NewzIntel.com

Category: Justice

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Influencers sound alarm on US recession driven by tariff-induced economic turmoil, reveals GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    Influencers sound alarm on US recession driven by tariff-induced economic turmoil, reveals GlobalData

    Posted in Business Fundamentals

    In April 2025, discussions surrounding the recession topic on social media increased by nearly 70% compared to the previous month, driven by growing concerns over economic instability. This marked the highest level of discourse since January 2025, reflecting heightened public anxiety regarding the state of the economy, while influencer sentiment on the topic declined by 25% in April compared to the prior month, reveals the Social Media Analytics Platform of GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    A key factor fueling this surge in discussions was the imposition of substantial US tariffs under the Trump administration, which drew parallels to the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, often linked to the onset of the Great Depression. Influencers cautioned that these tariffs, among the highest imposed since the 1920s, could lead to inflation, reduced consumer spending, and weakened global competitiveness, thereby increasing the risk of a recession.

    Shreyasee Majumder, Social Media Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Influencers characterized the tariffs as a detrimental policy destabilizing the economy, increasing risks of stagflation or recession. They emphasized the uncertainty surrounding the tariffs’ duration, warning that prolonged enforcement could entrench economic downturn risks. Their discourse, conveyed with urgency, condemned the tariffs as reckless, forecasting severe recessionary or depression-like consequences. Influencers stressed on the tariffs’ immediate adverse effects, global trade implications, and disruption of prior economic stability as driving the recession narrative.”

    Below are a few popular influencer opinions captured by GlobalData’s Social Media Analytics Platform:

    1. Sadaf Sayeed, Chief Executive Officer at Muthoot Microfin Ltd:

    “Ultimately US consumers will end up paying for these tariffs. US will face massive inflation and crash of consumer confidence. Recession is certain.”

    1. Brett House, Economist:

    “I joined @kcalnews to explain why President Trump’s tariffs are a tax on American households—not a “liberation.” They’re set to raise costs, squeeze supply chains, and risk triggering the first White House-induced recession in the postwar era.”

    1. Lawrence H. Summers, Charles W. Eliot Professor and President Emeritus at Harvard:

    “This has probably been the least successful first hundred days of a presidency @realDonaldTrump on the economy in the last century. We have seen the stock market go down, the dollar go down, forecasts of unemployment go up, forecasts of inflation go up, forecasts on the odds of a recession go up. We’ve seen consumer confidence collapse. We’ve seen businesses take back all their previous earnings projections. So, this has been a disastrous hundred days for the US economy.”

    1. Robinson Meyer, Founding Executive Editor at Heatmap News:

    “What remains astonishing is that this isn’t a “natural” recession. There’s no cyclical slowdown or housing bubble. Consumers were holding up okay. This is about one man choosing to crash the economy because of a dumb idea, and 273 of his party’s lawmakers letting him do it.”

    1. Mehdi Hasan, Editor-in-chief and CEO of Zeteo News:

    “He inherited the fast growing economy in the western world, with one of the lowest unemployment rates, and he is now ‘fixing’ it by ushering in a global trade war and possible recession.”

    1. John Ashcroft, Founder at John Ashcroft and The Saturday Economist:

    “US tariffs ‘will push UK, Europe and Asia into recession’ Economists rip up forecasts for global growth as the White House increases average tariffs from 2.5% to 25% …  highest since the 1920s …”

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Co-Leads Comment Letter to Trump Administration Opposing Fair Housing Rule Change

    Source: US State of California Department of Justice

    OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today co-led a coalition of 18 attorneys general in sending a comment letter to the Trump Administration’s U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), opposing its interim final rule that walks back HUD’s duty to affirmatively further fair housing (AFFH). Under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), HUD is statutorily required to administer programs that prevent discrimination in home sales or rentals and affirmatively further fair housing (otherwise known as the AFFH Mandate), which includes combatting the persistence of segregation in housing and its harmful effects. In 2021, HUD issued a rule requiring that all grantees — including local governments, states, and public housing authorities — certify their AFFH compliance prior to receiving any federal funding. HUD’s new interim final rule walks back this requirement, replaces robust rules with a weak AFFH certification process, and seeks to dismantle HUD’s prior AFFH rulemaking efforts.  

    “During the first Trump Administration, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development tried repeatedly to abandon its legal obligation to facilitate fair housing. My office took a leadership role in fighting back, and we’re doing so again now,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Ending housing discrimination and fostering diverse communities should not be controversial. My fellow attorneys general and I will continue to champion fair housing opportunities for all.”

    In their letter, the attorneys general argue that the new interim final rule violates the charge of the FHA and the AFFH Mandate, as it does not require grantees to meaningfully evaluate whether their actions will reduce segregation and promote integration, nor does it require any specific fair housing planning processes. Instead, it undermines efforts to promote fair housing and ignores HUD’s statutory requirement to affirmatively further fair housing. According to the attorneys general, the proposed rule lacks any factual basis for its drastic policy change and practically depletes HUD’s oversight to identify and address barriers to fair housing. 

    Many California municipalities and public housing authorities are recipients of HUD funding awards. The Trump Administration’s new interim final rule will undermine California’s efforts to combat housing segregation, promote equal housing opportunities, and address homelessness throughout the state.

    Attorney General Bonta co-led the letter with Massachusetts Attorney General Joy Campbell and New York Attorney General Letitia James. They were joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.  

    A copy of the comment letter can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner & Kaine Statement on President’s Budget Request

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    Published: May 02 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement after President Donald Trump released his Fiscal Year 2026 discretionary budget request to Congress:
    “The budget the President released today reflects what we’ve seen over the past 103 days—that the Trump Administration is laser-focused on taking a chainsaw to important government programs that Americans rely on so that they can cut taxes for billionaires. This cruel budget would cut critical funding for education, such as Federal Work Study; substance use disorder prevention; rural development; housing; support for small businesses; research into cancer and other diseases; cybersecurity; foreign assistance; violence prevention, including Jabara-Heyer NO Hate grants; and more. It would also roll back funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other historic legislation that we were proud to help pass in Congress. As Congress continues negotiating a budget in the coming months, we are committed to pushing back against these massive cuts that will harm Virginians and our economy and make communities less safe.”   

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Free camps for ACT public primary schools

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    All ACT primary school students will be able to attend a free camp at Birrigai during their primary school years.

    In brief:

    • The ACT Government will provide one free school camp at Birrigai for every student during their primary years.
    • The free camps will be held at Birrigai Outdoor School from term 1 this year.

    The ACT Government will provide one free school camp at Birrigai for every primary school student, with free camps starting in term 1 this year.

    Camps will be held at Birrigai Outdoor School, near Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.

    It’s expected that one year group from each ACT public primary school will attend a free camp each year.

    This will allow all ACT primary school students to attend a free camp during their primary school years.

    Allowing everyone to participate

    This new program means families won’t have to miss out due to cost.

    School camps are an important part of the educational experience. The program ensures all students can attend.

    The program roll out

    It’s anticipated that more than 1000 students will benefit from the program in the first half of the year.

    Additional school bookings will open in the coming weeks.

    Work is underway to support the roll out of the program’s first phase in the first half of 2025. 

    Schools will communicate to their school communities as plans are finalised.

    Semester 1 2025 bookings are subject to availability.

    Ensuring equity in education

    Equity is one of the four principles of the ACT Government’s Future of Education Strategy.

    The program comes in addition to other initiatives aimed at helping Canberra families with school costs. These include:

    • free three-year-old preschool
    • the Future of Education Equity Fund
    • a Chromebook for every public secondary school student.

    Find out more at education.act.gov.au

    Read more like this

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: First students for Aunty Agnes Shea High School

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The new school’s logo and uniform design derive from an artwork created by Aunty Agnes Shea’s granddaughter.

    In brief:

    • The first students are now attending Canberra’s newest public school – Aunty Agnes Shea High School.
    • The school is named after late senior Ngunnawal Elder Aunty Agnes Shea.
    • This week, over 50,000 students return to public schools across the ACT.

    The brand-new Aunty Agnes Shea High School in Taylor welcomes its first students this week.

    The ACT’s 92nd public school, it will cater to up to 800 years 7–10 students in the growing suburbs of north Gungahlin.

    The new school’s students are among over 50,000 returning to public schools across Canberra.

    Named for a great Canberran

    The new school’s name honours late senior Ngunnawal Elder Aunty Agnes Shea.

    The school’s logo and uniform design derive from the artwork ‘Journeys’ about Aunty Agnes Shea.

    Artist Selina Walker is Aunty Agnes Shea’s granddaughter. She gifted ‘Journeys’ to the school.

    The logo was co-designed with Aunty Agnes Shea’s family. The school’s first cohort of students and their families also contributed to how ‘Journeys’ is shown on the school uniform.

    Contemporary facilities

    The school features state-of-the-art learning spaces. It is also fully electric in its operations. The buildings use sustainable materials and a large solar panel array.

    Students can also enjoy:

    • a double gym with basketball, netball, futsal, volleyball and badminton markings
    • a covered hard court suitable for basketball and netball
    • kickabout spaces for ball sports
    • external fitness equipment.

    Spaces in the school are available for community use.

    Aunty Agnes Shea OAM

    Aunty Agnes Josephine Shea OAM dedicated most of her life to bettering the world for future generations of Aboriginal Australians.

    She worked tirelessly in many different roles for the varying range of communities that call Ngunnawal Country home.

    Aunty Agnes Shea’s achievements and dedication have been recognised over the years.

    In 2001 she was awarded the Centenary Medal. In 2004, she received the Medal of the Order of Australia.

    In 2010 she was awarded an ACT Senior Citizen of the Year award. She also gained a place on the ACT Honour Walk that same year.

    Find more on the Aunty Agnes Shea High School website.

    The brand-new school offers state-of-the-art facilities.

    Read more like this:

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Your guide to adopting a dog in Canberra

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    • This story includes some lesser-known considerations for adopting a dog.

    Dogs are wonderful companions that bring joy to their families.

    Owning a dog can help people to:

    • be more active
    • feel less lonely
    • socialise more
    • find a sense of purpose.

    Before you bring a dog into your family, there are a few things to consider. Here are a few points that people don’t often talk about:

    Each dog has a different personality

    You may have expected that your new pup will love fetch and swimming. But then find they prefer tug and digging instead.

    Spend some time getting to know your dog. Discovering their personality and temperament can be rewarding. Their genetics and history can inform how they react to different people, toys and other animals. Breed can also play a part in their temperament.

    It can take three months for your dog to adjust to their new environment

    Moving into a new home can be stressful for a dog. This is common for dogs who have come from a noisy shelter environment.

    In the first three days, your dog will be decompressing. They may seem scared or unsure. During this time, you might not see their ‘true’ personality.

    After three weeks, your pup will start settling in. Their personality will start to show as they get more comfortable. After three months it’s likely that your dog will be comfortable and trust you. It’s important to take this time with them and not try to rush them

    You will always need to care for your dog – even on your hardest days

    Taking your dog on a walk on a beautiful Sunday is wonderful, but not every day will be easy.

