NewzIntel.com

Category: Justice

  • MIL-OSI USA: Federal Grand Jury Indicts Wisconsin Couple for Forced Labor

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    An indictment was unsealed today in Madison, Wisconsin charging a Wisconsin man with seven counts of forced labor, conspiracy to commit forced labor, and seven counts of alien harboring for private financial gain; the indictment further charged the man’s wife with seven counts of forced labor and conspiracy to commit forced labor.

    According to the indictment, between September 2015 and March 2018, Luis Abreu, 50, and his wife, Cybell Abreu, 50, used threats of serious harm and abuse of the law and legal process to coerce seven minor males and young men to perform labor and services. The indictment further alleges that Luis Abreu harbored the seven boys and young men, who he knew or recklessly disregarded to be unlawfully present in the United States.

    The defendants made their initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Wisconsin on April 21. The charge of forced labor carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of alien harboring carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when done for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea for the Western District of Wisconsin, and Homeland Security Investigations Resident Agent in Charge Eric Rice of the HSI Milwaukee Office made the announcement.

    The HSI Milwaukee Office of the Resident Agent in Charge conducted the investigation.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger for the Western District of Wisconsin and Trial Attorney Slava Kuperstein of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.

    If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Columbia Man Sentenced in $1.2 Million Insurance Fraud and $30,000.00 COVID-19 Relief Fraud Cases

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Mo., man who ran a scheme to defraud insurance companies through staged accidents and who fraudulently applied for COVID-19 relief funds was sentenced in federal court today for conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.

    Lawrence Courtney Lawhorn, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Rosanne Ketchmark to a total of 21 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Lawhorn to pay $187,109.75 in restitution to be divided among insurance companies, medical providers, and the Small Business Administration.

    Beginning in 2017, Lawhorn staged automobile accidents in the mid-Missouri area.  Lawhorn participated in three staged accidents and recruited other people, including family members to participate in the staged accidents.  Lawhorn and the participants would go to various hospitals complaining of fake injuries thereby increasing the medical billing. As a result, the cost of a potential settlement with the insurance companies would increase. During one staged accident, Lawhorn spoke to the insurance company while pretending to be a person with settlement authority.

    Lawhorn’s operation spread to the Kansas City, Missouri and St. Louis, Missouri areas. In total, Lawhorn either participated in or managed 10 total staged automobile accidents between 2017 until his arrest in 2020.  The total loss for all staged accidents was approximately $1.2 million.  In court, it was determined Lawhorn pocketed approximately $105,721.17 either through his direct participation or by requiring the other participants to pay him money.

    In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lawhorn, along with another person, Tina Battie, submitted applications for Economic Disaster Relief Loans that were available to small businesses during the pandemic. Lawhorn and Battie submitted applications to the Small Business Administration for the loans using fake businesses.  Lawhorn obtained $10,000.00 from his personal application and another $20,000.00 was obtained through two other fraudulent applications.  The loans were later forgiven.  Tina Battie was sentenced last year for her actions in the case.

    This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Aaron M. Maness.  It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Columbia, Missouri Police Department, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: California State Prisoner Indicted for Child Sexual Exploitation Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    FRESNO, Calif. — Nathaniel Ray Diaz, 21, of Greenfield, was arraigned today after a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment that charged him with sexual exploitation of a minor, attempted receipt of a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and obstruction of justice, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to court documents, Diaz was serving a three-year sentence at Avenal State Prison in Kings County for committing lewd acts against a 12-year-old and making criminal threats with a gun. Between July 5, 2024, and Nov. 25, 2024, Diaz used prison phones, a CDCR-issued tablet, and prison-monitored ViaPath messaging equipment to communicate with the victim. Although Diaz had a 10-year no contact order for a minor, he placed thousands of calls to the minor. He instructed the minor to create and transmit to him images of the minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. When Diaz learned that someone had contacted law enforcement about the communications, he directed people to delete evidence.

    This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Special Service Unit, and the Salinas Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa and Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower from the Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section are prosecuting the case.

    If convicted, Diaz faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of 50 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for the sexual exploitation of a child, a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for attempted receipt of a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. If convicted of the obstruction of justice charge, Diaz faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Honduran Nationals Accused of Possessing and Distributing Fentanyl Face Federal Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging two Honduran nationals, living in the United States illegally, with drug crimes.

    Jorge Luis Hernandez-Valle, 36, and Luis Alfredo Hernandez, 35, both Honduran nationals, living in the United States illegally in Salt Lake County, Utah, were charged by complaint on April 10, 2025. 
        
    According to court documents, since March 2025, detectives with the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force began investigating an alleged drug trafficking organization. During the investigation, detectives purchased narcotics during a controlled buy. During this time, two alleged drug runners involved with the organization and two vehicles were identified. On April 8, 2025, one of the vehicles, a Toyota 4-Runner, was stopped in Kearns, Utah, and a search warrant was executed. From the vehicle, detectives seized approximately 4,500 individual field-tested positive fentanyl pills. Hernandez and Hernandez-Valle were subsequently taken into custody. According to court documents, Hernandez was previously removed from the United States in July 2009 and September 2018. Hernandez-Valle was previously removed from the United States on three occasions, December 2007, September 2010, and May 2019.

    Hernandez-Valle and Hernandez are charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Their initial appearance on the indictment was April 18, 2025 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

    Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah made the announcement.

    The case is being investigated jointly by the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

    Special Assistant United States Attorney Peter Reichman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

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

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Leader of Catalytic Converter Theft Ring Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ALEXANDER KOLITSAS, 31, of Wolcott, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, for operating a catalytic converter theft and trafficking ring.  Judge Nagala also ordered Kolitsas to pay a $50,000 fine.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation into the theft of catalytic converters from motor vehicles across Connecticut.  A catalytic converter contains precious metals, can easily be removed from its vehicle, and is difficult to trace, making it a desirable target for thieves.  The average scrap price for catalytic converters currently varies between $300 and $1,500, depending on the model and type of precious metal component.

    Kolitsas owned and operated Downpipe Depot & Recycling LLC (“Downpipe Depot”), which had a warehouse on Park Avenue in East Hartford.  From approximately January 2021 to June 2022, Kolitsas used Downpipe Depot to purchase stolen catalytic converters from a network of thieves.  Kolitsas instructed his suppliers on the types of converters that would obtain the most profit upon resale, and he would often meet with them and transact business at his home late at night or behind a family member’s restaurant in Middlebury after hours.  Analysis of records seized from Downpipe Depot revealed that many of Kolitsas’s suppliers were selling thousands to tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen converters to Kolitsas each week.

    Starting in January 2022, Kolitsas maintained electronic invoices reflecting the purchase of stolen catalytic converters from his suppliers.  In several of the invoices, Kolitsas permitted his suppliers to use fictitious names or business names in order to create the appearance of proper recordkeeping while obscuring from his records the true source of the stolen converters.  The invoices show that between approximately January 26, 2022, and May 31, 2022, which was only a portion of the time period that Kolitsas operated Downpipe Depot and trafficked stolen catalytic converters, Kolitsas and Downpipe Depot paid more than $3.3 million to purchase converters from his suppliers.

    Kolitsas regularly transported and sold the catalytic converters to recycling businesses in New York and New Jersey.  Some of these trips yielded payments in excess of $200,000.  In an interview with law enforcement, the owner of the New York recycling business estimated that he paid Kolitsas a total of approximately $10 million in cash for catalytic converters.

    The investigation also revealed that Kolitsas used proceeds from the theft and sale of catalytic converters to purchase a Ford Transit Van and other items.

    Kolitsas was arrested on August 24, 2022.  On October 7, 2024, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property and one count of promotional money laundering.

    Judge Nagala ordered Kolitsas to forfeit the Ford Transit Van, a 2016 Polaris Slingshot, $91,581 held in a Downpipe Depot bank account, and $75,127 in cash, all of which was seized by law enforcement during the investigation.

    Kolitsas, who is released on a $150,000 bond, is required to report to prison on July 14.

    This investigation is being led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), and the East Hartford Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and A. Reed Durham through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Manhattan Man Convicted Of Raping And Sexually Abusing Two Teenage Girls And Distributing Methamphetamine To Minors

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that a jury returned a guilty verdict against SHYMELL EPHRON, a/k/a “Shy,” on two counts of enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, one count of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, and two counts of distributing methamphetamine to a minor, in a trial before U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett.  EPHRON is scheduled to be sentenced on September 19, 2025.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “As a unanimous jury found, Shymell Ephron lured two runaway teenagers back to his apartment in Harlem, where he repeatedly raped and sexually abused them for five days while plying them with methamphetamine and alcohol.  Thanks to the FBI and the NYPD, the girls were eventually found and returned to their parents.  I commend these young women for the bravery they showed by testifying at trial.  This Office is committed to keeping the children of New York City safe from sexual predators, and thanks to the hard work of the career prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners, the support of victim services specialists of this Office, and the willingness of the victims to speak up, Ephron has now been convicted for his egregious conduct and will face justice for the harm he caused.” 

    As reflected in the evidence presented at trial:

    Between approximately May 2024 and July 2024, EPHRON worked with others to distribute narcotics, including methamphetamine and cocaine, in Times Square and other locations in New York City.  On or about May 17, 2024, EPHRON approached two teenage girls in Times Square while he was selling drugs.  The girls had run away from home.  EPHRON convinced the two girls to follow him to his residence in Harlem, where they stayed with EPHRON for several days.

    EPHRON engaged in multiple acts of forcible rape, forcible touching, sexual abuse, and illegal sex with a minor while the girls were staying in EPHRON’s apartment.  EPHRON repeatedly provided the girls with methamphetamine, marijuana, and alcohol.  EPHRON also provided a cellphone to the girls to monitor their whereabouts, communicate with them about narcotics, and to persuade, induce, and entice them to return to his apartment each night so he could engage in unlawful sex with them.  Law enforcement agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) eventually rescued the two girls and returned them to their parents.

    *                *               *

    EPHRON, 35, of New York, New York, was convicted of two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, each of which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum potential sentence of life in prison; one count of narcotics conspiracy, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison; and two counts of distributing narcotics to a minor, each of which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in prison and a maximum potential sentence of 40 years in prison.

    The mandatory minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

    Mr. Podolsky praised the work of the FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force and the NYPD.  Mr. Podolsky also thanked the New York State Police and the Yorktown Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.

    This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent & Organized Crime Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan W. Allison, Lisa Daniels, Michael R. Herman, and Andrew W. Jones are in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Albanian National Charged with Conspiring to Smuggle Illegal Aliens into the United States

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging Fatjon Shytani, an Albanian national and resident of the Bronx, New York, with a scheme to smuggle illegal aliens from Canada into the United States for financial gain.  Shytani was arrested yesterday morning and was arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the arrest and indictment.

    “As alleged, Shytani conspired to smuggle illegal aliens into the United States to benefit himself financially, but was thwarted by the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “These types of schemes represent a significant threat to our national security and will not be tolerated.  This case demonstrates our Office’s continued dedication to protect our border security and the integrity of the immigration process.”

    Mr. Durham also thanked U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the New York City Police Department, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Albanian State Police for their valuable assistance during the investigation.

    Fatjon Shytani, an Albanian national, allegedly facilitated the illegal entry of foreign nationals into the United States in exchange for cash payments.  This alleged conspiracy established unauthorized border access designed to circumvent proper protocols and evade authorities.  The FBI remains dedicated to apprehending any individual who profits from violating the borders and security of our nation.

