reservation, using a minor to assist him in committing the offense. Eastman and the minor hit and kicked the victim, and Eastman repeatedly slammed the victim onto the hood of a vehicle, leaving dents in the metal. The victim sustained serious bodily injuries from the assault which required emergency medical care and hospitalization, including injuries to his liver and nose, a concussion, and a subdural hemorrhage.

    These cases were prosecuted in federal court because the offenses are felonies which occurred on the Santee Sioux Nation Indian Reservation in Nebraska.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Murray Man Sentenced for Distribution of Child Pornography

    Source: US FBI

    United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Michael Scott, 60, of Murray, Nebraska, was sentenced on May 8, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for Distribution of Child Pornography. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Scott to 300 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Scott’s release from prison, he will begin a 10-year term of supervised release. Scott was also ordered to pay $69,000 in restitution.

    The Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) received a cybertip from Discord reporting a user had uploaded two files depicting alleged child pornography. An Investigator with NSP was able to view the images and confirm they were child pornography.

    The Investigator confirmed the phone number from the cybertip belonged to Scott at his address in Murray. A search warrant was executed for the Discord account from the cybertip. A review of the contents found the distribution of additional child pornography. There were at least seven images of child pornography uploaded to the Discord account, at least one of which was included in the cybertip.

    During a search of Scott’s residence, Investigators recovered 14 electronic devices.  During a review of Scott’s cellphone, Investigators found a total of 19,807 photos of child pornography and 5,126 videos of child pornography. Among the other devices, Investigators found 200 additional photos of child pornography. Investigators also found a conversation on Discord where Scott sent at least one image of child pornography to another user on January 9, 2024. Investigators also located at least four files of child pornography that were uploaded to Discord on January 17, 2024.

    In a consensual interview at the residence, Scott confirmed the Discord account and username, phone number and email address all belonged to him. Scott admitted to using his cell phone for viewing and trading child pornography.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

    This case was investigated by the Omaha FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and the Nebraska State Patrol.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Taunton Man Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Prison for $1 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

    Source: US FBI

    BOSTON – A Taunton man, formerly of Brockton, was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for orchestrating a scheme to defraud various health insurance companies of over $1 million in false reimbursement claims for bogus medical expenses purportedly incurred during international travel.

    Henry Ezeonyido, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 27 months in prison, to be followed by three of supervised release. Ezeonyido was also ordered to pay $655,313 in restitution and to forfeit $396,998 in criminal proceeds. In February 2025, Ezeonyido pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and six counts of health care fraud.

    Ezeonyido was arrested and charged in July 2024 along with co-conspirators Brendon Ashe, Aqiyla Atherton, Darline Cobbler and Ariel Lambert. Ezeonyido was later indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024. All four of Ezeonyido’s co-defendants pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme and were subsequently sentenced to probation.

    From approximately October 2019 to February 2022, Ezeonyido submitted fraudulent health insurance claims – on his own behalf and on behalf of at least seven other individuals, including Ashe, Atherton, Cobbler and Lambert – to five different health insurance companies for expensive medical treatment that they purportedly received and paid for out-of-pocket while traveling overseas. Many of the claims included fake traumatic injuries such as stabbings, gunshot wounds and hit and run car accidents that the defendants and others purportedly suffered requiring their hospitalization abroad. In nearly all instances, the individuals were actually in the United States at the time of the purported international medical events. Some of the individuals on whose behalf Ezeonyido submitted claims were knowing and willful participants in the scheme, while others either had no knowledge of the claims submitted on their behalf or were manipulated into providing their health insurance information, which Ezeonyido then used to submit fraudulent claims, later demanding a cut of the proceeds.

    Ezeonyido submitted fabricated documents to the victim health insurance companies in support of the fraudulent claims, including fabricated medical records purporting to show the medical care received, fabricated bank records purporting to show payment to the international treatment facilities and, where the claim related to a fake traumatic injury, fabricated police reports describing the circumstances of the alleged event. In many instances, the details of the claims – including the purported dates of service, country where the alleged medical event occurred, and nature and circumstances of the alleged injuries – and the fabricated records submitted in support of the claims were nearly identical to one another.

    As a result of these fraudulent claims, the victim health insurance companies were billed over $1 million for services that were never provided, resulting in payments totaling approximately $655,313. Upon receiving these payments from their health insurance companies, Ashe, Cobbler, Lambert and others, paid a portion of the proceeds to Ezeonyido and other co-conspirators, including Atherton, who acted as an intermediary, bringing others into the scheme in exchange for a cut of their paid claims. In total, Ezeonyido retained approximately $396,998 in fraud proceeds.  

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division; and Anthony DiPaolo, Insurance Fraud Bureau Executive Director made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie A. Wright of the Health Care Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Director of Mobile Medical Diagnostics Company Agrees to Plead Guilty to Kickback Scheme

    Source: US FBI

    Scheme allegedly resulted in approximately $70.6 million in fraudulent bills to Medicare

    BOSTON – A New York-based director of operations and sales for the Northeast region of a mobile medical diagnostics company has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to provide kickbacks to doctors in exchange for ordering medically unnecessary brain scans.

    James Rausch, 57, of Port Jefferson Station, N.Y., has been charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statute. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court.  

    According to the charging documents, from approximately March 2015 through September 2020, Rausch conspired with others, including two managers for a mobile medical diagnostics company that performed transcranial doppler (TCD) scans, to enter into kickback agreements with various doctors. TCD scans are brain scans that measure blood flow in parts of the brain. It is alleged that Rausch and his co-conspirators agreed to offer and pay doctors kickbacks, some in cash and others by check, based on the number of TCD ultrasounds the doctors ordered. Rausch and his co-conspirators allegedly created purported rental and administrative service agreements that, on paper, made it appear as if the doctors’ practices were compensated for the TCD company’s use of space as well as for administrative costs associated with processing each order – based on fair market value, not based on the volume or value of referrals. It is alleged that these agreements were shams that hid the true nature of the payment arrangement for each test.  

    It is alleged that the scheme as a whole resulted in fraudulent bills of approximately $70.6 million to Medicare. Medicare paid approximately $27.2 million to the TCD company for the fraudulent claims.

    The charge of conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Kelly M. Lawson, Acting Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Boston Regional Office; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard Locker and Mackenzie Queenin of the Health Care Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.

    The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • US and Iran to resume nuclear talks amid clashing red lines

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Iranian and U.S. negotiators will resume talks on Friday in Rome to resolve a decades-long dispute over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, despite Tehran’s supreme leader warning that clinching a new deal might be insurmountable amid clashing red lines.

    The stakes are high for both sides. President Donald Trump wants to curtail Tehran’s potential to produce a nuclear weapon that could trigger a regional nuclear arms race. The Islamic Republic, for its part, wants to be rid of devastating sanctions on its oil-based economy.

    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump’s Middle East envoySteve Witkoff will hold a fifth round of talks, through Omani mediators, despite both Washington and Tehran taking a tough stance in public over Iran’s uranium enrichment.

    Although Iran insists the talks are indirect, U.S. officials have said the discussions – including the latest roundon May 11 in Oman- have been both “direct and indirect”.

    Araqchi, who arrived in Rome with his two deputies, wrote

    on X: “…Zero nuclear weapons = we Do have a deal. Zero enrichment = we do NOT have a deal. Time to decide”.

    White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that Trump believes negotiations with Iran are “moving in the right direction”.