    Remember that dogs still need to go for a walk even when you don’t feel like it. Your dog will still need to be looked after when you’re feeling sick, sad or stressed. Consider if you need a support system to help you look after your pet on difficult days.

    Owning a dog will change the way your home looks

    When you have a dog, your floor may always have a few toys strewn about. There may also be stray pieces of dog food and dog hair on it.

    You may also need to change the way you decorate your home. This is to keep fragile items out of your dog’s reach. You should also consider if you are ready to clean up after your dog potentially having toileting accidents inside.

    Your social life will look a bit different

    Most dogs can be left alone for hours at a time. There are also pet-friendly venues around Canberra.

    Even so, you should prepare for times where you need to leave an event early to be with your dog.

    There may also be times where your pet is unwell. You may need to miss social occasions to care for them. Consider if these are sacrifices you are willing to make for your pet.

    Travelling can be more challenging

    Looking for dog-friendly accommodation while traveling can be difficult and expensive. It can also be hard to find someone to look after your pet if you plan on leaving them at home.

    Before getting a dog, ask friends or family if they would be willing to look after your pet while you travel. You can also check out the costs of pet-boarding or pet-sitters. It’s important to be aware of these potential costs before getting a dog.

    Dogs cost money

    In addition to buying dog food, toys, and other treats, in the ACT, owners must register, microchip, de-sex their dog which costs money.  There are also licences and permits you may need to obtain if you wish to breed your dog or if there are 4 or more dogs living at your residence.

    Dogs also need regular check-ups and vaccinations to keep them happy and healthy. Dogs can also have accidents from time-to-time which need to be seen to by a veterinarian, often at short notice. Consider whether you can financially look after a dog to give it the best life possible.

    Moving your pet interstate and overseas can be costly

    Most Australian airlines will not allow pets in the cabin. You might want to consider if you’re comfortable with your pet in the cargo hold, or if you’re comfortable driving interstate with your pet.

    If an international move is on the cards during your pets’ lifespan, you need to factor in the extra cost of bringing them. Moving your pet internationally can be costly.

    Having realistic expectations of what having a dog looks like is important for making informed decisions. A common reason for dogs being surrendered is because owners weren’t aware of the challenges of pet ownership.

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE operation in Northern Virginia nets 3 alien offenders

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in partnership with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Department of Justice Diplomatic Security Service, arrested three illegal aliens during routine daily operations April 21 in Northern Virginia.

    Among those arrested were an illegally present Salvadoran national with prior drug convictions and an illegally present Liberian national wanted in his home country for documents fraud. Authorities also apprehended an additional illegally present Salvadoran alien.

    “ICE Washington, D.C. takes our commitment to public safety very seriously,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C. Field Office Director Russell Hott. “Our brave officers are out on the streets every day enforcing U.S. immigration laws and ensuring the safety of our Washington, D.C. and Virginia communities. We will continue our mission to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing criminal alien offenders from our neighborhoods.”

    ICE officers and agents from DEA, ATF, and DSS arrested:

    • Camilo Cesar Gonzales-Encalada, 23, an illegally present Spanish national and member of the Sureños gang whose criminal history includes convictions for assault, criminal possession of a loaded firearm and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Officers with ICE New York arrested Gonzales April 6.

    • Eric Sumo, 51, illegal Liberian alien wanted for documents fraud to include fraudulently possessing/manufacturing U.S. visas.

    • An illegal Salvadoran national who is in removal proceedings.

    Officers with ICE Washington, D.C. and agents with DEA Washington, D.C.; ATF Washington, D.C.; and DSS Washington, D.C. arrested Reyes and the other Salvadoran alien in Annandale. They apprehended Sumo in Alexandria April 21. All three aliens remain in ICE custody.

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

    Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in our communities on X: @EROWashington.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Three Individuals Charged in Scheme to Defraud Department of Veterans Affairs of Over $9.1M

    Source: US Justice – Antitrust Division

    Headline: Three Individuals Charged in Scheme to Defraud Department of Veterans Affairs of Over $9.1M

    Three men were charged with participating in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of over $9.1 million in education benefits, including funds from the Post 9/11 GI Bill education benefit program. One of the men has pleaded guilty for his role in the scheme.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Labrador Announces Prison Sentences for Three Idaho Men in Child Pornography Cases

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Home Newsroom AG Labrador Announces Prison Sentences for Three Idaho Men in Child Pornography Cases

    BOISE — Attorney General Raúl Labrador has announced that two men in eastern Idaho and one man in northern Idaho were sentenced on April 28, 2025, for the sexual exploitation of children.
    Gregg McFarlane, 51, was sentenced in Shoshone County on two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child by Possession of Sexually Exploitative Material (child pornography) and one count of Possessing Visual Representations of the Sexual Abuse of Children—a new law targeting images of child sex abuse generated using artificial intelligence. In August 2024, Detective Jim Bohr, using undercover law enforcement computers, identified child sexual abuse material (CSAM) being uploaded from an address associated with McFarlane in Pinehurst, Idaho. In October 2024, a residential search warrant was executed at McFarlane’s address, during which various electronic devices and a child-sized sex doll were seized. McFarlane admitted to receiving links to CSAM files through torrent sites and searching for CSAM on those same sites. A forensic examination of McFarlane’s devices revealed over 200 files containing CSAM of children as young as four years old. The examination also uncovered generative AI images of what appeared to be realistic children, some as young as five, engaged in sexual acts.
    Judge Barbara Duggan sentenced McFarlane to a total of 10 years in prison, ordering that he be eligible for parole after three years. The investigation was led by Detective Jim Bohr of the Meridian Police Department, who serves in the Attorney General’s ICAC Unit, and was assisted by the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office, and ICAC affiliates from the Moscow and Post Falls Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General James Haws.
    Skylar Reed, 25, was sentenced in Bannock County on two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child by Possession of Sexually Exploitative Material (child pornography). In July 2024, the ICAC Unit received a CyberTip indicating that two accounts belonging to Reed had downloaded CSAM. In November 2024, a residential search warrant was executed on Reed’s residence and devices. Reed admitted in an interview with investigators that he had downloaded and shared CSAM with others online. An examination of Reed’s phones revealed numerous files of CSAM, including material depicting children being raped.
    Judge Robert Naftz sentenced Reed to a total of 10 years in prison, ordering that he be eligible for parole after two and a half years. The investigation was led by Detective Irina Leach of the Pocatello Police Department, who serves in the Attorney General’s ICAC Unit, and was assisted by the Boise Police Department, Pocatello Police Department, and Madison County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorneys General Madison Allen and Austin Young.
    Seth Tanaka, 23, was sentenced in Bonneville County on two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child by Possession of Sexually Exploitative Material (child pornography). In February 2024, the ICAC Unit received a CyberTip that a social media account belonging to Tanaka had uploaded multiple files of CSAM. In August 2024, a residential search warrant was obtained for Tanaka’s property and devices. Officers found CSAM on Tanaka’s phone depicting post-pubescent female minors engaged in lascivious acts and poses. In an interview, Tanaka admitted to viewing children of all ages—from infants to teens—but stated that his primary sexual interest was in developing female children.
    Judge Michael Whyte sentenced Tanaka to a total of 10 years in prison but retained jurisdiction over the case for up to one year. During this period of retained jurisdiction, also known as a rider, Tanaka will be incarcerated and receive treatment and programming. Judge Whyte will then determine whether Tanaka should be placed on probation or serve the remainder of his sentence. The investigation was led by Detective Jared Mendenhall of the Idaho Falls Police Department, who serves in the Attorney General’s ICAC Unit, and was assisted by the Idaho Falls Police Department, Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, and Pocatello Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Madison Allen.
    “Idaho is committed to confronting every form of child exploitation—whether buried in the depths of the internet or advanced through new threats like AI-generated abuse material. My office will continue to pursue these threats with every tool we have. I commend the diligent work of our ICAC Unit, law enforcement partners, and prosecutors who brought these offenders to justice,” stated Attorney General Labrador.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mansfield Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Producing Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Keevon Carter-Hickmon, a 30-year-old Mansfield man, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham. 

    Carter-Hickmon was indicted and pleaded guilty in January 2025 to production of child pornography.  He was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor on May 2, 2025.  

    According to a factual resume signed by the defendant, Carter-Hickmon drove to a local middle school to pick up a minor after communicating with the minor online for several months.  Carter-Hickmon took the minor to a motel in Arlington where they had sexual contact.  Carter-Hickmon recorded and then distributed pornographic images of the minor over the internet.  While awaiting trial on state charges, Carter-Hickmon solicited another minor online and received additional child pornography from that minor. 

    Acting United States Attorney Meacham praised the extraordinary efforts of the agencies involved in bringing justice on behalf of the victims.  Those agencies included the Arlington Police Department, Stephenville Police Department, Mansfield Police Department, United States Secret Service, and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Allyson Monte prosecuted the case.

    The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement of U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine on President’s Budget Request

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
     WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement after President Donald Trump released his Fiscal Year 2026 discretionary budget request to Congress:
    “The budget the President released today reflects what we’ve seen over the past 103 days—that the Trump Administration is laser-focused on taking a chainsaw to important government programs that Americans rely on so that they can cut taxes for billionaires. This cruel budget would cut critical funding for education, such as Federal Work Study; substance use disorder prevention; rural development; housing; support for small businesses; research into cancer and other diseases; cybersecurity; foreign assistance; violence prevention, including Jabara-Heyer NO Hate grants; and more. It would also roll back funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other historic legislation that we were proud to help pass in Congress. As Congress continues negotiating a budget in the coming months, we are committed to pushing back against these massive cuts that will harm Virginians and our economy and make communities less safe.”   

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: WEEK 15 WINS: President Trump’s 100th Day Marked by More Success

    Source: The White House

    This week, President Donald J. Trump celebrated his 100th day in office — and set the course for the next 100 days of growth, prosperity, and success for the American people.