    As alleged in court filings, Shytani and his co-defendants conspired to smuggle foreign nationals from to enter the United States via illegal border crossing at the U.S. border with Canada.  During the course of the investigation, Shytani accepted cash from an undercover agent (UC-1) in exchange for arranging to have the agent’s significant other, who purportedly was from the Republic of Kosovo, smuggled across the Canadian border into the United States.  In reality, the agent’s significant other was another undercover law enforcement agent (UC-2).  Between March 12, 2024 and March 13, 2024, Shytani and UC-1 exchanged phone calls and text messages during which they agreed to meet in person on March 14, 2024, at a coffee shop on Long Island, New York.  On March 14, 2024, Shytani met UC-1 at the agreed-upon location where they discussed details regarding UC-2’s illegal crossing from Canada into the United States. At the conclusion of the meeting, UC-1 paid Shytani $14,000 in cash for the planned smuggling service.  On March 16, 2024, Shytani’s co-conspirators then attempted to smuggle UC-2 and two other aliens from Canada into the United States before being apprehended and later released by Canadian law enforcement.

    The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted of alien smuggling and transportation conspiracy, Shytani faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

    Assistant United States  Attorneys Andrew Roddin, Stephanie Pak, and Kate Mathews are in charge of the prosecution.  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.

    The Defendant:

    FATJON SHYTANI (also known as “Fati”)
    Age:  41
    Bronx, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-133 (SJB)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Maryland Attorney Pleads Guilty to Not Paying Employment Taxes

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    A Maryland attorney pleaded guilty today for not paying employment taxes withheld from the employees of his law firm.

    The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: James E. McCollum Jr. was an attorney licensed to practice law in Maryland and the District of Columbia. From 1998 to 2024, McCollum was the sole proprietor of a law firm based in College Park, Maryland, which he operated using a series of business names, including McCollum P.C.; McCollum & Associates LLC; and The McCollum Firm LLC. Nevertheless, McCollum was always the sole owner and operator of the business.

    As such, McCollum exercised financial control over the firm, including hiring and supervising employees, operating the payroll, and maintaining signature authority over the business bank accounts. From at least 2000 onward, McCollum was responsible for withholding Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes from his employees’ wages and paying those funds over to the government each quarter. McCollum was also obligated to pay over the employer’s share of Social Security and Medicare taxes.

    The timely payment of these taxes is critical to the functioning of the U.S. government, because, for example, they are the primary source of funding for Social Security and Medicare. The federal income taxes that are withheld from employees’ wages also account for a significant portion of all federal income taxes collected each year.

    Over the last 24 years, McCollum, however, was frequently not compliant with his obligations to pay these taxes to the government or to file the necessary tax returns.

    Beginning in 2010, the IRS attempted to collect the unpaid employment taxes, issuing numerous notices and levies to the law firm. When the IRS was unable to collect the outstanding taxes from the firm, it assessed them against McCollum personally and tried to collect them from him as well.

    In 2020, instead of paying the taxes that were due, McCollum sought to thwart the IRS’s ongoing collection efforts by transferring his business and its employees to a new entity, The McCollum Firm. Yet, even after the transfer, McCollum continued to not file the requisite tax returns or pay the employment taxes over. McCollum acknowledged that from 2000 through 2024, he did not pay over at least approximately $2,174,992.83 in employment taxes.

    McCollum also acknowledged that he did not file his own individual income tax returns and did not pay $220,515 in individual income taxes due for the tax years 2020 through 2022.

    The court scheduled sentencing for Sept. 29. McCollum faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the failure to pay over employment taxes. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. McCollum also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

    Assistant Chief Jorge Almonte and Trial Attorney Mark McDonald of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Maryland Attorney Pleads Guilty to Not Paying Employment Taxes

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    A Maryland attorney pleaded guilty today for not paying employment taxes withheld from the employees of his law firm.

    The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: James E. McCollum Jr. was an attorney licensed to practice law in Maryland and the District of Columbia. From 1998 to 2024, McCollum was the sole proprietor of a law firm based in College Park, Maryland, which he operated using a series of business names, including McCollum P.C.; McCollum & Associates LLC; and The McCollum Firm LLC. Nevertheless, McCollum was always the sole owner and operator of the business.

    As such, McCollum exercised financial control over the firm, including hiring and supervising employees, operating the payroll, and maintaining signature authority over the business bank accounts. From at least 2000 onward, McCollum was responsible for withholding Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes from his employees’ wages and paying those funds over to the government each quarter. McCollum was also obligated to pay over the employer’s share of Social Security and Medicare taxes.

    The timely payment of these taxes is critical to the functioning of the U.S. government, because, for example, they are the primary source of funding for Social Security and Medicare. The federal income taxes that are withheld from employees’ wages also account for a significant portion of all federal income taxes collected each year.

    Over the last 24 years, McCollum, however, was frequently not compliant with his obligations to pay these taxes to the government or to file the necessary tax returns.

    Beginning in 2010, the IRS attempted to collect the unpaid employment taxes, issuing numerous notices and levies to the law firm. When the IRS was unable to collect the outstanding taxes from the firm, it assessed them against McCollum personally and tried to collect them from him as well.

    In 2020, instead of paying the taxes that were due, McCollum sought to thwart the IRS’s ongoing collection efforts by transferring his business and its employees to a new entity, The McCollum Firm. Yet, even after the transfer, McCollum continued to not file the requisite tax returns or pay the employment taxes over. McCollum acknowledged that from 2000 through 2024, he did not pay over at least approximately $2,174,992.83 in employment taxes.

    McCollum also acknowledged that he did not file his own individual income tax returns and did not pay $220,515 in individual income taxes due for the tax years 2020 through 2022.

    The court scheduled sentencing for Sept. 29. McCollum faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the failure to pay over employment taxes. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. McCollum also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

    Assistant Chief Jorge Almonte and Trial Attorney Mark McDonald of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Owner of Pharmaceutical Company Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Distribution of $60 Million in Diverted HIV Drugs

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – Adam Brosius, 60 of Delray Beach, pleaded guilty in connection with his role in a nationwide scheme to unlawfully distribute misbranded and adulterated HIV drugs to unsuspecting patients.

    According to court documents, Brosius was a part owner of Safe Chain Solutions LLC (“Safe Chain”), a wholesale distributor of pharmaceuticals based in Cambridge, Maryland, that purported to sell legitimate prescription drugs to pharmacies throughout the country, including expensive HIV medication. 

    In connection with his guilty plea, Brosius admitted that he and his co-conspirators illegally acquired HIV drugs that had been diverted from the regulated pharmaceutical distribution chain by various means.  One common method of prescription drug diversion involved buying bottles of supposed prescription HIV medication from individuals on the street, repackaging and relabeling the bottles, and then reselling the drugs to Safe Chain at steeply discounted prices with falsified documentation concealing the drugs’ true origin.  Brosius and his co-conspirators were notified of the false documentation accompanying these drugs but continued purchasing the steeply discounted HIV drugs and reselling them to pharmacy customers, which dispensed the diverted drugs to unsuspecting patients.  According to court documents, at times patients received bottles labeled as their prescription medication but which contained a different drug entirely, with one patient passing out and remaining unconscious for 24 hours after taking an anti-psychotic drug thinking it was his prescribed HIV medication.

    Sentencing is set for August 29, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale before United States District Court Judge William P. Dimitrouleas.  Brosius pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces up to 20 years in prison. 

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge Jesus Barranco of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Miami Regional Office, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

    Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Thor Pogozelski of the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Jacqueline DerOvanesian of the Department of Justice are prosecuting the case. 

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

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20255.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Armed Repeat Offender Sentenced to 97 Months in Federal Prison for Drug and Gun Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOISE – Isaac Augustin Santoyo, 25, of Nampa, was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for seven counts of distributing cocaine, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crime, Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott announced today.  U.S. District Court Judge Amanda K. Brailsford also sentenced Santoyo to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his prison sentence, pay a $9000 fine and pay a $900 special assessment.

    According to court records, Santoyo had previously been convicted of possession of cocaine with intent to deliver in Ada County in 2017.  When he completed probation for that offense, he continued to distribute cocaine in Canyon County.  From October 2023 through April 2024, Santoyo sold cocaine during controlled buys with law enforcement on seven different occasions, totaling 868 grams.  A search warrant was served on his residence, where law enforcement seized (and ultimately forfeited) $25,291, a semi-automatic handgun, and 174 grams of cocaine.  Santoyo pleaded guilty to all nine offenses on January 16, 2025.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott commended the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Nampa Police Department, the Meridian Police Department, Idaho State Police, and Idaho Probation and Parole.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: U.S. Attorneys for Southwestern Border Districts Charge More than 1,220 Illegal Aliens with Immigration-Related Crimes During the Third week in April as part of Operation Take Back America.

    Source: US Justice – Antitrust Division

    Headline: U.S. Attorneys for Southwestern Border Districts Charge More than 1,220 Illegal Aliens with Immigration-Related Crimes During the Third week in April as part of Operation Take Back America.

    Since the inauguration of President Trump, the Department of Justice is playing a critical role in Operation Take back America, a nationwide initiative to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Promoting Work Zone Safety Statewide

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul is promoting work zone safety by urging all drivers to slow down, stay alert and follow New York State’s Move Over Law to protect roadside workers and other motorists. As construction season kicks into high gear statewide, these efforts highlight National Work Zone Awareness Week — which is celebrated from April 21-25, 2025 — and the national theme: “Respect the zone so we all get home.”

    “Every roadside worker deserves to return home safely at the end of their shift,” Governor Hochul said. “We’re asking all drivers to do their part by reducing speed, eliminating distractions and staying vigilant in work zones so that our hard-working and dedicated roadside workers are safe. A few extra seconds of your time and attention can save a life.”

    In 2024, there were more than 156 crashes in Thruway work zones resulting in one fatality and 30 injuries. Distracted driving, following too closely, an unsafe lane change or disregarding traffic warning signs caused the majority of the crashes. In addition, two Thruway Authority employees died and another was seriously injured in separate incidents while working on the New York State Thruway. In its 70-plus year history, 22 Thruway employees have been killed while on the job.

    In 2024, there were 322 intrusions in New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) work zones. These intrusions resulted in the deaths of two drivers who entered the work zones and 138 additional injuries to highway workers and the traveling public. A total of 58 members of the NYSDOT family have died on the job across New York State, dating as far back as 1939.

    Throughout National Work Zone Awareness Week, the New York State Thruway Authority and NYSDOT will be hosting awareness events, lighting digital highway signs with safety messages and sharing important safety reminders on social media platforms. In addition — at the direction of Governor Hochul — State landmarks will be illuminated in orange on Wednesday, April 23 in recognition of Go Orange Day. Drivers are encouraged to:

    • Slow down when approaching work zones.
    • Move over for all stopped vehicles including roadside workers, emergency responders and disabled vehicles.
    • Stay off phones and avoid other distractions while driving.
    • Follow posted signs and flagger instructions.

    This April also marks two years since the launch of the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement (AWZSE) pilot program. The pilot program was established by legislation enacted into law by Governor Hochul in 2021 which authorized a five-year pilot program run as a joint effort by NYSDOT and the Thruway Authority to enhance the State’s ongoing efforts to slow motorists down in work zones and make New York’s highways safer.

    More than 425,000 Notices of Liability have been issued statewide, with over 38,000 repeat offenders since the AWZSE program began issuing Notices of Liability in May 2023. In locations where the cameras have been present more than once, fewer Notices of Liability are being issued, meaning that people are slowing down when cameras are present.

    Fines through the pilot program are issued as follows:

    • First Notice of Liability: $50 fine
    • Second Notice of Liability: $75 fine if within an 18-month period of first violation
    • Third and Subsequent Notices of Liability: $100 fine if within an 18-month period of first violation

    To further protect the workers who build and maintain roads and bridges, Governor Hochul proposed making the AWZSE pilot program permanent and increasing penalties for repeat violators in her Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget, in addition to expanding the program to include Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Bridges and Tunnels and New York State Bridge Authority properties. Additionally, the Governor suggested enhancing penalties for assaults against transportation workers, extending protections similar to those provided to many MTA and retail workers. These actions will improve safety for both workers and drivers.