    Tehran and Washington have both said they prefer diplomacy to settle the impasse, but remain deeply split on several red lines that negotiators will have to circumvent to reach a new nuclear deal and avert future military action.

    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Washington is working to reach an accord that would allow Iran to have a civil nuclear energy programme but not enrich uranium, while admitting that achieving such a deal “will not be easy”.

    Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last say on Iran’s state matters, rejected Washington’s demands that Tehran stop refining uranium as “excessive and outrageous”, warning that the talks are unlikely to yield results.

    Among remaining stumbling blocks is Tehran’s refusal to ship abroad all of its highly enriched uranium stockpile – possible raw material for nuclear bombs – or engage in discussions over its ballistic missile programme.

    Iran says it is ready to accept some limits on enrichment, which it maintains is for civilian nuclear energy uses only – but needs watertight guaranteesthat Washington would not renege on a future nuclear accord.

    Trump, who has restored a “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran since February, ditched the 2015 nuclear pact in 2018 during his first term and reimposed sweeping U.S. sanctions that continue to hobble the Iranian economy.

    Iran responded by escalating enrichment far beyond the 2015 pact’s limits.

    Wendy Sherman, a former U.S. Undersecretary for Political Affairs who led the U.S. negotiating team that reached the 2015 agreement, said it was impossible to convince Iran to scrap enrichment – which Tehran touts as a matter of sovereignty.

    “I don’t think it is possible to get a deal with Iran where they literally dismantle their programme, give up their enrichment, even though that would be ideal,” she told Reuters.

    The cost of failure of the talks could be high. While Tehran says its nuclear activity is for peaceful ends, Iran’s arch-foe Israel discounts this,saying it would never allow Iran’s clerical establishment to obtain nuclear weapons.

    Israel’s strategic affairs minister and the head of its foreign intelligence service Mossad will also be in Rome for talks with the U.S. team that is negotiating with Iran, a source aware of the matter told Reuters.

    Araqchi said on Thursday Washington would bear legal responsibility if Israel attacked Iranian nuclear installations, following a CNN report that Israel might be preparing strikes.

    While rising U.S.-Iran tensions over enrichment have put the nuclear talks in doubt, three Iranian sources said on Tuesday that the clerical leadership lacks a clear fallback plan if efforts to overcome the standoff collapse.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI USA: Georgian National Extradited from Moldova to Face Charges for Soliciting Hate Crimes and Planning Mass Casualty Attack in New York City

    Source: US State of California

    Leader of White Supremacist Group ‘Maniac Murder Cult’ Recruited Others to Bomb and Poison the Jewish Community and Racial Minorities 

    Defendant Allegedly Planned Scheme to Distribute Poisoned Candy on New Year’s Eve

    Georgian national Michail Chkhikvishvili, also known as Mishka, Michael, Commander Butcher, and Butcher, 21, of Tbilisi, was extradited to the United States from Moldova on May 22, and will be arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn today. Chkhikvishvili was arrested in Chișinău, Moldova, in July 2024 in connection with a four-count indictment returned in the Eastern District of New York charging him with soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence in New York City.

    According to court documents, Chkhikvishvili is a leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, also known as Maniacs Murder Cult, Maniacs: Cult of Killing, MKY, MMC and MKU, an international racially-motivated violent extremist group. As alleged in the indictment, Chkhikvishvili recruited people to commit violent acts in furtherance of MKY’s ideologies, including planning and soliciting a mass casualty attack in New York City.

    “This case is a stark reminder of the kind of terrorism we face today: online networks plotting unspeakable acts of violence against children, families, and the Jewish community in pursuit of a depraved, extremist ideology,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice will not tolerate hate-fueled violence, and we will pursue those who threaten innocent lives wherever they may be.”

    “The defendant is accused of recruiting others to kill Jewish people, kill racial minorities, and of providing instructions on how to commit other lethal attacks — even targeting children around the holidays by poisoning candy,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “These allegations are despicable, and thanks to the work and partnership of the FBI and the authorities in Moldova, Michail Chkhikvishvili has been brought to the United States to face charges in our justice system.”

    “As alleged, the defendant, a white supremacist, recruited others to participate in a violent campaign of hatred against racial minorities and the Jewish community and to engage in the mass killing of children and others in these communities using poison, suicide bombs, firearms, arson fires, and vehicle explosions. Today’s extradition is a giant step forward in holding the defendant accountable for his unspeakably reprehensible and vile efforts to spread fear, chaos, and hate,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “Protecting our homeland, city, district, and country from violent extremists will always be one of the top priorities of the Justice Department and my office.”

    Chkhikvishvili’s MKY adheres to a neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology and promotes violence against racial minorities, the Jewish community and other groups it deems “undesirables.” MKY members share a common goal of challenging social order and governments via terrorism and violent acts that promote fear and chaos. MKY has members in the United States and abroad.

    Since approximately September 2021, Chkhikvishvili has distributed a manifesto titled the “Hater’s Handbook” to MKY members and others. The Hater’s Handbook encourages people to commit acts of mass violence. In the Hater’s Handbook, Chkhikvishvili states that he has “murdered for the white race” and encourages and instructs others to commit acts of mass violence and “ethnic cleansing.” For example, the Hater’s Handbook encourages its readers to commit school shootings and to use children to perpetrate suicide bombings and other mass killings targeting racial minorities. The Hater’s Handbook describes methods and strategies for committing mass “terror attacks,” including, for example, using vehicles to target “large outdoor festivals, conventions, celebrations and parades” and “pedestrian congested streets.” The Hater’s Handbook specifically encourages committing attacks within the United States.

    In June 2022, Chkhikvishvili traveled to Brooklyn. As alleged, beginning at least as early as July 2022, Chkhikvishvili repeatedly encouraged others, primarily via the encryption-enabled mobile messaging platform Telegram, to commit violent hate crimes and other acts of violence on behalf of MKY. This included conspiring to solicit violent acts with the leader of a separate violent extremist neo-Nazi group, and soliciting acts of mass violence in New York from an individual who claimed to be a prospective MKY recruit, but who, unbeknownst to Chkhikvishvili, was actually an undercover FBI employee (the UC).

    In a September 2023 conversation, the UC messaged Chkhikvishvili asking whether there was an application process to join MKY. The defendant responded, “we ask people for brutal beating, arson/explosion or murder vids on camera.” Chkhikvishvili further stated that “[p]oisoning and arson are best options for murder,” and suggested also considering a larger “mass murder[]” within the United States. Chkhikvishvili advised the UC that the victims of these acts should be “low race targets.”

    Beginning in approximately November 2023, Chkhikvishvili solicited the UC to commit violent crimes, such as bombings and arsons, for the purpose of harming racial minorities, Jewish individuals and others. Chkhikvishvili provided detailed plans and materials such as bomb-making instructions and guidance on making Molotov cocktails to facilitate carrying out these crimes. In November 2023, Chkhikvishvili began planning a mass casualty attack in New York City to take place on New Year’s Eve. The scheme involved an individual dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out candy laced with poison to racial minorities.

    In January, the scheme evolved and Chkhikvishvili specifically directed the UC to target the Jewish community, Jewish schools, and Jewish children in Brooklyn with poison. Chkhikvishvili drafted step-by-step instructions to carry out the scheme and shared detailed manuals about creating and mixing lethal poisons and gases with the UC. He also instructed the UC on methods of making ricin-based poisons in powder and liquid form, including by extracting ricin from castor beans. Chkhikvishvili sent materials linked to radical Islamist jihadist groups and designated foreign terrorist organizations such as ISIS. 

    Chkhikvishvili wanted the planned attack to be a “bigger action than Breivik,” referring to Anders Behring Breivik, a Norwegian neo‑Nazi who killed 77 people in a bombing and mass shooting in Norway in 2011. Meanwhile, Chkhikvishvili told others of his plan and claimed to have previously committed other hate crimes while living in Brooklyn in 2022. Chkhikvishvili boasted to others that he was “glad I have murdered,” and that he would “murder more” but “make others murder first.”     

    Chkhikvishvili’s solicitations of violence have resulted in multiple attacks and killings around the world. In August 2024, an individual livestreamed himself stabbing approximately five people outside of a mosque in Eskisehir, Turkey, wearing a tactical vest adorned in Nazi symbols. A manifesto attributed to the attacker included explicit references to Chkhikvishvili and to violent statements made by him. Before the attack, the attacker also distributed a link to the Hater’s Handbook, authored by Chkhikvishvili, and other violent propaganda.

    If convicted, Chkhikvishvili faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for solicitation of violent felonies (including hate crime acts and transporting an explosive with intent to kill or injure); five years in prison for conspiring to solicit violent felonies; 20 years in prison for distributing information pertaining to the making and use of explosive devices and ricin poison; and five years in prison for transmitting threatening communications.

    The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies, as well as the Department of State, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agents provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Chkhikvishvili from Moldova.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen H. Sise and Andrew D. Reich for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Jennifer Levy of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from Paralegal Specialists Wayne Colon and Rebecca Roth. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has also provided assistance.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Georgian National Extradited from Moldova to Face Charges for Soliciting Hate Crimes and Planning Mass Casualty Attack in New York City

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Leader of White Supremacist Group ‘Maniac Murder Cult’ Recruited Others to Bomb and Poison the Jewish Community and Racial Minorities 

    Defendant Allegedly Planned Scheme to Distribute Poisoned Candy on New Year’s Eve

    Georgian national Michail Chkhikvishvili, also known as Mishka, Michael, Commander Butcher, and Butcher, 21, of Tbilisi, was extradited to the United States from Moldova on May 22, and will be arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn today. Chkhikvishvili was arrested in Chișinău, Moldova, in July 2024 in connection with a four-count indictment returned in the Eastern District of New York charging him with soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence in New York City.

    According to court documents, Chkhikvishvili is a leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, also known as Maniacs Murder Cult, Maniacs: Cult of Killing, MKY, MMC and MKU, an international racially-motivated violent extremist group. As alleged in the indictment, Chkhikvishvili recruited people to commit violent acts in furtherance of MKY’s ideologies, including planning and soliciting a mass casualty attack in New York City.

    “This case is a stark reminder of the kind of terrorism we face today: online networks plotting unspeakable acts of violence against children, families, and the Jewish community in pursuit of a depraved, extremist ideology,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice will not tolerate hate-fueled violence, and we will pursue those who threaten innocent lives wherever they may be.”

    “The defendant is accused of recruiting others to kill Jewish people, kill racial minorities, and of providing instructions on how to commit other lethal attacks — even targeting children around the holidays by poisoning candy,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “These allegations are despicable, and thanks to the work and partnership of the FBI and the authorities in Moldova, Michail Chkhikvishvili has been brought to the United States to face charges in our justice system.”

    “As alleged, the defendant, a white supremacist, recruited others to participate in a violent campaign of hatred against racial minorities and the Jewish community and to engage in the mass killing of children and others in these communities using poison, suicide bombs, firearms, arson fires, and vehicle explosions. Today’s extradition is a giant step forward in holding the defendant accountable for his unspeakably reprehensible and vile efforts to spread fear, chaos, and hate,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “Protecting our homeland, city, district, and country from violent extremists will always be one of the top priorities of the Justice Department and my office.”

    Chkhikvishvili’s MKY adheres to a neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology and promotes violence against racial minorities, the Jewish community and other groups it deems “undesirables.” MKY members share a common goal of challenging social order and governments via terrorism and violent acts that promote fear and chaos. MKY has members in the United States and abroad.

    Since approximately September 2021, Chkhikvishvili has distributed a manifesto titled the “Hater’s Handbook” to MKY members and others. The Hater’s Handbook encourages people to commit acts of mass violence. In the Hater’s Handbook, Chkhikvishvili states that he has “murdered for the white race” and encourages and instructs others to commit acts of mass violence and “ethnic cleansing.” For example, the Hater’s Handbook encourages its readers to commit school shootings and to use children to perpetrate suicide bombings and other mass killings targeting racial minorities. The Hater’s Handbook describes methods and strategies for committing mass “terror attacks,” including, for example, using vehicles to target “large outdoor festivals, conventions, celebrations and parades” and “pedestrian congested streets.” The Hater’s Handbook specifically encourages committing attacks within the United States.

    In June 2022, Chkhikvishvili traveled to Brooklyn. As alleged, beginning at least as early as July 2022, Chkhikvishvili repeatedly encouraged others, primarily via the encryption-enabled mobile messaging platform Telegram, to commit violent hate crimes and other acts of violence on behalf of MKY. This included conspiring to solicit violent acts with the leader of a separate violent extremist neo-Nazi group, and soliciting acts of mass violence in New York from an individual who claimed to be a prospective MKY recruit, but who, unbeknownst to Chkhikvishvili, was actually an undercover FBI employee (the UC).

    In a September 2023 conversation, the UC messaged Chkhikvishvili asking whether there was an application process to join MKY. The defendant responded, “we ask people for brutal beating, arson/explosion or murder vids on camera.” Chkhikvishvili further stated that “[p]oisoning and arson are best options for murder,” and suggested also considering a larger “mass murder[]” within the United States. Chkhikvishvili advised the UC that the victims of these acts should be “low race targets.”

    Beginning in approximately November 2023, Chkhikvishvili solicited the UC to commit violent crimes, such as bombings and arsons, for the purpose of harming racial minorities, Jewish individuals and others. Chkhikvishvili provided detailed plans and materials such as bomb-making instructions and guidance on making Molotov cocktails to facilitate carrying out these crimes. In November 2023, Chkhikvishvili began planning a mass casualty attack in New York City to take place on New Year’s Eve. The scheme involved an individual dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out candy laced with poison to racial minorities.

    In January, the scheme evolved and Chkhikvishvili specifically directed the UC to target the Jewish community, Jewish schools, and Jewish children in Brooklyn with poison. Chkhikvishvili drafted step-by-step instructions to carry out the scheme and shared detailed manuals about creating and mixing lethal poisons and gases with the UC. He also instructed the UC on methods of making ricin-based poisons in powder and liquid form, including by extracting ricin from castor beans. Chkhikvishvili sent materials linked to radical Islamist jihadist groups and designated foreign terrorist organizations such as ISIS. 

    Chkhikvishvili wanted the planned attack to be a “bigger action than Breivik,” referring to Anders Behring Breivik, a Norwegian neo‑Nazi who killed 77 people in a bombing and mass shooting in Norway in 2011. Meanwhile, Chkhikvishvili told others of his plan and claimed to have previously committed other hate crimes while living in Brooklyn in 2022. Chkhikvishvili boasted to others that he was “glad I have murdered,” and that he would “murder more” but “make others murder first.”     

    Chkhikvishvili’s solicitations of violence have resulted in multiple attacks and killings around the world. In August 2024, an individual livestreamed himself stabbing approximately five people outside of a mosque in Eskisehir, Turkey, wearing a tactical vest adorned in Nazi symbols. A manifesto attributed to the attacker included explicit references to Chkhikvishvili and to violent statements made by him. Before the attack, the attacker also distributed a link to the Hater’s Handbook, authored by Chkhikvishvili, and other violent propaganda.

    If convicted, Chkhikvishvili faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for solicitation of violent felonies (including hate crime acts and transporting an explosive with intent to kill or injure); five years in prison for conspiring to solicit violent felonies; 20 years in prison for distributing information pertaining to the making and use of explosive devices and ricin poison; and five years in prison for transmitting threatening communications.

    The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies, as well as the Department of State, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agents provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Chkhikvishvili from Moldova.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen H. Sise and Andrew D. Reich for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Jennifer Levy of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from Paralegal Specialists Wayne Colon and Rebecca Roth. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has also provided assistance.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Venezuelan National Residing Unlawfully in the U.S. Charged with Illegal Possession of a Firearm and Making False Statements

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TOLEDO, Ohio – A Venezuelan man residing in Perrysburg, Ohio, has been accused of lying on immigration forms and on applications to purchase a firearm. Anthony Emmanuel Labrador-Sierra, 24, was charged by criminal complaint today for possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully in the United States, making false statements during the purchase of a firearm, and for using false documents.

    According to the criminal complaint and underlying affidavit, Perrysburg Schools reported to the Perrysburg Police Department that they had received information that Labrador-Sierra, a student attending Perrysburg High School, was actually a 24-year-old man who enrolled under false pretenses. Labrador-Sierra is also alleged to have submitted false material information to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services about his date of birth in connection with applications for Temporary Protective Status and Employment Authorization Documents in 2024 and 2025.

    The complaint further alleges that Labrador-Sierra does not have lawful status to purchase, own or possess a firearm in the United States and that he submitted false information on the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Form 4473 to purchase a firearm. Among the alleged false statements he submitted when he purchased a Taurus 9mm, semiautomatic pistol from a licensed firearms dealer, were that he attested to being a United States citizen or national.

    If convicted, Labrador-Sierra faces up to 15 years in prison for possession of a firearm by an alien; 10 years in prison for making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm; and up to five years in prison for using false documents.

    This case is being investigated by the City of Perrysburg Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol Detroit Sector−Sandusky Bay Station, the FBI Toledo Field Office, the ATF, with assistance from the Wood County Prosecutor’s Office.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Melching and Tracey Tangeman for the Northern District of Ohio, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Dobson.

    This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with knowledge and information about this matter, please call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or visit fbi.gov/tips.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Henry County Jail Corrections Officer Sentenced for Excessive Force on an Inmate

    Source: US FBI

    INDIANAPOLIS— Curtis Doughty, 28, of Muncie, has been sentenced to two years probation after pleading guilty to deprivation of rights under color of law.  

    According to court documents, Doughty was employed as a corrections officer in the Henry County Jail, as well as a member of the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team (SERT). On February 13, 2024, Doughty participated in a scheduled search of an inmate housing pod in the jail. During the search, inmates were moved into a holding area in the recreation yard and ordered to sit on the floor facing the wall while officers searched the cells for contraband.

    Doughty was one of two officers responsible for directing inmates to face the wall and remain seated. When inmate M.F. turned his head away from the wall, Doughty, without warning, shot his pepper ball gun at point blank range into the inmate’s spine. The pepper ball shot caused bodily injury to the inmate. Doughty then yelled to the other inmates in the holding area, “congratulations, you all inhale that now,” in reference to the pepper ball gas.

    Shortly after the incident, other members of the SERT team reported it to a commander. The commander pulled Doughty from duty and sent him home, recognizing the egregious use of force. Prior to the incident, Doughty had received training on defensive tactics, physical tactics, Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team (SERT) training, jail physical and defensive tactics, and new jail officer training. Doughty had been trained on the “response to resistance ladder,” which states that inmates need to be “actively resistant” to justify use of the pepper ball gun. However, M.F. was not resisting and no force was necessary under this scenario.

    “Corrections officers are empowered by the government to care for inmates. When a corrections officer takes the law into their own hands and uses excessive force to punish inmates, they endanger not only that inmate, but they create a greater incentive to resist rather than cooperate, and thereby endanger their colleagues as well,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Today’s sentencing underscores our unwavering commitment to upholding the rule of law and ensuring accountability for all individuals, regardless of their occupation or authority.”

    “Everyone, regardless of their status or circumstance, is entitled to dignity and no one should fear for their safety at the hands of those tasked with their care,” said FBI Indianapolis Acting Special Agent in Charge Dominique Evans. “When correctional officers act with such disregard for those in their care, it is a betrayal of the oath they took to protect, not harm. The FBI will continue to work to ensure civil rights are protected inside every facility.”

    The FBI investigated this case, with valuable assistance provided by the Henry County Sheriff’s Office. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Matthew P. Brookman.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Childress thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter A. Blackett and Carolyn A. Haney, who prosecuted this case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Seeking to Identify Potential Victims in Donovan Nungasak Investigation

    Source: US FBI

    The FBI Anchorage Field Office is seeking to identify potential victims of Donovan Nungasak, 31, of Utqiagvik, Alaska. This week, a federal grand jury in the District of Alaska returned an indictment against Nungasak charging him with one count of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

    The FBI arrested Nungasak on April 28, 2025, for allegedly having sexually explicit conversations with a minor online, as previously announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska as part of Operation Restore Justice, a joint initiative to identify and arrest those accused of child exploitation crimes.

    If you and/or your minor dependent(s) have information concerning Nungasak’s alleged actions, please contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at (907) 276-4441 or anonymously online at tips.fbi.gov.

    The FBI is legally mandated to identify victims of federal crimes it investigates. Victims may be eligible for certain services, restitution, and rights under federal and/or state law. All identities of victims will be kept confidential.

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

    For additional resources and information, please visit: 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: City of Miami Police Officer Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Relief Fraud

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    Click Here to View the Original U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Press Release

    Yesterday, Tramaine Liptrot, 43, a police officer with the City of Miami Police Department (MPD) who has been relieved of duty, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with fraudulent applications for two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling over $200,000. Liptrot entered his guilty plea in Miami before U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom.

    According to the facts admitted at the change of plea hearing, Liptrot, along with being an MPD Police Officer, was the owner and President of Liptrots Tax Services L.L.C (Liptrots Tax). With the assistance of an associate, Liptrot fraudulently obtained two PPP loans in the name of Liptrots Tax.

    On June 22, 2020, working with the associate, Liptrot caused the submission of a false and fraudulent PPP loan application on behalf of Liptrots Tax, falsely claiming that Liptrots Tax had an average monthly payroll of $36,700 for four employees, and a fraudulent IRS Form 944 in support thereof, falsely claiming that Liptrots Tax paid its employees $440,397 during 2019. As a result of this fraudulent PPP application, Liptrots Tax obtained approximately $91,750 in PPP loan proceeds from an SBA approved PPP lender.

    On March 3, 2021, again working with the associate, Liptrot caused the submission of a false and fraudulent second-draw PPP loan application on behalf of Liptrots Tax, falsely claiming that Liptrots Tax had an average monthly payroll of $43,369, and including as part of the application process, a fraudulent IRS Form 944, falsely claiming that Liptrots Tax paid $496,428 in wages and other compensation in 2020. As a result of this fraudulent second-draw PPP application, Liptrots Tax obtained approximately $108,422 in PPP loan proceeds from a different SBA approved PPP lender.

    Liptrot is scheduled for sentencing on August 6, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., where he faces a possible maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, acting Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of FBI Miami and Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Eastern Region, announced the guilty plea.

    FBI Miami’s Area Corruption Task Force, which includes task force officers from the City of Miami Police Department’s Internal Affairs Section, and SBA-OIG investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm is prosecuting the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabrielle Raemy Charest-Turken is handling asset forfeiture.

    In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred.  EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.

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

    On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.

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

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-20155.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Mooresville Man Sentenced To Prison For Defrauding Investors And Stealing Millions in COVID Relief Funds

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    Click Here to View the Original U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Press Release

    Steven Andiloro, 53, of Mooresville, N.C., was sentenced today to 45 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for orchestrating a $6.1 million investment fraud scheme and fraudulently obtaining over $2.6 million in COVID relief funds, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell also ordered Andiloro to pay $5,341.155 in restitution the victims of his fraud.

    Jason Byrnes, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Charlotte Field Office, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Acting Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in North Carolina, and Amelaka McCall-Brathwaite, Special Agent in Charge of the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.

    According to documents filed in the case and the sentencing hearing, from 2018 to 2021, Andiloro operated an investment fraud scheme where he induced victims to invest in businesses, both real and fictitious, by making false representations about where and how the investors’ money would be invested. For example, some of Andiloro’s victims were told their money would be invested into his car service business, while others believed they were investing into a non-existent marijuana dispensary business. Contrary to representations made to victims, Andiloro did not invest the money as promised. Instead, he used the funds to pay for personal expenses and to operate a Ponzi scheme, where he used money from new investors to pay earlier investors purporting that the returns were the result of profitable investments.

    In addition to the investment scheme, Andiloro also engaged in COVID fraud. Court records show that, from April 2020 to March 2021, Andiloro obtained funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) by submitting fraudulent applications for disaster relief loans intended for businesses that suffered economic hardship due to the pandemic. To obtain the PPP funds, Andiloro submitted applications that contained false financial information about his businesses, including fake employment data and inflated revenues, costs, and payroll expenses. Andiloro received more than $2.6 million in disaster relief funds, which he used to fund his personal lifestyle and to make payments in furtherance of the investment scheme.

    Andiloro remains released on bond. He will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

    In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI, and the SBA-OIG for their investigation of the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Graham Billings and Katherine Armstrong with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Portland Gang Leader Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

    Source: US FBI

    PORTLAND, Ore.—The leader of Portland’s 18th Street Gang was sentenced to federal prison today for his role in a conspiracy to traffic large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine into the Portland area for redistribution and sale.

    Gustavo Torres-Mendez, 38, a Portland resident, was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.

    According to court documents, in 2019, following his release from state prison for first degree robbery with a firearm, Torres-Mendez established himself as the leader of the 18th Street Gang in Portland. At the time, investigators were aware that Torres-Mendez maintained a significant stature with and history in the gang developed while serving time in Oregon state prisons and for his activities out of custody.

    By late summer 2022, investigators had obtained significant evidence that Torres-Mendez and a close associate were leading a criminal enterprise active in selling counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in and around the Portland metro area. In early September 2022, investigators uncovered a major effort by Torres-Mendez and several associates to collect money for a large drug purchase and, within days, the group had collected more than $126,000 in cash. At around the same time, on September 7, 2022, police stopped a vehicle connected to the group traveling near Grants Pass, Oregon. A search of the vehicle returned more than 104 pounds of methamphetamine and eight pounds of cocaine.

    On November 15, 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a seven-count indictment charging Torres-Mendez and six associates for conspiring with one another to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Two days later, on November 17, 2022, a multi-agency law enforcement operation was conducted targeting Torres-Mendez and his associates. A search of Torres-Mendez’s North Portland home returned a handgun, ammunition, tactical body armor, a small bag of “M30” counterfeit Oxycodone pills, and $6,386 in cash. On the same day, investigators located and seized 10 additional firearms at a location in Portland used by the 18th Street Gang to store and distribute drugs and keep weapons.

    On September 6, 2023, Torres-Mendez pleaded guilty to conspiring with his associates to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Three of Torres-Mendez’s co-conspirators have also pleaded guilty and been sentenced to federal prison.

    This case was investigated by the FBI and Portland Police Bureau. It was prosecuted by Thomas H. Edmonds and Nicole M. Bockelman, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

    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.

    This prosecution is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the U.S. by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Eastern Oregon Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Abusing Two Minors He Met Online

    Source: US FBI

    PORTLAND, Ore.—A La Grande, Oregon man was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison Wednesday for sexually abusing and transporting two minors from Washington State he met through Snapchat.

    Albert Wayne Johnson, 42, was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison and 10 years’ supervised release.

    According to court documents, on August 8, 2022, deputies from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of two minors abandoned at Barton Park in Boring, Oregon. The children told the deputies they met Johnson on Snapchat and that he had driven them from Washington State through Idaho and into Oregon, and had sexually abused both during the trip. Along the way, Johnson stopped at a motel in Othello, Washington, where he abused the children, and a campground near La Grande, where he continued to abuse one of the children. After arriving in Boring, Johnson left the children at a campsite in Barton Park and never returned.

    In August 2022, after receiving information about the abduction and abuse that had occurred, detectives from the Othello Police Department contacted the motel in Othello and obtained surveillance footage showing Johnson with the two children.

    On August 30, 2022, officers and deputies from the La Grande Police Department, Union County Sheriff’s Office, Union County Probation Department, and Umatilla Tribal Police Department located Johnson at his residence in La Grande and arrested him on an outstanding parole violation warrant.

    On October 5, 2022, Johnson was charged by criminal complaint with coercing and enticing a minor and transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Later, on November 2, 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging Johnson with traveling across state lines to engage in a sexual act with a minor, transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and commission of a sex offense by a registered sex offender.

    On January 24, 2024, Johnson pleaded guilty to transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

    This case was investigated by the FBI Pendleton Resident Agency with assistance from the Othello Police Department, La Grande Police Department, Union County Sheriff’s Office, Union County Probation Department, Umatilla Tribal Police Department, and Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Cassady Adams, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

    Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at (503) 224-4181 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: North Carolina Man Indicted for Civil Rights Offenses Due to Bias-Motivated Threats

    Source: US FBI

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A three-count indictment was unsealed today in the Western District of North Carolina charging a North Carolina man with federal civil rights and firearms violations for threatening eight individuals with force because of their race, color, religion and national origin, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

    Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt of the FBI Charlotte Field Office join U.S. Attorney King in making the announcement.