    Here is a non-comprehensive list of wins in week 15:

    • The economy added 177,000 new jobs in April, according to the latest jobs report — smashing expectations for another month as the workforce grows and businesses onshore jobs.
    • President Donald J. Trump’s relentless pursuit of manufacturing dominance spurred onshoring and additional U.S. investment.
      • Mercedes-Benz announced it will move production of another vehicle to its Tuscaloosa, Alabama, manufacturing facility.
      • AstraZeneca announced it will shift production of some medicines from Europe to the U.S.
      • Walmart expanded its support for American-made products.
      • IBM announced a $150 billion investment over the next five years in its U.S.-based growth and manufacturing operations.
      • Pratt Industries announced a $5 billion investment that will result in 5,000 new manufacturing jobs across several key industrial states.
      • Kimberly-Clark announced a $2 billion investment in its U.S. manufacturing sites, which will create 900 new jobs.
      • Corning announced it is expanding its Michigan manufacturing facility investment to $1.5 billion.
      • Merck & Co. announced a $1 billion investment to build a new state-of-the-art biologics manufacturing plant in Delaware, which will create at least 500 new jobs — part of the company’s commitment to invest more than $9 billion over the next four years.
        • “Since the advent of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Merck has allocated more than $12 billion to enhance our domestic manufacturing and research capabilities, with additional planned investments of more than $9 billion over the next four years.”
      • Amgen announced a $900 million investment in its Ohio-based manufacturing operation.
        • “Pro-growth policies like the @POTUS @WhiteHouse 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act helped make investments like this possible. Since enactment, Amgen has invested ~$5B in capital expenditures. This amounts to an additional downstream output to the U.S. economy of approximately $12B.”
      • The Bel Group announced a $350 million investment to expand its U.S.-based production, including at its South Dakota, Idaho and Wisconsin facilities — which will create 250 new jobs.
    • President Trump continued to secure our border and rid our communities of illegal immigrant criminals.
      • New York Post: Illegal border crossings remained near historic lows in April after President Trump’s crackdown
      • The Trump Administration directed an operation at an underground nightclub in Colorado “frequented by TdA and MS-13 terrorists” that resulted in 100 illegal immigrant arrests.
      • ICE arrested more than 1,000 illegal immigrants in Florida in just six days as part of Operation Tidal Wave.
      • Uzbekistan agreed to pay for and accept 131 illegal immigrants from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
    • President Trump continued to pursue peace through strength around the world.
      • President Trump secured a historic agreement with Ukraine that gives the U.S. an economic stake in securing a free, peaceful, and sovereign future for Ukraine and allows for the long-term reconstruction and modernization of the country after Russia’s invasion.
      • President Trump announced secondary sanctions on any country or person who purchases Iranian oil.
      • President Trump secured the release of a wrongfully detained U.S. citizen in Belarus and a U.S. citizen imprisoned in Kuwait — for a total of 47 detained citizens abroad freed since President Trump took office.
      • The Trump Administration brokered a joint pledge for peace between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
      • The Department of the Treasury cracked down on vessels delivering oil derivatives to Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
      • The Department of the Treasury sanctioned six Iranian and Chinese firms linked to procuring missile propellant ingredients for the Iranian regime.
    • The Trump Administration forged ahead on its unprecedented effort to secure American energy dominance.
      • Woodside Energy Group financially approved a $17.5 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.
      • The Environmental Protection Agency granted an emergency waiver that allows Americans to buy cheaper, higher-ethanol gasoline through the summer, which will save Americans money.
    • President Trump took a series of executive actions to improve Americans’ lives.
      • President Trump strengthened the ability of state and local law enforcement to pursue criminals and protect innocent Americans.
      • President Trump signed an executive order to protect Americans in so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions from dangerous criminal illegal immigrants.
      • President Trump established the Religious Liberty Commission to safeguard and promote America’s founding principle of religious freedom.
      • President Trump incentivized American automobile production.
      • President Trump ordered that commercial truck drivers must be properly qualified and proficient in English.
      • President Trump ended the taxpayer subsidization of NPR and PBS.
    • President Trump unveiled his proposed budget, which would save taxpayers $163 billion in wasteful spending, gut the weaponized deep state, and provide historic increases for defense and border security.
    • President Trump launched the FEMA Review Council to help fix the broken disaster response system and return power to the states.
    • President Trump announced Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan will soon be home to the new F-15EW Eagle II fighter jets.
    • President Trump renamed May 8 as “Victory Day for World War II” and November 11 as “Victory Day for World War I” in recognition of America’s role in winning the two wars.
    • The Department of Health and Human services released a comprehensive review of so-called “gender-affirming care,” finding no strong medical or scientific evidence exists to support the treatment’s irreversible effects.
    • The Trump Administration ended the Biden-era lawfare against South Dakota cattle ranchers who were wrongfully persecuted over a minor land dispute.
    • The Department of State designated Haitian gangs Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
    • The Department of Education launched a civil rights investigation into the New York Department of Education over its threat to withhold funding from the Massapequa School District if it does not eliminate its Native American mascot.
    • The Department of Education announced its finding that the University of Pennsylvania violated Title IX, notifying the institution that they have ten days to resolve the violations or risk a referral to the Department of Justice for enforcement proceedings.
    • The Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services announced investigations into Harvard University and the Harvard Law Review based on reports of race-based discrimination permeating the operations of the journal.
    • The Department of the Interior announced 42 new proposed hunting opportunities across 87,000 acres within the National Wildlife Refuge System and National Fish Hatchery System, which would more than triple the number of opportunities and quintuple the number of stations opened or expanded compared to the previous administration.
    • The Department of Energy announced it will lift a range of unnecessary regulations on certain indoor and outdoor gas products — expanding choice and lowering costs for consumers.
    • The Department of Transportation unveiled a new package of actions to further supercharge the air traffic controller workforce.
    • Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard added counter narcotics to the National Counter Terrorism Center in order to “focus intelligence and vetting resources against these terrorists who traffic deadly narcotics into the country.”
    • The Department of Justice arrested two individuals on charges of operating an international child exploitation enterprise.
    • The Department of Agriculture secured an agreement with Mexico for an immediate transfer of water from international reservoirs to Texas farmers and ranchers.
    • The White House Council on Environmental Quality established the Permitting Innovation Center to cut red tape and accelerate the environmental review process.
    • The National Institutes of Health announced it will publish studies it funds online for free to empower Americans’ own research and promote maximum transparency.
    • PepsiCo announced it will remove artificial ingredients from some popular food offerings by the end of the year following the Trump Administration’s push to end artificial food dyes.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Driver arrested on North-South Motorway

    Source: New South Wales – News

    A man was arrested after trying to flee police on the North-South Motorway last night.

    Police spotted the man’s vehicle on Bower Road, Semaphore just before 11pm on Friday 2 May but it took off and they called in the police helicopter to follow the black Holden sedan as it turned onto Causeway to head to the Port River Expressway.

    The vehicle travelled at high speeds, taking the Northern Connector onto the North-South Motorway, before crashing into a roundabout near the Waterloo Corner Road exit.

    The driver abandoned his vehicle and was walking east towards Port Wakefield Road but was easily spotted by police and arrested without further incident.

    The 41-year-old man was taken to hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash.

    He was charged with excessive speed, speed dangerous and drive unlicensed and unregistered.  He did not apply for bail and will appear in the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday 5 May.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES STATEMENT ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S RECKLESS NEW BUDGET REQUEST

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

    Know Your Immigration Rights

    If you or a loved one encounter immigration enforcement officials, it is essential that you know your rights and have prepared your household for all possible outcomes.

    Ask for a warrant: The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects you from unreasonable search and seizure. You do not have to open your door until you see a valid warrant to enter your home or search your belongings.

    Your right to remain silent: The Fifth Amendment protects your right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself. You are not required to share any personal information such as your place of birth, immigration status or criminal history.

    Always consult an attorney: You have a right to speak with an attorney. You do not have to sign anything or hand officials any documents without speaking to an attorney. Try to identify and consult one in advance.

    The New York City Office of Civil Justice and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) support a variety of free immigration legal services through local nonprofit legal organizations. To access these resources, dial 311 and say “Action NYC,” call the MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 800-354-0365 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or visit MOIA’s website.

    Learn more here: KNOW YOUR IMMIGRATION RIGHTS  – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Owner of Unlicensed D.C. Row House Sentenced in the Deaths of Two People in Fatal Kennedy Street Fire

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WASHINGTON – James G. Walker, 67, of the District, was sentenced today to more than 35 years in prison for the Aug. 2019 row house fire that caused the deaths of Fitsum Kebede and Yafet Solomen. This case was jointly tried by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Attorney General for the District of Columbia, Brian L. Schwalb, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division Anthony Spotswood, Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly Sr.

    Walker was found guilty of second-degree murder and multiple criminal building code violations on Feb. 20, 2025. In addition to the prison term, Superior Court Judge Todd Edelmen sentenced Walker to five years of supervised release.

    According to the government’s evidence, Walker owned commercial property located at 708 Kennedy St., NW.  Walker did not have a certificate of occupancy for the building and the structure was in violation of several fire safety codes. Walker operated the building as an illegal “rooming house.” Some of the building’s rooms were too small to be considered habitable space, some had no windows, and the defendant failed to install or maintain functional smoke alarms throughout the building, including the basement. The most egregious violation, however, was the failure to provide an unobstructed means to escape the property, which included erecting multiple security gates that required keys from both sides, the worst offense being a double-keyed security gate installed within the property that blocked access from the kitchen to the front door. Importantly, the defendant had received specific warnings on March 21, 2019, from the Metropolitan Police Department, that the building was in violation of several building codes specifically related to fire safety and hazardous conditions. He was instructed to correct the conditions and have the building inspected for residential use but did nothing.  

    On the morning of Aug. 18, 2019, a fire erupted in the basement of 708 Kennedy St. Three tenants were present at the time of the fire. Fitsum Kebede, 40, and Yafet Solomen, 10, were in the basement and were unable to exit the premises. They subsequently died from thermal burns and smoke inhalation. The government’s evidence was that the defendant’s knowledge of the danger posed by the conditions of the property and his conscious disregard of the extreme risk that death or serious bodily injury could occur were the but-for cause of the deaths of the decedents.   

    In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Martin, D.C. Attorney General Schwalb, ATF Special Agent in Charge Spotswood, MPD Chief Smith, and Fire and EMS Chief Donnelly, commended the work of the ATF Arson and Explosives Task Force that investigated the case, including MPD, ATF, and Fire and EMS. They also credited the work of Homicide Section Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nebiyu Feleke, Investigative Analyst Zach McMenamin, Victim/Witness Program Specialist Yvonne Bryant, Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, Supervisory IT Specialists Leif Hickling and Charlie Bruce, IT Project Manager Deon Williams, Supervisory IT Specialist Giovanni Harrison, Support Services Supervisor Alvon Brown, and Legal Assistant Patricia Wills Gonzalez. In addition, they congratulated and thanked DC Fire Department Battalion Chief Stephen Faulkner; Habtom Tekle and Jimmie Drummond of Drummond Projects.

    Additionally, they thanked the Office of the Attorney General team of Elizabeth Wieser, Peter Saba, Jose Marrero, and John Roberts for their support in this joint trial. Finally, they acknowledged the work of Assistant United States Attorney Vinet Bryant, Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Cargill and Assistant Attorney General Keith Ingram who prosecuted the case.  

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Three Individuals Charged in Scheme to Defraud Department of Veterans Affairs of Over $9.1M

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Three men were charged with participating in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of over $9.1 million in education benefits, including funds from the Post 9/11 GI Bill education benefit program. One of the men has pleaded guilty for his role in the scheme.

    According to court documents, Brian Matsudo, 58, of Honolulu, Hawaii, Marshall Scott, 39, of Kapolei, Hawaii, and Raheem Wells, 37, of Indianapolis, Indiana, conspired to defraud the VA. Matsudo was the owner of a massage therapy training school in Honolulu, Hawaii. From approximately November 2016 to November 2022, Matsudo conspired with Scott and others to obtain tuition assistance payments from the VA by intentionally failing to disclose that Matsudo’s massage training school was not in compliance with applicable VA rules and regulations.