    Beginning with National Work Zone Awareness Week and continuing through the construction season, the New York State Police and local law enforcement agencies will once again be conducting “Operation Hardhat” details to enforce vehicle and traffic laws in highway work zones. Under “Operation Hardhat,” State Troopers or local police officers are dressed as highway maintenance workers in active NYSDOT or Thruway work zones across New York, identifying and citing motorists for several violations, including disobeying flagging personnel, speeding through work zones, cell phone and seatbelt use, and/or violations of the State’s Move Over law. Last year 2,755 tickets were issued by State Police and participating law enforcement agencies during 62 deployments across the State.

    The New York State Department of Transportation and Thruway Authority have produced new videos encouraging motorists to move over in work zones. See the NYSDOT video here and Thruway Authority video here.

    To celebrate “Go Orange Day” and to commemorate National Work Zone Awareness Week, the following New York State landmarks will be lit orange on Wednesday, April 23:

    • Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
    • Kosciuszko Bridge
    • The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building
    • State Education Building
    • Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
    • Empire State Plaza
    • State Fairgrounds – Main Gate & Expo Center
    • Niagara Falls
    • The “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge
    • Albany International Airport Gateway
    • MTA LIRR – East End Gateway at Penn Station
    • Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal
    • Moynihan Train Hall

    The New York State Bridge Authority (NYSBA) is observing Work Zone Awareness Week by conducting a “road show” at each of its five vehicular spans. Each day will consist of a meeting with staff, followed by a meeting with local stakeholders and first responders to discuss safety concerns, explore opportunities for collaboration, and share information about NYSBA’s upcoming construction season. Additionally, the necklace lights on the Mid-Hudson Bridge will be illuminated in orange in honor of “Go Orange Day” to promote work zone safety.

    New York State Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank G. Hoare said, “Each day, roadside workers risk their lives to enhance the safety of the roads we all rely on. It’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure they can perform their jobs safely and return to their families after their shifts. Drivers need to remain alert and reduce their speed in work zones. Let’s show our appreciation for the dedicated men and women who keep our roads operating safely.”

    New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “Our dedicated highway maintenance and construction workers routinely work in hazardous conditions so that the rest of us can get where we need to go, safely. They have families, friends and loved ones who love them and depend on them. We owe them all a debt of gratitude and paying back that debt begins with keeping them safe. I appreciate Governor Hochul’s continuing efforts to protect our workers so remember, every driver has a role to play — during National Work Zone Awareness Week and throughout the year – that is why I urge all motorists to put down your phones, slow down, and pay attention, especially in work zones. Lives are at stake.”

    New York State Bridge Authority Executive Director Dr. Minosca Alcantara said, “This week serves as an important reminder that work zone safety is a shared responsibility for everyone who travels on our state’s roadways. In recognition of this, the Bridge Authority is bringing together staff and local leaders at each of our five vehicular bridges to reinforce our partnerships and collective commitment to protecting employees working in construction zones. By remaining vigilant and looking out for our work crews, we help ensure that our staff return home safely to their loved ones—and that all travelers experience a safer journey.”

    New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said, “Highway workers, law enforcement officers and other emergency responders, work in a dangerous environment and risk their lives to keep the traveling public safe. They should be able to do their jobs without fear of harm and go home to their families at the end of each workday. It is important that motorists are aware of their responsibility to slow down, move over and put electronic devices away.”

    New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner and Chair of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee Mark J.F. Schroeder said, “As someone who spends a lot of time on the road driving across New York, I cannot understate my appreciation for the men and women who work to maintain the safety of those roads. We must all mind the rules of the road, and especially the rules of the work zone, to ensure that everyone on both sides of the cones and barricades are safe at all times.”

    State Senator Jeremy Cooney said, “This National Work Zone Awareness Week is a reminder for drivers to slow down, drive safely, and obey the rules of the road. Our highway employees work hard every day to improve our roads and get drivers where they need to go, and it’s only right that we work to keep them safe while on the job. I’m grateful to Governor Hochul, the Thruway Authority and NYSDOT for their continued partnership to keep all New Yorkers safe on the road.”

    Assemblymember William B. Magnarelli said, “Work Zone safety continues to be a priority for me as Chair of the Transportation Committee. In 2021, I was proud to sponsor and get passed into law legislation creating a pilot program for the use of speed cameras in work zones. There is no excuse for speeding and reckless driving in work zones. Our workers deserve a safe working environment and to safely go home to their families at the end of their shifts.”

    Associated General Contractors of New York State President and CEO Mike Elmendorf said, “Work zone safety isn’t just a one-week concern—it’s a year-round priority. As construction season ramps up, we urge all drivers: stay alert, slow down, and move over in work zones. Every day, highway workers and flaggers face serious risks from speeding and distracted drivers. That’s why New York’s work zone speed camera program is critical — it saves lives and must be made permanent and expanded. The recent rise in assaults on transportation workers makes it even more urgent to strengthen legal protections for those building and maintaining our infrastructure. AGC NYS is proud to partner with Governor Hochul and NYSDOT to create safer roads for workers and drivers alike. We applaud the Governor’s Executive Budget proposals to make the speed camera program permanent and close legal loopholes that leave workers vulnerable. Now, the Legislature must act to protect the men and women who keep New York moving.”

    New York State American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations President Mario Cliento said, “In just a few days, we will mark Workers Memorial Day to honor those who lost their lives on the job. As leaders move closer to finalizing the state budget, we have a unique opportunity to improve worker safety with new work zone protections and traffic laws. No worker should fear for their life while performing their job, and no family should have to grieve the loss of a loved one due to preventable and entirely avoidable roadway incidents. We thank Governor Hochul for prioritizing worker safety, and we look forward to working with her on protecting the workforce that keeps our roads safe.”

    New York State Building and Construction Trades Council President Gary LaBarbera said, “Construction sites are inherently dangerous and the added hazards and less-controllable variants of roadways and high speed traffic only increase the risks for worksites on our highways. This is why we must continue to encourage drivers to proceed with more caution and mindfulness around roadway work zones. We applaud Governor Hochul for her ongoing leadership and action on this important issue. Every hard-working New Yorker, including our brave tradesmen and tradeswomen working on our roadways, deserve to return home safely to their families at the end of each shift.”

    Laborers’ International Union of North America Vice President and New England Regional Manager Donato A. Bianco, Jr. said, “National Work Zone Awareness Week serves as an important reminder to everyone traveling our highways to slow down, stay alert and respect the men and women who perform this necessary and inherently dangerous work. Every day, LIUNA members build, repair and maintain the roads we drive to our jobs and back home to our families. It is because of these workers that our commutes are safer and more efficient. We all owe it to them to prioritize their safety and ensure they also return home to their loved ones at the end of their workday.”

    New York State Laborers Health and Safety Trust Fund Executive Director Frank Marchese, Jr. said, “National Work Zone Awareness Week is an important initiative that calls attention to the perils of road construction, and why driver attentiveness is imperative all year round. The data shows that prioritizing work zone safety legislation and initiatives creates a far less hazardous environment for workers simply doing their jobs by reducing speeding and distracted driving. Our union calls on everyone to do their part to keep workers safe, and show support for those who keep New York State moving forward.”

    New York State Conference of Operating Engineers President Thomas A. Callahan said, “Our members work hard building and repairing New York’s roads and bridges. That dangerous work becomes deadly with reckless and careless drivers. That’s why we urge the Legislature and the Governor to pass a budget that includes speed cameras in work zones legislation in addition to other safety measures.”

    Civil Service Employees Association Thruway Local 058 President Sean Kennedy said, “CSEA affirms our commitment to making sure all of our members make it home at the end of the work day. Drivers need to do their part too.”

    Civil Service Employees Association President Mary E. Sullivan said, “Our union joins Governor Hochul, the New York State Department of Transportation and the New York State Thruway Authority in observing National Work Zone Awareness Week from April 21 to April 25. As road work season begins, we want to once again highlight the importance of safe driving in highway work zones. This year, we observe this week remembering our union brother Stephen Ebling, who lost his life while working in a Thruway work zone. As motorists, we must always use caution while in work zones; respect the zone so we can all get home.”

    New York State Public Employees Federation President Wayne Spence said, “The 54,000 members of the New York State Public Employees Federation, especially the hardworking professionals at the NYS Department of Transportation, urge all New Yorkers to stay aware, on task and use caution when driving through highway work zones. As we enter National Work Zone Awareness Week, April 21-25, 2025, all New Yorkers should all be mindful that our highway workers have families that need them. In 2024 alone, there were more than 156 crashes in Thruway work zones resulting in one fatality and 30 injuries. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these accidents were entirely preventable if the drivers had focused on operating their vehicles and maintained appropriate work zone speeds — distracted driving and operator error were responsible for the vast majority of these crashes. PEF urges all motorists to pay attention and respect our highway work zones so all these dedicated workers can get home safely to their families.”

    Teamsters Local 456 President and Principal Officer Louis A. Picani said, “National Work Zone Awareness Week is a crucial time to reflect on the safety of our workers and the public. One of Teamsters Local 456’s objectives is to maintain the safety and well-being of our members. We support our partners in state government in enforcing stringent safety measures to protect those who build and maintain our roads. Local 456 not only represents the New York State Thruway workers, whose lives are in danger every day, but also the construction workers who are out fixing and maintaining roadways for those who travel them every day. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Governor Hochul for her unwavering support and commitment to enhancing work zone safety. Together, we can ensure that every work zone is a safe zone.”

    Safety is a shared responsibility. By working together, we can reduce accidents and ensure safer roads for workers and drivers alike.

    For more information on National Work Zone Awareness Week and how to stay safe while driving through work zones, visit the state’s comprehensive website at ny.gov/workzone.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: 45th Anniversary of the Joint Terrorism Task Force

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

    Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) can be found at each of the FBI’s 55 field offices and many of their smaller offices—around 280 locations in all. FBI Atlanta organized its JTTF in 1994. The FBI Atlanta JTTF has representatives positioned around the state of Georgia.

    JTTFs gather trained investigators, intelligence analysts, linguists, and tactical experts from federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Task force members share intelligence and investigative leads and respond to threats and incidents.

    “We rely on our law enforcement partners to help keep our communities safe,” said Paul Brown, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta. “All of our partners bring their special skills and expertise to these teams, making us all that much stronger.”

    The FBI’s JTTF model dates to 1979, when the New York Police Department and the FBI’s New York Field Office created a joint task force to tackle violent bank robberies. They imitated the model in 1980, when terrorist bombings, bomb threats, and other violence plagued the city and announced the formation of the first JTTF in April 1980.

    After the 9/11 attacks, FBI leadership directed all FBI field offices to establish a JTTF. In addition, the FBI established its National Joint Terrorism Task Force to support the local task forces in June 2002. The NJTTF, at FBI Headquarters, enhances communication, coordination, and cooperation from partner agencies.

    JTTFs have disrupted dozens of plots in the past four decades.

    FBI Atlanta counts numerous disruptions of its own, including a plan to attack the White House in 2020. Thanks to a tip from a member of the Atlanta community, Hasher Jallal Taheb was captured and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

    https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/forsyth-man-sentenced-attempted-attack-white-house

    The FBI Atlanta JTTF also investigated the Jihadists of Georgia case, where two men living in Georgia made videos of the U.S. Capitol and other Washington, D.C., landmarks with plans to travel and attend a terrorist training camp.

    https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2009/december/jihadists_121509
    https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2009/december/jihadists_12170 .

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Guatemalan Nationals And One Brevard County Man Plead Guilty To Drug And Immigration Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Augusto Rene Reyes-Gonzalez (37, Guatemala), Carlos Grijalva-Garcia (38, Guatemala), and Brandon Charod Smith (39, Palm Bay) have pleaded guilty to their respective roles in conspiring to distribute and distributing cocaine and methamphetamine. Reyes-Gonzalez and Grijalva-Garcia also pleaded guilty to illegal reentry by a deported alien. Reyes-Gonzalez and Smith each face a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. Grijalva-Garcia faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. No sentencing dates have been set. 

    According to court documents, in August and September 2023, Reyes-Gonzalez conspired with Grijalva-Garcia to distribute cocaine, which they distributed to a confidential source on August 25, 2023. Between September 2023 and January 2024, Reyes-Gonzalez conspired with Smith to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, which they distributed to the same confidential source on September 8, October 6, December 1, and December 22, 2023. In total, the conspiracies involved over 80 grams of cocaine and over 3 kilograms of pure methamphetamine.

    At the time of the drug conspiracies, Reyes-Gonzalez and Grijalva-Garcia were citizens of Guatemala and found to be unlawfully in the United States. Both individuals had previously been removed from the United States on multiple occasions. 

    This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Palm Bay Police Department, the Rockledge Police Department, the Melbourne Police Department, the Cocoa Police Department, and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brandon Cruz, Dana Hill, and Megan Testerman.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Is a corporation a slave? Many philosophers think so

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Duncan Ian Wallace, Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Monash University

    f11photo/Shutterstock

    If you’ve ever heard the term “wage slave”, you’ll know many modern workers – perhaps even you – sometimes feel enslaved to the organisation at which they work.

    But here’s a different way of thinking about it: for-profit business corporations are themselves slaves.

    Corporations such as Microsoft, Google and Tesla are what the law describes as “legal persons”, with many of the same rights and duties in law as individual persons have.

    One right that they do not share with individuals, however, is the right not to be owned as property – the right not to be enslaved.

    For though Microsoft, Google and Tesla are persons in law, they are also owned by their shareholders as property. And as legal persons that are owned as property, I argue, such corporations are slaves.

    Wait, what?

    As someone who’s spent years researching the history and philosophy of corporate legal personhood, I’ve done a lot of thinking about the corporation as a kind of organism, or person.

    I have come to the belief that corporations are persons not only in law, but are persons also in reality. Their legal personalities are only the recognition of real, underlying, group personalities.

    I am far from the only person to believe in the reality of corporate personality.

    Philosophers Christian List and Philip Pettit, for example, advance the idea in their influential 2011 book, Group Agency.

    In the book, List and Pettit argue that an appropriately organised social group, such as a corporation, has attitudes independent of the attitudes of the group’s individual members.

    More than the sum of its parts

    Such a group is more than the sum of its parts. It has its own personality, which emerges from the coordinated action of its individual members. This personality can survive changes in membership.

    This shows, List and Pettit claim, such groups have “minds of their own”. They possess a sophisticated psychology enabling them to reflect on their choices and actions, make judgements on the basis of evidence and understand concepts such as right and wrong, or life and death.

    In short, appropriately organised social groups really are capable of being understood as persons – “group persons”. They exist, alongside individual persons, as a normal part of human society.

    And these group persons are capable of being owned as property. Consider for-profit corporations. They are traded on markets as commodities; are bought, sold and exploited; and are forced to maximise profits in the interests of their owners – their shareholders.

    They are persons owned as property. They are, in other words, in the condition of slavery.

    Look at Roman slave law

    The idea that group persons can be slaves is an old idea. With respect to the for-profit corporation, however, it is generally rejected by modern corporate law scholars.

    They argue that because corporations are persons in law, this demonstrates such entities cannot be owned.

    They also point out that shareholders have limited liability for the debts of their corporations. This shows, they say, that shareholders cannot be thought of as true owners.

    Such objections can be met, however, by examining the slave laws of societies where slavery was legal.

    Under Roman law, for instance, slaves – though the personal property of their masters – were clearly recognised as persons in law. They were able to own property, could contract, go into debt, be held responsible for wrongs, and sue others for wrongs committed against them.

    Indeed, it was common for such slaves to run businesses of their own (though ultimately for the financial benefit of the master).

    And when slaves ran such businesses, their masters had limited liability for the debts of their slaves – just as shareholders have limited liability for the debts of their for-profit corporations today.

    Roman slave law is no exception in these respects. The same can be found under the slave laws of Ancient Greece, medieval Islam, and in those of the 19th century American South.

    An Ancient Roman mosaic from Tunisia, showing slaves pouring drinks at a banquet.
    Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA

    4 reasons this matters

    Identifying for-profit corporations as slaves matters for four reasons.

    First, it highlights potential moral problems with owning corporations. When we have shares in the ownership of for-profit corporations, we are participating as masters in a system of slavery.

    Second, the ability to own for-profit corporations as “slaves” is a major driver of inequality. The richest people in the world have all made their money from owning corporations, and their ability to amass such wealth would be unimaginable otherwise.

    The third reason identifying for-profit corporations as slaves matters is because it provides an explanation for why corporations maximise profits in the interests of shareholders. It is because shareholders own them, and force this behaviour upon them.

    Fourth, identifying corporations as slaves offers a solution to the problem of corporate profit-maximising behaviour (a behaviour causing great social and environmental harm): getting rid of shareholders.

    Consider, for example, worker cooperatives like Mondragon Corporation in Spain and the John Lewis Partnership in the United Kingdom.

    They are share-less corporations. They are unowned. They are corporations free from enslavement.

    The effect is that they do not maximise profits. Instead, they value the wellbeing of their workers.

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

    – ref. Is a corporation a slave? Many philosophers think so – https://theconversation.com/is-a-corporation-a-slave-many-philosophers-think-so-253226

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Fossil fuel companies ‘poisoned the well’ of public debate with climate disinformation. Here’s how Australia can break free

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Naomi Oreskes, Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University

    President Donald Trump has issued an executive order that would block state laws seeking to tackle greenhouse gas emissions – the latest salvo in his administration’s campaign to roll back United States’ climate action.

    Under Trump, the US has clearly abdicated climate leadership. But the US has in fact obstructed climate action for decades – largely due to damaging actions by the powerful fossil fuel industry.

    In 20 years studying attacks on climate science and the powerful forces at work behind the scenes, I’ve come to think the United States is simply not going to lead on climate action. The fossil fuel industry has so poisoned the well of public debate in the US that it’s unlikely the nation will lead on the issue in our lifetimes.

    Australia, on the other hand, has enormous potential.

    I recently visited Australia from Harvard University for a series of public talks. This nation is very close to my heart. I trained as a mining geologist and spent three years in outback South Australia, before returning to academia.

    The vacuum Trump has created on climate policy provides a chance for other countries to lead. Australia has much more to gain from the clean-energy future than it stands to lose – and your climate action could be pivotal.

    The climate crisis: a long time coming

    Scientists first warned against burning fossil fuels way back in the 1950s. When the US Clean Air Act was passed in 1970, the words “weather” and “climate” were included because scientists had already explained to Congress that carbon dioxide was a pollutant with serious — even dire — effects.

    In the late 1980s, scientists at NASA observed changes in the climate system that could only be explained by the extra heating effect of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The predictions had become reality.

    When George H.W. Bush ran successfully for president in 1988, he promised to use the power of the “White House effect” to fight the “greenhouse effect”. In 1992, Bush and other world leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to sign the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Together, 178 countries promised action to prevent “dangerous anthropogenic interference” with Earth’s climate. But that action never came.

    Trump has undoubtedly been bad news for global climate action. He makes preposterous claims about science and is dismantling the federal agencies responsible for supporting climate science and maintaining climate data.

    But the US has long failed to play its part in cutting dangerous greenhouse gas emissions. The reason for this lies largely outside the White House.

    If only George H.W. Bush had used the White House effect to counter the greenhouse effect, as he once promised to.
    mark reinstein, Shutterstock

    A long-running campaign of disinformation

    The fossil fuel industry has known about climate change for as long as scientists have.

    In the late 1970s and early 1980s, scientists at Esso (later ExxonMobil) actively researched the topic, building climate models and coauthoring scientific papers.

    The scientists informed their managers of the risk of catastrophic damage if the burning of oil, gas and coal continued unabated. They even suggested the company might need a different business model – one not so dependent on fossil fuels.

    But managers at ExxonMobil made a fateful decision: to turn from information to disinformation. Working in tandem with other oil, gas and coal companies, as well as automobile and aluminium manufacturers, ExxonMobil launched an organised campaign, sustained over decades, to block climate action by casting doubt on the underlying science.

    They ran ad campaigns in national and local newspapers insisting the science was too unsettled to warrant action. They created “astroturf” organisations that only pretended to be green, and funded “third-party allies” to argue that proposed remedies would be too expensive, cost jobs and damage the economy.

    The company funded outlier scientists to publish papers claiming atmospheric warming was the result of natural climate variability. They pressured journalists to give equal time to “their side” of the story in the name of “balance”.

    Over the next three decades, whenever any meaningful climate policy seemed to be gaining traction, the industry and its allies lobbied Congress and state legislatures to block it. So, neither Democratic nor Republican administrations were able to undertake meaningful climate action.

    While people were dying in climate-charged floods and fires, the fossil fuel industry persuaded a significant proportion of the US population, including Trump, that the whole thing might just be a hoax.

    Rise up Australia

    In a matter of weeks after becoming president, Trump pulled out of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming, shut down government websites hosting climate data, and withdrew support for research that dares to mention the word “climate”.

    This has created a vacuum that other countries, including Australia, can step up to fill.

    Few countries have more to lose from climate change than Australia. The continent has already witnessed costly and devastating wildfires and floods — affecting remote areas and major cities. It’s not unreasonable to worry that in coming years, significant parts of Australia could become uninhabitable.

    Like the US, Australia has a powerful fossil fuel industry that has disproportionately influenced its politics. Unlike the US, however, that industry is based mainly on coal for export, which Australians do not depend on in their daily lives.

    And Australia is truly a lucky country. It has unsurpassed potential to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy.

    More than 15 years ago, Australian researchers in the Zero Carbon Australia project offered a blueprint for how the country could eliminate fossil fuel use entirely. Since then, renewable energy has only become cheaper and more efficient.

    South Australia has proved the point: the state was 100% reliant on fossil fuels for electricity in 2002, but now more than 70% comes from renewables.

    Across Australia, the share of renewable electricity generation is growing. Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland are vying for second place after SA. It’s fascinating to watch the National Electricity Market balance supply and demand in real time, where a large proportion of the electricity comes from rooftop solar.

    For decades, the fossil fuel industry has told the public our societies can’t manage without fossil fuels. Large parts of Australia have proved it’s just not so. The rest of the nation can follow that lead, and model the energy transition for the world. Here’s your chance.

    Over the past two decades, Naomi Oreskes has received grant funding from various governments and non-government organisations to support the research upon which this piece is based. She serves on the board of The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, which works to protect the integrity of climate science, and climate scientists, from politically motivated attacks. The Fund is a registered 501 c(3) non-profit organisation, meaning it does not engage in political activities. She is also an emerita board member of Protect our Winters, a 501 c (3) that works with the winter sports community to educate people about climate change and the threat it poses to winter sports. Naomi serves on the board of the Kann-Rasmussen foundation (Denmark), a non-profit foundation that works “to support the transition to a more environmentally resilient stable, and sustainable planet”.
    Naomi currently serves as a consultant to a number of groups pursuing climate litigation in the United States, and recently submitted an expert report to the International Court of Justice on behalf of Vanuatu. She also receives speaking fees and book royalties for talks and publications on the history of climate science and climate change denial. Co-author, with Erik M. Conway, of Merchants of Doubt (2010) and The Big Myth (2023).

    – ref. Fossil fuel companies ‘poisoned the well’ of public debate with climate disinformation. Here’s how Australia can break free – https://theconversation.com/fossil-fuel-companies-poisoned-the-well-of-public-debate-with-climate-disinformation-heres-how-australia-can-break-free-251221

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Detroit Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Huntington Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Mark Lawrence Lowe, also known as “Cell,” 24, of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty today to aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Lowe admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Huntington area.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, from at least September 2023 through November 2023, Lowe participated in the distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl at various locations in the Southern District of West Virginia and elsewhere as part of the DTO.

    On September 9, 2023, Lowe and co-conspirator Paul Anthony Rucker were transporting fentanyl and methamphetamine from Huntington to Nitro when law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of their vehicle on Interstate 64 in Cabell County. An officer seized approximately 149 grams of fentanyl and 222.62 grams of methamphetamine from the vehicle during the traffic stop. As part of his guilty plea, Lowe admitted that he and Rucker intended to distribute the seized controlled substances.

    Lowe is scheduled to be sentenced on July 28, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a $10 million fine.

    Rucker, 47, of Nitro, was sentenced on July 15, 2024, to six years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl.

    Lowe and Rucker are among 27 individuals indicted on charges alleging the DTO distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl transported from Detroit, Michigan, in Huntington and other locations within the Southern District of West Virginia.

    Lowe, Rucker and 22 other defendants have pleaded guilty, including one who pleaded guilty to a separate charges in lieu of the offenses alleged in the indictment. Charges against the remaining defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.

    United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Stephanie Taylor are prosecuting the case.

    The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-180.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Pittsburgh Woman Pleads Guilty to Credit Card Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft Charges in Car Rental Scam

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    Tai Jauna Jones, 29, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan.

    In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that Jones, through the dark web, obtained credit card numbers and other personal information of numerous individuals, and then was one of several co-defendants who provided the fraudulently obtained credit card numbers to a manager at a Monroeville car rental location. The manager rented the vehicles knowing that the true owners of the credit card numbers did not authorize the car rentals, renting a total of more than 140 vehicles in this manner to cause losses of more than $500,000.

    Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for August 14, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than two years and up to 12 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

    Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

    The United States Secret Service, in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Jones.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Serial Armed Robber Who Targeted Delivery Workers in DC, MD, Is Sentenced to 16 Years in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WASHINGTON – Rubin Raphael Bordeaux, 36, of the District, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 192 months in prison for his role a string of armed carjackings that targeted delivery workers in November 2023. At the height of the criminal spree, Bordeaux’s escalating violence culminated in a shooting, an eight-mile chase in an Amazon van, a vehicle collision, and a foot chase.

               The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives – Washington Division, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean T. Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.

               Bordeaux pleaded guilty on September 12, 2024, to carjacking and to possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. In addition to the 192-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Jia M. Cobb ordered Bordeaux to serve three years of supervised release.

               According to court documents, Bordeaux and his co-defendants specifically targeted delivery drivers in a spree of armed carjackings and robberies over four days across the District of Columbia and Maryland. 

               On November 9, 2023, around 1:30 p.m., a UPS driver was in the back of her work truck in Upper Marlboro, Maryland sorting packages. As she was working, Bordeaux and a co-conspirator were lying in wait, planning to rob her at gunpoint. As the UPS driver continued her job, the co-conspirator saw his opportunity and, with a silver firearm in hand, jumped into the back of the UPS truck. The co-conspirator told the UPS driver to “calm down. I just need your wallet and keys.” He took the UPS driver’s keys and ordered her to show him how to operate the UPS truck. In fear for her life, the UPS driver complied. The co-conspirator then threw the UPS driver’s phone in her direction and took off driving the truck. Bordeaux was not far behind. He followed the UPS truck in a tan pickup truck. Eventually Bordeaux and his co-conspirator stopped to offload packages from the UPS truck and abandoned the vehicle in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. 

                Just one hour later, Bordeaux and a co-conspirator struck again in Oxon Hill, Maryland. This time, they targeted a FedEx driver who was finishing a break. Bordeaux and the co-conspirator used their pickup truck to box-in the FedEx driver. Bordeaux jumped out of the pickup, quickly approached the FedEx driver, displayed a revolver, and demanded the keys. The FedEx driver gave up the company truck, and Bordeaux, followed by his co-conspirator in the tan pickup truck, drove off. Law enforcement recovered the FedEx truck in Washington, D.C., after it had been stripped of multiple packages. 

               Four days later, on November 13, 2023, Bordeaux and a co-conspirator targeted another work vehicle. On that day, around 5:24 a.m., an Amtrak driver was seated in the rear passenger seat of a conspicuously marked Amtrak truck. The Amtrak driver and his two coworkers, who were also in the vehicle, were planning to start their workday with breakfast from a restaurant. While waiting inside the running vehicle, the Amtrak driver noticed that a man with a mask had walked up to the truck. Believing this person was a coworker, the Amtrak driver got out of the truck. The masked individual was not his coworker. 

               Bordeaux ordered the Amtrak driver to “give me the truck.” When the Amtrak driver was slow to react, Bordeaux brandished a black gun and demanded again, “give me the truck.” The Amtrak driver surrendered the vehicle. Bordeaux got into the driver seat and drove away. As he did so, he was followed by a gray sedan. 

               Bordeaux later abandoned the truck in Washington, D.C. after causing $27,883 in damage to the vehicle during the short time he had it in his possession. 

               The next day, on November 14, 2023, Bordeaux and his co-conspirators targeted a shopper and her young child in a department store parking lot in Forestville, Maryland. An individual approached the woman at her car, demanded the keys to her vehicle and then forcefully removed the keys from her hands. The individual fled with the car toward Washington, D.C. 

               Later that day, Bordeaux and three other individuals left the shopper’s vehicle parked in an area of Southeast D.C. As the four walked away, they came upon an Amazon delivery driver, who became Bordeaux’s next target. The Amazon driver was walking to his work van when Bordeaux approached him in the road. A second person from Bordeaux’s group simultaneously walked towards the Amazon driver, who began to run. Bordeaux fired a shot in the Amazon driver’s direction while the other individual also fired at the Amazon driver. Bordeaux’s bullet barely missed the driver, who then stopped and surrendered. Bordeaux went through the Amazon driver’s pockets, demanded “give me them f—- keys” and threatened the driver with “do you want to die?” Bordeaux located the keys and fled in the van while his accomplice ran off in the opposite direction. 

               Behind the wheel of the Amazon van, Bordeaux led the police on an eight-mile-long chase crossing from the District of Columbia into Maryland. While trying to make his getaway, Bordeaux struck numerous vehicles, among them a police car. Once he realized he could not shake the police, Bordeaux stopped the vehicle on a sidewalk in Capitol Heights, Maryland. He attempted to run from law enforcement on foot but was quickly stopped. The keys to the shopper’s carjacked Honda were recovered from Bordeaux’s pocket.

             This case was investigated by the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Field Office, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the MPD. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Mayer-Dempsey, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Reeder-Ricchetti, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Omeed Ali Assefi and Jacqueline Yarbro.

    24cr76

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorneys for Southwestern Border Districts Charge More than 1,220 Illegal Aliens with Immigration-Related Crimes During the Third week in April as part of Operation Take Back America.

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    Since the inauguration of President Trump, the Department of Justice is playing a critical role in Operation Take back America, a nationwide initiative to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from 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).

    Last week, the U.S. Attorneys for Arizona, Central California, Southern California, New Mexico, Southern Texas, and Western Texas charged more than 1,220 defendants with criminal violations of U.S. immigration laws.

    The Southern District of Texas filed 216 cases in immigration and security-related matters. As part of those cases, 86 face allegations of illegally reentering the country with the majority having felony convictions such as narcotics, firearms or sexual offenses, or prior immigration crimes. A total of 119 people face charges of illegally entering the country while 11 cases involve various instances of human smuggling. Some of those charged with felony reentry include Mexican national Alejandro Contreras-Zapata, who was allegedly found near Roma. The charges allege he had been previously sentenced to 20 years in prison for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon before his removal March 7.

    The Western District of Texas filed 378 new immigration-related criminal cases. Among the new cases, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement Removal Operations (ICE ERO) agents in San Antonio received notification that Mexican national Netsai Moreno-Suarez was arrested for a traffic violation on April 11. Moreno-Suarez was transferred into ICE ERO custody, charged with illegal re-entry. She was previously removed from the United States in August 2023 after being convicted for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and being sentenced to five years of probation. If convicted, Moreno-Suarez faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

    The District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 328 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 130 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 179 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 16 cases against 18 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. The United States also charged one individual with failing to register, as required by law.

    The Southern District of California filed 135 border-related cases this week, including charges of transportation of illegal aliens, bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, deported alien found in the United States, and importation of controlled substances. A sample of border-related arrests this week: On April 15, Jesus Manuel Zuniga Huerta and Jose Alberto Flores Avalos of Mexico were arrested at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and charged with importing deadly fentanyl into the U.S. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers discovered 148 pounds of fentanyl in the rear frame well of a tractor-trailer driven by Zuniga Huerta. On April 15, Brian Jaime Sanchez, a Mexican national, was arrested and charged with Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers found an undocumented immigrant concealed in the trunk of Sanchez’s car as he attempted to cross the border at the Tecate Port of Entry. On April 17, Sergio Villalba-Serrano, a Mexican national, was arrested and charged with Departed Alien Found in the United States. According to a complaint, Villalba-Serrano was taken into custody near the Tecate Port of Entry after his vehicle was stopped by U.S. Border Patrol agents. Villalba-Serrano had previously been deported on Oct. 26, 2019, from Laredo, Texas.

    The Central District of California filed criminal charges against 34 defendants who are alleged to have been found in the United States following removal, the Justice Department announced today. Many of the defendants charged previously were convicted of felony offenses prior to their removal from the United States, including domestic violence, unlawful sex with a minor, and assault with a deadly weapon.

    The District of New Mexico brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico: 68 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326), 10 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324), and 55 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325).  Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, aggravated driving under the influence and possession of a forgery writing/device.

    We are grateful for the hard work of our border prosecutors in bringing these cases and helping to make our border safe again. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Advancing the Transition to a Cleaner Environment

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced $4.85 million in grants is being awarded to municipalities across the state to support the installation of electric vehicle chargers as part of the State’s Municipal Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Grants program. The funded projects support New York’s ongoing efforts to advance clean transportation, expand publicly available electric vehicle chargers, and help reduce pollution including greenhouse gas emissions for a cleaner and greener environment.

    “My Administration is committed to advancing the transition to a cleaner and healthier future for our environment benefitting all New Yorkers,”  Governor Hochul said.  “Our continued investments in electric vehicle infrastructure encourages more drivers to switch to electric, reducing pollution and emissions across the State and improving the health and well-being of our residents and communities.”

    The Municipal Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Infrastructure Grant program administered by the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) prioritizes clean transportation investments in communities most affected by pollution and climate change. The program includes a variable local match requirement based on the municipality’s median household income (MHI) and whether the ZEV infrastructure is located in a disadvantaged community, based on the  disadvantaged communities criteria  developed by the State’s Climate Justice Working Group. Of the awards announced today, approximately $885,000 were granted to municipalities located in disadvantaged communities in New York State.

    New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton said,  “New York continues advancing the state’s transition to clean transportation with investments in municipal electric vehicle chargers to encourage the switch to plug-in hybrids and EVs. DEC’s Municipal ZEV Infrastructure Grant program is expanding New York’s EV charging station network and supporting municipalities statewide taking climate action, investing in electric transportation, and helping realize the clean energy economy of the future.”

    New York State Research and Development Authority President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “Through clean transportation initiatives such as DEC’s Municipal Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure program, the State is helping counties, cities, towns, and villages install more public charging stations for zero-emission vehicles across New York. Congratulations to these municipalities for their leadership and making it easier for residents and visitors alike to choose cleaner vehicles with the confidence they’ll be able to charge their cars where and when they need to.”

    Assemblymember Didi Barrett said, “This funding will help New York’s smaller municipalities, in the Hudson Valley and beyond, be part of the state’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure network build out. The four new Level 2 electric charging ports in the Town of Hyde Park will reduce range anxiety for residents and visitors alike.”

    State Senator Pete Harckham said, “Encouraging motorists to drive zero-emissions vehicles is the best way to ramp up our fight statewide against the climate crisis and improve public health. These new state infrastructure grant awards announced by Governor Hochul for EV charging stations show New York is committed to a steady and inclusive transition to a clean energy economy that will benefit residents in many ways. The partnership between the governor and the state legislature in making a transition to clean transportation is a strong one and will continue to make New York an environmental leader.”

    2024 Municipal ZEV Infrastructure Grant Awards include:

    Capital Region

    • City of Rensselaer – $233,000 for one DCFC pedestal

    Finger Lakes

    • Village of Brockport – $188,825 for 10 Level 2 charging ports and one DCFC pedestal
    • Village of Dundee – $24,200 for four Level 2 charging ports
    • Town of Farmington – $225,620 for 24 Level 2 charging ports and one DCFC pedestal
    • Town of Huron – $43,200 for four Level 2 charging ports
    • Village of Interlaken – $124,470 for one DCFC pedestal
    • Village of Le Roy – $20,605 for four Level 2 charging ports
    • Village of Oakfield – $24,380 for four Level 2 charging ports
    • County of Ontario – $309,100 for 14 Level 2 charging ports and two DCFC pedestals
    • Village of Palmyra – $222,250 for two DCFC pedestals
    • Village of Warsaw – $148,500 for one DCFC pedestal
    • Village of Waterloo – $238,900 for 12 Level 2 charging ports

    Long Island

    • Town of Huntington – $326,000 for four Level 2 charging ports and six DCFC pedestals
    • City of Long Beach – $296,080 for four Level 2 charging ports and two DCFC pedestals

    Mid-Hudson

    • Town of Hyde Park – $32,480 for four Level 2 charging ports
    • Town of Orangetown – $46,352 for four Level 2 charging ports
    • Town of Putnam Valley – $29,822 for four Level 2 charging ports
    • Town of Shawangunk – $26,587 for two Level 2 charging ports
    • Village of South Blooming Grove – $250,000 for three DCFC pedestals

    North Country

    • Town of Colton – $76,318 for four Level 2 charging ports
    • Village of Constableville – $21,222 for two Level 2 charging ports
    • Town of Diana – $159,150 for one DCFC pedestal
    • County of Essex – $55,008 for four Level 2 charging ports
    • Town of Jay – $206,403 for two Level 2 charging ports and one DCFC pedestal
    • County of Lewis – $298,728 for two DCFC pedestals
    • Village of Lowville – $93,312 for 12 Level 2 charging ports
    • Village of Saranac Lake – $482,164 for 30 Level 2 charging ports

    Southern Tier

    • Town of Danby – $11,400 for two Level 2 charging ports

    Western New York

    • City of Dunkirk – $53,400 for 14 Level 2 charging ports
    • Village of Springville – $248,000 for one DCFC pedestal
    • Town of Tonawanda – $285,007 for 16 Level 2 charging ports and one DCFC pedestal
    • Village of Wilson – $49,648 for two Level 2 charging ports

    More information about the DEC Municipal ZEV Infrastructure Grant program, as well as the DEC Municipal ZEV Rebate program, is available on  DEC’s website. For questions about the Municipal ZEV program, email  [email protected]  or call DEC’s Office of Climate Change at 518-402-8448.

    New York State’s nearly $3 billion investment in electrifying its transportation sector has supported a range of initiatives aimed to increase access to electric vehicles (EVs) and charging while improving air quality and health outcomes for all New Yorkers. These programs include today’s Municipal ZEV Infrastructure Program grants and many other programs, including EV Make Ready, EVolve NY, Charge Ready NY 2.0, the Drive Clean Rebate, the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program, the New York School Bus Incentive Program, and the Direct Current Fast Charger program. The State invests in charging infrastructure and EVs to benefit all New Yorkers, and its efforts have been successful at increasing the number of EVs and charging stations across all regions of New York – with, over 280,000 EVs on the road statewide and over 17,000 public chargers- more public chargers than any other state except for California. Additionally, there are more than 4,000 semi-public charging stations at workplaces and multifamily buildings across the state.

    New York State’s Climate Agenda
    New York State’s climate agenda calls for an affordable and just transition to a clean energy economy that creates family-sustaining jobs, promotes economic growth through green investments, and directs a minimum of 35 percent of the benefits to disadvantaged communities. New York is advancing a suite of efforts to achieve an emissions-free economy by 2050, including in the energy, buildings, transportation, and waste sectors.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Announces Sentencing of Former Sutter Roseville Nursing Assistant for Theft from Elders

    Source: US State of California

    Monday, April 21, 2025

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

    ROSEVILLE – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the sentencing of a former Sutter Roseville nursing assistant for stealing credit cards and cash from multiple patients at Sutter Roseville Medical Center. Between November and December 2022, Shekira Thompson stole cash and credit cards from three elderly patients under her care. She charged over two thousand dollars on the credit cards at several locations such as a wig store, nail salon, and the mall.   

    “Healthcare providers have a profound responsibility to treat their patients with the highest level of compassion and dignity,” said Attorney General Bonta. “They support individuals during some of the most challenging moments in their lives. At the California Department of Justice, we are committed to fighting against all types of elder abuse and neglect. We will take prompt action to ensure that anyone who exploits or harms these vulnerable members of our community is held accountable. We appreciate the collaboration with Sutter Health Department of Protective Services on this investigation.”
     
    Thompson was charged with two felony counts of theft from an elder or dependent adult, one misdemeanor count of theft from an elder or dependent adult, and one count of felony identity theft. Thompson entered a plea of guilty to all charges and admitted to all aggravating factors set forth in the criminal complaint. Today, Thompson was sentenced to serve 200 days in jail, placed on formal probation for two years, ordered to pay restitution to the victims, and was prohibited from working as a caregiver in a facility whose primary purpose is to care for elders or dependent persons.
     
    The Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $69,244,976 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2025. The remaining 25 percent is funded by the State of California. FY 2025 is from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025.
     
    A copy of the complaint can be found here.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Up to $5 Million Reward Offered for Capture of Archaga Carías, a Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitive and Leader of Foreign Terrorist Organization MS-13

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization MS-13 leader Yulan Andony Archaga Carías, also known as “Alexander Mendoza” and “Porky,” 43, is the highest-ranking member of MS-13, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), in Honduras and was previously charged in 2021 in a superseding indictment in the Southern District of New York with racketeering, narcotics trafficking, and firearms offenses. Archaga Carías, a Honduran national, was subsequently placed on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List, the DEA’s Most Wanted Fugitives List, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI)’s Most Wanted Fugitives List. The Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is offering a reward under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction in any country.

    “This terrorist leader can no longer be allowed to live free as MS-13’s evil devastates communities in America and throughout the western hemisphere,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “If you can contribute information leading to his arrest – come forward now.”

    Archaga Carías remains at large. If you have information, please contact the FBI by email at archaga-carias_tips@fbi.gov, or via WhatsApp at +1-832-267-1688. If you are outside the United States, you may also contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If you are in the United States, you may also contact the local FBI, DEA, or HSI office in your city. Only tips sent to U.S. Government will be considered for reward.

    “Dismantling and ultimately eliminating MS-13 continues to be one of the FBI’s highest priorities, and we’re not stopping until that mission is complete,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Alongside our dedicated law enforcement partners, the FBI will find Archaga Carías — a terrorist whose reign of terror at the helm of MS-13 is coming to an end.”

    “With MS-13 now officially designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, the rules have changed — and so has the mission,” said DEA Acting Administrator Derek Maltz. “Archaga Carías isn’t just a fugitive — he’s a foreign terrorist waging war on innocent Americans through murder, trafficking, and terror. Let me be clear: under this Administration, we will dismantle MS-13 piece by piece—and anyone protecting him will fall with him. A $5 million is on the table. Turn him in. End this threat.”

    A co-defendant, David Campbell, aka “Viejo Dan” and “Don David,” a Honduran national, is currently in custody in the United States facing the charges contained in the superseding indictment. In addition to Archaga Carías and Campbell, the superseding indictment charges three other MS-13 leaders, Juan Carlos Portillo Santos also known as “Juancy;” Victor Eduardo Morales Zelaya also known as “Cuervo;” and Jorge Alberto Velasquez Paz also known as “Chacarron,” with racketeering, narcotics trafficking, and firearms offenses. Portillo Santos, a Honduran national, is in custody in Honduras serving a lengthy prison sentence. Morales Zelaya and Velasquez Paz, both Honduran nationals, remain at large. The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Gregory H. Woods for the Southern District of New York.   

    “MS-13 remains one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world, and the recent designation of MS-13 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization underscores this reality,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky for the Southern District of New York. “This Office, working closely with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate, prosecute and track down MS-13’s leadership, no matter where in the world they may be hiding.”

    As alleged in the superseding indictment previously unsealed in Manhattan federal court, Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13 is a transnational criminal and foreign terrorist organization that engages in acts of violence, including murders, kidnapping, and assaults, extortion, and large-scale drug importation and distribution throughout Central America and the United States. Archaga Carías is the highest-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras. As the leader and highest-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras, Archaga Carías is in charge of, among other things, the gang’s drug trafficking operations, ordering and coordinating acts of violence, including numerous murders, and the laundering of drug proceeds. MS-13’s drug trafficking operations led by Archaga Carías include the processing, receiving, transporting, and distributing of multi-ton loads of cocaine shipped through Honduras and into the United States.

    “President Trump has been very clear — we will not allow criminal groups and their members like Porky to threaten Americans,” said Senior Bureau Official F. Cartwright Weiland of the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. “We will work with our international partners to find these criminals wherever they may be hiding.”

    Archaga Carías and other MS-13 members and associates acting at his direction also provided protection to drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) engaged in transporting multi-ton loads of cocaine through Honduras and destined for the United States. Archaga Carías contracted out members of MS-13 as “Sicarios,” or hit men, to DTOs for payment. Members of MS-13 committed numerous murders for hire for DTOs trafficking cocaine through Honduras to the United States. Archaga Carías and MS-13 also supplied DTOs with firearms, including machineguns, that were received from El Salvador, Nicaragua, and elsewhere. Archaga Carías also ordered multiple murders of rival gang members and drug trafficking competitors in Honduras, as well as other members of MS-13 whom Archaga Carías believed had been disloyal to the gang.

    Campbell was one of the principal suppliers of cocaine and weapons, including machineguns, to MS-13. As an associate of MS-13 and close confidant of Archaga Carías, Campbell planned and coordinated retaliatory acts of violence with Archaga Carías, and assisted MS-13 and Archaga Carías in establishing businesses to launder the gang’s drug proceeds. Campbell and MS-13 used businesses they owned or controlled to launder drug proceeds, including through banks in the United States.

    Morales Zelaya was a national leader of MS-13 in Honduras and a close associate of Archaga Carías. Morales Zelaya coordinated the gang’s drug trafficking business, acts of violence (including murders) against rivals, and the movement of proceeds from the gang’s illicit activities.

    Portillo Santos was a high-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras who reported to Morales Zelaya. Portillo Santos was responsible for leading MS-13 in one of the largest sectors in Honduras, which included the distribution and movement of large shipments of cocaine, acts of violence (including murders and kidnappings) of rival gang members, and contract murders carried out against rival drug dealers. Campbell, 58, of Honduras, is currently in Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) custody facing the charges in the superseding indictment. Portillo Santos, 36, of Honduras, is currently in custody in Honduras on local charges. Archaga Carías, 43, and Morales Zelaya, 50, of Honduras, remains at large.

    If convicted, Archaga Carías faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of 40 years in prison. The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

    Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV) and the Southern District of New York’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit are handling the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Robles and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Eason, and Trial Attorney Jacob Warren of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are in charge of the prosecution.

    This case was brought by JTFV, which was created in 2019 to destroy MS-13 and now expanded to target Tren de Aragua and is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including the Southern District of New York; Eastern District of New York; the District of New Jersey; the Northern District of Ohio; the District of Utah; the District of Massachusetts; the Eastern District of Texas; the Southern District of Florida; the Eastern District of Virginia; the Southern District of California; the District of Nevada; the District of Alaska; and the District of Columbia, as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI; DEA; HSI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; and the FBOP have been essential law enforcement partners and spearheaded JTFV’s investigations.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America and an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal aliens, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    The charges contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Up to $5 Million Reward Offered for Capture of Archaga Carías, a Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitive and Leader of Foreign Terrorist Organization MS-13

    Source: United States Attorneys General 13

    U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization MS-13 leader Yulan Andony Archaga Carías, also known as “Alexander Mendoza” and “Porky,” 43, is the highest-ranking member of MS-13, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), in Honduras and was previously charged in 2021 in a superseding indictment in the Southern District of New York with racketeering, narcotics trafficking, and firearms offenses. Archaga Carías, a Honduran national, was subsequently placed on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List, the DEA’s Most Wanted Fugitives List, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI)’s Most Wanted Fugitives List. The Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is offering a reward under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction in any country.

    “This terrorist leader can no longer be allowed to live free as MS-13’s evil devastates communities in America and throughout the western hemisphere,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “If you can contribute information leading to his arrest – come forward now.”

    Archaga Carías remains at large. If you have information, please contact the FBI by email at archaga-carias_tips@fbi.gov, or via WhatsApp at +1-832-267-1688. If you are outside the United States, you may also contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If you are in the United States, you may also contact the local FBI, DEA, or HSI office in your city. Only tips sent to U.S. Government will be considered for reward.

    “Dismantling and ultimately eliminating MS-13 continues to be one of the FBI’s highest priorities, and we’re not stopping until that mission is complete,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Alongside our dedicated law enforcement partners, the FBI will find Archaga Carías — a terrorist whose reign of terror at the helm of MS-13 is coming to an end.”

    “With MS-13 now officially designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, the rules have changed — and so has the mission,” said DEA Acting Administrator Derek Maltz. “Archaga Carías isn’t just a fugitive — he’s a foreign terrorist waging war on innocent Americans through murder, trafficking, and terror. Let me be clear: under this Administration, we will dismantle MS-13 piece by piece—and anyone protecting him will fall with him. A $5 million is on the table. Turn him in. End this threat.”

    A co-defendant, David Campbell, aka “Viejo Dan” and “Don David,” a Honduran national, is currently in custody in the United States facing the charges contained in the superseding indictment. In addition to Archaga Carías and Campbell, the superseding indictment charges three other MS-13 leaders, Juan Carlos Portillo Santos also known as “Juancy;” Victor Eduardo Morales Zelaya also known as “Cuervo;” and Jorge Alberto Velasquez Paz also known as “Chacarron,” with racketeering, narcotics trafficking, and firearms offenses. Portillo Santos, a Honduran national, is in custody in Honduras serving a lengthy prison sentence. Morales Zelaya and Velasquez Paz, both Honduran nationals, remain at large. The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Gregory H. Woods for the Southern District of New York.   

    “MS-13 remains one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world, and the recent designation of MS-13 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization underscores this reality,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky for the Southern District of New York. “This Office, working closely with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate, prosecute and track down MS-13’s leadership, no matter where in the world they may be hiding.”

    As alleged in the superseding indictment previously unsealed in Manhattan federal court, Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13 is a transnational criminal and foreign terrorist organization that engages in acts of violence, including murders, kidnapping, and assaults, extortion, and large-scale drug importation and distribution throughout Central America and the United States. Archaga Carías is the highest-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras. As the leader and highest-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras, Archaga Carías is in charge of, among other things, the gang’s drug trafficking operations, ordering and coordinating acts of violence, including numerous murders, and the laundering of drug proceeds. MS-13’s drug trafficking operations led by Archaga Carías include the processing, receiving, transporting, and distributing of multi-ton loads of cocaine shipped through Honduras and into the United States.

    “President Trump has been very clear — we will not allow criminal groups and their members like Porky to threaten Americans,” said Senior Bureau Official F. Cartwright Weiland of the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. “We will work with our international partners to find these criminals wherever they may be hiding.”

    Archaga Carías and other MS-13 members and associates acting at his direction also provided protection to drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) engaged in transporting multi-ton loads of cocaine through Honduras and destined for the United States. Archaga Carías contracted out members of MS-13 as “Sicarios,” or hit men, to DTOs for payment. Members of MS-13 committed numerous murders for hire for DTOs trafficking cocaine through Honduras to the United States. Archaga Carías and MS-13 also supplied DTOs with firearms, including machineguns, that were received from El Salvador, Nicaragua, and elsewhere. Archaga Carías also ordered multiple murders of rival gang members and drug trafficking competitors in Honduras, as well as other members of MS-13 whom Archaga Carías believed had been disloyal to the gang.

    Campbell was one of the principal suppliers of cocaine and weapons, including machineguns, to MS-13. As an associate of MS-13 and close confidant of Archaga Carías, Campbell planned and coordinated retaliatory acts of violence with Archaga Carías, and assisted MS-13 and Archaga Carías in establishing businesses to launder the gang’s drug proceeds. Campbell and MS-13 used businesses they owned or controlled to launder drug proceeds, including through banks in the United States.

    Morales Zelaya was a national leader of MS-13 in Honduras and a close associate of Archaga Carías. Morales Zelaya coordinated the gang’s drug trafficking business, acts of violence (including murders) against rivals, and the movement of proceeds from the gang’s illicit activities.

    Portillo Santos was a high-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras who reported to Morales Zelaya. Portillo Santos was responsible for leading MS-13 in one of the largest sectors in Honduras, which included the distribution and movement of large shipments of cocaine, acts of violence (including murders and kidnappings) of rival gang members, and contract murders carried out against rival drug dealers. Campbell, 58, of Honduras, is currently in Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) custody facing the charges in the superseding indictment. Portillo Santos, 36, of Honduras, is currently in custody in Honduras on local charges. Archaga Carías, 43, and Morales Zelaya, 50, of Honduras, remains at large.

    If convicted, Archaga Carías faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of 40 years in prison. The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

    Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV) and the Southern District of New York’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit are handling the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Robles and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Eason, and Trial Attorney Jacob Warren of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are in charge of the prosecution.

    This case was brought by JTFV, which was created in 2019 to destroy MS-13 and now expanded to target Tren de Aragua and is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including the Southern District of New York; Eastern District of New York; the District of New Jersey; the Northern District of Ohio; the District of Utah; the District of Massachusetts; the Eastern District of Texas; the Southern District of Florida; the Eastern District of Virginia; the Southern District of California; the District of Nevada; the District of Alaska; and the District of Columbia, as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI; DEA; HSI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; and the FBOP have been essential law enforcement partners and spearheaded JTFV’s investigations.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America and an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal aliens, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    The charges contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defendant Convicted of Five Armed Robberies and Attempted Robberies in Brooklyn, Staten Island, and New Jersey

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    A federal jury today convicted Tony Clanton, also known as “Tone,” on all counts of a superseding indictment charging him with Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy, two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and use of firearms during crimes of violence.  The charges arose from a string of robberies and attempted robberies committed at gunpoint by the defendant and co-conspirators.  The verdict followed a six-day trial before United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto.  When sentenced, Clanton faces a mandatory minimum term of 25 years in prison and up to life in prison.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Terence G. Reilly, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Newark Field Office (FBI); and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the verdict.

    “Over a six-month period, Clanton directed a cruel and violent spree in New York City and New Jersey that left terrorized robbery victims in his wake, including two children who watched as their parents were shot at or menaced with guns,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “Thanks to exceptional investigative work by the FBI and the NYPD, the defendant was identified, apprehended, and rightly convicted today by jurors who were presented with a mountain of evidence that demonstrated his crime wave and overwhelmingly proved his guilt.”

    Mr. Durham also thanked the Edison, New Jersey Police Department for their valuable assistance on the case.

    “Tony Clanton is a serial violent criminal who has gone to great lengths to terrorize his victims in the pursuit of monetary gain. The FBI won’t rest until violent organized criminals are taken off the street so victims and others in the community may sleep soundly, and know justice has been served,” stated FBI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Reilly.  “The FBI’s Safe Streets Task Forces spearhead countless cases similar to this one.  But with each case, there are victims.  All our efforts are for them.”

    “Tony Clanton terrorized communities throughout New York City — holding victims at gunpoint in front of their children, firing recklessly, even impersonating a federal agent,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch.  “Thanks to the outstanding work of NYPD investigators, in partnership with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he’s now been brought to justice.  This conviction ends a violent spree that had no place in our city.  And we will continue working with our partners to make sure criminals like this are held accountable.”

    As proven at trial, Clanton orchestrated a series of violent robberies at gunpoint in the Eastern District of New York and in New Jersey between January 2023 and July 2023.  After he was indicted, Clanton removed his ankle monitor and fled the district two weeks before a previously scheduled trial date and went on the run for five weeks.  While he was a fugitive, Clanton fled from two police officers who pulled him over, presented fake identification documents, and searched on the Internet for how to fake his own death.

    January 20, 2023 Home Invasion in Staten Island

    Clanton orchestrated an attempted robbery in which a co-conspirator, wearing a white hazmat suit, gloves, and standing in the vestibule of an apartment building with a can of paint, accosted Victim-1, who was entering the vestibule with his 10-year-old son.  The co-conspirator pointed a silver revolver at Victim-1 and said, “Don’t make this a homicide,” struck Victim-1 in the head with the gun, and fired a shot.  Clanton, who was also armed with a gun, grabbed Victim-1’s keys and tried unsuccessfully to open Victim-1’s apartment door.  Clanton and his co-conspirator then fled in a U-Haul van.

    June 3, 2023 Robbery of a Smoke Shop in Staten Island

    Clanton orchestrated the robbery of an employee (Victim-2) of a smoke shop in Annadale, Staten Island as he was closing the store for the night.  As his co-conspirators brandished firearms and robbed the smoke shop, Clanton monitored a police scanner radio and maintained cell phone contact with his accomplices to warn them that the police were on the way.  They restrained Victim-2 with zip ties and pressed a gun to the back of his head.  The robbers took approximately $4,000 in cash, packages of cigarettes, and a quantity of marijuana.

    June 24, 2023 Attempted Robbery of a Car Buyer in Staten Island

    Clanton orchestrated a robbery in which he pretended he was selling his Mercedes-Benz automobile to a prospective buyer (Victim-3).  While Clanton waited in the area, two of Clanton’s co-conspirators tried to rob Victim-3.  With Victim-3’s teenage son watching from the doorway, one of the co-conspirators attempted to rob Victim-3 at gunpoint.  Victim-3 fled into his home and slammed the door shut before the co-conspirator could barge inside.  That co-conspirator then fled the scene with Clanton as the get-away driver.

    June 27, 2023 Attempted Robbery of the Owners of a Jewelry Store in New Jersey

    Clanton and a co-conspirator attempted to rob the husband (Victim-4) and wife (Victim-5) owners of an Edison, New Jersey jewelry store outside their home.  Clanton identified Victim-4 and Victim-5 as potential targets and conducted surveillance on them for over a week before the attempted robbery.  During the attempted robbery, Clanton and his co-conspirator were wearing jackets with the letters “FBI,” badges that said “FBI,” and hats identifying themselves as law enforcement agents that Clanton had previously ordered from Amazon.  When the victims pulled into their driveway, Clanton and his co-conspirator ordered them out of the car at gunpoint.  Realizing Clanton and his co-conspirator were not FBI agents, the victims sped away and escaped unharmed.

    July 12, 2023 Robbery of the Owner of an Ice Cream Store in Brooklyn

    Clanton and a co-conspirator waited outside a TD Bank in Brooklyn for the victim (Victim-6) to leave with a bag of cash.  They followed Victim-6 to his home where the co-conspirator took a bag containing over $6,000 at gunpoint.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew M. Roddin and Matthew Skurnik are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Timothy Migliaro.

    The Defendant:

    TONY CLANTON (also known as “Tone”)
    Age:  51
    Staten Island, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-328 (S-1) (KAM)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Jaremy Smith Sentenced to Life in Prison for New Mexico State Officer’s Murder

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – Jaremy Smith has been sentenced to life in prison for a violent crime spree that culminated with the murder of Officer Justin Hare in New Mexico.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    On March 15, 2024, Smith encountered NMSP Officer Justin Hare in Tucumcari, New Mexico, when Officer Hare stopped to assist Smith with a flat tire on the BMW. When Officer Hare pulled over behind the BMW, Smith exited the driver’s side of his car and approached the passenger window of Officer Hare’s patrol car. After a short discussion, Officer Hare asked Smith to walk to the front of the patrol vehicle. Instead, Smith shot Officer Hare, who slumped to the right in the driver’s seat. Smith then moved to the driver’s side of the patrol vehicle and shot Officer Hare two additional times before entering the driver’s seat and driving away with Hare still inside the vehicle.

    Screenshot of Exhibit 1 (00:01:02) depicting Smith walking to driver’s side window of the patrol vehicle

    At some point, the vehicle’s distress system was activated. Smith drove westbound on I-40 before exiting on a frontage road and removing Officer Hare from the vehicle, leaving him on the side of the road, and drove away. Smith drove the patrol vehicle for another 10 minutes, eventually crashing the patrol unit into shrubbery along the north frontage road of Interstate 40 in Guadalupe County, New Mexico.

    When Officer Hare did not respond to the dispatcher’s check for an update, a second officer was sent to the scene. While en route, the second officer received the distress signal from Officer Hare’s handheld radio. The officer then spotted Officer Hare’s patrol unit driving in the opposite direction at high speed along the frontage road. The second officer attempted to catch up with Officer Hare’s unit, but before he could, Smith crashed the patrol vehicle. Upon approaching the crashed vehicle, the officer found it empty, with no sign of Smith or Officer Hare. The officer then began a search of the area and found Officer Hare, still alive. Officer Hare was rushed to Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari, where he was pronounced dead at 7:21 a.m.

    After crashing the stolen patrol car, Smith fled on foot, stole a flatbed truck in Cuervo, and drove to Albuquerque. Smith was heading to Albuquerque because he had a former girlfriend who lived there.

    Smith’s capture came on March 17, 2024, when a gas station clerk in Albuquerque recognized the unusual spelling of his name from police advisory messages when he presented identification to make a purchase, and the clerk contacted law enforcement. Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Deputies quickly arrived, and Smith attempted to ambush them before fleeing through a residential neighborhood. During the chase, Smith discarded the firearm used to kill Officer Hare, which was later recovered. Law enforcement also found the stolen flatbed truck, with ammunition inside, and further linked Smith to the crime spree.

    “Jaremy Smith’s violent crime spree left a trail of destruction across state lines, endangering the lives of both the public and first responders,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellsion. “Today’s sentence serves as a powerful reminder that violence against those who serve and protect the public will not be tolerated. Officer Justin Hare, a hero who saw someone in need and selflessly stepped in to help, paid the ultimate price. We honor his memory by ensuring that Jaremy Smith will never again be able to endanger the lives of others. Our focus remains on securing justice for victims and holding violent criminals fully accountable for their actions.”

    “Every day, first responders answer the call to protect others- often at great personal risk. The loss of Officer Hare is a heartbreaking reminder of that reality,” said Raul Bujanda Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office. “While this sentence does not undo the pain inflicted upon our community, we hope it brings a sense of resolution to his family. We will continue to work with our partners to pursue violent offenders with every tool at our disposal.”

    “Jaremy Smith, in a cruel and calculated act of evil, ambushed Officer Justin Hare, executing him and leaving him to die alone in the cold after stealing his patrol vehicle,” said Chief Troy Weisler of the New Mexico State Police. “Thanks to the courage of community members and the tireless efforts of our local and federal partners, Smith was swiftly apprehended and brought to justice. With today’s sentencing, the court has sent a clear and unwavering message: anyone who harms those who protect and serve will face the full and unrelenting weight of justice. While no sentence can bring Justin back, our officers will rest easier knowing that Jeremy Smith will never again walk free and will spend the rest of his life exactly where he belongs.”

    On January 17, 2025, Smith pled guilty to carjacking resulting in death, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, kidnapping resulting in death, being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, and possession of a stolen firearm.

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The FBI Albuquerque Field Office and New Mexico State Police investigated this case with assistance from the Tenth Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Mysliwiec and Jack Burkhead prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Las Vegas Woman Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Fentanyl Distribution

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DES MOINES, Iowa – A Las Vegas, Nevada woman was sentenced today to five years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance containing fentanyl that led to an overdose death.

    According to public court documents, in the fall of 2023, Alica Marie Hawkins, 34, was identified as a source of supply of fentanyl pills in the Southern District of Iowa. On September 11, 2023, Hawkins distributed a fentanyl mixture to the victim in Jefferson, Iowa. The victim died due to an overdose from the fentanyl mixture. Hawkins did not render aid to the victim, tried to conceal any involvement, and eventually returned to Nevada during the investigation.

    After completing her term of imprisonment, Hawkins will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

    United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Jefferson Police Department and Des Moines Police Department.

    Fentanyl has become the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. Counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills often resemble pharmaceutical pills, but contain potentially lethal doses of fentanyl. In 2023, accidental overdose was the number one cause of death in 37 states for residents under 40 years old. https://stateline.org/2023/09/05/death-rates-for-people-under-40-have-skyrocketed-blame-fentanyl/. In Iowa, opioid-related deaths reached a record high 258 in 2021, up 64% compared with 2019, and decreased 8% in 2022. https://hhs.iowa.gov/media/11935/download.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, holds a review meeting with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai in New Delhi on the implementation of three New Criminal Laws in the state

    Source: Government of India

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, holds a review meeting with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai in New Delhi on the implementation of three New Criminal Laws in the state

    Chhattisgarh should become an ideal state by implementing the New Criminal Laws soon

    Chhattisgarh government should fix accountability of DSP level officers for filing chargesheet within 60 and 90 days

    Under the New Criminal Laws, the entire process—from recording evidence to conducting trials—can be carried out through video conferencing, which will significantly save manpower

    Every police station and DSP level officers in Chhattisgarh should regularly use NATGRID in serious crime investigations

    Posted On: 21 APR 2025 7:57PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, held a review meeting in New Delhi today with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai to assess the implementation of three new criminal laws in the state. The discussion focused on the progress and current status of key provisions concerning police, prisons, courts, prosecution, and forensic services. The meeting was attended by the Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Union Home Secretary, Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh, Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Director General of Police of Chhattisgarh, Director of the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), along with other senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Government of Chhattisgarh.

    In his address, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah emphasized the importance of making the full implementation of the three new criminal laws—enacted under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi—a top priority in Chhattisgarh. He said that the primary objective of these laws is to strengthen and modernize the Indian judicial system, and that a state like Chhattisgarh stands to benefit significantly from these reforms. He said that Chhattisgarh should take the complete implementation of the three new criminal laws as a challenge and become an ideal state by implementing them soon.

    Shri Amit Shah said that the Chhattisgarh government should ensure accountability by assigning the responsibility to Deputy Superintendent of Police level officers for filing chargesheets within 60 and within 90 days for serious crimes. He highlighted that under the new criminal laws, the entire process—from recording evidence to conducting trials—can be carried out through video conferencing, significantly reducing the need for manpower and streamlining judicial.

    Union Home Minister emphasized that all police stations and DSP-level officers in Chhattisgarh should regularly use the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) in serious crime investigations. He also recommended a structured review mechanism for the implementation of the new criminal laws in the state. Shri Shah added that the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police should conduct weekly reviews, the State Home Minister should review the progress every 15 days, and the Chief Minister should assess the implementation on a monthly basis.

    ****

     

    RK/VV/PR/PS

    (Release ID: 2123280) Visitor Counter : 100

    Read this release in: Hindi

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: “Booker” for High-End Brothel Network Sentenced to One Year in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant vetted clientele via cell phones which contained thousands of verified sex buyers in Massachusetts and Virginia; Brothel network generated over $5.6 million in revenue from approximately 9,450 scheduled commercial sex dates with sex buyers

    BOSTON – A Korean national residing in Dedham, Mass., who served primarily as the “booker” for an interstate prostitution network that operated sophisticated high-end brothels in greater Boston and eastern Virginia, was sentenced on April 18, 2025 in federal court in Boston. 

    Junmyung Lee, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick to one year in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. Junmyung Lee is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. The Court also ordered a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $200,000, equal to the amount of proceeds earned by the defendant during the conspiracy. In October 2024, Junmyung Lee pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice and coerce one or more individuals to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution; and one count of money laundering conspiracy.

    Junmyung Lee was arrested and charged in November 2023 with co-defendants Han Lee, 42, of Cambridge, Mass. and James Lee, 69, of Torrance, Calif. The defendants were subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024. Han Lee pleaded guilty in September 2024 and, in March 2025, was sentenced to four years in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release. The defendant was also ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $5,418,572 and restitution in an amount to be determined at a later date. James Lee pleaded guilty in February 2025 and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 28, 2025.

    From at least January 2022 through November 2023, Junmyung Lee conspired with Han Lee and James Lee to operate an interstate prostitution network with multiple brothels, in greater Boston and eastern Virginia, designed to entice women to travel interstate to engage in prostitution. Junmyung Lee and his co-conspirators also conspired to launder the proceeds from the prostitution network by concealing that the money was derived the prostitution conspiracy.

    Junmyung Lee was recruited to work for the prostitution network in approximately late 2021 through early 2022, as the business expanded. His main role in the conspiracy was that of the appointment “booker” and assisted with various tasks to maintain the prostitution network. In exchange, Han Lee paid Junmyung Lee $6,000-$8,000 per month. During the entirety of the conspiracy, the brothel network generated over $5.6 million in revenue from approximately 9,450 scheduled commercial sex dates with sex buyers.

    As “booker,” Junmyung Lee was responsible for vetting sex buyers, booking appointments and communicating directly with vetted customers via at least two cell phones – for Massachusetts and for Virginia, respectively. The brothel cell phones each contained over 2,800 verified customers of the prostitution business. An additional known cell phone containing additional contacts for the Virginia brothel was never recovered. Junmyung Lee also helped transport women to and from the airport, with some women working at the brothel locations on multiple occasions and in multiple states.

    The defendants rented high-end apartments in Massachusetts and Virginia to serve as brothel locations, which they furnished and regularly maintained. In June 2022, Junmyung Lee leased one of the brothel locations in Cambridge, Mass. under his own name. In exchange for the lease, Junmyung Lee received a large cash payment of prostitution proceeds from Han Lee. Junmyung Lee used a portion of the cash payment towards the purchase of a Corvette.

    Additionally, Junmyung Lee collected the cash proceeds from the various brothel locations at the direction of Han Lee and then conceal the proceeds via structured deposits into personal bank accounts and through peer-to-peer payments with other conspirators. The defendants also regularly used hundreds of thousands of dollars of the cash proceeds from the prostitution business to purchase money orders (in values under an amount that would trigger reporting and identification requirements) to conceal the source of the funds. These money orders were then used to pay for rent and utilities at the brothel locations.

    Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Cambridge Police Commissioner Christine Elow made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Central District of California and the Eastern District of Virginia; the U.S. Postal Service; and Watertown Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Weinstein of the Criminal Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquelle Kaye, of the Asset Recovery Unit are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –