NewzIntel.com

Category: Justice

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Urges DOJ to ‘Reconsider’ Stance in Missouri Mifepristone Case

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

    Today, Senator Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, urging the Justice Department to reconsider its defense of the Biden Administration’s policy on mifepristone, which allows women to receive the abortion drug with virtually no safeguards. The case is currently pending before a federal district court. 

    A bombshell new study found that more than 1 in 10 women who use mifepristone experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, an emergency room visit, or another serious adverse event within 45 days. The report exposes just how essential reestablishing these guardrails are for women’s health. 

    “While the grounds for dismissal sought are mostly procedural in nature, I am troubled by the fact that the Justice Department has sided with the Biden administration’s position, especially considering new data showing the harms of chemical abortion for women,” Hawley wrote. “I urge you to reconsider.”

    Senator Hawley recently published an op-ed about the health risks of mifepristone and called on the Trump administration to restore the safety regulations on mifepristone without delay. 

    Read the letter here or below.  

    May 7, 2025

    The Honorable Pam Bondi Attorney General
    U.S. Department of Justice 
    950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
    Washington DC 20530

    Attorney General Bondi:

    Yesterday, your department sought the dismissal of three intervenor state plaintiffs—led by my home state of Missouri—in abortion drug litigation pending before a federal district court. While the grounds for dismissal sought are mostly procedural in nature, I am troubled by the fact that the Justice Department has sided with the Biden administration’s position, especially considering new data showing the harms of chemical abortion for women. I urge you to reconsider.

    Missouri, joined by Idaho and Kansas, is seeking to restore safeguards for the chemical abortion drug, mifepristone, that the Biden administration eliminated. The states have argued their interest in protecting their citizens against the adverse health consequences of the drug—a point which was recently underscored by a landmark new study of mifepristone. That study found that more than 1 in 10 women who use mifepristone experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, an emergency room visit, or another serious adverse event within 45 days. This rate is far greater than the rate reported on the FDA-approved drug label for mifepristone. Despite these severe safety risks, the Biden administration allowed mifepristone to be delivered via mail and without any medical supervision whatsoever. Missouri’s litigation aims to reverse that policy and protect women.

    The Biden administration’s mail-order abortion policy poses a grave threat to the health and safety of American women. I strongly urge you to reconsider the Justice Department’s defense of this policy in court.

    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    Sincerely,

    Josh Hawley
    United States Senator

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Polis Appoints Michal A. Lord-Blegen to the 17th Judicial District Court

    Source: US State of Colorado

    DENVER – Today, Governor Polis appointed Michal A. Lord-Blegen to the 17th Judicial District Court. The appointment fills the vacancy occasioned by the retirement of the Honorable Rayna Gokli. The appointment is effective June 7, 2025. 

    Ms. Lord-Blegen is a Magistrate in the Seventeenth Judicial District, a position she has held since 2020. Her docket consists of juvenile matters. Previously, she was a Magistrate in the Second Judicial District (2016-2020); Managing Partner at Wohl Stetler Lord-Blegen, PLLC (2012-2016); Sole Practitioner at Michal Lord-Blegen (2010-2012); and Associate Attorney at Mitch Baker (2010-2011). Ms. Lord-Blegen earned her B.A. from Hood College in 1990, and her J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2009.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Voluntary Manslaughter

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on May 2, 2025.

    Eugene Hunts Horse, age 29, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    A federal grand jury indicted Hunts Horse in May 2024. He pleaded guilty on January 17, 2025.

    On February 24, 2024, the victim arrived at a residence in Wounded Knee and attempted to gain entry into the home. The victim knew the occupants of the trailer and wanted to get inside. A male from within the home assaulted the victim with a weapon and ushered him down the driveway away from the home. Hunts Horse arrived around the time the victim was being escorted down the driveway and used an object to strike the victim several times in the head and body. Hunts Horse, who believed the victim had assaulted his cousin with a hammer earlier in the evening, became enraged and developed the heat of passion necessary to take the life of another. After killing the victim, Hunts Horse learned the victim was not the person who attacked his cousin. The Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety responded to the residence and found the victim near the roadway and driveway of the residence with a large fracture to his skull. The victim was bleeding extensively from his head. The victim ultimately passed away from his head injury a short time after the officer arrived.

    This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

    This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New York Man Sentenced to 87 Months for Distribution of Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant traveled to ‘meet n play’ with an undercover officer’s purported 10-year-old boy

    WASHINGTON – Kaziah Matthew White, 33, of Long Lake, New York, was sentenced today to 87 months in prison in connection with distributing child pornography after which he traveled to the District of Columbia for the purpose of engaging in sexual contact with a minor.

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

    White pleaded guilty Dec.18, 2024, in the District of Columbia to one count of distribution of child pornography. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich ordered White to serve a lifetime term of supervised release. 

    According to court papers, on March 21, 2024, an undercover officer with the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in the District of Columbia was monitoring an online dating application. A user who called themselves “EarthenFireMD,” contacted the undercover officer, indicated he was staying in Clarksville, Maryland, and that he wanted to “meet n play” with the undercover officer’s purported 10-year-old boy. EarthenFireMD was later identified as the defendant. 

    “Broooo I’m only the area til the end of the month, would love to plan a playdate,” he wrote on a messaging application. “We can get lunch somewhere public first if u wanna feel out the vibe. And show u Im not a cop. Have an after school bonding sesh.” He indicated that boys between the ages of 5- to 14-years-old were his favorite.

    Between March 22-25, 2024, the defendant sent the undercover officer more than 100 videos depicting the sexual abuse of chldren. During the chat, White agreed to meet the undercover officer and wrote that he would bring a “gift” for the child.  He then sent a photograph of Spiderman-themed underwear, writing “They had a multipack.”

    On March 28, 2024, White traveled from Clarksville, Maryland, to the District to meet with the undercover officer. Upon his arrival, White was in possession of Spiderman underwear consistent with the image of the underwear he previously had sent to the undercover officer.  He was arrested on site.  

    This case is being 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 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 justice.gov/psc.

    This case was investigated by FBI-MPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Bond.

    24cr340

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Announces Results of Operation Restore Justice: 205 Child Sex Abuse Offenders Arrested in FBI-led Nationwide Crackdown, Including Four in the Southern District of California

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Today, the Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators. The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders in the nationwide crackdown.  The coordinated effort was executed over the course of five days by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department’s Criminal Division, and United States Attorney’s Offices around the country.

    “The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims — especially child victims — and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest, and prosecute every child predator who preys on the most vulnerable among us,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate.”

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

    “Protecting our community means identifying, arresting and holding accountable anyone who would prey on children,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “I’m grateful for the coordinated efforts of law enforcement in this district and across the nation, and our office will continue to prioritize these prosecutions to obtain justice for these vulnerable victims.”

    “Each arrest is a powerful testament to the tireless efforts of the FBI and our dedicated law enforcement partners to protect the most vulnerable among us,” said FBI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi. “It reaffirms our unwavering commitment to pursuing justice for victims and holding predators accountable.”

    In the Southern District of California, four individuals were arrested and charged with federal crimes, including:

    • Seth Wheeler, who was indicted for distribution of images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and possession of images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Wheeler is alleged to have distributed child pornography on two different occasions in September 2024, and in possession of child pornography in October 2024.  He was previously arrested by the state and remained in state custody until he was indicted on federal charges.
    • Adam Harrison Bryant, a convicted sex offender who was charged with possession of child pornography. The investigation of Bryan began when it was suspected that he had attempted to purchase child pornography from a website using cryptocurrency.  A search warrant was executed on May 1, 2025, and Bryant was arrested when he was found in possession of an electronic device that contained child pornography. He was previously convicted in 2008 of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and enticing a child and was sentenced to 40 months and 24 months, concurrent, followed by ten years of supervised release.
    • Kristho Angel Valdez, whowas charged with receipt of images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Law enforcement officials were notified that two minor victims were exchanging sexually explicit content, including images and videos, through Snapchat with an unknown individual. Valdez was identified as the potential user of the Snapchat account and a search warrant for the account revealed thousands of sexually explicit images and videos of minors. On March 12, 2025, a search warrant was executed at Valdez’s residence. Valdez admitted to receiving sexually explicit videos from the minor victims.
    • Christopher David Miller, who was charged with attempted receipt and possession of images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Agents began investigating Miller when they determined that IP addresses linked to his current and former residences attempted to obtain child pornography using Freenet, a peer-to-peer file sharing platform. A search warrant was executed at Miller’s residence on April 9, 2025, and Miller was found to be in possession of electronic devices containing child pornography.

    Others arrested around the country are alleged to have committed various crimes including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors, and child sex trafficking. In Minneapolis, for example, a state trooper and Army Reservist was arrested for allegedly producing child sexual abuse material while wearing his uniforms. In Norfolk, VA, an illegal alien from Mexico is accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sex. In Washington, D.C., a former Metropolitan Police Department Police Officer was arrested for allegedly trafficking minor victims.

    In many cases, parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a critical role in bringing these offenders to justice. For example, a California man was arrested about eight hours after a young victim bravely came forward and disclosed their abuse to FBI agents after an online safety presentation at a school near Albany, N.Y.

    This effort follows the Department’s observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April and underscores the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. While the Department, including the FBI, investigates and prosecutes these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preventing these crimes, seeking justice for victims, and raising awareness through community education.

    The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were 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 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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

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

    Other online resources:

    Violent Crimes Against Children

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

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Sen. Markey, Rep. Summer Lee, Lawyers for Good Government Host Roundtable Discussion on EPA’s Termination of Environmental Justice Grants

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Washington (May 7, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Representative Summer Lee (PA-12), and Lawyers for Good Government on Monday hosted a virtual roundtable discussion on the Trump administration’s damaging cuts to environmental justice funding and staff. Roundtable speakers included environmental justice advocates, Massachusetts recipients of environmental justice grants, as well as strategists and legal advocates, who all shared how the Trump administration’s attacks have directly affected frontline and fenceline communities crushed by generations of underinvestment and disproportionate exposure to pollution. This roundtable comes on the heels of news the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will cancel nearly 800 grants, including all of the agency’s environmental justice grants administered under the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, to skirt a recent preliminary injunction that ordered the agency to unfreeze environmental justice funds.
    “The Trump administration revoking federal dollars from community-based groups working hard to clean up the air, water, and land where they live, work, and play is yet another injustice in a long line of unjust policies that deemed certain neighborhoods undeserving of equal environmental protection,” said Senator Markey. “I am inspired by the environmental justice grant recipients who, rather than despair and give in to defeat, joined us and courageously shared their stories of the harm, chaos, and uncertainty that the Trump administration has inflicted by undercutting environmental justice at every turn and every level. Their testimony shone a spotlight on Trump’s shameful abandonment of overburdened communities, and reminds us that strengthening our solidarity, growing coalitions, sharing our stories, and charting paths forward together are powerful antidotes.”
    “What we’re witnessing with the Trump administration’s reckless and targeted cuts to environmental justice funding is nothing short of cruel and deliberate. These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet — these are real people, real families, and real communities being told they don’t matter. In places like Western Pennsylvania, we’ve already seen the human cost: frontline organizations shut down, clean air initiatives stalled, job training frozen, and our most vulnerable neighbors left without the tools they need to protect their health and their futures. These cuts are an attack on our kids, our workers, our elders, and on basic human dignity, and we will continue working to stop them,” said Representative Summer Lee.
    “Thank you to Senator Markey, Representative Lee, and the many environmental advocates and grantees for their leadership and courage in fighting back against these unlawful attacks on climate and environmental justice funding,” said Jillian Blanchard, Vice President of the Climate Change and Environmental Justice Program at Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG). “At L4GG, we’re proud to be helping grantees assert their legal rights, navigate this confusing landscape, and push back against these attacks through our Fund Protection Clinic. We know the law is on our side, and we have already won significant victories in the courts to block these unjust terminations. We will continue to fight for impacted communities until these critical funds are fully restored and every grantee is able to do the work Congress intended—building a cleaner, healthier, and more equitable future, for all.”
    “I deeply appreciate Senator Ed Markey and team continuing to fight for these federal dollars that we earned as city. My administration has worked very hard to knock down the Asthma rates here in Springfield, but there is much more work to be done to keep all our residents safe, whether young or old, to properly deal with an Asthma affliction. This funding would help prevent future generations from getting it too. I am so proud of my city team, along with our partners, for their work to apply for and receive this significant EPA grant award. This multifaceted funding was to bring tangible health benefits to our community, including improved indoor and outdoor air quality and reduced emissions. We will continue to fight for these vitally important air quality and asthma reduction programs. We will also work closely with MA Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell as she leads the charge to challenge this funding termination through legal channels,” said Springfield, Massachusetts Mayor Domenic J. Sarno,
    “At the time of this unconstitutional and unlawful termination, the Environmental Justice for New England program was poised to invest in sustainable, community-driven environmental justice projects, countering historical disinvestment in rural, urban and Tribal communities across the region. We received almost 400 applications for our first round of funding, proposing activities that address critical environmental harms and which would create jobs, boost energy independence, and reduce pollution exposure. We are outraged,” said Ben Wood, Senior Director of Policy and Practice at Health Resources in Action.
    “As Boston summers continue to break historic heat records, extreme heat has become, and will continue to be, a significant threat to the health, safety, and livelihoods of people across our region. Through our Heat and Health project the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) was proud to be working with residents, community partners, and local government to develop shared solutions to the rising dangers of extreme heat in our communities. It’s not dramatic to say that losing this funding source will negatively impact the health and well-being of our local residents–this summer and for many summers after. Despite this loss of funding–MyRWA is committed to delivering community-driven, science-based solutions to ensure that everyone and everything who calls our watershed home can enjoy clean water, air, and land,” said Mariangeli Echevarria-Ramos, Climate and Social Resilience Manager at the Mystic River Watershed Association.
    “Thank you to Senator Markey and all the co-hosts of the roundtable for creating space for this urgent conversation on the heels of alarming news that the EPA plans to cancel almost 800 environmental justice grants. These aren’t just numbers. These are real losses—for residents breathing polluted air, for communities threatened by flooding, and for young people trying to imagine a future in clean energy. Without access to these funds, we cannot support grassroots organizations, assist residents in navigating regulatory processes, or expand job training programs in the green economy. These disruptions threaten progress in areas already disproportionately affected by climate change, and hinder our ability to complete the work our communities deserve,” said Sarah Baldwin, Senior Director of Operations at the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance, member of the Equitable & Just National Climate Platform.
    The Trump administration began halting environmental justice funding in January. Since then, funding recipients have been blindsided by termination notices or cut off from accessing their funds without notice—and, in some cases, grantees are expected to continue projects without assurance that they will be reimbursed for out-of-pocket costs. Adding to the chaos and uncertainty, Trump administration furloughs and layoffs of Environmental Protection Agency staff have also created additional barriers for environmental justice grant recipients when their point of contact is not able to respond with answers on the status of their funding.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Markey, Pressley, McGovern Applaud Second Circuit Decision Ordering Rümeysa Öztürk’s Transfer to Vermont

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Lawmakers met with Öztürk at Louisiana ICE facility where she has been illegally detained since March
    Washington (May 7, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Representatives Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Jim McGovern (MA-02) released the following statement after the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit directed the Trump administration to comply with a lower court order to transfer Rümeysa Öztürk from ICE custody in Louisiana to Vermont. The court ordered the government to move Ms. Öztürk within one week. On March 25, 2025, Ms. Öztürk, a PhD student at Tufts University, was abducted by six plainclothes ICE agents off the streets of Somerville, Massachusetts. She was quickly moved across state lines and shipped more than 1,500 miles away from her community to a detention facility in Louisiana. 
    “We applaud the Second Circuit for rejecting the Trump administration’s attempt to delay complying with the district court’s order to transfer Rümeysa Öztürk from Louisiana to Vermont, where she will be closer to her community and to her legal counsel. Rümeysa should never have been abducted and transferred thousands of miles away to begin with. She is being unlawfully detained for writing an op-ed in her school newspaper and has not been charged with a single crime. Last month, we visited Rümeysa in detention in Louisiana, where she faces intolerable conditions and has suffered multiple asthma attacks. Rümeysa’s case is part of an alarming trend by the Trump administration to trample individuals’ constitutional rights to due process and free speech. Rümeysa must be released and have her visa restored immediately, and we will continue to ring the alarm loudly until that is the case.”
    On April 22, Senator Markey and Representatives Pressley and McGovern, along with Representative Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Ranking Member of House Committee on Homeland Security, and Representative Troy Carter (LA-02), visited the Louisiana ICE facility where Rümeysa Öztürk was being held. Also on April 22, Senator Markey, Representative Pressley, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons to demand answers about the Trump administration’s concerning practice of detaining individuals, such as Öztürk, far from their attorneys and communities and in legal environments where their rights are more difficult to defend. The Trump administration is forum shopping to obtain a legal outcome favorable to its deportation agenda.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn, Fetterman, Lankford, Gallego Introduce SHIELD Against CCP Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), John Fetterman (D-PA), James Lankford (R-OK), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) introduced the SHIELD Against CCP Act, which would create a dedicated working group at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to address threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP):
    “To effectively counter China, the U.S. must target them from all angles and through all agencies,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This widely supported, commonsense legislation would allow the Department of Homeland Security to arm itself with the tools to protect our sovereignty against the CCP’s malign influence.”
    “The CCP controls everything that happens in China and they will cheat, steal, and poison our communities if it helps them get ahead. They supply the chemicals behind the fentanyl claiming Pennsylvanian lives, rig our immigration rules, and rip off ideas from American companies. Enough is enough,” said Sen. Fetterman. “I’m teaming up with Senators Cornyn, Gallego, and Lankford on the SHIELD Against CCP Act to make sure DHS has the muscle to punch back and keep our people safe.”
    “The Chinese Communist Party threatens our sovereignty—whether it’s flooding our border with illegal immigrants, launching cyberattacks, or pushing deadly fentanyl into our communities,” said Sen. Lankford. “The SHIELD Against CCP Act provides the Department of Homeland Security with the necessary tools to address these challenges directly, safeguard our borders, and protect the American people.”
    “Fentanyl has devastated communities across Arizona for too long, and we need to use every tool available to stop the flow of this deadly drug into our country,” said Sen. Gallego. “This bipartisan bill will help DHS understand how the Chinese Communist Party is exploiting our border and fueling fentanyl trafficking, so we can close those gaps and keep our communities safe.”
    Companion legislation, led by Congressmen Dale Strong (AL-05) and Tom Suozzi (NY-03), overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives 409-4.
    Background:
    The SHIELD Against CCP Act would establish a working group within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to:
    Examine, assess, and report on efforts by DHS to counter terrorist, cybersecurity, border and port security, and transportation security threats posed to the U.S. by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including:
    Exploitation of the U.S. immigration system through identify theft, visa processes, unlawful border crossings, human smuggling, and human trafficking;
    Predatory economic and trade practices, including trafficking of counterfeit and pirated goods, use of forced labor, customs fraud, and IP theft;
    Direct or indirect support of Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) trafficking fentanyl, illicit drug precursors, and other controlled substances through the US border, international mail shipments, or express consignment operations;
    And support for illicit financial activity by Chinese Money Laundering Organizations.

    Review information gathered by federal, state, and local law enforcement relating to threats, and disseminate such information to relevant authorities;
    Submit an annual report on its activities to the Homeland Security, Finance, Judiciary, Foreign Relations, and Banking Committees;
    And sunset seven years post-establishment.
    The bill would also require DHS Science and Technology Directorate to research technologies and techniques to enhance DHS’s security and situational awareness related to countering threats posed to the U.S. by the CCP.
    The SHIELD Against CCP Act is endorsed by the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), National Border Patrol Council, National Fusion Center Association, Major County Sheriffs of America, National Narcotics Officers’ Associations’ Coalition, and National HIDTA Director’s Association (NHDA).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: One before the courts following operation targeting drug dealers in Queenstown

    Source: New Zealand Police

    A 39-year-old man is before the courts following an operation targeting illicit drug dealing in Queenstown, alongside the seizure of multiple illicit drugs and around $45,000 cash.

    Following an investigation into the distribution of illicit drugs in the community, Police executed a search warrant at a Queenstown property yesterday morning.

    The man was arrested and charged in relation to the operation.

    Following the arrest, a search of the residence located varying amounts of ketamine, cocaine, MDMA, LSD, cannabis, and psilocybin.

    Digital scales were also located, alongside $45,000 cash.

    Detective Sergeant Miriam Chittenden says Police is pleased with the result from this operation.

    “We work hard to disrupt the supply of illicit drugs within our community as we see first-hand the serious impacts and harm from these illicit drugs every day.

    Police will continue to target those who supply illicit drugs, which cause extreme harm and damage to our communities. However, we cannot do this alone, and we ask that anyone with information about the supply of illicit drugs contacts us through 105, either online or via phone.

    Information can also be reported to your local Police station or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 0800 555 111.

    We encourage anyone affected by drug addiction to seek help through Alcohol and Drug helpline on 0800 787 797, or free text 8681.

    The 39-year-old man is due to appear in Queenstown District Court on Monday 12 May, charged with multiple charges including offers to supply LSD, offers to supply psilocybin, possession of cocaine, and possession of MDMA.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Busts Fraudster for Stealing Over $400,000 from a Citizen of the Pechanga Band of Indians

    Source: US State of California

    Wednesday, May 7, 2025

    Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

    ORANGE COUNTY – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the filing of felony charges against a caretaker for stealing over $400,000 from a citizen of the Pechanga Band of Indians who was a dependent adult in her care. The California Department of Justice (DOJ) received a referral from the FBI alleging that the caretaker embezzled money from the victim to pay for personal expenses. These funds were received monthly by the victim from the Pechanga Tribe.
     
    “Caretakers have a profound responsibility to treat those in their care with the highest level of compassion and dignity,” said Attorney General Bonta. “They support individuals during some of the most challenging moments in their lives. At the California Department of Justice, we are committed to fighting against all types of abuse, theft, and neglect. We will take prompt action to hold accountable anyone who exploits or harms vulnerable members of our communities.”
     
    It is alleged that between October 2018 and January 2021, the caretaker used the victim’s funds to pay for vacations, luxurious dinners, mortgage payments, and other personal expenses. DOJ filed criminal charges in the Orange County Superior Court for Embezzlement, Theft from a Dependent Adult, and Grand Theft exceeding $100,000. 
     
    It is important to note that criminal charges must be proven in a court of law. Every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
     
    The California Department of Justice’s Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse (DMFEA) works to protect Californians by investigating and prosecuting those responsible for abuse, neglect, and fraud committed against elderly and dependent adults in the state, and those who perpetrate fraud on the Medi-Cal program.

    The Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $69,244,976 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2025. The remaining 25 percent is funded by the State of California. FY 2025 is from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025.
     
    A copy of the complaint can be found here. 

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall Joins Senator Britt in Introducing MOMS Act to Support Women, Strengthen Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
    Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) joined Senators Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), and Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri) in introducing the More Opportunities for Moms to Succeed (MOMS) Act. This legislation would improve access to critical resources during the toughest phases of motherhood, including the prenatal, postpartum, and early childhood development stages.
    In 2023, the number of U.S. births was the lowest since 1979, and the total fertility rate in America hit an all-time low. Last year, fertility and birth rates remained near record lows, reflecting a continued, concerning trend in America.
    “As a former OB-GYN who spent over 25 years caring for thousands of women and delivering over 5,000 babies, I understand firsthand the importance of supporting mothers throughout their pregnancy and into motherhood,” said Senator Marshall. “The MOMS Act is critical legislation to ensure we are providing countless women in America the resources they need. I am proud to stand beside Senator Britt in sponsoring this much-needed, pro-family legislation.”
    “The Republican Party is the party of life, the party of parents, and the party of families. At the heart of the MOMS Act is building a comprehensive culture of life to give moms, children, and families the support system they need to thrive and live their American Dream,” said Senator Britt. “As a mom myself, I don’t have to wonder what other moms are facing – I’m living it. I know firsthand that there is no greater blessing in life than our children and I also understand the types of challenges that women face during their pregnancy journeys and while raising their kids. I’m proud to support women throughout these seasons of motherhood, and the MOMS Act is part of my continued commitment to fight on their behalf.”
    The legislation is also co-sponsored by Senators Steve Daines (R-Montana), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), John Cornyn (R-Texas), James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Dave McCormick (R-Pennsylvania), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska), Jim Justice (R-West Virginia) and Tim Sheehy (R-Montana).
    This legislation is endorsed by Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Americans United for Life, March for Life Action, the National Right to Life Committee, Students for Life Action, Concerned Women of America, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and the Human Coalition.
    The full text of the bill can be viewed here. 
    Background:
    The MOMS Act would establish a website of resources, Pregnancy.gov, for expecting and postpartum moms, as well as those with young children, which will increase access to adoption agencies, pregnancy resource centers, and other relevant public and private resources available to pregnant women near their zip code and surrounding areas.
    These relevant resources include health and well-being services; financial assistance; and material and legal support. HHS would also be required to include and maintain a national list of federal funding opportunities available to non-profit and healthcare entities for pregnancy support.
    The legislation would also improve access to pre and post-natal resources and would establish a grant program for non-profit entities to support, encourage, and assist women in carrying their pregnancies to term and to care for their babies after birth. 
    It would also institute a grant program to purchase necessary medical equipment and technology in rural areas and other medically underserved areas to support pre-natal and post-natal telehealth appointments.
    The MOMS Act also includes Senator Cramer’s Unborn Child Support Act to allow states to apply child support obligations to the time during pregnancy.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Appeal for information following Hei Hei crash

    Source: New Zealand Police

    Canterbury Police are investigating a crash in Hei Hei last month and are appealing for witnesses.

    At around 4:15pm on Saturday 12 April, a vehicle collided with a pedestrian at the corner of Buchanans Road and Carmen Road.

    The pedestrian sustained serious injuries however these are not believed to be life threatening.

    Police would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the crash, or saw a dark-coloured Mazda people mover in the Hei Hei area between 4pm and 4:30pm on 12 April.

    The vehicle travelled towards the airport along Carmen Road following the collision and was last seen at around 4:25pm turning into Roydvale Ave from Memorial Ave.

    If you have any information that could assist, including dashcam or CCTV footage, please get in touch via 105, either over the phone or online.

    You can reference file number 250413/9097.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE San Diego, multiagency case results in guilty conviction for would-be sex trafficker attempting to entice, coerce child and adult into prostitution

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    SAN DIEGO — Steven Terrell Lewis, 39, of El Cajon, was convicted by a federal jury May 6 for attempted coercion and enticement of a 14-year-old high school student and attempted sex trafficking by force or coercion of a 22-year-old woman. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, the National City Police Department, the El Cajon Police Department, the San Diego Sheriff’s Office and the San Diego District Attorney’s Office are investigating this case.

    “This guilty verdict sends the powerful message that those who exploit children will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Diego Special Agent in Charge Shawn Gibson. “This outcome is the result of relentless cooperation among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Our agency remains steadfast in our mission to bring perpetrators of these heinous crimes to justice and to stand beside every victim until justice is served.”

    According to evidence presented at the April 22, 2024, trial, the 14-year-old victim was walking to a friend’s house after school around 3 p.m. in El Cajon when Lewis used his vehicle to pin her on the sidewalk, exited his vehicle, and snatched her cellphone from her hand to get her phone number. Lewis then proceeded to send sexually explicit text messages from a phone number ending in 8155 to the victim before she was able to block the phone number. On April 23, 2024, Lewis continued texting the victim, except this time from a different phone number through TextFree, a mobile application and web service, from a phone number ending in 0014.

    When Lewis identified himself as “Pimpin,” he sent a sexually explicit photograph to the 14-year-old victim and invited her to “go get some money” with him. She immediately notified a coach at her high school, who alerted the El Cajon Police Department and the San Diego Sheriff’s Office.

    One week after Lewis’ attempt to sex traffic the minor victim failed, on April 28, 2024, he began recruiting the 22-year-old victim through MegaPersonals and sent a ride-share vehicle to take her to Roosevelt Avenue in National City, known as “The Blade,” to work street-based prostitution for his financial benefit. Fortunately, the next day, an undercover National City police officer posing as a commercial sex buyer picked up the adult victim offered her resources to leave prostitution. However, Lewis continued to message the adult victim (from both phone numbers ending in 8155 and 0014), threatening her to continue to engage in commercial sex for his benefit.

    Officers from the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force arrested Lewis May 16, 2024, following physical surveillance of Lewis and searches of his vehicles, residence and cellphones.

    The victims did not know each other.

    Investigators believe that other victims exist because, during a search of Lewis’ phone, they discovered a photograph of a handwritten note that appears to have been written by a concerned parent. The note reads, “If I find out one more time that this car is following my daughter down Graves Ave we will have a problem. I suggest you f—- chill.”

    At the time, Lewis was driving two vehicles registered to him, including a white, four-door 1996 Oldsmobile bearing California license plate number 3TIF671:

    He also drove a brown or beige-colored, four-door 1986 Chevrolet bearing California license plate number 1REC517:

    If you or someone you know has had an encounter with Lewis or you know the author of the note, investigators ask that you contact the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force by calling 888-373-7888 or texting 233733.

    “The jury’s guilty verdicts are a powerful reminder that human trafficking has no place in our society. These verdicts are not just justice for the victims — it is a warning to human traffickers everywhere that those who exploit and attempt to exploit others for profit will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of law, no matter how long it takes,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “I commend the bravery of the survivors who came forward. Their truth helped convict a predator — and protect countless others.”

    “Every year, there are thousands of reported human trafficking cases across the United States — including right here in California,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Whether it’s for sex or labor, abusing power to force or coerce someone into doing something against their will is wrong. At the California Department of Justice, we’re committed to standing up for survivors, disrupting and dismantling human trafficking rings, and securing justice. I am thankful for our federal, state and local partners because it takes all of us to combat human trafficking. If you or someone you know has been affected by human trafficking, there are resources available to you. You are not alone.”

    “As a member of the Human Trafficking Task Force, the protection of our youth is our top priority,” said San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl. “This case highlights the importance of collaboration and the need to share information in order to bring suspects like this into custody.”

    Lewis is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 1.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lyndzie M. Carter and Derek Ko.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Improving the Discovery Process and Cracking Down on Crime

    Source: US State of New York

    With bipartisan support from District Attorneys, domestic violence victim advocates, religious leaders and business groups, the reforms to streamline New York’s Discovery Laws will prevent cases from being thrown out over technical errors and eliminate dismissals and disruptions that have adversely affected survivors of domestic violence and other serious crimes.

    The essential changes to New York’s Discovery Laws included in the FY26 State Budget agreement will:

    • Require courts to consider the prosecutor’s efforts as a whole and whether any missing material prejudiced the defense, preventing cases from being thrown out over insignificant mistakes;
    • Narrow the scope of the items that must be disclosed and cut out the need to seek certain materials that are irrelevant to the charges against the defendant, allowing prosecutors to better focus on gathering the evidence that really matters;
    • Allow prosecutors to move the case forward after they have exercised good faith and due diligence to obtain discoverable material and disclosed everything they have actually obtained, even if there are items they are waiting on;
    • Protect against manipulation of the speedy trial clock, requiring defense attorneys to bring challenges early in the case and confer with prosecutors to resolve issues and move cases forward quickly; and
    • Streamline protections for sensitive witness information, both to protect witnesses and to facilitate a culture of witnesses feeling empowered to come forward.

    New York’s Discovery Laws remain the strongest for defendants in the country, achieving the Governor’s joint goals of maintaining due process for defendants while making common-sense adjustments to make the system work for victims and public safety.

    This holistic approach will replace the previous system that allowed for automatic dismissals based on any small discovery error, and will allow victims in New York to seek justice based on the merits of their case while ensuring a public safety system with true accountability.

    I am committed to continue doing everything in my power to keep New Yorkers safe, and today we take a step towards rebalancing the scales of Justice and standing up for victims.”

    Governor Hochul

    Staten Island District Attorney & DAASNY President Michael E. McMahon said, “New York’s 2019 Discovery Reforms led to the dismissal of tens of thousands of misdemeanor and felony cases across our State, leaving countless victims and survivors without justice and jeopardizing public safety. As President of the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York, I along with dedicated prosecutors from across the ‘Empire State’ are proud to have worked with Governor Hochul and our state legislators to enact commonsense changes to New York’s discovery statutes that will prevent automatic and needless dismissals while the most open and transparent discovery law in the country. The amendments agreed to in this State Budget will help alleviate the onerous burdens placed on our prosecutors, prevent the thousands of absurd case dismissals, and halt the revolving door of recidivism plaguing New York State. I applaud Governor Hochul, my fellow district attorneys, legislative leaders Carl Heastie and Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and all those who advocated for these meaningful reforms, and thank them for their commitment to making our communities safer and our criminal justice system fairer and more efficient.”

    Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said, “I am grateful to the Governor and the Legislature for their collaborative efforts to enact prudent changes to the discovery laws. These modest amendments will assist in achieving justice for victims of crime and continue transparency to the accused. All stakeholders took great care to develop balanced reforms and redress the unintended consequences that led to an increase in technical dismissals over the past five years. This legislation is a significant step for public safety and a proud moment for all in New York.”

    Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said, “In New York, we’re proving that a commitment to both safety and fairness are inextricable, and these changes to our discovery laws reflect that. By maintaining the most transparent discovery laws in the nation while preventing cases from being derailed over minor technical issues, we’re ensuring that the rights of the accused are protected, that those who commit serious crimes are held accountable, and victims of crime receive the justice they deserve. I commend Governor Hochul and the Legislature for taking this important step forward and for their dedication to justice for all New Yorkers.”

    Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said, “I thank Governor Hochul, the State Senate and the State Assembly for finding common ground on New York’s discovery laws. The 2020 changes were the right step forward, but they have led to unintended consequences with thousands of cases statewide dismissed for technical violations of the discovery statute. The dismissals left victims of crime unprotected and without justice. The negotiated changes in the State Legislature will preserve the rights of the accused while improving public safety and protecting victims. New York has the most transparent discovery laws in the United States and the agreed upon changes will safeguard that designation.”

    Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jr., said, “As Manhattan District Attorney I stand with survivors of crime, including domestic violence and sexual assault, and strongly believe they should all get their well-deserved day in court. The changes to our discovery statute are a meaningful step forward that will significantly improve our practice and advance public safety, while maintaining our state’s status as having the most open and transparent discovery law in the country. I want to thank Governor Hochul for championing the law through this session, our legislative leaders – specifically Speaker Carl Heastie and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins – and the dozens of survivor advocacy groups, elected officials, business and community leaders and prosecutors from across the State who spoke out in favor of commonsense reforms to the law. This is a major step forward in our fight for public safety and justice for all.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Middletown Man Indicted for Violent Crime Spree

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

    WILMINGTON, Del. – A federal grand jury in the District of Delaware returned a four-count indictment on April 10, 2025, charging a Middletown man with robbing a restaurant and a gas station and committing a carjacking – all at gunpoint.

    According to court documents, on January 25, 2025, Anthony Fields, 48, of Middletown robbed a Middletown restaurant using a distinctive sawed-off shotgun with a duct-taped handle.  Five days later, Fields robbed a Middletown gas station brandishing the same distinctive sawed-off shotgun.  During these robberies, Fields stole cash, lottery tickets, and a gas station employee’s cell phone.  While fleeing the gas station robbery, Fields carjacked an occupied 2016 Hyundai Elantra, pointing the sawed-off shotgun at the victim driver.

    Despite Fields’ attempts to evade law enforcement, the Middletown Police Department and the FBI traced Fields’ movements in the days following his crime spree through witness testimony, phone and lottery ticket records, and video surveillance.  The investigation revealed that Fields cashed some of the stolen lottery tickets and abandoned the stolen car at a nearby casino before traveling to Philadelphia.  Fields turned himself in to authorities on February 2, 2025.  He remains in federal custody.

    The indictment charges Fields with two counts of Hobbs Act Robbery, one count of carjacking, and one count of brandishing and using a firearm in relation to a Hobbs Act Robbery.  If convicted of all counts, Fields faces a mandatory minimum of seven years of incarceration for brandishing and using the firearm, in addition to any penalties for the underlying crimes, and a maximum penalty of life in prison.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Shannon T. Hanson, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, and Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office made the announcement.

    This case is being investigated by the Middletown Police Department and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin P. Pierce and Bryan C. Williamson are prosecuting the case.

    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.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware.  Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER.

    An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Utu’ as foreign policy: how a Māori worldview can make sense of a shifting world order

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Ross Smith, Senior Research Fellow, National Centre for Research on Europe, University of Canterbury

    Getty Images

    There is a growing feeling in New Zealand that the regional geopolitical situation is becoming less stable and more conflicted. China has ramped up its Pacific engagement, most recently with the Cook Islands, and the United States under Donald Trump is abandoning the old multilateral world order.

    As a result, we’re beginning to see New Zealand shift away from a two-decades-long preference for engaging with multiple partners towards a more conventional balancing strategy.

    Essentially, this attempts to counter the perceived threat from a strong country – namely China – with a combination of external alliances and internal policies.

    Externally, New Zealand has sought re-align itself within the US-led security sphere. Participation in pillar two of the AUKUS security pact has been seriously discussed, and New Zealand has actively engaged with NATO as a member of the “Indo-Pacific Four” (along with Australia, Japan and the Republic of Korea).

    Internally, a NZ$12 billion “defence plan” was announced in early April. This will see New Zealand increase defence spending from just over 1% of GDP to more than 2% over the next eight years.

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made no secret of these changing priorities. He has said he is simply taking “the world as it is”, adding:

    this realism is a shift from our predecessors’ vaguer notions of an indigenous foreign policy that no-one else understood, let alone shared.

    This was a direct repudiation of the previous Labour government’s foreign minister, Nanaia Mahuta. Her tenure had offered a glimpse of what a foreign policy guided by te ao Māori – the Māori worldview – might look like.

    Four tikanga Māori principles underpinned the policy: manaakitanga (hospitality), whanaungatanga (connectedness), mahi tahi and kotahitanga (unity through collaboration), and kaitiakitanga (intergenerational guardianship).

    ‘The world as it is’: Foreign Minister Winston Peters speaks at Rātana celebrations in Whanganui, January 24 2025.
    Getty Images

    Beyond Western-centric thinking

    Clearly, te ao Māori offers a very different way of looking at international relations. At its core it adopts a “relational” understanding of the world that views reality as a series of entanglements: “human with human, human with nonhuman, nonhuman with human, human and nonhuman with transcendent”.

    It is also a non-anthropocentric view: humans are not the masters of the world but rather stewards or custodians of a complex web of relations.

    But as we argue in a recent Global Policy article, despite good intentions, Mahuta’s four tikanga Māori were mostly used rhetorically. They did not fundamentally alter New Zealand’s foreign policy, which remained firmly Western-centric.

    We suggest those four tikanga principles would be enhanced by adding the concept of “utu” as a kind of overarching framework.

    Largely thanks to the famous 1983 film of the same name, utu is often thought to simply mean violent revenge. In fact, it is a much deeper concept that refers to the “process of restoring physical and spiritual relationships to an equal or harmonious state”.

    Utu as a foreign policy framework

    A foreign policy underpinned by utu, therefore, would seek to build relationships that are harmonious and reciprocal.

    Harmony, in this sense, goes beyond notions of an international order characterised by global peace, greater connectedness, increased cooperation and interdependence.

    While these are important, an utu-informed view of harmony would also take into account the relationship between humans and the natural world, and between present, past and future generations.

    Similarly, in the Western-centric view, reciprocity is typically “invoked as an appropriate standard of behaviour which can produce cooperation among sovereign states”.

    But utu involves a reciprocity built through hospitality (manaakitanga), something which has to be given even if serious discord exists in a relationship. Reciprocity is also important in interactions between humans and the natural world.

    Consequently, an utu foreign policy doctrine would offer a radically different lens than New Zealand is currently using.

    A genuinely independent foreign policy

    Firstly, it would require New Zealand to reject the Western geopolitical construct
    of the “Indo-Pacific”, which vastly oversimplifies the complex realities of the region.

    And it would mean viewing China not as an existential threat, but rather as a crucial relationship that is subject to the principles of manaakitanga, despite growing discord and diplomatic challenges.

    Secondly, it would see New Zealand recognise climate change as the primary existential threat to the status quo. This would align closely with the country’s Pacific neighbours whose Blue Pacific initiative offers an alternative to the Indo-Pacific focus.

    Lastly, it would help New Zealand more consistently and coherently pursue a genuinely independent foreign policy. This should have bipartisan appeal, as it would give New Zealand a unique perspective on the world.

    Ultimately, as New Zealand faces a more complex regional environment and a range of national security challenges, utu in its true sense offers a more constructive framework.

    Perhaps adopting a more complex – and more humble – understanding of the world, as provided by te ao Māori, would give policymakers an alternative pathway to simply taking “the world as it is”.

    The author acknowledges the contribution of independent researcher Bonnie Holster, co-author of the Global Policy paper on which this article is based.

    Nicholas Ross Smith does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. ‘Utu’ as foreign policy: how a Māori worldview can make sense of a shifting world order – https://theconversation.com/utu-as-foreign-policy-how-a-maori-worldview-can-make-sense-of-a-shifting-world-order-255602

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Delays following fire

    Source: New Zealand Police

    Motorists are advised to expect delays in Glen Innes due to a building fire in Mayfair Place around 7am.

    Mayfair Place is cordoned off and emergency services are in attendance.

    Taniwha Street and Apirana Avenue are currently closed although motorists can still use the roundabout.

    The fire is contained and there are no reports of injury.

    Motorists are advised to expect delays.

    ENDS.

    Nicole Bremner/NZ Police 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Name release: Fatal crash, Tirau

    Source: New Zealand Police

    Police can now release the name of the woman who died following a crash in Tirau on 10 April.

    She was 79-year-old Nancy Ruth Smith, of Hastings.

    We extend our condolences to her loved ones.

    The circumstances of the crash remain under investigation.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Announces Results of Operation Restore Justice: 205 Child Sex Abuse Offenders Arrested in FBI-led Nationwide Crackdown, Including Six in North Carolina

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, the Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators. The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders in the nationwide crackdown.  The coordinated effort was executed over the course of five days by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department’s Criminal Division, and United States Attorney’s Offices around the country.

    “The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims — especially child victims — and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest, and prosecute every child predator who preys on the most vulnerable among us,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate.”

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

    The FBI’s Charlotte Field Office arrested six people as part of this operation across North Carolina.

    • John Matthew Miller, of Wilmington, 35, is charged with sex trafficking of a minor; enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual conduct; and producing, distributing, receiving, and possessing child sexual abuse material. Miller was previously convicted of sexual battery and was a registered sex offender at the time of the offense. Miller faces at least 25 years and up to life in prison if convicted on all counts.
    • Jesse Lonzo Teal, of Bolivia, 72, also known as “Lonnie” and “Mark,” is charged with sex trafficking of a minor, enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual conduct, producing child sexual abuse material, and using the internet to promote an illegal prostitution business enterprise. He faces at least ten years and up to life imprisonment if convicted on all counts.
    • William Justin Lewis, of Louisburg, 54, is charged with distributing child sexual abuse material and possessing child sexual abuse material. He faces at least five years in federal prison and up to twenty years on each distribution count and up to twenty years on the possession count.
    • Donte Melvin Peek, of Durham, 34, is charged with attempted enticement of a minor, distribution of child sexual abuse material, receipt of child sexual abuse material, and possession of child sexual abuse material. He faces at least 10 years imprisonment and up to life imprisonment on the enticement charge and up to twenty years in federal prison on the possession count, if convicted.
    • Jonathan Robert Davlin, of Huntersville, 48, is charged with transportation of child sexual abuse material and possession and access with intent to view child sexual abuse material involving prepubescent minors. He faces at least five years and up to twenty years imprisonment on the transportation count and up to twenty years imprisonment on the possession count.
    • Terrell Shawn Anderson, previously of Charlotte, 30, is charged with distributing child sexual abuse material and possession child sexual abuse material. He faces at least five years in federal prison and up to twenty years on each distribution count and up to twenty years on the possession count. He was arrested by FBI Atlanta.

    “These important cases reflect the unwavering commitment of our office and our justice system to protect the most vulnerable members of our community—our children. We will continue to work closely with the FBI and our other law enforcement partners to ensure that those who commit such heinous acts are held accountable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar for the Eastern District of North Carolina. “There is no place in our community for those who prey on children, and we will do everything we can to not only seek justice for the victims, but to prevent additional child exploitation crimes.”

    “Producing and exchanging child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is a sickening reality in our world and it’s not just happening on the dark web. Pedophiles use the same platforms your family and friends use. No matter where this crime is occurring the FBI will find you. The Violent Crimes Against Children (VCAC) program is uniquely positioned to work complex global and multijurisdictional crimes against children with the capacity to counter threats of abuse and exploitation of children,” said Robert M. DeWitt, the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.

    Others arrested around the country are alleged to have committed various crimes including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors, and child sex trafficking. In Minneapolis, for example, a state trooper and Army Reservist was arrested for allegedly producing child sexual abuse material while wearing his uniforms. In Norfolk, VA, an illegal alien from Mexico is accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sex. In Washington, D.C., a former Metropolitan Police Department Police Officer was arrested for allegedly trafficking minor victims. 

    In many cases, parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a critical role in bringing these offenders to justice. For example, a California man was arrested about eight hours after a young victim bravely came forward and disclosed their abuse to FBI agents after an online safety presentation at a school near Albany, N.Y.

    This effort follows the Department’s observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, and underscores the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. While the Department, including the FBI, investigates and prosecutes these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preventing these crimes, seeking justice for victims, and raising awareness through community education.

    The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were 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 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org. The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.

    Other online resources:

    Electronic Press Kit

    Violent Crimes Against Children

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

     

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

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Announces Results of Operation Restore Justice: 205 Alleged Child Sex Abuse Offenders Arrested in FBI-Led Five-Day Nationwide Crackdown

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

    Seven cases move forward in Western Washington during National Child Abuse Prevention month

    Seattle – Today, the Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators.  The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrest of 205 child sexual abuse offenders in the nationwide crackdown.  The coordinated effort was executed by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department’s Criminal Division, and United States Attorney’s Offices around the country.

    “The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims — especially child victims — and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest, and prosecute every child predator who preys on the most vulnerable among us,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate.”

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

    In the Western District of Washington, seven federal cases moved forward with criminal charges, pleas, and/or sentencings of those who target minors for sexual abuse.

    “There is no greater responsibility than protecting our children from those seeking to sexually abuse them, either online or in person,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. “The cases we prosecuted over the last month charging child sexual exploitation in person and over the internet, and child sex trafficking are examples of the difficult work we do every day with our law enforcement partners to try to keep children safe.”

    “FBI Seattle’s Violent Crimes Against Children squad and our partners are hard at work, not only during Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, but also throughout the year,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “We are arresting predators, recovering children, and assisting victims through the support of our victim specialists. Just this fiscal year in the Seattle division, we have arrested 122 subjects and identified or located 59 children.”

    These are the FBI-led child sex abuse cases prosecuted in the Western District of Washington in April 2025:

    Others arrested around the country are alleged to have committed various crimes including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors, and child sex trafficking. In Minneapolis, for example, a state trooper and Army Reservist was arrested for allegedly producing child sexual abuse material while wearing his uniforms. In Norfolk, VA, an illegal alien from Mexico is accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sex. In Washington, D.C., a former Metropolitan Police Department Police Officer was arrested for allegedly trafficking minor victims.

    In many cases, parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a critical role in bringing these offenders to justice. For example, a California man was arrested about eight hours after a young victim bravely came forward and disclosed their abuse to FBI agents after an online safety presentation at a school near Albany, N.Y.

    This effort follows the Department’s observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April and underscores the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. While the Department, including the FBI, investigates and prosecutes these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preventing these crimes, seeking justice for victims, and raising awareness through community education.

    The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were 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 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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

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

    Other online resources:

    Electronic Press Kit

    Violent Crimes Against Children

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

    The charges contained in the indictments or criminal complaints are only allegations.  A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Cecelia Gregson, Kate Crisham, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Laura Harmon. Ms. Harmon is a Senior Deputy Prosecutor with the King County Prosecutors Office, specially designated to prosecute child exploitation cases in federal court.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: WF Holding Limited Announces Underwriters’ Exercise of Over-Allotment Option

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    KUALA LUMPUR, May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WF Holding Limited (NASDAQ: WFF) (“WF Holding” or “Company”), a Malaysia-based manufacturer of fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) products, today announced the underwriters of its initial public offering (the “Offering”) have partially exercised their over-allotment option to purchase an additional 240,000 ordinary shares at the public offering price of US$4.00 per share, resulting in additional gross proceeds of US$960,000.

    After giving effect to the partial exercise of the over-allotment option, the total number of ordinary shares sold by the Company in the public offering increased to 2,240,000 ordinary shares and the gross proceeds increased to approximately US$8.96 million, before deducting underwriter discounts and other related expenses. The option closing date was May 7, 2025.

    The ordinary shares began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on March 27, 2025, under the ticker symbol “WFF.”

    Dominari Securities LLC acted as the lead underwriter, with Revere Securities LLC acting as a co-underwriter for the Offering. Bevilacqua PLLC acted as U.S. counsel to the Company, and The Crone Law Group, P.C. acted as U.S. counsel to the underwriters in connection with the Offering.

    A registration statement on Form F-1 relating to the Offering was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) (File Number: 333-282294) and was declared effective by the SEC on March 26, 2025. The Offering was made only by means of a prospectus, forming a part of the registration statement, and a free writing prospectus. Copies of the final prospectus relating to the Offering may be obtained from Dominari Securities LLC by email at info@dominarisecurities.com, by standard mail to Dominari Securities LLC, 725 Fifth Avenue, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10022 USA, or by telephone at +1 (212) 393-4500; or from Revere Securities LLC by email at contact@reveresecurities.com, by standard mail to Revere Securities LLC, 560 Lexington Ave, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10022 USA, or by telephone at (212) 688-2238. In addition, copies of the prospectus and free writing prospectus relating to the Offering may be obtained for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

    This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Company’s securities, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of any of the Company’s securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction.

    About WF Holding Limited (NASDAQ: WFF)

    Based in Malaysia, WF Holding Limited is an ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturer of fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) products including tanks, pipes, ducts and custom-made FRP products. With a track record of over 30 years, we design and fabricate products that meet the specific needs of our clients, ensuring high-quality and reliable performance. Our high-quality and durable products leverage the advantages of FRP to reinforce critical industrial infrastructure, driving resilience, longevity and sustainability. We also deliver a wide range of related services such as consultation, delivery, installation, repair and maintenance.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Certain statements in this announcement are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including, but not limited to, the use of proceeds from the sale of the Company’s shares in the Offering. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “project” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology in this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the SEC.

    For more information, please contact:

    WF Holding Limited
    Investor Relations
    Email: corporate@winfung.com.my

    Sense Consultancy Group
    Yan Pheng Liang
    Email: phengliang@leesense.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Dan Goldman Blasts Hill Republicans for Exacerbating Violence and Disorder at Metropolitan Detention Center

    Source: US Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10)

    17 Inmates Have Died at the Metropolitan Detention Center Since 2020, Largely Due to Staffing Shortages and Poor Wages 

     

    Trump Admin Has Terminated Retention Bonuses for Bureau of Prison Correctional Officers and Cancelled Their Collective Bargaining Agreements 

     

    President’s FY26 Budget Does Not Include Funding for Law Mandating Meaningful Oversight of Federal Prisons 

     

    Rep. Dan Goldman: We must be living in Fantasyland. We’re trying to have a normal hearing doing oversight of the Bureau of Prisons when the President and Elon Musk are taking a hatchet to the Bureau, canceling the collective bargaining agreement for all of the correctional officers, eliminating retention bonuses for the correctional officers while making sure that every masked undercover Gestapo agent with ICE gets a $40,000 bonus.” 

     

    Rep. Dan Goldman: “My colleagues sit over there acting as if they’re really interested in correcting the Bureau of Prisons and all the problems that we have there. Then put some money where it is, because we all know that’s how you correct the problem. That’s how you implement the First Step Act. That’s how you implement and fund the Federal Prison Oversight Act, a bipartisan bill that we passed last Congress that has not been funded and can’t do anything. 

     

    Watch Full Committee Remarks Here 

    Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today at a House Judiciary Committee hearing condemned the impact of the Trump administration’s policies on the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in his district, where 17 inmates have died since 2020, in large part due to correctional officers’ inability to effectively oversee the prison due to staffing shortages. The Congressman highlighted how the Trump administration is undermining the safety and security of both prison inmates and staff by eliminating corrections officers’ collective bargaining agreements and staff retention bonuses. 

    A rush transcript of Congressman Goldman’s committee remarks is below: 

    Congressman Goldman: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And I would ordinarily appreciate this hearing very much, because the Bureau of Prisons is a critical component of the Department of Justice that is woefully underfunded and struggling to implement their mission.  

    But we must be living in Fantasyland. We’re trying to have a normal hearing doing oversight of the Bureau of Prisons when the President and Elon Musk are taking a hatchet to the Bureau, canceling the collective bargaining agreement for all of the correctional officers, eliminating retention bonuses for the correctional officers while making sure that every masked undercover Gestapo agent with ICE gets a $40,000 bonus. In fact, the bill you passed last week, that Republicans passed last week would give $12 billion in pay increases and bonuses to ICE and CBP, and nothing to the Bureau of Prisons. 

    And yet my colleagues sit over there acting as if they’re really interested in correcting the Bureau of Prisons and all the problems that we have there. Then put some money where it is, because we all know that’s how you correct the problem. That’s how you implement the First Step Act. That’s how you implement and fund the Federal Prison Oversight Act, a bipartisan bill that we passed last Congress that has not been funded and can’t do anything. 

    You are passing a partisan reconciliation bill. You have the purse strings. And yet we’re supposed to sit here thinking that you’re really serious about making sure that we’re helping the corrections officer. It’s just bogus.  

    And let’s take the Metropolitan Detention Center in my district in Brooklyn. Since 2020, there have been 17 inmates that have been killed, and the staffing shortages are devastating and have been devastating. 

    There have been numerous, numerous lockdowns simply because there is not enough staff. So, inmates are kept in isolation for multiple days at a time because of staffing shortages. There was a crackdown by the FBI and the Department of Justice in March. 25 inmates were arrested for all sorts of various smuggling efforts, violent assaults with scalpels. And, as my colleague from Florida said, smuggling cell phones.  

    There’s not enough staff to actually monitor what is going on. So, what did they do at MDC? Well, under President Biden, they implemented a retention bonus of 35% that enabled them to hire 87 additional people for that one location, the most in years and years. And it decreased lockdowns. 

    Since August of 2024, there have only been three days of lockdowns due to staff shortages. So, you would think that’s a productive way of boosting employment, boosting staffing, which I think every single one of our witnesses has said is an essential part of addressing the problems in the Bureau of Prisons.  

    So, what does President Trump do? Gets rid of the retention bonuses – gone. Gets rid of the collective bargaining agreement. How on earth do you think you are going to increase staffing by taking away all of the correction officers’ benefits, by taking away their retention bonus, which proved to be successful and is necessary.  

    And yet we’re here talking about implementing recidivism programs. It’s a joke. So, Mr. Biggs, you asked for some action items. 

    I’ll give you some action items.  

    Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ-05): Can I ask you a question? 

    Congressman Goldman: After I give you the action items, I’m happy to have a colloquy. One: restore the retention bonuses so that we can hire more corrections officers to implement all of the laws that we want to implement in a bipartisan way, and so we can keep the inmates safe. 

    Two:  restore the collective bargaining agreement rather than unilaterally canceling a negotiated collective bargaining agreement that gives the corrections officers very important protections.  

    And three: let’s fund the First Step Act. Let’s fund the Federal Prison Oversight Act, which has not been funded. There are three action items that you can take back to Mr. Trump to try to actually address the issues at the Bureau of Prisons. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta: Trump Administration Must Make a U-Turn on Illegal Withholding of Billions in Funding for EV Charging Infrastructure

    Source: US State of California

    BURLINGAME – California Attorney General Rob Bonta, California Governor Gavin Newsom, California Department of Transportation, and the California Energy Commission, today co-led a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for unlawfully withholding billions of dollars in funding approved by bipartisan majorities in Congress for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure that would reduce planet-warming pollution, expand access to clean vehicles, and create thousands of green jobs. Under the direction of the President, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a directive to thwart Congress’s $5 billion program, the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula program, which would expand EV charging infrastructure nationwide. This directive purports to revoke the approval of all prior state EV infrastructure plans and withholds the distribution of federal funds to states. Specifically, in California, FHWA’s unlawful actions would cost the state more than $300 million, eliminate thousands of good-paying jobs, and dismantle a critical, emerging tech industry. 

    “The President continues his unconstitutional attempts to withhold funding that Congress appropriated to programs he dislikes. This time he’s illegally stripping away billions of dollars for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, all to line the pockets of his Big Oil friends,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “The facts don’t lie: The demand for clean transportation continues to rise, and California will be at the forefront of this transition to a more sustainable, low-emissions future. California will not back down, not from Big Oil, and not from federal overreach.”

    “When America retreats, China wins. President Trump’s illegal action withholding funds for electric vehicle infrastructure is yet another Trump gift to China – ceding American innovation and killing thousands of jobs,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “Instead of hawking Teslas on the White House lawn, President Trump could actually help Elon – and the nation – by following the law and releasing this bipartisan funding.” 

    “California remains fully committed to developing a robust, reliable and accessible EV charging network which will help improve air quality and enhance the EV driving experience for all,” said California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild.

    “Withholding funding now would be wasteful, illegal, performative, and only serve to delay the progress we’ve made in building a cleaner, more sustainable transportation future,” said California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin. “We will continue to stand up for Californians and the nation because the future of the planet depends on it.”

    In 2022, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. One provision of the IIJA appropriated $5 billion for NEVI to facilitate a national network of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the states, making clean cars accessible and convenient for more consumers and markets. On Day One, President Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies to immediately stop releasing certain funds appropriated through the IIJA, including $5 billion that Congress appropriated for electric vehicle charging stations under NEVI. Following that directive, FHWA effectively halted the NEVI program by, among other things, withholding billions in funds that Congress had directed to the States for building EV infrastructure.

    California continues to lead the nation in the adoption of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and the development of supporting infrastructure to rapidly deploy funds to develop and ensure a reliable and easy-to-use charging network. To date, over 2 million ZEVs have been sold in California, representing more than 30% of all ZEVs sold in the United States. 

    The California Energy Commission anticipates that California will need several hundred thousand more EV charging ports to support light-duty cars and trucks and incrementally more charging ports for medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses to meet climate goals. California’s State Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan, approved by the federal government, would leverage public funding and private investment to build out a statewide charging infrastructure, including $384 million from the NEVI program.

    The complaint filed today alleges that the NEVI directive was arbitrary and capricious and not in accordance with law under the federal Administrative Procedure Act, and in violation of the U.S. Constitution. The NEVI program was created by statute, and, as it is a formula program, the amounts due to states are allocated by Congress, not the President. The complaint asks the court to declare that the NEVI directive is unlawful and to permanently stop the administration from withholding the funds. The states also seek a preliminary injunction to halt the illegal withholding of NEVI funds to the states.

    In filing the lawsuit Attorney General Bonta was joined by the attorneys general of Washington, Colorado, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. 

    A copy of the complaint will be made available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Labrador Announces Victory in Lawsuit Opposing California’s Electric-Truck Mandates

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Home Newsroom AG Labrador Announces Victory in Lawsuit Opposing California’s Electric-Truck Mandates

    BOISE – Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced today that California has agreed to repeal its electric-truck mandates that reach well beyond California’s borders. Nebraska led a coalition of 17 states and the Nebraska Trucking Association in challenging a suite of California regulations called Advanced Clean Fleets in the Eastern District of California. Among other things, Advanced Clean Fleets would have required certain trucking companies to retire internal-combustion trucks and transition to more expensive and less efficient electric trucks. The rule targeted any fleet that operated in California regardless of where the fleet is headquartered. Given California’s large population and access to international ports, this rule would have had nationwide effects on the supply chain. In the settlement announced today, however, California has agreed not to enforce the rule and to outright repeal it.
    “California’s attempt to dictate trucking standards for the entire country was a blatant overreach that would have devastated industries far beyond its borders,” Attorney General Labrador said. “This is a win for Idaho’s truckers and for the families and businesses who rely on them. Our truckers should not be forced to comply with mandates dreamt up by regulators in Sacramento. I’m proud to have joined this successful coalition, and I will continue fighting for policies that protect Idaho’s economy and constitutional rights.” 
    As part of the settlement, California regulators pledged to commence rulemaking proceedings to formally scrub the rule from the books. California regulators also conceded that they cannot enforce California’s 2036 ban on the sale of internal-combustion trucks unless and until the ban receives a Clean Air Act preemption waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Previously, Attorney General Labrador joined a 24-state coalition led by Nebraska in successfully opposing California’s request for a waiver. In addition to Attorney General Labrador, attorneys general from the following states joined the lawsuit against California regulators: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Also joining the lawsuit were the Nebraska Trucking Association and the Arizona State Legislature.
    Read the settlement here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy, Republicans Celebrate Small Businesses Driving America into the Golden Age

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and a group of Senate Republicans introduced legislation declaring this week “National Small Business Week” to recognize the important role small businesses play in creating jobs and fueling the economy.
    “We need an economy which works for small business,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Small businesses create the majority of new jobs. That is President Trump’s goal, that is my goal.”
    “Main Street is roaring back under President Trump’s pro-growth policies that are ushering in a Golden Age,” said Senator Ernst. “This week, we celebrate the small businesses that mean so much more than the livelihoods they support and the jobs they create. These shops embody the American spirit and shape the culture of big cities and rural communities across America. I’m proud to recognize these entrepreneurs’ tremendous contributions and will continue to fight to ensure that they have a champion in Washington.”
    Senator Cassidy introduced the THRIVE Act to level the playing field for small businesses by directing the Small Business Administration to create a program that helps small businesses lock in the cost of commodities, like gasoline or lumber, in order to protect against the future volatile price of energy and other expenses.
    Cassidy and Ernst were joined by U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Jon Husted (R-OH), James Lankford (R-OK), John Kennedy (R-LA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Susan Collins (R-ME), James Risch (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Steve Daines (R-MT), Jim Justice (R-WV), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Katie Britt (R-AL), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Boozman, (R-AK), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Barrasso (R-WY), John Curtis (R-UT), Jim Banks (R-IN), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Todd Young (R-IN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Tim Scott (R-SC), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Thune (R-SD), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Jerry Moran (R-KS), 
    “Small businesses are the backbone of Louisiana’s economy and create good jobs across our country,” said Senator Kennedy. “This National Small Business Week, I’m proud to recognize everything small businesses do for America and keep fighting to throw out bad regulations that hold our economy back.”
    “Small businesses are the backbone of Idaho’s economy,” said Senator Risch. “During National Small Business Week, I’m proud to recognize the hard-working entrepreneurs who employ our neighbors, give back to our communities, and make the Gem State a special place to live and grow.”
    “National Small Business Week holds a special place in my heart because I know all too well the pressures and joy that come with owning a business and signing the front of a paycheck,” said Senator Scott. “This week I join my colleagues in celebrating their innovation, resilience, and drive that not only creates jobs but fosters community and inspires entrepreneurship across America. As a former small business owner myself, I’m committed to supporting them and ensuring they have the resources they need to thrive and succeed.”
    “As the son of a small business owner, I understand how vital small businesses are to Indiana’s economy,” said Senator Young. “I’m proud to stand with Hoosier small business owners and will continue advocating for policies that help them thrive.”
    “We can’t do Made-in-America without Ohio’s hardworking small business owners, entrepreneurs and job creators,” said Senator Husted. “This week recognizes their work to fuel our economy and drive the country forward, and I’ll continue supporting pro-growth policies that make the American dream achievable.”
    “We know that small businesses drive America’s innovations and economic strength,” said Senator Grassley. “Here in Iowa, they make up 99.3 percent of all businesses, and nearly half of Iowa employees work for a small business. In marking this special week, our resolution recognizes the power of small businesses and honors the men and women who work hard to keep our communities vibrant.”
    “Small businesses are the backbone of Wyoming’s economy,” said Senator Barrasso. “To celebrate National Small Business week, we honor these job creators in Wyoming and across the country. Senate Republicans will continue to work with President Trump to roll back harmful regulations and taxes so America’s small businesses can continue to thrive.”
    “In West Virginia, small businesses are an essential part of our economy, making up more than 98% of the businesses in our state and employing nearly half of our workforce,” said Senator Capito. “During National Small Business Week, I am proud to join my colleagues in recognizing and celebrating the critical contributions small businesses, like the female-owned Dolly’s Diner in Princeton I visited recently, make in West Virginia and across our country.”
    “By designating this week as National Small Business Week, we honor the small business owners who embody the entrepreneurial spirit that makes Texas the economic powerhouse it is today,” said Senator Cornyn.
    “Maine’s small businesses are the bedrock of Maine’s local economies and drive job creation throughout our state,” said Senator Collins. “As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I remain committed to championing small businesses, the job creating engines that power our nation’s economy.”
    “Fighting for hardworking families, small businesses, and local Main Streets across Alabama has always been a top priority for me,” said Senator Britt. “Small businesses are the backbone of our nation’s economy, and I’m proud to recognize our incredible job creators and entrepreneurs this Small Business Week. I remain steadfastly committed to advancing policies that slash burdensome red tape, provide access to opportunities and resources, and unleash American ingenuity.”
    “Small businesses are at the heart of Tennessee’s economy and a cornerstone of our communities,” said Senator Blackburn. “As we mark National Small Business Week, I’m honored to celebrate these hardworking entrepreneurs. Under President Trump’s new Golden Age for America, we are seeing small businesses start to thrive again. I’ll keep fighting in the Senate to stop the largest tax hike in history and to advance pro-growth policies that cut red tape, lower taxes, and foster an environment where small businesses across America and Tennessee can continue to grow and prosper.”
    “This resolution reaffirms our commitment to supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Cowboy State who demonstrate incredible resilience and determination,” said Senator Lummis. “As they pursue their American dream, they sacrifice countless hours through hard work to overcome challenges and build something meaningful for their families and communities.”
    “Alaska’s small businesses are the cornerstone of our economy, keeping our communities strong and economically vibrant,” said Senator Sullivan. “Our local businesses are the first to give back—contributing to local causes, hiring people who live here, and listening to the needs of the people in our communities. I’m glad to join Senator Ernst in introducing a resolution that acknowledges the incredible work done by small businesses across the country to invest in their communities. I look forward to continuing to work with Alaska’s small businesses to support our crucial, innovative entrepreneurs.”
    “Small businesses are a driving force of North Dakota’s economy, fueling growth, creating jobs and supporting strong communities,” said Senator Hoeven. “Designating this week as National Small Business Week highlights the dedication and impact of entrepreneurs and small business owners both in our state and across the country.”
    “Small businesses employ over 65 percent of Montana’s workforce and represent 99 percent of all businesses in Montana, which boosts our local economies and creates new jobs in our communities,” said Senator Daines. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in celebrating National Small Business Week to recognize all the entrepreneurs and business owners whose innovation and hard work helps keep both Montana and our country a great place to live, work, and raise a family.”
     “I am proud to join my colleagues in celebrating National Small Business Week. Small businesses are the backbone of America, and thanks to the leadership of President Trump our nation’s entrepreneurs are finally empowered again with the resources and support they need to see their dreams come true,” said Senator Scott. “I’ve run businesses small and large, and I know the hard work these folks put in day-in and day-out to keep their doors open and employees on payroll. This week is a time to recognize these hardworking Americans who support our economy and create jobs in their communities as they live their American dream.”
    “Small businesses power our economy and represent core American values like hard work, taking risks and the pursuit of success,” said Senator Boozman. “I am pleased to join my colleagues in celebrating National Small Business week to applaud their local and regional investments that create jobs and sustain communities across Arkansas as well as nationwide. These entrepreneurs deserve our recognition and total support.”
    “Small businesses are the backbone of communities across America, and they represent the heart of Mississippi’s economy and way of life,” said Senator Hyde-Smith. “National Small Business Week is a time to celebrate the American dream, the drive of our entrepreneurs, and the ingenuity that powers growth and opportunity.  I’m proud to support this resolution and honor the small businesses that keep Mississippi strong and our nation thriving.”
    “As a former small business owner, I fully understand the challenges that small businesses face,” said Senator Marshall. “That’s why I remain committed to prioritizing Main Street over Wall Street by cutting red tape and taxes, opening new markets, and ensuring small businesses have the capital they need to grow and thrive. This week, we proudly recognize the lifeblood of our economy by honoring the remarkable contributions of small businesses and officially designating this week as National Small Business Week.”
    “Small businesses are the lifeblood of Idaho’s economy,” said Senator Crapo. “Idaho’s 200,131 small businesses have an outsized impact–making up 99.2 percent of businesses in the state and employing 56.6 percent of all Idaho employees.  I applaud the owners and employees who roll up their sleeves every day, work hard and power our economy.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Operation Restore Justice

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (video statements)

    In an unprecedented nationwide operation to protect our children and mark April’s National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the FBI announces Operation Restore Justice, a five-day, sweeping FBI initiative to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators across the country in coordination with all 55 of our FBI field offices.

    —————————————————
    Follow us on social media:
    X: https://twitter.com/fbi
    Facebook: https://facebook.com/FBI
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/fbi
    YouTube: youtube.com/user/fbi

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1nwTQcuZac

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lower Brule Man Sentenced to 27 Months in Federal Prison for for Possessing a Firearm While Using Drugs

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on May 6, 2025.

    Stephen Biviano Zapata, age 28, was sentenced to two years and three months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    Zapata was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024. He pleaded guilty on January 27, 2025.

    This conviction stems from a traffic stop on March 27, 2024, in Lower Brule, in the Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservation. Law enforcement was aware Zapata had an outstanding tribal arrest warrant. Upon his arrest officers searched Zapata’s person and vehicle locating three baggies containing methamphetamine, other drug paraphernalia, and an AR-style semi-automatic rifle with two magazines containing 48 rounds of ammunition. Zapata admitted to being a methamphetamine user and submitted a sample for urinalysis testing that was positive for methamphetamine. Zapata is prohibited from possessing firearms based on his drug use.

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

    This case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs-Office of Justice Services, Lower Brule Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Shooting of 5-Year Old Child and an Adult in 2024 Gets District Man 156 Month Prison Term

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WASHINGTON – Alante Partlow, 30, of the District, was sentenced today in Superior Court to 13 years in prison for shooting a 5-year-old child and an adult in April 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

    Partlow pleaded guilty Oct. 18, 2024, to two counts of aggravated assault while armed and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. In addition to the prison term, Superior Court Judge Robert Okun ordered five years of supervised release.

    According to the government’s evidence, with which Partlow agreed, at approximately 11:20 p.m. on April 23, 2024, the adult victim and a 5-year-old child were walking out of an apartment building in the Fort Totten neighborhood, after the adult had argued with Partlow. Partlow followed the victims outside and then fired multiple shots at the adult victim. The adult tried to shield the child and sustained multiple gunshot wounds. The child also sustained injuries.

    In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They also acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Roberts, who prosecuted the case.

    This law enforcement activity is part of President Donald J. Trump’s Make DC Safe and Beautiful Executive Order. The Executive Order directs a coordinated federal effort to reduce crime, enhance public safety, and restore pride in the nation’s capital through targeted enforcement, improved policing, and strategic partnerships.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Announces Results Of Operation Restore Justice: 205 Child Sex Abuse Offenders Arrested in FBI-Led Nationwide Crackdown, Including 4 in the Western District of New York

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BUFFALO, NY – Today, the Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators.  The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders in the nationwide crackdown. The coordinated effort was executed over the course of five days by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department’s Criminal Division, and United States Attorney’s Offices around the country.

    “The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims — especially child victims — and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest, and prosecute every child predator who preys on the most vulnerable among us,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate.”

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

    “These arrests should send a clear message that, together with our law enforcement partners at all levels, we will track down and prosecute those who target our children,” stated U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo. “Our office will never stop doing all that we can to protect children from these harmful predators.”

    “Operation Restore Justice’ sends a powerful message: the FBI is unwavering and united in its fight to protect our children,” said Matthew Miraglia, the Special Agent-in- Charge of the FBI’s Buffalo Field Office. “These arrests demonstrate the unwavering dedication of the FBI and our law enforcement partners. Our work does not stop here. The FBI is committed to holding predators accountable and pursuing justice for victims.”

    Arrested in the Western District of New York and charged with possession of child pornography are:

    Brian Keith, 68, of Niagara Falls, NY. During the execution of a search warrant on March 13, 2025, at Keith’s residence, Niagara Falls Police officers seized a DVR, laptop, five hard drives and two tablets. A review of the electronic devices recovered images of child pornography. Keith is a registered Level 3 sex offender.

    Matthew Kowalski, 25, of Kenmore, NY. In October 2024, he was sentenced to 10 years’ probation for Possessing a Sexual Performance of a Minor, a New York State Penal Law violation. On April 11, 2025, during an unannounced home visit by Erie County Probation Officers, a cellular phone with an SD card was found, which Kowalski was not permitted to possess. A search of the phone and SD card recovered multiple images and videos of suspected child pornography.

    Samari Thompson, 20, of Buffalo, NY. On November 4, 2024, investigators executed a search warrant at Thompson’s residence, seizing electronic devices, including a cellular telephone. A search of the cell phone recovered 48 images and 16 videos of suspected child pornography. Some of the images and videos depicted infants.

    Jamie R. Anderson, 25, of Buffalo, NY. In January 2022, Anderson was sentenced to 10 years’ probation for Possessing a Sexual Performance of a Minor, a New York State Penal Law violation. On July 3, 2024, the social media application Kik reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that 13 video and image files of apparent child pornography were uploaded to their server. Subsequent investigation traced the uploaded files to Anderson. The investigation also determined that Anderson was the subject of two other tipline reports.

    Others arrested around the country are alleged to have committed various crimes including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors, and child sex trafficking. In Minneapolis, for example, a state trooper and Army Reservist was arrested for allegedly producing child sexual abuse material while wearing his uniforms. In Norfolk, VA, an illegal alien from Mexico is accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sex. In Washington, D.C., a former Metropolitan Police Department Police Officer was arrested for allegedly trafficking minor victims.

    In many cases, parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a critical role in bringing these offenders to justice. For example, a California man was arrested about eight hours after a young victim bravely came forward and disclosed their abuse to FBI agents after an online safety presentation at a school near Albany, N.Y.

    This effort follows the Department’s observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April and underscores the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. While the Department, including the FBI, investigates and prosecutes these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preventing these crimes, seeking justice for victims, and raising awareness through community education.

    The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were 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 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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

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

    Other online resources:

    Electronic Press Kit

    Violent Crimes Against Children

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

    Arrests in the Western District of New York are the result of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Task Force, the New York State Police, the Town of Tonawanda Police Department, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, the Erie County Probation Department, and the Niagara Falls Police Department.

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

    # # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Mexican men arrested for illegal re-entry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Israel De La Cruz San Juan, 29, and Candido De La Cruz San Juan, 34, both citizens of Mexico, were arrested and charged in separate criminal complaints with illegal re-entry of a removed alien, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Sasha Mascarenhas, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on April 27, 2025, Buffalo Border Patrol Station agents were conducting plain clothes surveillance, when they spotted an out-of-state work truck with construction equipment inside in Tonawanda, NY. It was determined that the registration on the truck had expired in September of 2024 and a traffic stop was conducted. Records checks determined that all three occupants, including Israel De La Cruz San Juan and Candido De La Cruz San Juan, were illegally present in the United States. Israel De La Cruz San Juan and Candido De La Cruz San Juan were taken into custody. Israel De La Cruz San Juan was previously removed from the United States in November 2017, and Candido De La Cruz San Juan was removed from the United States in May 2012, and July 2013.

    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.

    The defendants made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroder, Jr. and were detained.

    The complaint is a result of an investigation by U.S. Border Patrol, under the direction of Patrol Agent in Charge Juan Ramirez.

    The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.     

    # # # #

    MIL Security OSI –