    As alleged in the indictment, Scott began working for the massage training school owned by Matsudo in or about November 2016. As part of the conspiracy, Scott submitted enrollment certification forms to the VA on behalf of at least 40 military veterans supposedly enrolled at the massage training school. Scott knew that these forms contained false enrollment information and falsely certified that the school had complied with applicable rules and regulations. Wells was a student at the massage training school in 2020 and 2021. From about May 2020 to November 2022, Wells and Scott recruited “students” who allowed the school to lie to the VA by falsely representing that they were actually enrolled in courses.

    Both Scott and Wells allegedly profited from the scheme. Matsudo paid Scott for each person that he and Wells had recruited with the proceeds of the tuition payments made by the VA. Wells received monthly payments from the individuals he recruited to participate in the scheme.

    In April 2025, Matsudo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Scott and Wells were both charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count. Wells was also charged with obstruction of justice for instructing a witness to lie to federal law enforcement agents. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

    Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson for the District of Hawaii; Special Agent in Charge Dimitriana Nikolov of the VA Office of Inspector General (VA OIG); and Special Agent in Charge David Porter of the FBI Honolulu Field Office made the announcement.

    The VA OIG and FBI are investigating the cases.

    Trial Attorney Ariel Glasner of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case against Matsudo, with substantial assistance from Trial Attorney Jennifer Bilinkas of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. Trial Attorney Glasner and Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Nolan for the District of Hawaii are prosecuting the case against Scott and Wells.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Six, including Twins and their Grandma, Sentenced for Trafficking Hundreds of Kilos of Meth in the Upstate

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Six individuals, including a set of twins and their grandmother, from the Upstate were sentenced to a total of 813 months in federal prison after they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Biggerstaff additionally pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

    • Mikayluh Walker, 26, of Gaffney
    • Mikenzi Walker, 26, of Gaffney
    • Christopher Biggerstaff, 42, of Chesnee
    • Brenda Mincey, 34, of Gaffney
    • Aa’lyah Maulana Tukes, 29, of Simpsonville
    • Sondra Walker, 67, of Gaffney

    Evidence presented to the court showed that since at least 2022, Mikayluh and Mikenzi Walker (the Walker twins) were distributing drugs in the Upstate of South Carolina. In at least 2023, the Walker twins were making trips to obtain methamphetamine from Atlanta, Georgia, a source city for drugs. The Walker twins utilized two stash houses during the conspiracy, one where they lived with their grandmother and co-defendant, Sondra Walker, and the other rented by Mikayluh’s girlfriend, Aa’lyah Tukes. In addition to letting the twins use the residence as a storage and distribution point for methamphetamine, Sondra Walker also distributed methamphetamine herself. During the conspiracy, Mikayluh Walker was responsible for distributing 250 kilograms of methamphetamine and over 600 grams of fentanyl and possessing multiple firearms in the course of the drug trafficking conspiracy.  Mikenzi Walker was responsible for distributing 86 pounds of methamphetamine and 10 grams of fentanyl.

    Evidence demonstrated that in July of 2023, officers arrested Brenda Mincey with methamphetamine and over 100 blue pills containing fentanyl. Investigative efforts determined that the drugs were sourced through the Walker twins and another defendant Jonathan Adam Sarratt.

    On Jan. 10, 2024, law enforcement conducted surveillance on one of the Walker twins’ stash houses and observed Biggerstaff appear to pick up drugs from the location. Local law enforcement stopped Biggerstaff’s car and searched him, locating 421 grams of methamphetamine and two .45 caliber pistols. During the investigation, law enforcement determined that Biggerstaff distributed over 26 kilograms of drugs that were supplied by the Walker twins and that he additionally carried a 9mm pistol during the conspiracy. Biggerstaff had a lengthy criminal history at the time of his offense.

    On April 12, 2024, a search warrant was conducted on Sondra Walker’s residence, where Mikayluh Walker was living and using as a stash house. Law enforcement recovered approximately 26 kilograms of methamphetamine, 5,000 fentanyl pills, and a 12-gauge pistol grip shotgun. The same day, law enforcement conducted surveillance on and searched the car of Aa’lyah Tukes, Mikayluh’s girlfriend, and found Tukes with over $129,000 of drug proceeds. A search warrant was conducted on Tukes’ apartment, and law enforcement located an additional $21,000 of drug proceeds. 

    United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins sentenced Mikayluh Walker to 276 months to be followed by a five-year term of court ordered supervision; Mikenzi Walker to 180 months imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervision, Christopher Biggerstaff to 192 months, followed by five years of supervision; Brenda Mincey to 85 months, to be followed by three years of supervision, Aa’lyah Tukes to 32 months, followed by three years of supervision, and Sondra Walker to 48 months of home incarceration, followed by two years of supervision. Sarratt is awaiting sentencing.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations– Border Enforcement Security Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, and the Greenville County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Schoen is prosecuting the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Accelerating MWBE Certification During AAPI Heritage Month

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced the launch of the “AAPI Enterprise Empowerment” initiative, a targeted effort to help minority- and women-owned businesses complete their New York State MWBE Certification applications during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Running from May 1 through June 13, 2025, the initiative leverages a statewide network of business advisory centers to provide free, comprehensive support to MWBE applicants. As part of the state’s broader efforts to expand opportunity, Empire State Development and the New York Power Authority have also launched a new partnership to strengthen the MWBE pipeline through the Business Growth Accelerator Program, enhancing the program’s reach and impact by providing participating businesses with direct access to industry expertise, procurement guidance, and networking opportunities. Additionally, Governor Hochul today issued a proclamation celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

    “During Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we’re taking bold action to expand economic opportunity for AAPI business owners across New York State,” Governor Hochul said. “The AAPI Enterprise Empowerment initiative provides entrepreneurs with expert guidance to navigate certification, opening doors to millions in state contracts. This program strengthens our commitment to ensuring New York’s economy reflects the vibrant diversity that powers our communities.”

    New York State Chief Diversity Officer Julissa Gutierrez said, “The AAPI Enterprise Empowerment initiative transforms celebration into economic advancement by creating direct pathways to opportunity. By partnering with trusted business centers throughout the state, we’re meeting entrepreneurs where they are. This initiative represents our vision of an inclusive economy where AAPI-owned businesses can showcase their innovation and contribute to New York’s growth.”

    Empire State Development President, CEO, and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “By accelerating the certification timeline and providing hands-on support through our network of business advisors, the AAPI Enterprise Empowerment initiative is removing long-standing barriers to participation in state contracting. Through new partnerships like our collaboration with the New York Power Authority on the Business Growth Accelerator Program, we are extending these efforts even further—ensuring MWBEs have the resources, mentorship, and access they need to grow, compete, and lead in New York’s economy.”

    New York Power Authority President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll said, “Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State continues to break down barriers and create pathways to success for minority- and women-owned businesses. By partnering with Empire State Development, the New York Power Authority is proud to play a pivotal role in the Business Growth Accelerator Program which strengthens the MWBE pipeline, offers AAPI-owned businesses the resources, guidance, and opportunities they need to thrive, and helps ensure a more equitable future for all New Yorkers.”

    The AAPI Enterprise Empowerment Initiative builds on New York State’s streamlined certification process that already delivers decisions in as little as 90 days or less. While businesses must meet the requirements set forth in Executive Law Article 15-A and Title 5 to qualify, the initiative aims to expedite the process for eligible applicants who respond to information requests within five business days through free, hands-on technical assistance.

    MWBEs can connect with the following organizations for free application assistance:

    ESD Strengthens Business Growth Accelerator Program with New York Power Authority and Statewide Agency Partnerships to Empower 200 MWBEs
    Empire State Development’s Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development (DMWBD) has expanded the reach of its Business Growth Accelerator (BGA 3.0) Program through a strategic Memorandum of Understanding with the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and growing collaborations with several state agencies and authorities. This statewide initiative will support and accelerate the growth of 200 MWBEs across New York State, with a special emphasis on firms in construction and semiconductor-related trades.

    BGA 3.0 offers intensive, regionally delivered business development services and technical assistance to help MWBEs scale and access public and private contracting opportunities. Through this collaborative effort, ESD’s DMWBD, NYPA, and additional participating agencies will strengthen MWBEs’ operational and technical capacity, provide guidance on state contracting, facilitate networking and matchmaking, and contribute to the overall success and sustainability of the program.

    Participating businesses will gain access to comprehensive training in areas such as business administration, procurement, and financial management; individualized mentorship and technical assistance; exclusive networking opportunities with potential clients and partners; connections to funding and industry experts; and a customized business growth plan to guide long-term success.

    Currently entering its training phase, the BGA 3.0 Program will run through September 2026. Recruitment is ongoing and interested MWBEs can learn more and apply through the BGA 3.0 Program webpage here.

    Governor Hochul’s Support for New York’s MWBEs
    Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State has transformed its MWBE program into a national model for inclusive economic growth. A strategic $11 million investment in FY 2023 eliminated the certification backlog and reduced application response times to 90 days or less. In 2024, Empire State Development certified and recertified over 2,403 businesses, streamlining access to state contracting opportunities.

    New York continues to set national benchmarks for MWBE participation, exceeding its 30 percent utilization goal for the fourth consecutive year with a nation-leading 32.21 percent rate. This achievement represents nearly $3 billion in state contracts awarded to certified MWBEs in FY 2023-24, contributing to almost $12 billion in awards since Governor Hochul took office. Further strengthening the program’s impact, the Governor introduced the New York State MWBE Certified Decal, an official mark of certification that increases visibility for qualified businesses and opens new opportunities with both government and private sector partners.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Four Mexican Nationals Residing Unlawfully in the United States Charged for Their Roles in an International Conspiracy to Smuggle Aliens from Canada into the U.S.

    Source: US State of California

    Four Mexican nationals unlawfully residing in the United States have been charged for their roles in an international human smuggling conspiracy that illegally brought aliens across the Canadian border to the United States for profit.

    Edgar Sanchez-Solis, 23, unlawfully residing in Kansas City, Kansas; Ignacio Diaz-Perez, 35, unlawfully residing in Oakwood, Georgia; Samuel Diaz-Perez, 26, unlawfully residing in Dublin, Ohio; and Salvador Diaz-Diaz, 32, unlawfully residing in Columbus, Ohio, were charged by indictment with conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States and 25 counts of bringing aliens illegally to the United States for profit. The defendants were arrested at multiple locations throughout the United States and are currently detained. Ignacio Diaz-Perez and Salvador Diaz-Diaz had been previously removed from the United States.

    “As alleged, these defendants illegally entered this country and then sought to smuggle hundreds of aliens per week to the United States from Mexico, Central America, and South America through the Canadian border,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendants instructed smuggled aliens to make testimonial videos touting the enterprise’s services. In reality, the defendants imperiled their human cargo and innocent American lives when they repeatedly engaged in life-threatening conduct, including multiple high-speed getaways from law enforcement.”

    “This case demonstrates our relentless efforts to secure our northern border against the criminal organizations profiting from human smuggling and other illegal activities,” said U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III for the Northern District of New York. “We are grateful for our partnership with Joint Task Force Alpha as we work to dismantle these transnational criminal organizations and make our North Country communities safer.”

    According to court documents, the four defendants were part of an alien smuggling organization that has been operating for the last two years in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. The four defendants, in exchange for money, conspired with others to smuggle hundreds of aliens per week from Mexico, Central America, and South America through Canada, into northern New York, including Franklin and Clinton Counties, as alleged in court documents. The aliens or their family members paid thousands of dollars to be smuggled into the United States. The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly facilitated the illegal travel of the aliens from Mexico to Canada and then across the northern border, where they were picked up and driven farther into the United States.

    On multiple occasions members of the alien smuggling organization led local and federal law enforcement officers on high-speed vehicle chases along the U.S. northern border, creating a grave public safety risk, according to court documents. For example, in April 2023, smugglers allegedly fled the Burke Border Patrol Station’s sector at a high rate of speed after setting off a border sensor. Border Patrol successfully stopped the vehicle and apprehended the smugglers, who were transporting seven adult aliens and three minors. In another incident, in May 2023, the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office used a tire deflation device to stop a van carrying aliens after it allegedly failed to yield to both federal and state law enforcement. The smugglers and aliens allegedly fled on foot after the vehicle was disabled. As additionally alleged, in August 2023, a vehicle carrying aliens that was fleeing from Border Patrol drove into Plattsburgh, New York, where it drove erratically, passed vehicles in a congested traffic area, ran a red light, and struck a motorist at an intersection. The driver and six illegal aliens fled the accident scene on foot but eventually were apprehended.

    “These individuals acted in blatant disregard of our nation’s laws, allegedly smuggling hundreds of aliens into the United States for thousands of dollars each,” said Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Buffalo. “They’re alleged to have repeatedly put the public at risk through dangerous vehicle chases with law enforcement further demonstrating their contempt for the law and safety of others. We work every day with our partners in the U.S. Border Patrol and are proud to support the security of our borders and uphold public safety in our communities.”

    “These charges are a testament to the hard work of the men and women of the United States Border Patrol and its partner agencies,” said Chief Patrol Agent Robert N. Garcia of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Swanton Sector. “The days of catch-and-release are over, and the reality is clear; if you attempt to enter the United States illegally, if you attempt to smuggle or traffic human beings, you will be apprehended and you will face severe consequences.”

    The investigation and arrests of the defendants were coordinated under Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been elevated and expanded by the Attorney General with a mandate to target cartels and other transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the border. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Office of Enforcement Operations, and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 360 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 330 U.S. convictions; more than 275 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

    Mr. Galeotti expressed his gratitude to Joint Task Force Alpha, which is focused on combatting human smuggling organizations, and its partners in this case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York and HSI. HSI Rouses Point and U.S. Border Patrol Burke Station led U.S. investigative efforts, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force.

    Trial Attorney Jenna Reed of the Criminal Division’s HRSP and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carling Dunham for the Northern District of New York 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 other transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Eden Lake — Multi-agency search underway for youth kayaker in Pictou County

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    A multi-agency search is underway for a youth kayaker in Pictou County.

    On May 1, at approximately 5 p.m., Pictou County District RCMP, fire services and EHS were dispatched to a report of an overturned kayaker on Eden Lake. RCMP officers learned that two youths, known to one another, were paddling on the lake in separate kayaks when one of them overturned, submerging the kayaker.

    Fire services, Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) teams (Halifax GSAR, Pictou County GSAR, Strait Area GSAR, Inverness County GSAR, Colchester GSAR), a Department of Natural Resources helicopter, the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA), RCMP Air Services and the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team have been engaged in the search which remains ongoing.

    Residents are asked to avoid the area.

    Our thoughts are with the youth’s loved ones at this difficult time.

    File #: 2025-580096

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper Introduces Legislation to Expand Family Leave Protections

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
    Legislation would expand protections under the Family Medical Leave Act to include a wider range of caregivers
    WASHINGTON – Today, on the 32nd anniversary of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper joined nine of his Senate colleagues to introduce the Caring for All Families Act. The bill modernizes FMLA by updating the definition of family to include a broader range of caregiving relationships covered by FMLA’s protections and leave for small needs like doctor’s appointments.
    “We need to expand family medical leave to better support caregivers across the country,” said Hickenlooper. “Workers taking care of family members like siblings or grandchildren deserve the same protections as someone caring for a spouse.”  
    There are roughly 50 million unpaid family caregivers in the United States, 61 percent of which maintain a job outside of their caregiving duties. Notably, most family caregivers provide at least 20 hours of care each week, with many caregivers providing support to children as well as to aging family members. Women compose approximately 60 percent of family caregivers, and often face significant challenges including loss of retirement savings and lower potential lifetime earnings. 
    Specifically, the Caring for All Families Act would:
    Update FMLA’s definition of family to include a domestic partner, parent-in-law, aunt, uncle, sibling, adult child, grandparent, grandchild, son- or daughter-in-law, and other significant relationships
    Guarantee that parents and other family caregivers have the ability to take time off to attend a medical appointment or school function, such as a parent-teacher conference, without risk of losing their jobs.
    The Caring for All Families Act is endorsed by the following organizations:
    National Partnership for Women & Families, National Organization for Women, MomsRising, National Employment Law Project, National Women’s Law Center, Equal Rights Advocates, Center for WorkLife Law, Women Employed, Legal Aid at Work, A Better Balance, NJ Citizen Action, NJ Time to Care Coalition, The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), NC Families Care Coalition, Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition, Missouri Jobs with Justice, Paid Leave for All, Family Values @ Work Action, Caring Across Generations, Shriver Center on Poverty Law, United For Respect, Family Values @ Work, Mother Forward, MANA, A National Latina Organization, Family Forward Oregon, National Council of Jewish Women, Abortion Action Missouri, Center for American Progress, The Arc of the United States, National Education Association, Main Street Alliance, National Association of Social Workers, National Alliance for Caregiving, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Reproductive Freedom for All, AFT, American Association of University Women (AAUW), Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy, and Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
    Full text of the bill is available HERE. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The White House Office of Management and Budget Releases the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Skinny Budget

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Washington, D.C.–Today, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent President Trump’s topline discretionary Budget request for fiscal year 2026 to the U.S. Congress.
    The Budget, which reduces non-defense discretionary by $163 billion or 23 percent from the 2025 enacted level, guts a weaponized deep state while providing historic increases for defense and border security.  The Budget also provides support for air and rail safety as well as key infrastructure and our Nation’s veterans and law enforcement.
    This is the lowest non-defense spending level since 2017.  Savings come from eliminating radical diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and critical race theory programs, Green New Scam funding, large swaths of the Federal Government weaponized against the American people, and moving programs that are better suited for States and localities to provide. 
    Defense spending would increase by 13 percent, and appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security would increase by nearly 65 percent, to ensure that our military and other agencies repelling the invasion of our border have the resources they need to complete the mission.  These increases will be made possible through the passage of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which will be enacted with a simple majority in the Congress, and not be held hostage by Democrats for wasteful spending increases that have been the status quo in Washington.
    “For decades, the biggest complaint about the Federal Budget was wasteful spending and bloated bureaucracy.  But over the last four years, Government spending aggressively turned against the American people and trillions of our dollars were used to fund cultural Marxism, radical Green New Scams, and even our own invasion.  No agency was spared in the Left’s taxpayer-funded cultural revolution.  At this critical moment, we need a historic Budget—one that ends the funding of our decline, puts Americans first, and delivers unprecedented support to our military and homeland security.  The President’s Budget does all of that,” said Russ Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
    Highlights of the President’s key priorities include the following:
    End Weaponization and Reduce Violent Crime.  The Budget ends the previous Administration’s weaponization of the Government by eliminating programs like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s disinformation offices that targeted and censored Americans, eliminating so-called Fair Housing programs that waged war on America’s suburbs, ending the Environmental Protection Agency’s unfair harassment of citizens over “environmental justice” directives, and halting the ATF’s criminalizing of gun-owning Americans and instead, focusing on stopping illegal firearms traffickers and violent gang members.
    The Budget prioritizes Department of Justice (DOJ) key functions—restoring law and order to America’s communities, fighting crime, and supporting America’s men and women in Blue.  To that end, the Budget proposes to eliminate more than 40 DOJ grant programs that fund things like a “feminist, culturally specific nonprofit” to address “structural racism and toxic masculinities” and training Fa’afafine advocates—an organization of biological men that describes themselves as a “third-gender” in Samoa.  The Budget also reflects the President’s priority of reducing violent crime in American cities and protecting national security by getting Federal Bureau of Investigation agents into the field. 
    Defund the Harmful Woke, Marxist Agenda.  Every single agency across the Federal Government was engaged in funding and advancing DEI and other radical, harmful ideologies such as:  $315 million for grant programs to push “intersectionality,” “racial equity,” and LGBTQIA+ programming for preschoolers; housing grants that funded activities such as an “Equity Audit” to reverse “land use patterns that have roots in systemically racist policies in L.A. County; and “addressing White Supremacy in the STEM profession.”  The Budget ends all of that.
    Secure the Border.  The Budget request empowers the Department of Homeland Security to implement the President’s mass removal campaign and secure the border.  This funding is in addition to historic investments in border security the Administration proposes to provide through mandatory funding, as part of the congressional Budget reconciliation process.  The discretionary request includes an additional $500 million for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to expedite the removal of illegal aliens through the support of 50,000 detention beds, $766 million to procure cutting-edge border security technology funding, and funding to maintain 22,000 Border Patrol Agents and hire additional Customs and Border Protection officers for a total of 26,383 officers.  The Budget also cuts off the flow of taxpayer funds that have been abused to facilitate migrant caravan invasions.  Departments whose task it was to prevent those invasions allocated billions in funding to non-governmental organizations running “border aid stations” and legal services to criminal aliens—all of which will be eliminated under this new budget.
    Realign Foreign Aid.  The Budget ensures that foreign aid spending is efficient and consistent with U.S. foreign policy under the America First agenda.  The Budget reorganizes the U.S. Agency for International Development into the Department of State to meet current needs and eliminates non-essential staff that were hired based on DEI and preferencing practices.  The Budget also expands the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to support U.S. national security and American interests—generating returns to the taxpayer and reducing reliance on foreign aid.  This includes $3 billion for a new revolving fund to allow DFC to recycle any realized returns from its initial investments.
    Rebuild our Nation’s Military.  The Budget request for the Department of Defense builds on the President’s promise to achieve peace through strength by providing the resources to rebuild our military, re-establish deterrence, and revive the warrior ethos of our Armed Forces.  In combination with $119 billion in mandatory funding, the Budget increases Defense spending by 13 percent, and prioritizes investments to strengthen the safety, security, and sovereignty of the homeland, deter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific, and revitalize our defense industrial base. 
    Achieve American Energy Dominance.  The Budget supports the President’s commitment to unleash America’s affordable and reliable energy and natural resources.  The Budget cancels over $15 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Green New Scam funds provided to the Department of Energy for unreliable renewable energy, removing carbon dioxide from the air, and other costly technologies that burden ratepayers and consumers.  The Budget reorients Department of Energy funding toward research and development of technologies that could produce an abundance of domestic fossil energy and critical minerals, innovative concepts for nuclear reactors and advanced nuclear fuels, and technologies that promote firm baseload power.  The Budget also cancels an additional $5.7 billion in IIJA funding provided to the Department of Transportation for failed electric vehicle charger grant programs.
    Make America Healthy Again (MAHA).  The Budget request builds on the President’s MAHA Commission.  The Budget provides resources to the Department of Health and Human Services that would allow the Secretary to tackle issues related to nutrition, physical activity, healthy lifestyles, over-reliance on medication and treatments, the effects of new technological habits, environmental impacts, and food and drug quality and safety.  The Budget also supports the creation of MAHA food boxes, that would be filled with commodities sourced from domestic farmers and given directly to American households.  The Budget includes resources to ensure food safety nationwide, including support for increased production and demand for services.
    Support Our Veterans.  The Budget provides increased funding for healthcare services tailored to U.S. veterans’ needs, both at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and in the community.  Combined with $50 billion in mandatory funding from the Toxic Exposures Fund, the Budget ensures that the Nation’s veterans are provided with the world-class healthcare that they deserve.  In addition, veterans who qualify for access to care with local community providers would be empowered to make the choice to see them, rather than having to drive in some cases hours to access the nearest VA facility.  The Budget includes $1.1 billion in new VA funding to make a down payment on President Trump’s commitment to eradicate veterans’ homelessness, the largest funding increase in the last decade.
    Preserve Social Security.  The Budget supports the President’s promise to not touch Social Security benefits.  It also includes sufficient resources for the Social Security Administration (SSA) to improve customer service by expanding and improving online services, and reducing customer wait times in field offices and on the phone.  The Budget also includes investments in program integrity, to reduce fraud and abuse in Social Security programs, and in investments in artificial intelligence to increase employee productivity and automate routine workloads.  These efforts would help ensure that SSA delivers timely and accurate Social Security services to the public.
    Streamline K-12 Education Funding and Promote Parental Choice.  The Budget continues the process of shutting down the Department of Education.  The Budget maintains full funding for Title I, that provides Federal financial assistance to school districts for children from low-income families, and special education funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  To limit the Federal role in education, and provide States with more flexibility, the Budget creates a new K-12 Simplified Funding Program that consolidates 18 competitive and formula grant programs into a new formula grant, and a Special Education Simplified Funding Program that consolidates seven IDEA programs into a single grant.  The Budget also invests $500 million, a $60 million increase, to expand the number of high-quality charter schools, that have a proven track record of improving students’ academic achievement and giving parents more choice in the education of their children.
    Make America Skilled Again (MASA).  The Budget proposes to give States and localities the flexibility to spend Federal workforce dollars to best support their workers and economies, instead of funneling taxpayer dollars to progressive non-profits finding work for illegal immigrants or focusing on DEI.  Under this proposal, States would now have more control and flexibility to coordinate with employers and would have to spend at least 10 percent of their MASA grant on apprenticeship, a proven model that trains workers while they earn a paycheck and offers a valuable alternative to college. 
    Support Space Flight.  The Budget refocuses the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) funding on beating China back to the Moon and on putting the first human on Mars.  By allocating over $7 billion for lunar exploration and introducing $1 billion in new investments for Mars-focused programs, it ensures that America’s human space exploration efforts remain unparalleled, innovative, and efficient.  To achieve these objectives, the Budget would streamline the NASA workforce, IT services, NASA Center operations, facility maintenance, and construction and environmental compliance activities.  The Budget also eliminates “green aviation” and other climate scam programs as well as failing space propulsion projects.
    Maintain Support for Tribal Nations.  The Budget preserves Federal funding for the Indian Health Service and supports core programs at the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education, sustaining the Federal Government’s support for core programs that benefit tribal communities.  The Budget also weeds out radical woke grants and programs and streamlines other programs for tribal communities that were ineffective.
    Address Drug Abuse.  The Administration is committed to combatting the scourge of deadly drugs that have ravaged American communities.  The Budget prioritizes Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) resources on traffickers of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs that are driving America’s overdose crisis.  This includes redirecting DEA’s foreign spending to regions with criminal organizations that traffic significant quantities of deadly drugs into the United States—Mexico, Central America, South America, and China. 
    Support Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Research.  The Budget amply funds research in artificial intelligence and quantum information science at key agencies to ensure the United States remains on the cutting edge of these critical technologies’ development and responsible use.
    Improve Wildland Firefighting.  Federal wildfire responsibilities currently are split across five agencies in two departments.  The Budget would consolidate firefighting responsibilities into a new Federal Wildland Fire Service at the Department of the Interior that would coordinate with non-Federal partners to combat the wildfire crisis.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Previously unheard Nazi tapes released ahead of WW2 80th anniversary Digitized recordings of conversations with protagonists of 20th century conflict – including undercover conversations with high-ranking Nazis who fled to semi-hiding in South America – will be released ahead of the 80th anniversary of Germany’s surrender in World War Two.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    Digitized recordings of conversations with protagonists of 20th century conflict – including undercover conversations with high-ranking Nazis who fled to semi-hiding in South America – will be released ahead of the 80th anniversary of Germany’s surrender in World War Two.
    They form part of the Gerd Heidemann collection held at the Hoover Institution Library & Archives at Stanford University, which  is described by University of Aberdeen historian and Hoover Visiting Fellow Professor Thomas Weber as ‘the most important private collection on the Third Reich and the inner lives of extremists acquired by a university archive’.
    Weber and his Hoover colleague Kathatina Friedla facilitated the acquisition of the archive by Hoover, which includes an abundance of conversations with Nazis spanning the 1960s to the 1990s. Friedla is the Taube Family Curator for European Collections at Hoover’s Library & Archives.
    Among those Heidemann interviewed – included in the material made available – is Bruno Streckenbach the head of personnel of the SS agency in charge of the Holocaust, who spoke about what Heydrich and Himmler had told him regarding Hitler’s role in the Holocaust.
    The release of the recordings and transcriptions in both German and English, will allow researchers to explore, understand, and learn from voices of the past.
    The conversations were conducted by German investigative journalist Gerd Heidemann – a contentious figure who accumulated an expansive trove of materials that document major world events, war, and dictatorship in the twentieth century. His reputation was sullied in 1983 by the acquisition of forged Hitler diaries but new research led by Weber and Friedla has shown that he played a crucial role hunting down Nazis, which included work over two decades for the Israeli intelligence services.
    The Hoover Institution, together with Weber, went to great lengths to authenticate Heidemann’s Collection, which included an authentication of Streckenbach’s voice recording by the former head of the voice recognition unit of the German Federal Police.
    Weber and Friedla say the release of the Heidemann tapes is an important landmark in understanding the inner lives of key Nazi perpetrators.
    “It is due to the tenacity and diligence of Gerd Heidemann as an investigative journalist that we now have at our hands a collection of more than seven thousand folders of papers and a hundred thousand photos in addition to the audio tapes pertaining to 20th century conflict,” they said.
    Professor Weber met Heidemann, who died in 2024 aged 93, more than 20 times over a ten-year period.
    “We long knew about the World Press Photo Award that Heidemann won in the 1960s for his coverage of colonial warfare. Through an interview I recorded with Gerd Heidemann two weeks prior to his death, we now also know much better about the trust Mossad’s Nazi war crime unit put in him in the 1970s in hunting down Nazi war criminals in hiding,” Professor Weber said.
    “Camouflaging as an aide to former SS-General Karl Wolff, Himmler’s liaison officer to Hitler, Heidemann managed to get in touch with the community of Nazis who had fled to South America, including Klaus Barbie, the ‘butcher of Lyon’, responsible for the deaths of many Jews and resistance fighters.
    Professor Weber added that the newly released tapes show that while being recorded by Heidemann, Barbie and other Nazi war criminals boasted perfectly openly of what they had done, assuming they were speaking among friends.
    “The recordings pull away the rug under the lies that Nazi perpetrators told in postwar court rooms. Back in Germany, Heidemann managed to get Bruno Streckenbach to reveal how SS perpetrators and their lawyers had lied in court rooms in a coordinated fashion about their role in the ‘Holocaust by Bullets’, which resulted in the death of 1.5 million Ukrainian Jews,” Weber said.
     “This is an enormous archive and we’ve only really begun to scratch the surface of the secrets like this that it may hold.
    Historians, alongside all those interested in the meaning and role of history, can now begin to sift through the ‘new trove of material’ that will allow them to study in greater detail than ever before the first-person perspective of the radicalization and crimes against humanity by extremists, something Professor Weber says is absolutely vital at a time at which the world once again is starting to give in to the lure of extreme political behaviour.
    “In line with new breakthroughs in the study of extremism, we need triangulate the inner lives of extremists against other evidence relating to their behaviour”, he said.
    “As Dutch scholar of extremism Rik Peels has said, ‘extremists are also people who act from convictions, for reasons, who have intentions and goals, who think and reflect and make difficult choices. To truly understand and explain radicalization, we must not only look at all kinds of factors that transcend them, but also at what they themselves bring to the table when they explain their beliefs and actions.
    “I have spent more than a decade working to ensure the Heidemann archive could be preserved, and with the wonderful work of Katharina and the Hoover Institution Library & Archives, it will now be opened up to researchers and the general public across the globe.”
    For more information about this collection, visit the Hoover Institution Library & Archives digital collections website and YouTube channel.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Durbin, Klobuchar, Colleagues to Trump Admin: No Refunds for January 6 Insurrectionists

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla, Durbin, Klobuchar, Colleagues to Trump Admin: No Refunds for January 6 Insurrectionists

    Senators to Attorney General Bondi: “To take the position that January 6 insurrectionists should now receive refunds is unacceptable”
    “The Department should direct Interim U.S. Attorney Martin to change course”
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) led six of their Senate colleagues in strongly objecting to the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) misguided position that the federal government should refund restitution payments made by convicted January 6 insurrectionists for damage they caused to the Capitol building. In their letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Senators urged her to direct Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin to reverse course.
    “We write to strongly object to the Department of Justice’s argument in an April 8 court filing that the federal government should refund restitution payments made by some of the convicted January 6 insurrectionists. The arguments advanced by the government in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia under Interim U.S. Attorney Edward Martin’s leadership are both insulting to the American people and inconsistent with separation of powers principles,” wrote the Senators.
    The violent mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021 attempting to prevent the certification of the 2020 election results caused roughly $3 million in damages to the Capitol building, injured more than 100 law enforcement officers, and threatened members and their staff. Damage to the building included widespread vandalism, ruined furniture, shattered glass, broken doors, defaced artwork, and the desecration of the halls of Congress. Convicted January 6 insurrectionists paid about $400,000 in court-ordered restitution to cover the damages they caused, which has since been transferred to the Treasury Department, from where they can only be withdrawn by Congress.
    The DOJ argued in an April 8, 2025 court filing that the federal government should refund a convicted January 6 insurrectionist who paid $570 in restitution for his role in the insurrection after his case was vacated on appeal because of President Trump’s sweeping pardon of convicted January 6 insurrectionists. The Senators expressed serious policy and legal concerns with this position, including that it would violate the fundamental U.S. principle of separation of powers and that it would fully shift the cost of January 6-related repairs from the convicted insurrectionists to taxpayers.
    “The Department should direct Interim U.S. Attorney Martin to change course and forgo any attempt to use the pardon power as a basis to usurp the United States’ right to the January 6 restitution payments and impair Congress’ ability to use these funds to offset the cost to taxpayers of repairs from the January 6 insurrection,” continued the Senators.
    “We condemn the Justice Department’s position that the federal government should financially reward January 6 insurrectionists who ransacked the Capitol, attacked law enforcement officers, and threatened the lives of those who serve here,” concluded the Senators. “The roughly $400,000 received in restitution is little justice for the $3 million’s worth of damage done to the Capitol, the injuries sustained by Capitol Police and D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officers serving on that day, and the terror inflicted on those trapped inside during the attack. To take the position that January 6 insurrectionists should now receive refunds is unacceptable.”
    In addition to Padilla, Durbin, and Klobuchar, the letter was also signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
    Senator Padilla has repeatedly condemned the deadly January 6 Capitol insurrection and helped pass legislation to prevent similar attacks from threatening our democracy. He previously cosponsored and applauded the passage of the bipartisan Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act, which modernized the outdated Electoral Count Act of 1887 to ensure the electoral votes tallied by Congress accurately reflect each state’s vote for president.
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Attorney General Bondi:
    We write to strongly object to the Department of Justice’s argument in an April 8 court filing that the federal government should refund restitution payments made by some of the convicted January 6 insurrectionists. The arguments advanced by the government in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia under Interim U.S. Attorney Edward Martin’s leadership are both insulting to the American people and inconsistent with separation of powers principles.
    On January 6, 2021, a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, attacking and injuring more than 100 law enforcement officers, causing nearly $3 million in damages, and threatening the lives of those who serve here. After violently overpowering law enforcement to illegally enter the Capitol, insurrectionists desecrated the halls of Congress by graffitiing the building, smashing windows and doors, damaging artwork, and destroying furniture, in an attempt to disrupt Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election.
    While we can never undo the harm these insurrectionists caused to our nation and our Capitol, many of those convicted for their crimes were ordered to pay restitution to cover some of the physical damage they inflicted. Hundreds of individuals were convicted for their roles in the January 6 attack and paid about $400,000 in court-ordered restitution. The Justice Department’s assertion that the government should now offer refunds to insurrectionists and instead have the American taxpayer pay the full cost for the damage these offenders caused is offensive and flies in the face of legal precedent limiting the pardon power.
    As the Justice Department acknowledged in its April 8 court filing, a pardon does not affect the vested rights of others, and the United States’ right to restitution vests when the restitution has been sent to the Treasury Department. Once these funds are in the Treasury, only Congress has the power to withdraw the funds; the President cannot use his pardon power to do so. The Department should direct Interim U.S. Attorney Martin to change course and forgo any attempt to use the pardon power as a basis to usurp the United States’ right to the January 6 restitution payments and impair Congress’ ability to use these funds to offset the cost to taxpayers of repairs from the January 6 insurrection.
    We condemn the Justice Department’s position that the federal government should financially reward January 6 insurrectionists who ransacked the Capitol, attacked law enforcement officers, and threatened the lives of those who serve here. The roughly $400,000 received in restitution is little justice for the $3 million’s worth of damage done to the Capitol, the injuries sustained by Capitol Police and D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officers serving on that day, and the terror inflicted on those trapped inside during the attack. To take the position that January 6 insurrectionists should now receive refunds is unacceptable.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff, Torres Slam DHS Immigration Enforcement in Pomona Harming Economy, CA Communities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla, Schiff, Torres Slam DHS Immigration Enforcement in Pomona Harming Economy, CA Communities

    Lawmakers urge DHS to “focus enforcement against those who pose a legitimate risk to public safety and to work with Congress on a pathway to citizenship for the immigrants who are essential to our economic success.”
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Representative Norma Torres (D-Calif.-35) condemned the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) indiscriminate immigration enforcement raids in Pomona, California as part of President Trump’s cruel mass deportation agenda that are terrorizing California communities and harming the economy. The lawmakers demanded answers on recent egregious DHS enforcement actions — without notice or coordination — including the arrest of at least 10 day laborers outside of a Home Depot, the detainment of a small business owner at gunpoint outside of his barbershop, and an enforcement raid at a Pomona auto body shop conducted with the Riverside County Sherriff’s department.
    Padilla, Schiff, and Torres underscored the deep distrust and economic chaos these enforcement raids foster, hurting entire communities and national supply chains and keeping consumers at home out of fear.
    “We write with deep concern regarding recent immigration enforcement actions conducted in Pomona, California, that have caused widespread fear, disrupted local businesses, and harmed community trust in law enforcement,” wrote the lawmakers.
    “Enforcement actions that indiscriminately disrupt immigrant communities – particularly without transparency or local coordination – threaten not only individual rights but also the economic stability and public safety of entire cities like Pomona,” continued the lawmakers. “Pomona’s small businesses are already feeling the impact. Customers are afraid to shop. Workers are afraid to show up for work.”
    The lawmakers highlighted that California’s economy — now the fourth largest in the world — relies on the contributions of immigrant labor, as immigrants and their children make up the majority (55 percent) of California’s workforce, with immigrants alone comprising 34 percent of the state’s population. Last year, undocumented immigrants contributed $87 billion in household income, $66 billion in spending power, $50 billion to Social Security, and $14 billion to Medicare. They emphasized that immigrant workers make up a significant portion of California’s leading agriculture, health care, and construction sectors. Immigrant construction workers comprise over 40 percent of California’s construction workforce, and are already doing essential work to help Los Angeles County rebuild from the devastating wildfires earlier this year.
    The lawmakers stressed that rather than indiscriminately targeting long-term residents with no criminal records, DHS should work with Congress to help provide these immigrants with a pathway to citizenship. Senator Padilla previously introduced the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act, which would create a pathway to citizenship for immigrant essential workers, including Dreamers, as his first bill in Congress.
    “While no one disagrees with targeting violent criminals for deportation, the enforcement actions in Pomona demonstrate that the Department is indiscriminately targeting all noncitizens for removal — including those who have no criminal records and who have been living in and contributing to our communities for decades,” added the lawmakers. “These actions do not make us safer and are contrary to the ideals that we all stand for. We urge you to instead focus enforcement against those who pose a legitimate risk to public safety and to work with Congress on a pathway to citizenship for the immigrants who are essential to our economic success.”
    The lawmakers concluded their letter by demanding information on the raids, including why local officials were not notified and what steps DHS is taking to rebuild trust with immigrant communities.
    “We urge your Department to review these operations carefully and to recommit to an immigration enforcement strategy that prioritizes public safety, upholds civil rights, and reflects the economic realities and moral values of our nation,” concluded the lawmakers.
    Senator Padilla blasted the Pomona immigration raids last week, emphasizing that indiscriminate immigrant enforcement hurts our communities and economy.
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Secretary Noem,
    We write with deep concern regarding recent immigration enforcement actions conducted in Pomona, California, that have caused widespread fear, disrupted local businesses, and harmed community trust in law enforcement.
    According to press reports, the City of Pomona in our home state of California has been at the epicenter of recent immigration enforcement activity, much of which has been conducted without giving notice to local officials:
    On Tuesday, April 22, Martin Majin-Leon, a long-time resident and small business owner, was detained at gunpoint in front of his barbershop, terrorizing his family and community. He was released after 30 hours, but the trauma persists. Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval expressed frustration, commenting to federal officials that they were “terrorizing our community.” Reports suggest DMV records may have played a role in his targeting, raising concerns about data-sharing between state agencies and federal immigration authorities.
    Meanwhile, that same day, federal immigration enforcement agents detained as many as 20 day laborers outside a Home Depot in Pomona, where witnesses saw agents arrive in marked and unmarked vehicles around 8 a.m. The Pomona Police Department had no prior knowledge of the operation, and conflicting reports have persisted regarding whether U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or other federal law enforcement entities were responsible for the detentions.
    Later that week, on Friday, April 25, another major enforcement action occurred at Moon Auto Collision in Pomona, executed jointly by Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies and Homeland Security Special Response Teams under the auspices of a narcotics warrant. Pomona city officials, including Mayor Tim Sandoval, were given no prior notice. Mayor Sandoval, upon visiting the scene, underscored the devastating impact these operations have had on community trust and the economic health of local businesses.
    Enforcement actions that indiscriminately disrupt immigrant communities – particularly without transparency or local coordination – threaten not only individual rights but also the economic stability and public safety of entire cities like Pomona. Pomona’s small businesses are already feeling the impact. Customers are afraid to shop. Workers are afraid to show up for work. One local business owner told reporters, “Customers are scared. They are not coming to buy anything. They are not coming to get repairs done.”
    While no one disagrees with targeting violent criminals for deportation, the enforcement actions in Pomona demonstrate that the Department is indiscriminately targeting all noncitizens for removal — including those who have no criminal records and who have been living in and contributing to our communities for decades. These actions do not make us safer and are contrary to the ideals that we all stand for. We urge you to instead focus enforcement against those who pose a legitimate risk to public safety and to work with Congress on a pathway to citizenship for the immigrants who are essential to our economic success.
    California’s economy – now the fourth largest in the world – demonstrates the strength and contributions of immigrant labor. Immigrants and their children comprise 55 percent of California’s workforce. Immigrants alone account for 34 percent of the state’s population and paid $168 billion in taxes last year, while generating over $400 billion in spending power. Undocumented immigrants contributed $87 billion in household income and $66 billion in spending power, alongside $50 billion to Social Security and $14 billion to Medicare.
    Additionally, in the wake of the destructive wildfires that devastated Los Angeles County earlier this year, immigrant construction workers—who make up more than 40 percent of the workforce in California—are essential to the community’s ability to rebuild and recover. Put simply, in critical sectors such as agriculture, construction, and health care, immigrant workers are indispensable to our community.
    Accordingly, we respectfully request answers to the following:
    1. Why weren’t local officials in Pomona notified about recent enforcement actions?
    2. Which federal law enforcement entities were involved in or aware of these enforcement actions?
    3. Has DHS responded to local law enforcement’s request for answers?
    4. What protocols exist to coordinate with local law enforcement and elected officials before conducting large-scale enforcement actions?
    5. How does DHS plan to comply with the April 29, 2025 court order from the Eastern District of California barring Border Patrol agents from detaining or arresting individuals without reasonable suspicion of illegal presence, as required by the Fourth Amendment?
    6. Was California Department of Motor Vehicles data accessed in the case of Martin Majin-Leon?
    7. What safeguards exist to prevent improper use of state data for immigration enforcement purposes?
    8. What steps is DHS taking to rebuild trust with immigrant communities that have been traumatized by these events?
    We urge your Department to review these operations carefully and to recommit to an immigration enforcement strategy that prioritizes public safety, upholds civil rights, and reflects the economic realities and moral values of our nation.
    Thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto, Blackburn Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen After School Programs, Reduce Crime Among At-Risk Youth

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) reintroduced the bipartisan Advancing Frequent and Tailored Education to Rebuild Safe Communities and Help Orchestrate Opportunities and Learning (AFTER SCHOOL) Act. This bill would create and support after school programs focused on reducing violent crime. 
    “Providing young Nevadans in at-risk neighborhoods with after school activities not only enriches their lives, but also reduces crime,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “Unfortunately, many communities across the Silver State don’t have the resources they need to fund these programs. This bipartisan legislation fills that gap.”
    A recent study found a 28 to 35 percent reduction of total arrests and a 45 to 50 percent reduction in violent crime by youth participating in specific after school programs, as well as a 21 percent reduction in recidivism. The AFTER SCHOOL Act would establish a grant program through the Department of Justice to help schools and non-profits establish, maintain, and strengthen these after school programs that are so effective. School districts and non-profits in counties with a juvenile offense rate higher than 10 percent would be eligible to receive funds through the non-competitive grant. 
    You can find the full bill text here.
    Senator Cortez Masto has delivered critical support to students and schools across Nevada. She helped secure nearly $12 million in funding for the Communities in Schools (CIS) program, which works with local partner organizations to provide eligible students and their families with essential services, including mental health care and access to high-quality afterschool and leadership programs. She has also secured $950,000 to help Clark County School District better support students recovering from substance abuse and mental health struggles. Cortez Masto’s provision to increase the number of mental health professionals in schools was included in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Statement On President Trump’s Budget Proposal

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    May 02, 2025
    The proposal continues President Trump’s petulant, destructive efforts to slash critical public health funding and foreign aid assistance
    CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement on President Trump’s abysmal budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2026 that cuts funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by nearly half:
    “It’s no surprise that President Trump proposed a federal budget that reflects his true priority – funding tax breaks for billionaires by betraying hard-working Americans and gutting the basic programs that keep us healthy and safe.  He is eviscerating funding for school districts that serve low-income students, rental and utility bill assistance, and child care programs, while decimating medical research that cancer and Alzheimer’s patients rely on.  What about this ‘makes America great again?’
    “But Congress ultimately holds the power of the purse.  I will fight tooth and nail to restore lifesaving funding for our federal research agencies like NIH and advocate for the foreign aid our allies need.  I hope that my Republican colleagues will find the courage to stand up for their constituents and fund these critical programs, rather than bow to President Trump and his band of billionaires.”
    President Trump’s proposed budget:
    Entirely eliminates the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) which helps low-income households pay critical energy bills.
    Delivers an $18 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — including by eliminating some institutes altogether – severely hampering research and development that lead to breakthroughs in cancer, Alzheimer’s, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, and countless other conditions.
    Slashes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) budget by over $3.5 billion, while entirely eliminating critical programs preventing youth smoking, suicide, childhood lead poisoning, and cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
    Guts the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) by $1.7 billion, worsening access to medical, dental, and behavioral health care for rural communities, pregnant women, and children.
    Cuts the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration’s (SAMHSA) budget by over $1 billion, imperiling patient access to critical treatments in the midst of an opioid epidemic, and slashing funding for youth mental health services.
    Cuts the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) by $674 million, undermining the key Agency charged with ensuring access to health insurance coverage, including Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
    Delivers the first-ever $1 trillion Pentagon topline—funneling billions into wasteful nuclear weapons modernization and a so-called “Golden Dome” missile shield that represents a dangerous escalation in nuclear brinkmanship.
    Reduces the Internal Revenue Service budget by $2.5 billion below FY2025 levels. This would be a 20 percent cut to the IRS budget, which has been frozen at $12.3 billion since FY2023.
    Cuts $4.5 billion from Title 1 and K-12 funding by reducing Department of Education staff that handle Title 1 funds and consolidates 18 competitive and formula grant programs into a $2 billion formula grant, giving States more discretion with Title 1 funds.
    $27 billion in cuts to the State Rental Assistance Block Grant, which provides for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance, Public Housing, Project-Based Rental Assistance, Housing for the Elderly, and Housing for Persons with Disabilities.
    Cuts $3.3 billion from the Community Development Block Grant, which provides funds for local governments to pursue affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization services.
    $770 million cut to the Community Services Block Grant, which provide for basic needs support and poverty alleviation in local communities facing economic need.
    Guts U.S. diplomacy and global engagement with an 83 percent cut to the State Department and International Affairs budget. This includes a drastic reduction in foreign aid, slashing over $20 billion from programs that support global health, humanitarian relief, and democracy promotion.
    Cuts $15 billion in IIJA clean energy grants.
    Cuts $1.5 billion from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is tasked with monitoring, predicting, and forecasting the weather and climate.
    Nearly $1 billion in cuts to Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) programs that support tribal operations.
    Cuts $3.5 billion in basic assistance to refugees like housing, food, clothing, access to basic services; cuts another $2.6 billion in humane services to migrants that provide shelter, access to community services, and education—including to migrant farmworkers’ children.
    Eliminates the EPA’s Environmental Justice Program.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Foreign Nationals Indicted For Selling Drugs And Unlawful Possession Of Firearms

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LAS VEGAS – Two foreign nationals unlawfully residing in the United States made their initial court appearances Wednesday to face a 12-count indictment in connection to an alleged drug trafficking conspiracy to distribute heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, and unlawful possession of firearms, including a privately made firearm, in furtherance of the drug trafficking crimes.

    According to allegations contained in court documents, from September 2024 to March 27, 2025, Jose Luis Castillo-Alvarez, also known as “Celso Ramses Ibarra-Angulo” and “Oscar,” and Kevin Omar Cruz-Lima, also known as “Kevin Omar Lima-Cruz” and “Cesar,” conspired with each other to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin; 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; 10 grams or more of fentanyl; and cocaine. Furthermore, on March 27, 2025, Castillo-Alvarez and Cruz-Lima allegedly possessed an AM15 5.56x45mm semiautomatic rifle and a privately made 9x19mm semiautomatic pistol in furtherance of the drug trafficking crimes. Castillo-Alvarez and Cruz-Lima were unlawfully in the United States at the time of the alleged crimes. Castillo-Alvarez had been previously deported from the United States.

    Heroin is a Schedule I controlled substance; and methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine are Schedule II controlled substances.

    Castillo-Alvarez and Cruz-Lima are each charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; two counts of distribution of heroin; one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm; and two counts of possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

    Additionally, Castillo-Alvarez is charged with one count of deported alien found in the United States. Castillo-Alvarez was previously deported and removed from the United States on April 20, 2020, and reentered the country illegally. Cruz-Lima is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin; one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

    United States Magistrate Judge Youchah scheduled a jury trial before United States District Judge Richard F. Boulware II to begin on June 30, 2025.

    If convicted, both Castillo-Alvarez and Cruz-Lima face the total maximum statutory penalty of confinement for life.

    United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada, Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Cicolani for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Salt Lake City Field Office Director Michael Bernacke made the announcement.

    This case was investigated by ATF, the ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Dan Cowhig and Special Assistant United States Attorney Clay Plummer 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, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.

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

    ###

     

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Indiana Congressional Candidate Sentenced to Federal Prison for Falsifying Campaign Finance Records

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    INDIANAPOLIS— Gabriel Whitley, 27, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to three months in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission.

    According to court documents, during the 2024 primary election, Gabriel Whitley was a candidate for United States Congress in Indiana’s 7th Congressional District. Whitley did not win the primary election, which was held on May 7, 2024. As set forth below in more detail, rather than raise funds in the normal course for his campaign, Whitley fabricated contributions that he had received and falsely reported to the Federal Election Commission (“FEC”) that he had in fact received those contributions. Whitley knew the FEC filings were riddled with falsehoods, and in making those fraudulent statements, deceived the American public about his candidacy.

    As set forth in Court documents, on October 11, 2023, Whitley, acting as Treasurer for his principal campaign committee, “Honest Gabe for Congress,” filed a report with the FEC covering the period from July 1, 2023, to September 30, 2023. In that report, Whitley lied and falsely documented that 67 people, not including himself, made contributions to his campaign, totaling approximately $222,690. These reports included made-up names, occupations, employers, and addresses for multiple fictitious contributors.

    On January 31, 2024, Whitley, again acting as Treasurer for his campaign committee, filed another report with the FEC repeating the same scheme he had engaged in previously, lying and falsely reporting contributions that he knew he had never received.

    Finally, on April 15, 2024, Whitley filed yet another false report with the FEC. In that report, he lied again and falsely conveyed that he loaned his campaign $100,000 on March 7, 2024, while knowing that he had not in fact loaned his campaign this money and did not have the funds to do so.

    In total, approximately $234,000 of the purported contributions to Honest Gabe for Congress never occurred.

    “Gabriel Whitley intentionally created an illusion that he was a legitimate candidate for office with the financial support of the electorate, denying the public of its most powerful tool for casting informed ballots: transparency,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Federal election laws require all federal candidates to make a true, accurate accounting of the contributions they have received, so that citizens can properly choose their own leaders. This sentence should reassure the public of our government’s ability to police and punish conduct that corrupts elections and denies the public the right to cast informed votes.”

    “When you are a candidate for public office, you have the same responsibility to follow the law just like the people you seek to represent,” said FBI Indianapolis Acting Special Agent in Charge Dominique Evans. “This wasn’t a mistake by Mr. Whitley – it was a deliberate effort to deceive the public by violating campaign finance laws for his own gain. The FBI remains committed to investigating those who violate public trust and ensure they are held accountable.”

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Childress thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany J. Preston and Trial Attorney of the Public Integrity of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, Nicole Lockhart, who prosecuted this case, with substantial assistance from former PIN Trial Attorney Jacob Steiner

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Grand Jury Indicts Louisville Man for Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, and Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, has indicted a local man with a drug conspiracy involving methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine.  

    U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge Olivia Olson of the FBI Louisville Field Office, Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department, and Sheriff John Aubrey of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.

    According to the indictment, Jordan Watkins, 34, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine, over 40 grams of fentanyl, and cocaine for an offense occurring between September 24, 2023, and March 9, 2025, in Jefferson County, Kentucky.

    On April 25, 2025, Watkins made an initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. A detention hearing is scheduled for May 5, 2025. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    This case is being investigated by the FBI and LMPD, with assistance from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Dahl is prosecuting this 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –