NewzIntel.com

Category: Justice

  • MIL-OSI Security: FORMER BATON ROUGE CITY PARISH CONTRACTOR SENTENCED TO 86 MONTHS FOR DISTRIBUTION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Acting United States Attorney Ellison C. Travis announced that U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced Blake Joseph Steiner, age 37, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to 86 months in federal prison following his conviction for distribution of child pornography. The Court further sentenced Steiner to serve five years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment and ordered him to complete sex offender treatment and register as a sex offender upon his release.

    According to admissions made during his plea, Steiner initiated a conversation on a mobile application group chat with an undercover agent (“UCA”). Steiner hoped to gain access to a group that was dedicated to sharing and trading child pornography. To gain access, Steiner first sent the UCA a video of himself and the date to verify his identity. In another effort to gain access to what he thought was an online child pornography group, Steiner sent a video of a girl under 12 years old being raped by an adult male.  Steiner further admitted to the UCA that he managed another child pornography group online and that he engaged in hands-on conduct involving a minor. 

    This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, and the Louisiana State Police and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward H. Warner, who also serves as Deputy Criminal Chief.   

    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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Canadian Father and Son Plead Guilty to Illegal Entry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on June 6, 2025, Van Hoa Phung, 49, and Reason Phung, 18, both citizens of Canada, pleaded guilty to criminal complaints charging them, respectively, with illegally entering the United States at a time or place other than designated for entering the country by immigration authorities, and illegally entering the United States by making willfully false statements.

    According to court records, on June 5, 2025, at approximately 2:35 p.m., the United States Border Patrol observed a man walking south and crossing the United States-Canada international border near the Haskell Free Library in Derby Line, Vermont. The Haskell Free Library and its vicinity do not constitute a time or place as designated by immigration officers to lawfully enter the United States.

    After entering the U.S., the man, who was wearing a red shirt with shorts, entered the passenger side of a Red Tesla motor vehicle. Border Patrol agents stopped the vehicle in a parking lot in Derby, Vermont and identified the driver as Reason Phung, and the passenger as Van Hoa Phung, Reason Phung’s father. Van Hoa Phung was wearing a red shirt with shorts consistent with the description of the individual who illegally crossed the border.

    During the vehicle stop, Border Patrol determined that the Red Tesla previously crossed through a legal port of entry in Derby, Vermont. At the time the vehicle entered, Reason Phung was the only occupant.

    Reason Phung admitted that he travelled to the border where he dropped off his father, Van Hoa Phung, at the Haskell Free Library in Derby Line, Vermont. Thereafter, Reason Phung entered through the port of entry, and then picked his father up in the U.S. after Van Hoa Phung illegally crossed the border in the vicinity of the library. Reason Phung intended to transport his father to an airport and then return to Canada.

    When he entered through the Port of Entry earlier, Reason Phung stated his purpose in entering the United States was to visit his grandparents. Because his real purpose was to pick up and transport his father and then return to Canada, that statement was false.

    Van Hoa Phung and Reason Phung had their initial court appearances before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle on June 6, 2025, where they each pleaded guilty, and both received time-served sentences.

    Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol and United States Customs and Border Protection.

    The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Stendig. Van Hoa Phung is represented by Federal Public Defender Michael Desautels. Reason Phung is represented by Robert Behrens, Esq.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Third Grade Teacher Charged With Additional Child Exploitation Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of a superseding indictment charging Lee Hughes (45, Pinellas Park) with attempted transmission of harmful material to a minor, attempted enticement or coercion of a minor, and receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material. If convicted on all counts, Hughes faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. 

    According to the indictment and court documents, Hughes communicated with an undercover officer in an attempt to engage in sexual intercourse with the undercover officer’s purported nine-year-old daughter. Throughout their communications, Hughes sent the undercover officer approximately 10 explicit photos and/or videos of himself, with the request they be shown to the purported child. On May 1, 2025, Hughes traveled to an agreed-upon location to engage in sexual intercourse with the purported nine-year-old girl and was arrested. Law enforcement searched Hughes’s cellphone and discovered he had received and possessed child sexual abuse material. 

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abigail K. King.

    It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Wilson Gang Member Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RALEIGH, N.C. – A Wilson man was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony.  Joshua Elijah Strickland, 22, pled guilty to the charge on March 11, 2025.

    According to court documents and other information presented in court, Strickland was arrested last July when the Wilson Police Department searched a house where Strickland and other gang members stored guns and drugs. That search came on the heels of a June 26, 2024, incident in which multiple men were spotted retreating to the gang house after firing 11 rounds into another occupied house just a few blocks away. The June 26 shooting was part of a spike in gang violence last summer, when Wilson saw at least 12 gang-related shootings occur in less than one month. Strickland has several prior felony convictions, including possession of a stolen firearm and maintaining a place for the use, storage, or sale of a controlled substance.

    Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Raleigh-Durham Safe Streets Task Force and the Wilson Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phil Aubart and Chris Cogburn prosecuted the case.

    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. 4:24-CR-305.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Five Plead Guilty In Kissimmee Cocaine Conspiracy

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Luis Ruben Martinez Calderon (26, Kissimmee) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Martinez Calderon is the final defendant to plead guilty in this case.

    Name

    Date of Plea

    Charges

    Maximum Penalties

    Luis Ruben Martinez Calderon

    (26, Kissimmee)

    		 June 5, 2025 Drug conspiracy Minimum 5 years, up to 40 years in federal prison

    Quamain Alique Barber

    (34, Kissimmee)

    		 April 30, 2025

    Drug conspiracy

    Possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking

    Minimum 5 years, up to 40 years in federal prison  

    Minimum 5 years, up to life in federal prison to run consecutive

    Bernardo Antonio Brea

    (31, Kissimmee)

    		 April 22, 2025

    Drug conspiracy

    Possession of firearm by convicted felon

    20 years in federal prison

    15 years in federal prison
    Aisha Nicolle Sanchez (25, Kissimmee) May 20, 2025 Drug conspiracy Minimum 5 years, up to 40 years in federal prison
    Evelyn Calderon (57, Kissimmee) May 13, 2025 Drug conspiracy Minimum 5 years, up to 40 years in federal prison

    According to the plea agreements filed in the case, Martinez Calderon regularly supplied retail dealers such as Barber from his apartment in Kissimmee, where he lived with his girlfriend, Sanchez. In January 2025, Barber sold cocaine to an undercover officer, and immediately drove to Martinez Calderon to be resupplied.

     

    The investigation also revealed that Martinez Calderon supplied Barber with cocaine that Martinez Calderon stored with his mother, Evelyn Calderon, who resupplied him when needed. Sanchez helped to recover a suitcase with at least two kilograms of cocaine from the mother’s home for Martinez Calderon to distribute. In late January 2025, Martinez Calderon worked with Brea to obtain cocaine for Barber to distribute.

    On February 6, 2025, when a series of arrest warrants were executed, Brea and Barber were found to be in possession of firearms. Brea was prohibited from possessing firearms because he was previously convicted of felonies, including possessing a firearm as a convicted felon to which he pleaded guilty one week before he was found in possession of a firearm by federal agents. Barber’s firearm was recovered along with bags of cocaine prepared for distribution.

     

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Kissimmee Police Department, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Founder of Cryptocurrency Payment Company Charged with Evading Sanctions and Export Controls, Defrauding Financial Institutions, and Violating the Bank Secrecy Act

    Source: United States Attorneys General 8

    Defendant Allegedly Laundered More Than $500M Through the U.S. Financial System, Including by Facilitating Transactions with Sanctioned Russian Banks

    A 22-count indictment was unsealed today charging Iurii Gugnin, also known as Iurii Mashukov and George Goognin, 38, a resident of New York and citizen of Russia, with various offenses related to using his cryptocurrency company Evita to funnel more than $500 million of overseas payments through U.S. banks and cryptocurrency exchanges while hiding the source and purpose of the transactions.

    According to court documents, Gugnin is charged with wire and bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, failing to implement an effective anti-money laundering compliance program, failing to file suspicious activity reports, money laundering, and related conspiracy charges. Gugnin was arrested and arraigned today in New York.

    “The defendant is charged with turning a cryptocurrency company into a covert pipeline for dirty money, moving over half a billion dollars through the U.S. financial system to aid sanctioned Russian banks and help Russian end-users acquire sensitive U.S. technology,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “The Department of Justice will not hesitate to bring to justice those who imperil our national security by enabling our foreign adversaries to sidestep sanctions and export controls.”

    “As alleged, Gugnin came to the United States and set up a money laundering operation under the guise of a cryptocurrency start-up, which he then used to evade sanctions and export controls and defraud U.S. financial institutions,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “Today’s arrest demonstrates that this Office will vigorously prosecute those who abuse the U.S. financial system in furtherance of criminal activity, particularly when it undermines national security.”

    “Gugnin’s cryptocurrency company allegedly served as a front to launder hundreds of millions of dollars for sanctioned Russian entities and to obtain export-controlled technology for the Russian government,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “Let this serve notice that using cryptocurrency to hide illegal conduct will not prevent the FBI and our partners from holding you accountable.”

    As alleged in the indictment, Gugnin is the founder, President, Treasurer, and Compliance Officer of U.S-based Evita Investments Inc. (Evita Investments) and Evita Pay Inc. (Evita Pay) (collectively, Evita). Gugnin used both companies to enable foreign customers — many of whom held funds at sanctioned Russian banks — to provide him with cryptocurrency, which he then laundered through cryptocurrency wallets and U.S. bank accounts. Gugnin ultimately converted the funds into U.S. dollars or other fiat currencies and then made payments through bank accounts in Manhattan on behalf of his foreign customers. In the process, the sources of the funds were obscured, disguising the audit trail and hiding the true counterparties to the transactions. Between June 2023 and January 2025, Gugnin used Evita to facilitate the movement of approximately $530 million through the U.S. financial system, most of which he received in the form of a cryptocurrency stablecoin known as Tether, or “USDT.”

    To effectuate the scheme, Gugnin defrauded various banks and cryptocurrency exchanges through which he converted funds and made wire transfers. Gugnin repeatedly lied to these banks and exchanges, telling them that Evita did not conduct business with entities in Russia and did not deal with sanctioned entities. In fact, many of Gugnin’s customers were located in Russia, and he facilitated payments in funds held at sanctioned Russian banks, including PJSC Sberbank, PJSC Sovcombank, PJSC VTB Bank, and JSC Tinkoff Bank. Gugnin maintained personal accounts at two sanctioned Russian banks, JSC Alfa-Bank and PJSC Sberbank, with which he transacted while residing in the United States. Gugnin also facilitated payments by foreign customers to procure sensitive electronics, including an export-controlled server designed by a U.S. technology company, and laundered funds from a Moscow-based supplier to purchase parts for Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear technology company. To conceal his activities, Gugnin regularly obfuscated invoices by digitally “whiting out” the names and addresses of his Russian customers.

    Gugnin also failed to implement Evita’s own purported anti-money laundering program and failed to file suspicious activity reports, as required under the Bank Secrecy Act. Although Gugnin represented to banks and cryptocurrency exchanges that Evita followed rigorous anti-money laundering and know-your-customer requirements, in practice he flouted those requirements, as well as the requirement to file reports of suspicious activities with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Gugnin ultimately registered Evita Pay as a money transmitter with FinCEN and the state of Florida but did so by making materially false statements to the state of Florida about Evita Pay’s business. Gugnin used that fraudulently obtained state license to induce a cryptocurrency exchange to process transactions on his behalf.

    In the course of his scheme, Gugnin conducted web searches that confirmed his awareness that he was breaking the law, including searches for “how to know if there is an investigation against you”; “evita investments inc. criminal records search”; “Iurii Gugnin criminal records”; “money laundering penalties US”; and “penalties for sanctions violations EU luxury goods.” He also visited website pages titled, respectively “am I being investigated?”; “signs you may be under criminal investigation”; and “what are the best ways to find out if you’re being investigated and what can someone do when they think they might be under investigation.”

    If convicted, Gugnin faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each count of bank fraud; a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the wire fraud, IEEPA, money laundering, and related conspiracy counts; a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for failure to implement an effective anti-money laundering program and failure to file suspicious activity reports; and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Skurnik for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Dallas Kaplan of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Mantell for the Eastern District of New York’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters.

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

    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 USA: VIDEO: In Impassioned Speech, Pressley Calls for Justice for Adriana Smith, Condemns GOP’s Cruel Abortion Bans

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    30-Year-Old Pregnant Mother Declared Brain-Dead at 9 Weeks Pregnant Mandated to Remain on Life Support Under Georgia’s Cruel Abortion Ban

    “This is cruelty. The latest episode in a long history of the experimentation and exploitation of Black bodies. I grieve for Adriana’s family. For the torture they are experiencing, layered with the daily uncertainty they are navigating as they try to do right by their daughter and lay her to rest peacefully. Her parents are by her bedside. Her 5-year-old asks when will mommy wake up.”

    Video (YouTube)

    WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, delivered an impassioned speech on the House floor demanding justice for Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old pregnant mother who was declared brain dead in February and forcibly remains on life support due to Georgia’s abortion ban. She underscored that Adriana’s case is far too common in the unjust history of denying Black women their dignity, humanity, and right to bodily autonomy – and that GOP abortion bans such as Georgia’s deepen this pain and bar critical healthcare freedom.

    A transcript of the Congresswoman’s remarks, as delivered, is available below, and the full video is available here.

    Transcript: In Impassioned Speech, Pressley Calls for Justice for Adriana Smith, Condemns GOP’s Cruel Abortion Bans

    U.S. House of Representatives

    June 5, 2025

    Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the story of Adriana Smith.

    Adriana Smith was a 30-year-old nurse from Georgia. 

    The mother of a vibrant 5-year-old boy. 

    She started to experience debilitating headaches, and she sought medical care. 

    She was discharged, her pain dismissed – as is so often the case in this country and certainly in our healthcare system for Black women. 

    The next morning, Adriana woke up gasping for air and was taken to Emory Hospital where she was declared brain dead.

    There are no words to provide healing for a pain this deep. 

    A dedicated and loving mother, a compassionate nurse, gone at the age of 30. 

    In the days that followed, Adriana’s family and son should have been able to make a solemn independent decision about what happened next as they celebrated her life, as they mourned this devastating loss, as they pieced their lives back together and began helping their 5-year-old cope with the grief and loss of his precious mother.

    But the state of Georgia denied Adriana her bodily autonomy and dignity in death. In the days and weeks that followed her family found themselves in a desperate battle with Emory Hospital. 

    The hospital believed that the anti-abortion bill that Georgia enacted in 2022 following the gutting of Roe v. Wade tied the hospital’s hands, mandating that Adriana’s body – her brain-dead body – remain hooked to machines, not because there was any chance of survival – she had already transitioned. 

    But because Adriana was 9 weeks pregnant, about a month past a missed period. 

    Adriana’s body has been turned into an incubator. 

    An incubator with no medical rationale, no ethical reason, and no compassion.

    Mr. Speaker, from the days of enslavement Black women’s bodies have been subject to medical abuse, assault, and degradation in this country. 

    We are more likely to die in childbirth. We are routinely denied medical care. We are dehumanized. And like the case of Adriana Smith, our bodies and our dignity are desecrated in death.

    This is cruelty. The latest episode in a long history of the experimentation and exploitation of Black bodies.

    I grieve for Adriana’s family. For the torture they are experiencing, layered with the daily uncertainty they are navigating as they try to do right by their daughter and lay her to rest peacefully. 

    Her parents are by her bedside. Her 5-year-old asks when will mommy wake up.

    Adriana should be here today – her blood clots treated, her voice trusted, her pain believed. 

    She should be decorating a nursery for her little son with her family and celebrating her son’s last day of kindergarten. 

    But Adriana’s body lies hooked to machines, in a hospital bed as part of an unjust medical experiment for more than 3 months. 

    No family should have to endure this. None of us are free until all of us are free. 

    I yield.  

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Jimmy Gomez Calls on DHS Secretary Noem to Launch Investigation After ICE Blocked Lawmakers Oversight Visit at LA Federal Building

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34)

    You can watch Rep. Gomez and his colleagues attempting to get in HERE.

    LOS ANGELES, CA – Today, Representatives Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Luz Rivas (CA-29), Norma Torres (CA-35) and Lou Correa (CA-46) were unlawfully denied entry to the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building while attempting to conduct congressional oversight of reported ICE detentions of immigrant families under unsafe and degrading conditions in the federal building. Rep. Gomez is calling on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to immediately investigate the unlawful obstruction of congressional oversight and the reported mistreatment of migrants.

    “Under federal law, we have the authority to access these facilities—and ICE broke the law by blocking us,” said Rep. Gomez. “We’re not here to protest. We’re here to investigate reports that law-abiding migrants—moms, kids, workers, and asylum seekers—are being held in a basement with no beds, no food, no water. This isn’t martial law, and Secretary Noem must explain why her agency is operating in the shadows. We will not stop until we get answers.”

    A recent CBS News report revealed that immigrant families—including children and pregnant women—were being detained in the Roybal Building’s basement without beds, food, or water after routine ICE check-ins. Lawmakers arrived to investigate, but ICE and DHS officials unlawfully blocked their entry. Outside the building, they were joined by attorneys, advocates, and family members of those detained. Rep. Gomez and witnesses started coughing—a sign that made them suspect a chemical irritant had been deployed nearby.

    Rep. Gomez’s district includes downtown LA and the Roybal Federal Building where the detentions occurred. As the son of immigrants, Rep. Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) has been a strong advocate for immigrant families. Rep. Gomez filed an amicus brief earlier this year urging the Court to uphold the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of citizenship. He’s a proud supporter of the Dream and Promise Act of 2025, which would provide a clear path to citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients. He has called on the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to immediately halt efforts to misuse confidential taxpayer data for immigration enforcement. He is also leading the effort to reinstate the Citizenship and Assimilation (C&A) Grant Program, which supports organizations that help legal residents become U.S. citizens.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Crow Leads Effort for Victims and Survivors of Gun Violence to Get Justice

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)

    WASHINGTON — Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO-06), an Army veteran and member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, reintroduced the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act, legislation that allows survivors and families members of victims of gun violence to hold the gun industry accountable for negligence and disregard for public safety. 

    Historically, firearms manufacturers, sellers, and interest groups have relied on provisions in the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) to shield them from civil liability, leaving countless gun violence victims and survivors without a path to recourse through the justice system. This bill would repeal the PLCAA as a critical step towards delivering the justice gun violence victims, survivors, and their loved ones deserve. 

    “Victims and survivors should be able to hold the gun industry accountable in court for negligent behavior. But right now, the gun industry is shielded from any liability when they disregard public safety. That’s wrong,” said Congressman Crow. “I’m introducing this bill so we can finally hold the gun industry responsible.”

    Congressman Crow was joined by Representatives Eric Swalwell (D-CA-14), Mike Thompson (D-CA-04), and Dwight Evans (D-PA-03). Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced the U.S. Senate companion bill.

    The legislation is endorsed by Brady United Against Gun Violence, Giffords, Newtown Action Alliance, Everytown for Gun Safety, and Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund.

    Congressman Crow has been a champion of common sense gun violence prevention legislation, including reintroducing the Closing the Loophole on Interstate Firearm Sales Act. Crow also co-led efforts to ensure proper implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, legislation he helped pass into law in 2022 and the first comprehensive gun safety reform package in nearly 30 years. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Convicts Fort Gibson Resident of Second-Degree Murder in Indian Country

    Source: US FBI

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that David Allen Lee, age 44, of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of Second Degree Murder in Indian Country, punishable by up to life in prison.

    The jury trial began with testimony on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, and concluded, on Thursday, June 5, 2025, with the guilty verdict.

    During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on July 2, 2024, Lee stabbed a Tahlequah resident in the chest with a knife at the victim’s residence.  Lee waited to call 911 for several hours after the victim’s death and barricaded himself inside the residence before finally surrendering to police.  The crime occurred in Cherokee County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

    The guilty verdict was the result of an investigation by the Tahlequah Police Department, the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report.  The sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report.  Lee will remain in custody of the United States Marshals until sentencing.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Gross and Patrick Flanigan represented the United States.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Brooklyn Man Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping a Child From Berks County in 2022

    Source: US FBI

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Duane Taylor, 50, of Brooklyn, New York, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge John M. Gallagher to charges arising from the abduction of a minor child from her home in Reading, Pennsylvania, and transportation of that child across state lines to Taylor’s residence.

    In January 2023, Taylor was charged by superseding indictment with kidnapping, travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, production of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and transportation of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to all counts.

    As detailed in court filings, on the morning of August 31, 2022, City of Reading police officers responded to the victim’s home when the child’s mother reported her missing from her bedroom, where she had last seen her daughter around 10:30 p.m. the evening prior before going to bed. After searching for the child, her mother observed that the back door of their residence was wide open, and law enforcement found the chain lock on that door was broken.

    Investigators reviewed video surveillance footage from the home’s security system, which showed a person entering the living room area at approximately 2 a.m. and proceeding to the stairs leading to the second floor. A short time later, the victim is seen walking down those stairs and through the living room, followed by the person who was later identified as the defendant, whom the victim’s mother also stated was her former boyfriend.

    Reading investigators contacted the New York City Police Department, who traced the defendant to his residence in Brooklyn, but did not locate the victim there. The victim was located later that day when a citizen called 911 to report a child alone and asking for help because she had been kidnapped from Pennsylvania.

    The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on September 18 and faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.

    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 Attorneys’ 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 projectsafechildhood.gov.

    The case was investigated by the FBI, the Reading Police Department, and the New York City Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rosalynda M. Michetti and Josh A. Davison.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Thirty-Five-Year-Old Man Arrested for Child Exploitation

    Source: US FBI

    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico andSpecial Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office Devin J. Kowalski, announced that a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging Henry Manuel Sepúlveda-Cruzado, age 35, of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, with production and possession of child pornography material. On June 5, 2025, FBI special agents arrested Sepúlveda-Cruzado.

    According to court documents, between approximately November 2023 and February 2024, Henry Manuel Sepúlveda-Cruzado knowingly employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced a female minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of that conduct. During this period, the defendant also possessed child pornography material involving the minor on his electronic device.

    If convicted, Sepúlveda-Cruzado faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison for production of child pornography, and up to 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge, who will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    “The sexual abuse of children is intolerable and victimizes the most innocent and vulnerable members of our community,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “We will continue working to identify, arrest and prosecute those who steal the innocence of our children.”

    “There is no place in our communities for predators who exploit children—none,” said the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office, Devin J. Kowalski. “The FBI will hunt these criminals down and ensure they are held fully accountable for their heinous acts. The public can rest assured that we will not hesitate, and we will not relent. To those targeting our youth, we’re coming for you. The FBI and our partners will make sure you face justice.”

    The FBI is investigating the case with the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau.

    Assistant US Attorney (AUSA) Elba Gorbea of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit is prosecuting the case.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.justice.gov/psc.

    An indictment 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: Monroe Michigan Man Arrested for Calling-In Hoax Bomb Threat for a Flight at Detroit Metro Airport

    Source: US FBI

    DETROIT – A Monroe, Michigan, resident was arrested on a criminal complaint for calling Spirit Airlines and reporting a fake bomb threat for a flight departing from Detroit Metropolitan Airport yesterday, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr.

    Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division.

    Charged was John Charles Robinson, 23.

    According to the affidavit, on June 5, 2025, at approximately 6:25 am, an individual later identified as Robinson, used a cellphone to call into Spirit Airlines and conveyed false information about a bomb threat to Flight 2145 departing from Detroit Metro bound for Los Angeles. During the call, Robinson stated in part, “I was calling about 2145… because I have information about that flight,” and “there’s gonna be someone who’s gonna try to blow up the airport,” and “there’s gonna be someone that’s gonna try to blow up that flight, 2145.”  After giving a description of an individual, he then stated: “they’re going to be carrying a bomb through the TSA,” and “they’re still threatening to do it, they’re still attempted to do it, they said it’s not going to be able to be detected.  Please don’t let that flight board.”  The flight was immediately canceled, and the flight’s passengers and crew were deplaned. Bomb sniffing dogs and FBI agents were deployed to sweep the airplane. No bomb or explosives were found.

    Agents soon learned that Robinson was booked on Flight 2145 but missed the flight and was told at the gate that he needed to rebook.  FBI agents subsequently arrested Robinson when he returned to the airport to depart on another flight bound for Los Angeles.

    U.S. Attorney Gorgon said, “No American wants to hear the words ‘bomb’ and ‘airplane’ in the same sentence. Making this kind of threat undermines our collective sense of security and wastes valuable law enforcement resources.”

    “Anyone who threatens to bomb an aircraft and endanger public safety will be swiftly investigated and brought to justice,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “The alleged bomb threat prompted a coordinated response by our FBI Detroit Joint Terrorism Task Force, in partnership with the Wayne County Airport Authority Police Department and the U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service, leading to the arrest of John Robinson as he attempted to board another flight at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. We remain committed to protecting the public and confronting those who seek to spread fear in our communities.”

    Robinson appeared in federal court in Detroit this afternoon and was released on bond.  His next court appearance will be June 27 for a preliminary examination.

    The charges in a complaint are merely allegations. A defendant remains innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

    This case is being investigated by special agents from the FBI.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hank Moon and Douglas Salzenstein are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Philadelphia and law enforcement partners execute worksite enforcement operation at Wyoming Valley Pallets Inc.

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    PHILADELPHIA — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Scranton and Enforcement and Removal Operations Philadelphia, FBI Scranton, IRS-Criminal Investigations Scranton, the U.S. Marshals Service Scranton and other law enforcement partners executed a worksite enforcement operation at Wyoming Valley Pallets Inc. in Exeter on June 5. The operation resulted in the administrative arrests of three illegal aliens from Mexico: Miguel Bruno-Vasquez, Vicente Coyotecal Matias and Jesus Gallardo-Bautista. Additionally, Geoli Perez-Santana, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was arrested. All were illegally working in the United States.

    “Today’s operation highlights the significant detriments of employing illegal workers, which undermines the integrity of our immigration system and puts lawful businesses at a disadvantage,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia Edward V. Owens. “We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to identify and apprehend those who violate immigration laws and to protect the interests of both legal workers and employers who follow the law.”

    This investigation began on or about March 14, when HSI Scranton was notified by ERO of a positive employment hit confirmation on Gallardo, who had an outstanding arrest warrant for driving under the influence. All four individuals were transported to the Pike County Jail for processing after their arrests. This enforcement action is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative.

    Gallardo last entered the U.S. on June 16, 2007, with authorization to remain until Dec. 11, 2007; however, he remained beyond that date without authorization. Gallardo was ordered removed from the U.S. on May 8, 2013, in absentia. Gallardo was previously arrested by the Scranton Police Department on April 29, 2021, for driving under the influence and driving without a license. The case is still pending.

    Coyotecal was previously arrested at the U.S. border on March 1, 1999, and June 3, 1999, and given voluntary returns.

    Bruno-Vasquez has no previous encounters with ICE.

    Perez-Santana was previously arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol on Oct. 25, 2022, near Calexico, California, after illegally crossing the U.S. border from Mexico. Perez-Santana was served a notice to appear and released on his own recognizance.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Boston arrests Salvadoran gang member in Massachusetts

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    BROCKTON, Mass. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation apprehended a 24-year-old, illegally present Salvadoran national and documented member of the notorious MS-13 criminal gang. Officers with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston working with agents from ICE Homeland Security Investigations New England and FBI Boston arrested William Alberto Villalobos-Melendez May 14 in Brockton.

    “William Alberto Villalobos-Melendez has been illegally residing in the United States for almost nine years,” said ICE ERO Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde. “He is a validated member of a violent transnational street gang and poses a threat to our Massachusetts residents. ICE Boston will not tolerate any threat that a member of a nefarious gang poses to our neighbors. We will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting criminal alien threats to our New England communities.”

    U.S. Border Patrol arrested Villalobos Oct. 11, 2016, after he illegally entered the United States near Hidalgo, Texas. USBP determined that Villalobos had entered the U.S. without admission or inspection by an immigration official. USBP issued Villalobos a notice to appear before a Justice Department immigration judge.

    On June 12, 2019, a DOJ immigration judge issued ordered Villalobos removed from the United States to El Salvador.

    The State Police of Middleboro, Massachusetts, charged Villalobos with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and using an electronic device while driving March 13, 2025.

    Officers with ICE ERO Boston and agents with ICE HSI New England and FBI Boston arrested Villalobos May 14, 2025, and took him into ICE custody. Villalobos will remain in ICE custody pending his removal from the United States.

    Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

    Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in our New England communities on X at @EROBoston.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Justice Department Sues Coffee House for Refusal to Serve Jewish Customers

    Source: US State of California

    Note: View complaint here.

    The Justice Department announced today that it filed a lawsuit against Fathi Abdulrahim Harara and Native Grounds LLC, the owners of the Jerusalem Coffee House in Oakland, California. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants discriminated against Jewish customers, in violation of Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin in places of public accommodation.

    “It is illegal, intolerable, and reprehensible for any American business open to the public to refuse to serve Jewish customers,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Through our vigorous enforcement of Title II of the Civil Rights Act and other laws prohibiting race and religious discrimination, the Justice Department is committed to combatting anti-Semitism and discrimination and protecting the civil rights of all Americans.”

    The lawsuit, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that defendants discriminated against Jewish customers through policies and practices that denied them the full and equal enjoyment of the Jerusalem Coffee House’s services, accommodations, and privileges. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that on two separate occasions, Harara ordered Jewish customers — identified because they were wearing baseball caps with Stars of David on them — to leave the coffee house. During one incident, an employee told a Jewish customer who was trying to make a purchase, “You’re the guy with the hat. You’re the Jew. You’re the Zionist.  We don’t want you in our coffee shop. Get out.” During another incident, Harara accused another Jewish customer who was with his five-year-old son of wearing a “Jewish star,” being a “Zionist,” and supporting “genocide.” Harara repeatedly demanded that the customer and his son leave and falsely accused them of “trespassing” to the Oakland police. Neither customer stated anything about their political views to Harara or any other employees while at the coffee house.

    The lawsuit also alleges that, on the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, the Jerusalem Coffee House announced two new drinks: “Iced In Tea Fada,” an apparent reference to “intifada,” and “Sweet Sinwar,” an apparent reference to Yahya Sinwar, the former leader of Hamas who orchestrated the attacks on Israel. The lawsuit further alleges that the coffee house’s exterior side wall displays inverted red triangles, a symbol of violence against Jews that has been spraypainted on Jewish homes and synagogues in anti-Semitic attacks.

    Under Title II, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division can obtain injunctive relief that changes policies and practices to remedy the discriminatory conduct. Title II does not authorize the division to obtain monetary damages for customers who are victims of discrimination.

    More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals may report discrimination in places of public accommodation that violates Title II by calling the Justice Department at 1-833-591-0291, or submitting a report online.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: St. Augustine Business Owner Indicted For Attempting To Produce Child Sexual Abuse Materials

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Jack Dymond Leach (43, St. Augustine) with one count of attempted production of child sexual abuse materials, two counts of receipt of child sexual abuse materials, and one count of possession of child sexual abuse materials. If convicted of the attempted production offense, Leach faces a minimum of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison. For each receipt and possession offense, Leach faces a minimum of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison.  

    According to court documents, Leach engaged in conversations on an online chat platform during which he paid money to receive child sex abuse images. An investigation into the account resulted in Leach being identified. Federal search warrants were executed at Leach’s home and business in St. Augustine where law enforcement seized numerous electronic devices. A forensic examination of the devices reveled child sexual abuse material.

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. 

    This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.

    It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Repeat Offender Who Fired Automatic Weapon into St. Paul Neighborhood Sentenced to 82 Months in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – After pleading guilty to illegally possessing ammunition as a convicted felon, Jermaine Marquize Williams, 35, of Saint Paul, was sentenced to a total of 82 months’ imprisonment—77 months’ imprisonment on the criminal case and an additional 6 months’ imprisonment consecutive for violating the terms of his federal supervised release, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joesph H. Thompson.

    “While the people of St. Paul were sleeping in their homes, Williams took an automatic firearm and shot it into the neighborhood,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  “This conduct was extraordinarily dangerous, utterly brazen, and well-deserving of federal time.”

    According to court documents, in August of 2024, Williams fired off multiple rounds from a fully automatic firearm in a densely populated Saint Paul neighborhood, outside a bar just before midnight.  Video surveillance depicted Williams firing the machine gun out the driver’s side door of his vehicle before fleeing from the scene in his vehicle.  Police recovered multiple discharged casings from the shooting.  Williams has a prior 2019 federal conviction for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, for which he received 65 months’ imprisonment.  Williams had only been on federal supervised release for six months at the time he committed this crime.

    Williams was sentenced in U.S. District Court on May 28, 2025, before Judge Paul A. Magnuson.

    This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and the St. Paul Police Department.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two South Florida Men Charged with Mail Theft, Thanks to Public

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – Two South Florida men are charged with mail theft after surveillance video released to the public resulted in their identification.

    According to the charging complaint and indictment, on April 26, Wilfredo Rivero, 31, was seen on surveillance forcibly opening a cluster of mailboxes at an apartment complex in Sunrise, Florida. Once the mailboxes were opened, Rivero examined and removed pieces of mail. Two days later, on April 28, Rivero returned to the apartment complex with Fernando Bernabe Rodriguez, 28. Rivero and Rodriguez were seen on surveillance prying open another cluster of mailboxes and removing mail.

    On May 9, CBS News Miami ran a news story about the mail theft at the apartment complex and aired the April 28 surveillance video to assist the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) in identifying, then unknown, Rivero and Rodriguez. As a result of the news story, the USPIS national hotline received several tips regarding the identity of Rivero and Rodriguez.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne of the Southern District of Florida and acting Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the USPIS made the announcement.

    USPIS investigated the case, with substantial assistance from the public. The Sunrise Police Department and Hialeah Police Department provided support as well.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Killoran is prosecuting the case.

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

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

    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 25-cr-60134.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Britain Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Child Exploitation Offense

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSHUA GLAESER, 37, of New Britain, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for possessing and sharing child sex abuse material.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, in the summer of 2022, a Connecticut State Police detective investigating child exploitation offenses identified an IP address at Glaeser’s New Britain residence that was being used in the distribution of child sex abuse material.  In 2012, Glaeser was convicted in state court of possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment, execution suspended after two years, followed by 10 years of probation, which Glaeser was currently serving.

    On December 9, 2022, HSI special agents executed a court authorized search warrant at Glaeser’s residence and seized his Chromebook, tablet, smartphone, and storage cards.  Analysis of the seized items revealed more 3,000 images and videos of child pornography, including images depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers.  The investigation also revealed that Glaeser used a peer-to-peer file sharing network to distribute child pornography to other users.

    Glaeser has been detained since December 9, 2022.  On September 26, 2024, he pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.

    This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Connecticut State Police.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Cummings.

    This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: District Man Pleads Guilty to February 2025 Armed Carjacking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Parren Hawkins, 33, of the District of Columbia, pleaded guilty today to carjacking and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with a carjacking that occurred on February 2, 2025. The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela Smith.

                According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 2:47 a.m. on February 2, 2025, police officers responded to the 300 block of 15th Street, NE, where they found the victim. The victim reported that Hawkins approached him while he was in his vehicle, pointed a handgun at him, and ordered him out. The victim complied. Hawkins then demanded money, taking the victim’s wallet and cell phone before entering the victim’s vehicle and fleeing northbound on the 400 block of 15th Street, NE. The victim flagged down a passerby and called 911.

                While police were interviewing the victim, Prince George’s County Police observed the stolen vehicle in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Officers pursued the vehicle until Hawkins ultimately crashed into a curb at the intersection of Bonini Road, SE, and Barnaby Road, SE, in Washington, D.C. Hawkins, the sole occupant, fled on foot but was quickly apprehended by police. Officers recovered a handgun from Hawkins’s pocket, along with the victim’s wallet and phone.

                Hawkins is scheduled to be sentenced on August 7, 2025, before the Honorable Judge Robert Salerno.

                The Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shaniqua Butler is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Sues Coffee House for Refusal to Serve Jewish Customers

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Note: View complaint here.

    The Justice Department announced today that it filed a lawsuit against Fathi Abdulrahim Harara and Native Grounds LLC, the owners of the Jerusalem Coffee House in Oakland, California. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants discriminated against Jewish customers, in violation of Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin in places of public accommodation.

    “It is illegal, intolerable, and reprehensible for any American business open to the public to refuse to serve Jewish customers,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Through our vigorous enforcement of Title II of the Civil Rights Act and other laws prohibiting race and religious discrimination, the Justice Department is committed to combatting anti-Semitism and discrimination and protecting the civil rights of all Americans.”

    The lawsuit, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that defendants discriminated against Jewish customers through policies and practices that denied them the full and equal enjoyment of the Jerusalem Coffee House’s services, accommodations, and privileges. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that on two separate occasions, Harara ordered Jewish customers — identified because they were wearing baseball caps with Stars of David on them — to leave the coffee house. During one incident, an employee told a Jewish customer who was trying to make a purchase, “You’re the guy with the hat. You’re the Jew. You’re the Zionist.  We don’t want you in our coffee shop. Get out.” During another incident, Harara accused another Jewish customer who was with his five-year-old son of wearing a “Jewish star,” being a “Zionist,” and supporting “genocide.” Harara repeatedly demanded that the customer and his son leave and falsely accused them of “trespassing” to the Oakland police. Neither customer stated anything about their political views to Harara or any other employees while at the coffee house.

    The lawsuit also alleges that, on the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, the Jerusalem Coffee House announced two new drinks: “Iced In Tea Fada,” an apparent reference to “intifada,” and “Sweet Sinwar,” an apparent reference to Yahya Sinwar, the former leader of Hamas who orchestrated the attacks on Israel. The lawsuit further alleges that the coffee house’s exterior side wall displays inverted red triangles, a symbol of violence against Jews that has been spraypainted on Jewish homes and synagogues in anti-Semitic attacks.

    Under Title II, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division can obtain injunctive relief that changes policies and practices to remedy the discriminatory conduct. Title II does not authorize the division to obtain monetary damages for customers who are victims of discrimination.

    More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals may report discrimination in places of public accommodation that violates Title II by calling the Justice Department at 1-833-591-0291, or submitting a report online.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Body in Hampshire confirmed to be Yajaira Castro Mendez

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Detectives can confirm the body found in Hampshire on Saturday, 7 June is sadly that of Yajaira Castro Mendez from Ilford.

    Yajaira was last seen in Camden on Thursday, 29 May. Following extensive enquiries by officers a murder investigation was launched.

    Detectives carried out urgent enquiries and during searches in the Bolderwood area of Hampshire, they found a body.

    Formal identification has now taken place. Her family continue to be supported by specialist officers.

    Acting Detective Chief Inspector Sean Beasley, who is leading the investigation, said: “This is a very sad development in the investigation and our thoughts are very much with Yajaira’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.

    “Officers have been working around the clock and continue to investigate the circumstances.

    “There are still crime scenes in place and we’re working closely with Hampshire Police. We thank the community for their patience as we carry out our investigation and we continue to appeal to anyone with information that could assist the investigation to please come forward.”

    On Friday, 6 June, Juan Francisco Toledo, 51 (17.10.1973), of Lambeth appeared at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court charged with murder.

    He was remanded in custody to next appear on Tuesday, 10 June at the Old Bailey.

    He had been arrested on Wednesday, 4 June in Lambeth.

    Anyone with information relating to this investigation is asked to contact police via 101 or @MetCC quoting CAD 3020/06JUN2

    To remain 100 per cent anonymous call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit Crimestoppers-uk.org.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Canning — RCMP seeking information to identify a person involved in sexual assault against a youth

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Kings District RCMP is seeking information from the public to identify a person involved in a sexual assault against a youth victim in Canning.

    On June 6, at approximately 3:40 p.m., RCMP officers responded to a report of a sexual assault that occurred on a walking trail between Northeast Kings Education Centre and the Glooscap District Arena.

    Responding officers learned that approximately 10 minutes prior, a male assaulted then sexually assaulted a youth victim who was walking to the arena from the school.

    A search of the area, assisted by RCMP Police Dog Services, was not successful in locating the suspect.

    At this time, the male, who approached the victim from behind, is believed to be a youth. He is described as white, 5-foot-5 and heavy build. At time of the incident, he was wearing a ski mask, a red shirt and winter gloves.

    “I want to assure everyone in our communities that this investigation is a top priority for us. We have engaged various specialized units to assist our committed local investigators”, says S/Sgt. Ed Nugent, King District RCMP. “We encourage anyone who may have information about the incident to contact us. You can also provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers.”

    Kings District RCMP: 902-679-5555

    Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers: toll-free, 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or the P3 Tips app.

    If you have experienced sexual violence, you are not alone. The elimination of gender-based and sexual violence continues to be a priority for the Nova Scotia RCMP, and the RCMP employs a trauma-informed approach. Survivor support is available and you can contact us and discuss an incident before deciding to further participate in the investigation and court process.

    File: 2025-784797

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kamlager-Dove Leads Federal Push to Support Increased Pay, Workplace Protections, and Opportunities for Incarcerated Firefighters

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager California (37th District)

    LOS ANGELES, CA — Today, during a press conference hosted at the Los Angeles City Stentorians, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) announced the introduction of the Fairness, Inclusion, Rehabilitation, and Expungement for Incarcerated Firefighters (FIRE) Act. Rep. Kamlager-Dove was joined by Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28), who represents a district that was heavily impacted by the Eaton Fire, and advocates from the Forestry Fire Recruitment Program, Vera Institute of Justice, American Civil Liberties Union, and the entertainment industry.

    The FIRE Act is a response to the involvement of over 1,000 incarcerated firefighters in combating the devastating wildfires in southern California at the beginning of 2025, despite making $5-$10 dollars per day. This legislation supports incarcerated firefighters by establishing fair labor standards, providing occupational protections, and expanding opportunities for both current and formerly incarcerated individuals in firefighting.

    “Earlier this year, over 1,000 incarcerated firefighters quite literally saved our city. Yet, they were only compensated $5 to $10 per day for their heroic efforts—and despite demonstrating their commitment to serving our community, will face barriers to employment and service when returning to society,” said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove. “I’m proud to introduce the FIRE Act, which honors the dignity and service of our incarcerated firefighters by establishing fair labor standards, providing career training opportunities, and creating a clear pathway to expungement for those who have already demonstrated their commitment to rehabilitation. The American dream is about second chances—and the FIRE Act offers exactly that.”

    “In my district, the Eaton Fire scorched 14,000 acres, destroyed 9,500 structures, displaced 20,000 residents, and claimed 18 lives. The devastation was heartbreaking, but if not for the heroic efforts of our firefighters, it could have been even worse. And the reality is that hundreds of these firefighters were face-to-face with these fires using nothing but hand tools, while earning just a few dollars per day, just because they are incarcerated,” said Congresswoman Chu. “I’m proud to join Rep. Kamlager-Dove in introducing the FIRE Act legislation that ensures incarcerated firefighters can continue serving our communities with dignity by receiving fair wages, labor and safety protections, and a pathway to full-time firefighting careers upon re-entry.”

    “The FIRE Act is a necessary step toward fairness and inclusion in the fire service,” said Robert Hawkins, President of The Los Angeles City Stentorians. “We’ve witnessed firsthand the dedication of incarcerated firefighters protecting our communities. This legislation honors their service and promotes the equity our profession stands for.”

    “Thank you to Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove for recognizing the contributions of incarcerated individuals who are serving our communities as wildland firefighters,” said Royal Ramey, Co-Founder and CEO of The Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program. “She has stood by us ever since she was a State Senator, and the FIre Act ensures that our government cares for these individuals while they are incarcerated and expands the career opportunities available to them when they return home.”

    “As a former incarcerated firefighter, I know firsthand the risks these workers take, the challenges they face upon release, and the care they have for the communities they protect.” said Andony Corleto, program associate for Vera California at the Vera Institute of Justice. “It’s time to honor these heroes with fair wages, safety on the job, and the chance to keep protecting California upon their release.”

    “The FIRE Act will help incarcerated firefighters carry out their emergency responsive work and pursue meaningful and rewarding careers upon release. It is far past time for the nation to recognize and support the safety, labor, and re-entry needs of incarcerated people who risk it all to protect our communities,” said Summer Lacey, criminal justice director at the ACLU of Southern California.

    To support both currently and formerly incarcerated firefighters, the Fairness, Inclusion, Rehabilitation, and Expungement for Incarcerated Firefighters (FIRE) Act would: 

    • Expand occupational safety coverage to incarcerated firefighters in state and federal correctional facilities.
    • Require annual safety reports from all relevant facilities.
    • Recognize incarcerated firefighters as employees entitled to wage protections.
    • Provide $20 million annually for states to adopt safety and wage protections and enforce compliance.
    • Fund job training, placement, and mentoring programs to help formerly incarcerated firefighters secure long-term employment.
    • Establish a pathway for expungement for incarcerated firefighters upon successful completion of probation and reentry.

    The FIRE Act was cosponsored by Reps. Ted Lieu (CA-36), Maxine Waters (CA-43), Judy Chu (CA-28), John Garamendi (CA-08), Eleanor Holmes-Nortion (DC-AL), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Cleo Fields (LA-06).

    This legislation is endorsed by the ACLU, National Urban League, Prison Policy Initiative, Brennan Center for Justice, Reentry Working Group, Law Enforcement Action Partnership, Center for Employment Opportunities, National Legal Aid & Defender Association, Amity Foundation, Anti-Recidivism Coalition.

    Bill text is available here.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sex Offender Who Approached 11-Year-Old Online Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison

    Source: US FBI

    ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a registered sex offender who possessed child sexual abuse material and initiated a sexual conversation with a 11-year-old girl via Facebook Messenger to 16 years in prison. 

    Seth Allen Barger, 42, of Jefferson County, Missouri, sent a friend request to the victim in 2023. Via Facebook Messenger on July 26, 2023, he sought to engage her in a sexual conversation. The victim’s mother contacted the St. Louis County Police Department, and a detective interviewed Barger. Barger said his account had been hacked. After Barger consented to a search of his phone, a detective with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office found 35 images containing child sexual abuse material.

    Barger pleaded guilty in November in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receiving child pornography and one count of enticement of a minor.

    The St. Louis County Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards prosecuted the case.

    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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.justice.gov/psc.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Nine Defendants Arrested for Methamphetamine Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    FARGO – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl announced that beginning on May 15, 2025, a multi-state law enforcement operation resulted in the arrests of nine defendants following their indictment by a federal grand jury in the District of North Dakota for roles in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy with ties to the Almighty Latin King Nation criminal street gang.

    The defendants arrested are:

    Ricardo Jaquez, 46, Oakes, North Dakota

    Israel David Flores, a/k/a Izzy, 45, Audubon, Minnesota

    Michelle Lee Fuller, 38, Audubon, Minnesota

    Jose Manuel Jaquez, a/k/a Cash, 36, Oakes, North Dakota

    Jacob Edward Lambert, 37, Oakes, North Dakota

    Ashley Marie Bleecker, 40, Belcourt, North Dakota

    Alfredo Hernandez Jaquez, a/k/a Freddy, 47, Wells, Minnesota

    Wesley Wayne Tolleson, 37, Wells, Minnesota

    Jason Leonard Gulden, 44, Aberdeen, South Dakota

    All defendants have made appearances in federal court in North Dakota and face up to life in prison with a 10-year minimum mandatory if convicted.

    This case is part of Operation Crown Down, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation into methamphetamine trafficking in North Dakota and other states. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    An indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

    This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Division of Drug Enforcement; Homeland Security Investigations; the Oakes Police Department; the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation; the Cass County Drug Task Force; the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension; the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force; the Pine to Prairie Drug Task Force; the CEE-VI Drug Task Force; the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and the Brown County (South Dakota) Sheriff’s Office.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew P. Kopp.

                                                                                                                                         # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bristol, Virginia Man Convicted on Federal Drug Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ABINGDON, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Bristol, Virginia man of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine following a three-day jury trial in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.

    Christopher M. Sullivan, 31, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of using a communication facility in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Sullivan conspired with Christopher David Johnson – an inmate in a Georgia state prison – and numerous others to traffic and distribute kilograms of methamphetamine from Georgia into Southwest Virginia.

    Johnson used smuggled cell phones to operate a large-scale methamphetamine-distribution operation from his prison cell in Georgia. He regularly communicated with his co-conspirators using Facebook, WhatsApp, Signal, phone calls, and text messaging to coordinate deliveries, pricing, quantities, recruitment, intimidation, and sales.

    Evidence showed that Sullivan regularly communicated with Johnson to accomplish the goals of the conspiracy.  Sullivan also distributed methamphetamine for Johnson, wired money to Mexico at Johnson’s direction, and paid Johnson for methamphetamine.

    In December 2024, Johnson was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy to 20 years in federal prison – to run following his state prison time – and ten years of supervised release. Eighteen other defendants received prison sentences ranging from three to fifteen years.  At sentencing, Sullivan faces a minimum prison sentence of 5 years and a maximum sentence of 40 years.

    Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the DEA Washington Division made the announcement.

    The Drug Enforcement Administration and multiple law enforcement agencies in Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia investigated the case, including the Bristol (Tennessee) Police Department, the Bristol (Virginia) Police Department, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, the 2nd Judicial Drug Task Force, and the Georgia State Patrol.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Whit Pierce and Corey Hall are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Representatives Doggett and Ocasio-Cortez Urge DOJ To Investigate New Allegations That UnitedHealth is Endangering Patients to Maximize Profits from Medicare Advantage Program

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)

    Reporting from The Guardian alleges UnitedHealth Group is paying nursing homes to reduce hospital transfers and promote do-not-resuscitate orders to increase profits

    Contact: Alexis.Torres@mail.house.gov

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Representatives Lloyd Doggett (TX-37) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi urging the Department of Justice to expand its reported investigation into UnitedHealth Group to include reports that the company is engaging in fraud through the Medicare Advantage program. Investigative reporting from The Guardian accuses the healthcare conglomerate of trying to deliberately reduce access to care for nursing home residents in order to pocket more money from the federal government.

    “The potential harm of UnitedHealth’s business practices extends far beyond waste of taxpayer dollars and appears to be endangering enrollees and harming health outcomes. We strongly urge you to expand your ongoing investigations to include the allegations outlined in The Guardian and other appropriate lines of inquiry concerning the impact of UnitedHealth’s business practices on patients,” wrote the lawmakers.

    The full letter is available here.

    Last month, it was reported that the Department of Justice opened up a criminal investigation into UnitedHealth Group for possible Medicare fraud. The lawmakers request Attorney General Bondi expand the DOJ’s current investigation to include new allegations that UnitedHealth Group has engaged in the following business practices regarding the Medicare Advantage Program:

    • Paying nursing homes to delay or deny patients hospitalizations to increase profits.
    • Pressuring patients to establish do-not-resuscitate orders, which instruct providers to not perform CPR for patients who have stopped breathing.
    • Providing financial incentives for enrolling residents in UnitedHealth’s Medicare Advantage long-term care plans.

    Last month, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and Raul Ruiz (CA-25) introduced an amendment to the Republicans’ reconciliation bill to crack down on corporate profiteering in the Medicare Advantage program and strengthen traditional Medicare. Separately, Representative Doggett led House Members in urging Republican leadership to pass legislation to rein in rampant taxpayer overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ohio Company Sentenced for Violating OSHA Rule Leading to Worker’s Death

    Source: US Justice – Antitrust Division

    Headline: Ohio Company Sentenced for Violating OSHA Rule Leading to Worker’s Death

    A Delaware corporation with a manufacturing facility in Ohio was sentenced to pay a $500,000 fine, the statutory maximum, after pleading guilty to willfully violating an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule. In addition to the fine, Fabcon will serve two years of organizational probation and comply with a Safety Compliance Plan. The criminal charge is related to an incident where an employee was killed when a pneumatic door closed on his head.

    MIL OSI USA News –