    According to the indictment, on June 8, 2024, Maurice Hopkins, 31, threatened eight individuals with a firearm inside Zambies Pizza, a restaurant in Charlotte. Count one of the indictment charges Hopkins with threatening the eight individuals with force because of their race, color, religion and national origin and because they were enjoying the goods, services and facilities of the restaurant. Count two of the indictment charges Hopkins with threatening the eight individuals with force on account of their race, color, religion and national origin to intimidate the individuals from exercising their federally protected housing rights. Count three of the indictment charges Hopkins with carrying, using and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

    If convicted, Hopkins faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the civil rights charges and a mandatory minimum prison sentence on the firearms charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The FBI Charlotte Field Office investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller for the Western District of North Carolina and Trial Attorneys Daniel Grunert and Chloe Neely of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Drug Coordinator Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison

    Source: US FBI

    TUCSON, Ariz. – Enrique Heriberto Nunez-Tiznado, 45, of Sasabe, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 63 months in prison. Nunez-Tiznado pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, Heroin, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine, and Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments on December 13, 2023.

    Nunez-Tiznado admitted he was a Mexico-based leader of an organization that supplied drugs that were mailed throughout the United States. Nunez-Tiznado used individuals to smuggle drugs into the United States through ports of entry. He then coordinated the mailing of those drugs from Tucson to various locations throughout the United States. Finally, he coordinated the laundering of drug proceeds through a co-defendant’s bank account.

    Colombian authorities apprehended Nunez-Tiznado in February 2022, pursuant to an Interpol Red Notice, and Nunez-Tiznado was extradited from Colombia to the United States on April 12, 2023.

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

    The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Judicial Attaché’s Office at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Colombian law enforcement authorities provided critical assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Nunez-Tiznado. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
     

    CASE NUMBER:           CR 21-2667-TUC-SHR
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-020_Nunez-Tiznado

    # # #

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Virginia Man Charged with Assaulting Law Enforcement and Other Offenses During January 6 Capitol Breach

    Source: US FBI

               WASHINGTON — A Virginia man is charged with assaulting law enforcement and other felony and misdemeanor offenses related to his alleged conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His alleged actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

               Mark Mercurio, 56, of Bracey, Virginia, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers.

               In addition to the felonies, Mercurio is charged with misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

               Mercurio was arrested by the FBI on Nov. 21, 2024, in North Carolina and made his initial appearance in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

               According to court documents, surveillance video footage captured Mercurio entering the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, through the Upper West Terrace Door at approximately 2:40 p.m. After entering the building, Mercurio proceeded to the front of a large group of rioters near the entrance and confronted a small group of U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officers. At one point, it is alleged that Mercurio held open an interior door to the Rotunda staircase for an associate and others before heading up the stairs. Surveillance video footage shows that Mercurio and an associate entered the Rotunda at 2:45 p.m., where Mercurio intermittently held up his phone, appearing to record the events.

               At about 2:46 p.m., Mercurio and an associate briefly disappeared from the Rotunda and reappeared at about 3:01 p.m. The two then walked past a USCP officer and approached a man addressing the crowd with a bullhorn. Mercurio again appeared to use his phone to record the man’s speech. Shortly after, it is alleged that Mercurio joined a mob of rioters who pushed back against police officers attempting to clear the Rotunda. At approximately 3:08 p.m., Mercurio positioned himself at the front of the rioters’ line, confronting the officers.

               Court documents say that at about 3:09 p.m., Mercurio shoved a police officer’s baton into their chest with both hands while yelling expletives. Another officer nearby warned Mercurio not to assault police and urged him to leave. Seconds later, it is alleged that Mercurio physically interfered with another police officer by pushing the officer’s arm downward while continuing to yell obscenities.

               Mercurio then exited the Capitol at approximately 3:12 p.m.

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

               This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Charlotte and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

               In the 46 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,561 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 590 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

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

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Three Charlotte Men Charged with Stealing High-End Vehicles Appear in Federal Court

    Source: US FBI

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Three Charlotte men charged with conspiring to steal high-end vehicles appeared in federal court today, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. A grand jury returned the criminal indictment earlier this week, which remained under seal until today.

    Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.

    Jonathan Marquis Stitt, 36, Francisco Arnoldo Lopez Pena, 41, and Jason Randall Spearman, 43, all of Charlotte, are charged with conspiring to violate federal laws prohibiting the transportation, possession, and sale of stolen vehicles and the altering and removal of Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs).  Each defendant is separately charged with altering the VINs of specific vehicles. In addition, Stitt is also charged with two counts of possession of a stolen vehicle and Spearman is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

    The indictment alleges that, between 2020 and October 2024, the defendants and their co-conspirators engaged in a conspiracy to steal high-end motor vehicles worth millions of dollars from businesses and individuals in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Maryland. In order to maximize profits, Stitt and other co-conspirators allegedly sought to obtain high-end vehicles, including various luxury models made by Acura, Cadillac, Lamborghini, Land Rover, and Mercedes-Benz, as well as trucks and other expensive models from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Freightliner, and GMC.

    According to allegations in the indictment, once in possession of the stolen vehicles, the defendants and their co-conspirators regularly altered or tampered with the stolen vehicles’ original VINs to avoid detection by law enforcement and to maximize resale value. Stitt and his co-conspirators also used fraudulent 30-day tags on the stolen vehicles, caused certain of the stolen vehicles to be fraudulently registered with state motor vehicle agencies, and repainted stolen vehicles, all in an effort to further avoid detection from law enforcement.

    According to allegations in the indictment, Stitt and his co-conspirators often sought to sell the stolen vehicles at prices significantly below their fair market value, and also possessed several of the stolen vehicles for personal use and to further facilitate the scheme.

    The defendants were detained by the U.S. magistrate judge at their initial appearance pending detention hearings next week. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The charge of possession of a stolen vehicle carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The charge of altering or removing a VIN carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. And the charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a maximum prison term of 15 years.

    This is the fifth indictment filed in the U.S. District Court in Charlotte related to federal offenses involving stolen vehicles since August 2023. In July 2024, a Charlotte man was indicted for stealing high end luxury vehicles and altering VINs, including several vehicles from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Also, in March 2023, two individuals were charged for a scheme that involved buying and selling stolen vehicles from across the country. In August 2023, five individuals were indicted for stealing luxury vehicles from dealerships throughout the United States, and two additional individuals were indicted in November 2023, for orchestrating high-end auto thefts from businesses in South Carolina.

    The charges against the defendants are allegations and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    U.S. Attorney King commended the FBI and CMPD for their investigation of the case and thanked the National Insurance Crime Bureau and Homeland Security Investigations for their assistance. 

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Bozin and Daniel Ryan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Elizabeth City Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Fentanyl and Firearm Offenses

    Source: US FBI

    RALEIGH, N.C. – Karem Felton, age 31, from Elizabeth City, was sentenced to 147 months in prison for possession with the intent to distribute forty grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl and ten grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a fentanyl analogue after investigators with Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office searched Felton’s residence on May 19, 2023, in response to shots fired a day earlier.

    “Disrupting drug trafficking in our communities is a critical part of our mission. The FBI and our local partners are working very hard to take dangerous drugs off of our streets, along with the people who peddle them. This case is another great example of law enforcement working together to make our communities safer,” said Robert M. DeWitt, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina.

    “I want to thank my Deputies at the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office, Elizabeth City Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the great work that has been done to combat the drug and violent crime issues we face on a daily basis,” said Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten.

    On May 18, 2023, Elizabeth City Police officers responded to shots fired at a vehicle. Officers collected eight .300 caliber rifle shell casings in the area and reviewed city cameras around the area of the incident. They were able to see a male step out of a BMW and fire shots at a Dodge Charger. Law enforcement saw Felton driving the same BMW with the same license plate earlier in the month on March 6, 2023.

    On May 19, 2023, investigators from the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office conducted a search of Felton’s residence. During the search, they discovered several items in the bedroom: a 7.62 x 39mm pistol hidden under the bed, a .300 Blackout pistol in the closet, and a 10mm pistol containing fentanyl inside the headboard of the master bed. Additionally, officers found two AR pistol braces in a soft-sided cooler and a .300 Blackout magazine with 18 rounds of .300 Blackout ammunition placed between the mattress and box spring.

    In a spare bedroom, officers located a safe that contained $11,050 in cash, assorted ammunition, and a digital scale. In the living room, they found $1,108 in cash and two cell phones hidden inside the couch. A firearm holster was also discovered in the children’s bedroom. After conducting a further search of the vehicle, officers uncovered fentanyl, cocaine, and additional cash.

    Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Court Judge Louis W. Flanagan. Elizabeth City Police Department,  Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie A. Childress and Katherine S. Englander are prosecuted the case.

    This investigation was an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.5:24-CR-114-M-BM.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Raleigh Man Pleads Guilty to Seven-Figure Fraud Against COVID Relief Program

    Source: US FBI

    RALEIGH, N.C. – Raleigh businessman Wilson Alfredo Olivera Borda pled guilty to nine counts of defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for over $1 million. At sentencing, Olivera faces a statutory maximum of 30 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $1,000,000.

    According to court documents and other information presented in court, in 2020 and 2021, Borda received nine PPP loans for five separate companies. To obtain those loans, Olivera submitted applications falsely claiming that each business had substantial employees and operations. Olivera bolstered those falsehoods by submitting fabricated tax returns supporting his applications.

    In truth, two of the companies, The Insurance Centers.Com and The Insurance Centers LLC, were not separate businesses, but trade names used by a different company for which Borda had already applied for and received COVID relief funding. The other three, Realty Vestors LLC, US-Kaizen LLC, and Ecobuild LLC, had little or no operations and no employees. After obtaining the loans, Borda made additional false statements to obtain forgiveness. All nine loans were fully forgiven and paid off by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

    “This businessman pocketed over $1 million in PPP relief funds by submitting bogus tax returns suggesting his business had legitimate operations and employees.  When the FBI dug in, the house of cards came tumbling down,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr.  “We should be proud to live in a nation that cares for the needy and moves quickly to handle the greedy.  Law enforcement is working daily to root out fraud on public programs.”

    Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the arraignment by United States District Judge Terrence Boyle. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

    Assistant United States Attorney Chris Cogburn prosecuted the case for the government.

    Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-215-BO.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Charged for Involvement with Online Groups Dedicated to Monkey Torture and Mutilation

    Source: US FBI

    CINCINNATI – Two individuals were charged this week for their involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.

    Nicholas T. Dryden, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Giancarlo Morelli, of New Jersey, were charged with conspiracy to create and distribute so-called “animal crush videos,” and with distributing animal crush videos. Dryden is also charged with the creation of animal crush videos, as well as with production, distribution and receipt of a visual depiction of the sexual abuse of children because a minor was paid to abuse the monkeys.

    According to court documents, in March and April 2023, the two co-defendants allegedly conspired to create and distribute videos depicting acts of sadistic violence against baby, adolescent and adult monkeys. The conspirators allegedly funneled money through Dryden, who then paid the minor in Indonesia to commit the requested acts on camera.

    The videos alleged to have been created as part of the conspiracy included depictions of monkeys having their genitals burned, having their genitals cut with scissors, being sodomized with a wooden skewer and being sodomized with a spoon.

    The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, the charges related to the creation and distribution of animal crush videos each carry a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and the charges of producing and distributing depictions of the sexual abuse of children each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio made the announcement.

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and FBI investigated the case.

    Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Oakley for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Six Defendants Indicted in Multi-State Identity Theft Ring

    Source: US FBI

    TUCSON, Ariz. – On February 28, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment against Armani R. Purandah, 24, Rashawn L. Gray, 27, Tyshaun D. Ripley, 25, Awilda Reyes, 51, Richard M. Bah, 20, of Bronx, NY, and Harley D. Stuscavage, 41, of Phoenix. The defendants were each charged with one count of Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and four counts of Aggravated Identity Theft. 

    The indictment alleges that the co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to defraud individuals and banks across the United States including in Arizona, Colorado, and California. The co-conspirators unlawfully used victims’ personal identifying information and fraudulent identifications to open fake business accounts linked to the victims’ legitimate bank accounts. They transferred the victims’ funds from the victims’ legitimate bank accounts to the fraudulent business bank accounts. Once the victims’ funds were transferred to the business accounts, the co-conspirators withdrew the funds in cash at financial institutions and tribal casinos. The co-conspirators also made other unauthorized transactions from the accounts.  

    Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Aggravated Identity Theft carries a two-year mandatory minimum prison sentence.

    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.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
     

    CASE NUMBER:           CR-24-00927-JCH-MSA
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-027_Purandah, et al.

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

    2024-027_Purandah, et al.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Columbus Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Stealing, Selling Cocaine

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – John Castillo, 31, of Grove City, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court here today to possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

    According to court documents, Castillo was a Columbus police officer assigned to investigate drug crimes. In February 2021, he conspired with another officer to steal and sell approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine. Castillo and the other officer took approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine from a house on North Everett Avenue and did not turn it into evidence. They planted two additional kilograms of cocaine for law enforcement discovery later that day at the house. The 10 kilograms of cocaine were stored in the other officer’s basement before they were given to another individual to sell.

    Possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine is punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the plea entered before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and Elizabeth A. Geraghty are representing the United States in this case.

    The case was investigated by the FBI’s Southern Ohio Public Corruption Task Force, which includes special agents and officers from the FBI, Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office and the Columbus Division of Police.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than Six Years for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm

    Source: US FBI

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – Leonard Stanley White, 41, of Phoenix, was sentenced on February 21, 2024, by United States District Judge David G. Campbell to 82 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. White pleaded guilty on November 21, 2023, to Felon in Possession of a Firearm and in doing so, he admitted to violating his supervised release conditions.

    On May 9, 2023, White was arrested on a supervised release violation warrant and was found to be in possession of a firearm at that time. White had previously been convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter. After the Voluntary Manslaughter conviction, White was sentenced to 70 months for possessing the firearm and an additional 12 months for violating his supervised release in another case.

    The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Chandler Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Raynette Logan, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
     

    CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-00819-PHX-DGC
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2024- 028_White

    # # #

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Cincinnati Area Man Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison for Laundering Proceeds From Online Romance-Fraud Conspiracy

    Source: US FBI

    CINCINNATI – De-love Kofi Amuzu, 25, of Fairfield, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today to 78 months in prison for his role as a money launderer in a romance fraud conspiracy that targeted elderly victims looking for companionship online.

    According to court documents, members of the conspiracy created fake online dating profiles using stolen photographs and false information, then communicated with the victims via chats, texts and phone calls while pretending to be the imaginary person pictured in the profile. They commonly claimed to be living abroad to explain why they could not meet in person.

    The conspirators instructed the victims to transfer money, often tens of thousands of dollars at a time, to accounts controlled by Amuzu. They also commonly instructed victims to mail Amuzu cash or other items of value, like Rolex watches and iPhones. After receiving the victims’ money, Amuzu laundered it to accounts in Ghana. Investigators tracked more than $1.1 million in fraud proceeds that flowed through Amuzu’s accounts. Amuzu was ordered to pay $835,487.65 in restitution.

    “According to court documents, several victims lost so much money to the scheme that they were forced to declare bankruptcy,” said Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. “Anyone who suspects they or a loved one is a victim of such a fraud can report it by calling the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11, or go to the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative website for more information – www.Justice.gov/elderjustice.”

    A federal grand jury indicted Amuzu in 2022. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 2, 2024, to conspiring to launder money. His case was announced in October 2022 as part of the Justice Department’s National Elder Justice Sweep, an initiative to increase awareness of the various fraudulent schemes targeting the elderly.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Butler County Prosecutor Michael T. Gmoser and Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Timothy S. Black. U.S. Attorney Parker also recognized the contributions of Garrett Baker and Susan Monnin of the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office, as well as Butler County Prosecutor’s Office Investigator Steve Isgro. Assistant United States Attorney Julie D. Garcia is representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Sentenced for Sending Bomb Threat to Arizona State Election Official

    Source: US FBI

    A Massachusetts man was sentenced today to three years and six months in prison for sending a communication containing a bomb threat to an election official in the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office. 

    “Those using illegal threats of violence to intimidate election workers should know that the Justice Department will find you and hold you accountable under the law,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The defendant in this case will spend the next three and a half years in federal prison for threatening an Arizona election official. We will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute such unlawful threats of violence.”

    According to court documents, on or about Feb. 14, 2021, James W. Clark, 40, of Falmouth, sent a message via the Arizona Secretary of State’s website through “Contact Elections,” addressing the election official by her first name and warning her that she needed to “resign by Tuesday February 16th by 9 am or the explosive device impacted in her personal space will be detonated.” Shortly after transmitting the message, Clark conducted online searches that included the full name of the election official in conjunction with the words “how to kill” and “address.” Additionally, on or about Feb. 18, 2021, Clark conducted online searches involving the Boston Marathon bombing.

    “James W. Clark sent a bomb threat to an Arizona election official. As a result, law enforcement searched the office building where the official worked, as well as the official’s home and car, for an explosive device,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Public servants who ensure our free and fair elections must be able to do their jobs without fear. The Criminal Division will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who target election officials with threats of violence.”

    In response to Clark ’s message, law enforcement conducted partial evacuations and bomb sweeps of the building in which the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office was located, including an evacuation of the floor of the Office of the Arizona Governor located in the same building. Law enforcement also conducted bomb sweeps of the election official’s personal residence and of the election official’s car.

    “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona will continue to prosecute those who would threaten our public servants simply for performing the jobs they were hired to do,” said U.S. Attorney Gary M. Restaino for the District of Arizona. “As we head into election season, we thank the state and county election community who make democracy possible.”

    “Election officials, their staffs, and volunteers are essential to our democracy and any threat to these public servants is completely unacceptable,” said Special Agent in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI Phoenix Field Office. “As part of our mission to defend the democratic process, this case demonstrates that the FBI remains prepared to respond to these threats in an urgent and timely fashion.”

    Clark pleaded guilty in August 2023 to one count of making a threatening interstate communication.

    The FBI Phoenix Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the FBI Boston Field Office.

    Trial Attorney Tanya Senanayake of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean K. Lokey for the District of Arizona prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force. Announced by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco in June 2021, the task force has led the Department’s efforts to address threats of violence against election workers, and to ensure that all election workers – whether elected, appointed, or volunteer – are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation. The task force engages with the election community and state and local law enforcement to assess allegations and reports of threats against election workers, and has investigated and prosecuted these matters where appropriate, in partnership with FBI Field Offices and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. Over two years after its formation, the task force is continuing this work and supporting the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and FBI Field Offices nationwide as they carry on the critical work that the task force has begun.

    Under the leadership of Deputy Attorney General Monaco, the task force is led by the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and includes several other entities within the Justice Department, including the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property, Civil Rights Division, National Security Division, and FBI, as well as key interagency partners, such as the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. For more information regarding the Justice Department’s efforts to combat threats against election workers, read the Deputy Attorney General’s memo.

    To report suspected threats or violent acts, contact your local FBI office and request to speak with the Election Crimes Coordinator. Contact information for every FBI field office may be found at www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/. You may also contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or file an online complaint at www.tips.fbi.gov. Complaints submitted will be reviewed by the task force and referred for investigation or response accordingly. If someone is in imminent danger or risk of harm, contact 911 or your local police immediately.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Serial Bank Robber Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Prison

    Source: US FBI

    TUCSON, Ariz. – James Valentine Siehien, 53, of Tucson, was sentenced on February 27, 2024, by United States District Judge Raner C. Collins to 87 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Siehien pleaded guilty to one count of Bank Robbery and two counts of Armed Bank Robbery on March 16, 2023, for a series of bank robberies he committed in Tucson. 

    Siehien admitted that, on October 21, 2021, he robbed approximately $4,000 from Chase Bank. He also admitted that, on October 26, 2021, he robbed approximately $2,740 from PNC Bank, with what was later determined to be a fake explosive device. Siehien further admitted that, on November 5, 2021, while possessing an axe, he robbed approximately $2,200 from First Convenience Bank.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tucson Police Department, as part of the Southern Arizona Violent Crime and Gang Task Force, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney, Adam D. Rossi, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
     

    CASE NUMBER:           CR-21-03071-TUC-RCC
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-029_Siehien

    # # #

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Last Fugitive from Operation Ghost Busted Captured in Mexico

    Source: US FBI

    BRUNSWICK, Georgia—FBI Atlanta special agents working with FBI Phoenix special agents and law enforcement partners in Mexico captured fugitive David D. Young on March 9 in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. He has been brought back to the United States.

    Young was the last fugitive of 76 people indicted in Operation Ghost Busted in January 2023. The drug conspiracy case remains the largest indictment in Southern District of Georgia history.

    On December 8, 2022, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Young in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia after he was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute a controlled substance.

    FBI Atlanta would like to thank FBI Phoenix, the Tucson Resident Agency, and Legat Mexico City for their efforts in the capture.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Clark County Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography by Paying Adults to Abuse Minor Victims Live on Social Media Apps

    Source: US FBI

    DAYTON, Ohio – Dustin Johnson, 38, of New Carlisle, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 22 years in prison for creating child pornography by paying adult females to sexually abuse minor girls live on social media chats.

    According to court documents, in June 2022, Johnson paid an adult female to engage in sexually explicit conduct with a prepubescent girl live on Snapchat. Johnson recorded the communications with a screen recorder app, saving video recordings approximately 10 minutes and 17 minutes in length on separate days in June.

    After diligent investigation, law enforcement was able to locate the adult female and the child, who were located overseas. The child victim was 5 years old. Local law enforcement was able to remove the child from the adult female offender’s custody.

    Johnson engaged in similar social media chats with other adult females, who at Johnson’s request sexually abused individuals who appeared to be children, on live video chat for Johnson to view.  Johnson also engaged in online chats discussing the possibility of meeting up with other adults who had children so that he could engage in sexually explicit conduct with their children.

    Investigators discovered more than 24,000 child pornography files on Johnson’s hard drives. The pornography included more than 500 files depicting bestiality, at least 400 files involving violence or masochistic abuse and more than 3,500 pornographic files depicting infants and toddlers.

    Johnson was arrested in February 2023 and pleaded guilty in February 2024 to producing child pornography.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed on July 2 by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Rose. Assistant United States Attorney Christina E. Mahy is representing the United States in this case.

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