Source: United States Department of Justice 2
Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Erik Siebert announced the arrest of an MS-13 gang leader. They were joined by Governor for the Commonwealth of Virginia Glenn Youngkin.
Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
1. On the draft federal law “On Amendments to the Federal Law “On Assistance to the Development and Improvement of Management Efficiency in the Housing Sphere and on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation” and Article 2 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation”
The bill is aimed at creating a single register of citizens entitled to receive state and municipal support for the purpose of improving their housing conditions.
2. On amendments to the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation of November 18, 2013 No. 1038 (in terms of amendments to the Regulation on the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation)
The draft resolution proposes to grant the Russian Ministry of Construction the authority to adopt, among other things, standard additional professional programs in the field of construction and housing and public utilities.
3. On amending the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation of March 16, 2009 No. 228 (in terms of amending the Regulation on the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media)
The draft act provides for amendments to include in the scope of Roskomnadzor’s powers the area related to counteracting the financing of extremist activities.
4. On Amendments to Certain Acts of the Government of the Russian Federation (in terms of amendments to the Regulation on the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media)
The draft act is aimed at bringing the Regulation on the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media and the Regulation on the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation into line with the provisions of Federal Law No. 158-FZ of June 22, 2024 “On Amendments to the Federal Law “On Information, Information Technology and Information Protection” and Articles 11 and 15 of the Federal Law “On the Activities of Foreign Persons in the Information and Telecommunications Network “Internet” on the Territory of the Russian Federation”.
5. On the draft federal law “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation”
The bill is aimed at introducing changes to the legislation of the Russian Federation that will allow widows (widowers) of participants in a special military operation to continue to use vehicles owned by their spouses during the period before the inheritance is accepted.
6. On the draft federal law “On Amendments to the Federal Law “On Limited Liability Companies””
The adoption of the bill will facilitate the expansion of the principle of discretion for participants in entrepreneurial activity, and will also allow for the optimization of the economic activity of companies in terms of determining the actual value of a participant’s share in the company, bypassing possible legal proceedings.
7. On the draft federal law “On Amendments to the Federal Law “On Combating the Legalization (Laundering) of Criminally Obtained Incomes and the Financing of Terrorism” and the Federal Law “On Special Economic Measures and Coercive Measures”
The bill is aimed at improving the system of freezing (blocking) funds or other property as one of the elements of the state system of countering terrorism and the application of special economic measures.
8. On amendments to the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation of June 19, 2012 No. 610 (in terms of amendments to the Regulation on the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation)
The draft act is aimed at bringing the situation into line with current legislation.
9. On amending the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation of November 11, 2015 No. 1219 (in terms of amending the Regulation on the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation)
The draft act is aimed at granting the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia the authority to approve risk indicators for violation of mandatory requirements applied by Rosprirodnadzor in the implementation of federal state land control (supervision).
10. On amending the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation of November 7, 2016 No. 1140 (in terms of suspending the effect of certain clauses of the Regulation on the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and the Regulation on the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance)
The draft act is aimed at bringing the Rules for the creation, development and operation of the Federal State Information System in the field of veterinary medicine into line with the Federal Law of December 26, 2024 No. 496-FZ “On Amendments to the Law of the Russian Federation “On Veterinary Medicine” and Article 2 of the Federal Law “On Amendments to Article 14 of the Law of the Russian Federation “On Veterinary Medicine””, as well as suspending the effect of certain provisions of Government acts.
Moscow, March 26, 2025
The content of the press releases of the Department of Press Service and References is a presentation of materials submitted by federal executive bodies for discussion at a meeting of the Government of the Russian Federation.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – ActingUnited States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that MARY B. KATICICH (“KATICICH”), age 64, of Marrero, La., was sentenced on March 25, 2025, for wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, and for making and subscribing a false tax return, in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7206(1).
According to court documents, KATICICH used her position as bookkeeper for a Belle Chasse, Louisiana-based company, to fraudulently divert funds for her own benefit, from the company’s bank accounts. KATICICH also purchased personal items using company funds. Further, KATICICH willfully filed a tax return for tax year 2016, that she did not believe to be true and correct, because it failed to report approximately $120,190.58 of income.
United States District Judge Susie Morgan sentenced KATICICH to one year and one day in prison to be followed by (3) three years of supervised release. KATICICH was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $439,650.51 to the owner of the company and $28,612.45 to the Internal Revenue Service. Judge Morgan also imposed a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria M. Carboni of the Financial Crimes Unit.
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
In February of 2025, Alberta RCMP and Calgary Police Service investigated a series of break and enters within the city of Calgary and six RCMP jurisdictions, where multiple offenders broke into dealerships and autobody shops stealing vehicle keys and vehicles. A total of 18 vehicles were stolen during the crime series and 15 have been recovered. A male was identified as the prime suspect.
On Feb. 4, 2025, the RCMP Southern Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit, Olds RCMP, and Airdrie RCMP, with assistance from the Calgary Police Service, conducted a search warrant on a rural property in NE Calgary. Three vehicles, as well as two semi trailers, were recovered, all of which had been reported stolen out of Southern Alberta and British Columbia.
On Feb. 13, 2025, a stolen Ford F150 from rural High River, Alta., was located at a residence in NW Calgary, and a search warrant was executed by members of the RCMP Southern Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit, Airdrie RCMP, and Calgary Police Service Tactical Unit. Two stolen vehicles were recovered by police, in addition to numerous identity documents believed to have been stolen or fraudulently produced.
A 33-year-old individual, a resident of Calgary, was located in NW Calgary by the Airdrie RCMP Crime Reduction Unit and was arrested with the assistance of Calgary Police Service. The individual has been charged with the following offences:
Calgary Police Service have also laid the following charges against the individual:
Further charges are pending from other RCMP jurisdictions in Southern Alberta.
The 33-year-old individual has been remanded into custody with a next scheduled court appearance for March 4, 2025, in Alberta Court of Justice in Calgary.
Two other individuals were arrested as a result of the search warrant.
A 43-year-old individual, a resident of Calgary, was arrested on outstanding warrants and has been remanded into custody with a next scheduled court appearance for Feb. 19, 2025.
A 31-year-old individual, a resident of Winnipeg, was arrested and charged with:
The 31-year-old individual has been remanded into custody with his next scheduled court appearance for Feb. 19, 2025, in Alberta Court of Justice in Calgary.
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Bonnyville RCMP have arrested a 28-year-old individual, a resident of Kehewin, in connection to the home invasion that took place on Feb. 16, 2025. They have been charged with the following offences:
The individual was taken before a justice of the peace and was remanded into custody with a last court appearance was on Feb. 18, 2025 at the Alberta Court of Justice in Bonnyville, Alta.
Background:
Feb. 18, 2025
Bonnyville RCMP arrest individual following home invasion with firearm
On Feb. 16, 2025, at approximately 6:49 p.m., Bonnyville RCMP responded to a home invasion, with a firearm, that occurred at a residence located in Kehewin.
Officers from Bonnyville RCMP and St. Paul RCMP attended the location and learned that the suspect had fled the area on foot. The victim was not harmed. Containment was established and the Emergency Response Team was notified. Following additional investigation, it was discovered that the suspect had fled in a stolen an SUV. The vehicle was later located with the assistance of Elk Point RCMP, occupied, on Road 2 in Kehewin.
The Emergency Response Team attended and successfully apprehended the suspect, a 28-year-old resident of Kehewin. They have been charged with the following offences:
The suspect is currently awaiting a judicial interim hearing, as such no additional information is available at this time. An update is expected upon completion with the suspects name, court date and additional charges.
Source: United States Department of Justice (video statements)
Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Erik Siebert announced the arrest of an MS-13 gang leader. They were joined by Governor for the Commonwealth of Virginia Glenn Youngkin.
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Thanks to information received from the public, two individuals, 42-year-old Nachelle Nuna and 35-year-old Brent Diamond, were arrested on March 21, 2025, for possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine at a traffic stop by RCMP Labrador District General Investigation Section (GIS).
Last Friday evening, with the support of Sheshatshiu RCMP, a traffic stop was conducted by Labrador District GIS in Sheshatshiu. Nuna and Diamond were arrested. Inside the vehicle, officers located and seized a quantity of suspected crack cocaine, cash, and other items consistent with possession for the purpose of trafficking.
The pair were released from custody and are set to appear in court at a later date, each to face charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine and possession of cocaine.
The investigation is continuing.
RCMP Labrador District GIS is dedicated to the enforcement of drug related crimes throughout the Labrador region of the province.
If you are a resident of the Labrador region of the province and suspect drug trafficking in your community, Labrador District GIS wants to talk to you. You can remain anonymous by calling the Happy Valley-Goose Bay detachment directly at 709-896-3383 and requesting to speak to a police officer with Labrador District GIS.
Source: US Marshals Service
Spokane, WA – The U.S. Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force is working closely with the Moses Lake Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Washington State Department of Corrections; U.S. Border Patrol, and FBI to locate and apprehend two fugitives wanted in the March 21 drive-by shooting in Moses Lake that claimed the life of a 14-year-old boy and left four others—three juveniles and one adult critically injured.
A reward of up to $10,000 ($5,000 per fugitive) is available for information leading directly to the arrest of Jose Beltran, 20, and Matthew Valdez, 18. Beltran is listed at approximately 5’7”, 200lbs and Valdez is listed at approximately 5’8”, 130lbs.
Arrest warrants issued March 25 charge both men with murder in the first degree, five counts of assault in the first degree, drive-by shooting, and felon in possession of a firearm.
Both suspects should be considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102, or at USMS Tips.
|
Jose Beltran |
Matthew Valdez |
The Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force is a U.S. Marshals-led partnership comprising federal, state, and local law enforcement officers from Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. The task force’s primary mission is to locate, arrest and return to the justice system the most violent and egregious federal and state fugitives.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
strong>ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man pleaded guilty in federal court to multiple robbery and firearms charges for a crime spree in the summer of 2023.
According to court records, between July 11, 2023, to September 16, 2023, Demetrius Antonnie Bailey, 41, engaged in a series of armed robberies targeting retail stores in Albuquerque. Bailey and his accomplice conspired to commit robberies at Harbor Freight Tools, multiple Metro by T-Mobile locations, a T-Mobile store, a Verizon store, and a JC Penney. During these robberies, they threatened and overpowered store employees and security to steal merchandise and cash. In each robbery, a replica firearm or a real handgun was brandished to intimidate store employees and security personnel. The stolen items included electronics, cellular phones, cash, and clothing valued at tens of thousands of dollars.
Bailey pleaded guilty to 10 counts, including interference with commerce by robbery, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. His offenses also included knowingly participating in violent retail thefts. At sentencing, if the district court accepts the plea agreement, Bailey faces not less than ten years and up to twenty-two years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrinand Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Elena Stiteler and Natasha Moghadam are prosecuting the case.
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
On March 16, 2025, at 2:25 p.m., Manning RCMP responded to a report that a deceased individual, later identified as Nathan Loonskin, a 38-year-old Paddle Prairie, Alta. resident, was located within a vehicle on Range Road 224, in Carcajou, Alta. The Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit was deployed and has taken carriage of the investigation.
The deceased has been taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Edmonton and the death has been deemed as a homicide. Although early in the investigation, RCMP believes this was an isolated incident and that there is no ongoing risk to the public.
Alberta RMCP Major Crimes is requesting assistance from the public. Anyone with dash cam footage, or reports of suspicious persons or activity, in the area of Highway 35, between Manning and Paddle Prairie, between March 15, 2025 around 8:00 p.m. and Mar. 16, 2025 around 2:00 p.m., is asked to please come forth. Furthermore, anyone who has knowledge of the whereabouts of Nathan Loonskin leading up to March 16, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. is asked to please do the same.
Anyone with information can contact the Manning RCMP at 780-836-3007 or your local police. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www. P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store. To report crime online, or for access to RCMP news and information, download the Alberta RCMP app through Apple or Google Play.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Chinese national was indicted by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City for a firearm crime after she allegedly possessed an undeclared pistol in her checked luggage and ammunition in her carry-on bag at the Provo Airport.
Xuemei Zhao, 53, of People’s Republic of China, was initially charged by complaint on March 20, 2025.
According to court documents, on March 20, 2025, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) discovered a black Rossi Braztech Int’l .357 revolver pistol in Zhao’s checked luggage, which was destined for Dallas – Ft. Worth via American Airlines flight 6189. Prior to delivering the suitcase to American Airlines, Zhao did not disclose the presence of the handgun to TSA or American Airlines. In addition to the firearm, Zhao had 9 rounds of .357 ammunition in her carry-on luggage. Zhao was taken into custody and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was contacted and confirmed Zhao arrived on a tourist visa, and had a currently pending asylum application, and was not a lawful permanent resident of the United States (she did not have a “green card”).
Zhao is charged with possession of a firearm by a restricted person (alien). Her initial appearance on the indictment is March 28, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 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 by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Provo Resident Agency. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Assistant United States Attorney Michael Kennedy of 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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (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.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor
Depending on what you think of Donald Trump, his administration could fit either of the following two descriptions. Chaotic, vindictive and accident-prone, marked by mendacity, driven by impulse and bent on securing the will of the leader, rather than – as in the US constitution – the will of the people. Or it could be a government masterminded by a man playing 4D chess while all around him are playing chequers. A president whose deal-making skills and focus on outcomes ensure the security and prosperity of America and its allies.
If you base your assessment on the people Trump has chosen as his key national security advisers then, after the recent Signal chat group intelligence debacle, you’d almost certainly opt for chaotic and accident-prone, at the very least.
Looking around the Signal chatroom, who do we have? National security advisor Mike Waltz, Vice-President J.D. Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio, defense secretary Pete Hegseth, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA director John Ratcliffe and a supporting cast of other senior Trump staffers. And, unwittingly, the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg.
Heads must roll, say Trump’s critics. But who from this hydra-headed beast should take the fall? Should it be Waltz, who invited Goldberg to the chat group? Or Hegseth, who posted operational details of a US attack, including the when, where and how, hours before it was due to take place? Should it be Vance, whose swipe at America’s freeloading European allies has caused considerable angst across the Atlantic?
Or perhaps one or another of Gabbard and Ratcliffe, who sat in front of the Senate select committee on intelligence on Tuesday and maintained that no classified material or “war plans” had been revealed to the group – sworn evidence now revealed to be unreliable at best?
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At present it seems as if none of them are going to pay for their dangerous incompetence. Instead their ire is turned on Goldberg, who has variously been called a “sleazebag” by Trump himself, “loser” and the “bottom scum of journalists” by Waltz and a “deceitful and highly discredited, so-called journalist who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again” by Hegseth.
Robert Dover of the University of Hull, whose research centres on intelligence and national security, believes this is a “national security blunder almost without parallel”. He points to the hypocrisy of people like Hegseth who savaged Hillary Clinton for using a private email server to conduct official business when she was secretary of state under Barack Obama.
Dover also notes the damage the episode will have done to America’s already shaky relations with its allies in Europe. Being disparaged by the vice-president as freeloaders and dismissed by the defense secretary as “pathetic”, he believes, will be “difficult to unsee”.
But credit where it’s due, it appears that US diplomacy may at least be bearing some – limited – fruit. At least, that is, if the two partial ceasefires recently negotiated between Russia and Ukraine actually materialise. That’s a fairly big if, of course. Despite a pledge by both sides that they could support a deal to avoid targeting each other’s energy infrastructure, there’s no sign yet of a cessation of attacks.
And there has been a degree of scepticism over the recently announced plan for a maritime ceasefire to allow the free passage of shipping on the Black Sea. Critics say this favours Russia far more than Ukraine. Over the course of the war, Ukraine has successfully driven Russia’s Black Sea fleet away from its base in Crimea, giving it the upper hand in the maritime war. But maritime strategy expert, Basil Germond, says the situation is more nuanced, and the deal represents considerable upside for Ukraine as well.
Read more:
Russia has most to gain from Black Sea ceasefire – but it’s marginal, and Ukraine benefits too
Setting aside America’s eventful recent forays into foreign relations, there’s a major domestic fix brewing which many US legal scholars believe could plunge the country into a constitutional crisis.
Anne Richardson Oakes, an expert in US constitutional law at Birmingham City University, anticipates a potential clash between between the executive and the judiciary which could threaten the separation of powers that lies at the heart of American democracy.
Oakes observes there are more than 130 legal challenges to Trump administration policies presently before the courts, some of which will end up in front of America’s highest legal authority, the Supreme Court, which is tasked with assessing the constitutionality of those policies. She warns that we’ve already seen evidence that Trump and his senior officials resent what they consider to be interference from the judiciary into the legitimate executive power of the elected president.
Will there be a stand-off where the Trump administration simply ignores the Supreme Court’s ruling? It’s happened before, says Oakes. In the mid-20th century, in Little Rock, Arkansas, when the governor used the state’s national guard to prevent the court-ordered desegregation of public schools. On that occasion the then president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, sent in federal troops to enforce the court’s ruling and a constitutional crisis was averted.
Read more:
US stands on the brink of a constitutional crisis as Donald Trump takes on America’s legal system
But what if it’s the serving president who chooses to ignore a Supreme Court ruling? This was the case in the 1830s when greedy cotton farmers in Georgia were bent on forcing the Native American peoples off their lands. The Cherokee actually took the state of Georgia to the Supreme Court, which ruled that as a “dependent nation” within the United States they were entitled to the protection of the federal government and that the state of Georgia had no right to order their removal.
As historian Sean Lang of Anglia Ruskin University recounts, Georgia ignored the Supreme Court’s ruling and sent in troops to expel the Cherokee who were then forced to move to new lands in a journey known as the “Train of Tears”. Lang writes that then US president, Andrew Jackson, a populist advocate of states’ rights and former “Indian fighter”, ignored the Supreme Court’s ruling, “sneering that [Chief Justice John] Marshall had no means of enforcing it”.
Lang concludes: “It’s a history lesson Greenlanders, Mexicans and Canadians – and indeed many Americans who may fall foul of this administration and seek recourse to the law – would do well to study.”
Read more:
Trump’s America is facing an Andrew Jackson moment – and it’s bad news for the constitution
The Trump administration’s antipathy towards judges who have opposed its policies have extended towards those law firms who have in some way crossed the US president. But the legal system is not the only sector to feel the chilling effect of Trump’s displeasure, writes Dafydd Townley.
The world of higher education in the US is also apprehensive after the administration went after Columbia University, home to some of the most outspoken protest over US policies towards Israel and Gaza. Columbia has recently had to agree to allow the administration to “review” some of its academic programmes, starting with its Middle Eastern studies, after the administration threatened to cancel US$400 million (£310 million) of government contracts with the university.
The news media is also under heavy pressure. The administration has taken control of the White House press pool from the non-partisan White House Correspondents’ Association and has blackballed Associated Press for refusing to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. We’ve also seen Trump himself bring lawsuits against media organisations he judges to have crossed him. And now the president has called for the defunding of America’s two biggest public broadcasters, NPR and PBL, for what he perceives as their liberal bias.
Townley, an expert in US politics at the University of Portsmouth is concerned that this all adds up to a deliberate attempt to cripple institutions which underwrite American democracy.
Read more:
Donald Trump’s ‘chilling effect’ on free speech and dissent is threatening US democracy
Trump’s leadership continues to be very polarising, writes Paul Whiteley, a political scientist and polling specialist at the University of Essex, who has spent years studying political trends in the US. Looking at the most recent numbers, Whiteley finds that while Trump’s approval ratings are fairly steady at 48% approval and 49% disapproval, when you dig down you find that only 6% of registered Democrats approve of his performance, while 93% disapprove. For registered Republicans it’s almost exactly the opposite.
Whiteley takes his analysis further, looking at measures such as consumer sentiment, which has fallen sharply since January, with talk of tariffs and the return of inflation affecting people’s confidence in the economy. He points out there tends to be a fairly strong historical correlation between confidence in the economy and popular approval of a president’s performance.
Read more:
Three graphs that show what’s happening with Donald Trump’s popularity
Another factor which will surely affect people’s confidence in the government are the job losses flowing from Elon Musk’s work as “efficiency tsar”. Thomas Gift, the director of the Centre on US Politics at University College London, believes that federal job losses as a result of Musk’s cuts are spread indiscriminately among Democrat and Republican states. As a result there may be some Republican voters who are experiencing what he calls “buyer’s remorse”.
At the same time, rising inflation is flowing into the cost of living, something many people voted for Trump to punish the Democrats for. As Gift points out, both parties are experiencing a dip in support at present as people reject politics for having a generally negative effect on their lives. But from now, it’ll be the Republicans who will feel the sting of popular disapproval more keenly.
Read more:
Trump’s job cuts are causing Republican angst as all parties face backlash
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– ref. Signal-gate security blunder overshadows Black Sea ceasefire – https://theconversation.com/signal-gate-security-blunder-overshadows-black-sea-ceasefire-253245
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) in applauding the Senate passage of a bipartisan resolution to commemorate the 204th anniversary of Greek Independence Day (March 25). In addition to celebrating Greece’s historic role as the birthplace of democracy and its immense contributions to global society, the bipartisan resolution also recognizes the strength of the United States’ enduring partnership and friendship with Greece.
Sens. Johnson, Barrasso, Booker, Van Hollen, and Ricketts were joined by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).
The full text of the resolution can be found here.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
WASHINGTON – A civil forfeiture complaint was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that $47 million in proceeds from the sale of nearly one million barrels of Iranian petroleum is forfeitable as property of, or affording a person a source of influence over, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or its Qods Force (IRGC-QF), designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO).
The forfeiture was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr. of the Minneapolis Field Office, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso of the New York Office.
The forfeiture complaint alleges a scheme between 2022 and 2024 to facilitate the shipment, storage, and sale of Iranian petroleum product for the benefit of the IRGC and IRGC-QF. The facilitators used deceptive practices to masquerade the Iranian oil as Malaysian, including by manipulating the tanker’s automatic identification system (AIS) to conceal that it onboarded the oil from a port in Iran. The facilitators presented falsified documents to the Croatian storage facility and port authority, claiming that the oil was Malaysian. The facilitators paid for storage fees associated with the oil’s storage at the Croatian facility in U.S. dollars, transactions that were conducted through U.S. financial institutions that would have refused the transactions had they known they were associated with Iranian oil. The petroleum product was sold in 2024, and the United States seized $47 million in proceeds from that sale.
The civil forfeiture complaint further alleges that the petroleum product constitutes the property of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), which has perpetuated a federal crime of terrorism by providing material support to the IRGC and IRGC-QF. As alleged, profits from petroleum product sales support the IRGC’s full range of malign activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, support for terrorism, and both domestic and international human rights abuses.
“We will aggressively enforce U.S. sanctions against Iran, in furtherance of President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign,” said U.S. Attorney Martin. “With the continued seizures of Iranian oil and U.S. dollar profits, we are sending a clear message to Iran that bypassing the sanctions put in place by the U.S. Government is not as easy as playing a shell game with tankers filled with oil. We remain committed to thwarting Iran’s devious attempts, and to deprive its terrorists of the funding they desire.”
“The FBI will not allow hostile regimes to evade U.S. sanctions or exploit our financial systems to fund designated terrorist organizations,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Winston. “The FBI, alongside our partners, will relentlessly enforce U.S. sanctions against Iran and safeguard U.S. national security by disrupting illicit networks that seek to profit from sanctioned oil sales.”
“Through the work of HSI’s Counterproliferation Investigations group, alongside the FBI, the U.S. government has seized $47 million worth of funds allegedly meant for terrorist groups intent on causing catastrophic harm,” said HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Alfonso. “The expertise of HSI personnel, coupled with federal law enforcement’s whole-of-government approach, ensures the wellbeing of the United States and our innocent foreign counterparts, alike. We are relentlessly utilizing every tool at our disposal in pursuit of any and all security threats.”
Funds successfully forfeited with a connection to a state sponsor of terrorism may in whole or in part be directed to the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.
FBI Minneapolis Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations New York are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert, Maeghan O. Mikorski, and Brian Hudak for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Adam Small of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are litigating the case. They received assistance from former Paralegal Specialist Brian Rickers and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
A civil forfeiture complaint is merely an allegation. The burden to prove forfeitability in a civil forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
CLEVELAND – The Northern Ohio Violent Crime Consortium (NOVCC) recently brought together more than 100 regional law enforcement participants, representing more than 20 agencies, to take part in a region-wide initiative to discuss public safety. The annual event is hosted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Northern District of Ohio. The District covers the 40 northern-most counties in the state of Ohio, which is home to more than 5.7 million people.
The violent crime consortium was established in 2007 through a Department of Justice grant to specifically address violent crime issues in eight Northern Ohio cities: Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Elyria, Lorain, Mansfield, Toledo, and Youngstown.
As the current top federal law enforcement officer for the District, Acting U.S. Attorney Carol M. Skutnik provided welcoming remarks on the importance of the consortium’s work to keep crime off the streets.
“The Consortium’s purpose is to prevent and reduce violent crime through the use of data-driven and evidence-based technologies,” said Skutnik. “NOVCC enhances our member agencies through skills training on accepted best practices and emerging technologies.”
Subject-matter experts addressed several key topics at this year’s gathering including the importance of inter-agency data sharing and information to combat crime, promising law enforcement practices, and modern policing in the digital age.
The USAO would like to acknowledge and thank the following for attending and participating in this year’s event:
Event speakers representing
Law enforcement agencies represented
State agencies
Nonprofit agency
Federal agencies
For more information about the consortium, contact Thomas McCartney at 216-622-3955.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
SANTA ANA, California – An Orange County man was sentenced today to 46 months in federal prison for orchestrating a scheme to steal high-value violins and robbing a bank in Irvine.
Mark Meng, 58, of Irvine, was sentenced by United States District Judge David O. Carter, who scheduled a restitution hearing for June 24 in this case.
Meng pleaded guilty in September 2024 to one count of wire fraud and one count of bank robbery. He has been in federal custody since May 2024.
From August 2020 to April 2023, Meng schemed to steal valuable violins and keep or resell them for his personal gain. Meng – posing as a collector of musical instruments – contacted violin shops across the country to express interest in receiving the violins on loan for a trial period to determine if he wished to buy them. In some cases, he purchased violin bows before asking for the violins on a trial-period basis.
After receiving each violin, Meng negotiated a purchase price for it, kept the instrument beyond the trial period, then provided the violin shops with a check or set of checks for the violin, knowing the whole time the checks he wrote to the violin shops would be rejected due to insufficient funds.
When a violin-shop representative contacted Meng to inform him that the shop’s bank had rejected his checks, he sent a new series of checks, which also later were rejected due to insufficient funds. Sometimes, Meng lied to the violin shops by falsely telling them he had mailed the violin back to them, but that they had been lost in the mail. Eventually, Meng stopped communicating with the violin shops.
After fraudulently obtaining the violins, Meng re-sold them to a buyer – often during the trial periods from the violin shops. For example, on February 1, 2023, a victim loaned Meng a Guilio Degani violin – valued at $175,000 – pursuant to a trial-period contract, which required Meng to return or purchase the violin by February 10, 2023. However, Meng attempted to sell this violin to a buyer – who was unaware of the violin’s stolen origin.
According to court documents, Meng also stole the following:
Despite knowing that he did not own these violins and violin bows, Meng sold three of these stolen violins and a violin bow to a victim for a total of $44,700.
In January 2023, Meng emailed one violin shop in Alexandria, Virginia, to express an interest in obtaining the Ventapane violin and the Degani violin on a trial basis, all the while intending to fraudulently obtain then re-sell them.
On April 2, 2024, Meng entered a bank branch in Irvine, wearing a hat, sunglasses, a bandana covering his face, and blue latex gloves. Meng gave the bank teller a note stating “$18,000. Withdraw. Please. Stay Cool. No harm. Thx.” When the teller told Meng she did not have access to the money he demanded, Meng responded, “Give me whatever you have.” The teller, fearing harm to herself and her co-workers, handed Meng $446.
The FBI’s Art Crime Team investigated this matter, with assistance from the Irvine Police Department and the Glendale Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys Laura A. Alexander and Mark A. Williams, both of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section, prosecuted this case.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Anish Shukla, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Harry Chavis, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, and Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Region of the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned a nine-count indictment charging PAUL R. STEED, 58, of Stamford, with fraud and tax offenses stemming from his alleged commission of multiple frauds against his former employer Mars, Inc.
The indictment was returned yesterday, and Steed was arrested this morning. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport, pleaded not guilty, and is currently detained.
The indictment alleges that, between approximately 2011 and 2023, Steed was employed by Mars Wrigley, a subsidiary of Mars. Inc. (“Mars”), working remotely from his home in Stamford. Steed served as Global Price Risk Manager for Mars Wrigley’s Global Cocoa Enterprise. As part of his employment, Steed was responsible for managing Mars Wrigley’s participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) Sugar-Containing Products Re-Export Program. In approximately 2016, Steed created a company, MCNA LLC, to mimic an actual Mars entity, Mars Chocolate North America. He then diverted millions of dollars in Mars assets to a bank account he set up in MCNA’s name by directing sugar refineries purchasing Mars’s re-export credits, obtained through the USDA program, to pay MCNA LLC as if it were a legitimate Mars entity.
The indictment also alleges that Mars had an ownership interest in Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (“ICE”), a financial services company that operated financial exchanges and clearing houses, and received quarterly dividends in connection with that ownership. In 2017, Steed directed Computershare Limited (“Computershare”), a company that ICE utilized for stock-related services, to pay MCNA LLC for Mars’s dividends from its ownership shares in ICE. As a result, more than $700,000 in dividend payments were diverted to the MCNA LLC account. In 2023, after Steed had used a fraudulent letter purportedly from the Mars Treasurer authorizing him to trade ICE shares, Steed directed Computershare to sell Mars’s ICE shares entirely. Computershare issued a check in the amount of more than $11.3 million, which Steed deposited into the MCNA LLC account.
The indictment further alleges that, from 2013 through 2020, Steed used a company he owned called Ibera LLC to invoice Mars for services Mars did not receive. Mars paid Ibera LLC approximately $580,000 through this scheme.
The indictment charges Steed with seven counts of wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment on each count. Steed is also charged with two counts of tax evasion, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years on each count, for failing to report and pay taxes on his stolen income, as alleged.
According to statements made in court, Steed is alleged to have stolen more than $28 million from Mars and through his schemes. More than $18 million was seized today for forfeiture, and the government is seeking to forfeit a Greenwich home that Steed is alleged to have purchased with nearly $2.3 million in stolen funds. It is alleged that another $2 million was sent by Steed to Argentina, where he is a dual citizen, has family ties, and owns a ranch.
Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Novick.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
WASHINGTON – William Brock, 33, and Anthony Antwon McNair, Jr., 36, both of Washington, D.C., were sentenced today to 657 months (54.75 years) months and 378 months (31.5 years) in prison respectively for their roles in a series of armed robberies of Brink’s armored cars in Washington, D.C., that resulted in the loss of more than $1.2 million.
The sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Brock and McNair were found guilty by a federal jury on September 9, 2024, of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery, interference with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act Robbery), bank robbery, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The jury also found co-defendant Erin Sheffey guilty the same day of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery. Sheffey was sentenced January 15, 2025, to 18 years in prison.
In addition to the prison terms, U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ordered Brock and McNair to each serve three years of supervised release and pay $1.2 million in restitution.
The three Brink’s truck robberies occurred on October 6, 2021, December 8, 2021, and March 2, 2022. In those robberies, the defendants used firearms to assault the drivers of Brink’s armored cars and steal money. In total, the defendants stole over $1.2 million.
According to court documents and the evidence at trial, the three defendants were members of the Choppa City street crew. Brock, McNair, and Sheffey conspired together and with others to plan and carry out the robberies, brandishing firearms on busy District streets while doing so.
Each robbery occurred on a Wednesday at about 9 a.m., and two occurred on busy city throughfares, causing a significant risk to the public. Testimony in the case revealed that the conspirators used assault rifles to carry out their robberies.
Brock planned the robberies for months, learning the routes and arrival times of the Brink’s drivers, to ensure the robbery team was in place. As the Brink’s driver exited his armored car vehicle to deliver money to a business, the robbers ambushed him. In two cases, the defendants assaulted one of the Brink’s drivers, even after he had complied to their demands and had turned over his courier bag.
Members of the crew used social media to show off large sums of money they stole during the robberies and photographed themselves making high-end luxury purchases. For example, within two days of the robberies, Brock purchased vehicles in cash totaling over $36,000.
Leading up to trial, all three men attempted to intimidate witnesses in the case. These attempts, among other things, were cited as bases for their decades-long sentences.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Tepfer and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Schneider. Valuable assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josh Gold, Meredith Mayer-Dempsey, and Thomas Strong.
An AR-15 used by the defendants during the armed robberies
Brock (right) and McNair (left) robbing a Brinks armored car employee with a firearm on December 8, 2021. Brock and McNair assaulted the driver by beating him with their pistols even after he turned over the delivery bag.
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Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Clarenville RCMP is investigating a theft at Shoppers Drug Mart in Clarenville that occurred on March 25, 2025. A significant quantity of cosmetic products was stolen.
On Tuesday, Clarenville RCMP received the report of the theft. An unknown woman entered the store and departed without paying for various cosmetic items. The items are valued between $2000.00-$3000.00.
Clarenville RCMP is seeking assistance from the public in identifying the woman, who was captured on the store’s surveillance. An image is attached.
The investigation is continuing.
Anyone who can identify the woman or who has information about this crime or the current location of the stolen property is asked to contact Clarenville RCMP at 709-466-3211. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers: #SayItHere 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visit www.nlcrimestoppers.com or use the P3Tips app.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Kacey Caudill (28, Melbourne) with one count of enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, one count of production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), three counts of receipt of CSAM, and one count of possession of CSAM involving a minor under 12 years of age.
If convicted on the enticement count, Caudill faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. For the production of CSAM count, he faces a minimum sentence of 15 years, up to 30 years. Each receipt count carries a minimum sentence of 5 years, up to 20 years, and for the possession of CSAM count, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, Caudill committed these offenses between August 2 and October 9, 2024.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Latchman Singh (31, Orlando) with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. If convicted, Singh faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the indictment, on January 17, 2025, Singh possessed multiple firearms including, two Glock firearms, two Sig Sauer firearms, two Specialized Tactical System firearms, an Aero Precision firearm, a Beretta firearm, a S.C. Nova Grup S.R.L firearm, a Ruger firearm, one Polymer 80 Inc. firearm, a privately made firearm made from a Polymer80 Inc. frame, a SOTA Arms firearm, a Remington firearm, a Springfield Armory firearm, a Spike’s tactical firearm, and a Palmetto State Armory firearm. At the time he possessed each firearm, Singh had multiple prior felony convictions, including fraudulent use of personal identification information and possession of cannabis with intent to see or deliver. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Orlando, FL – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Karla Alejandra Tejena Parraga (38, Ecuador) with attempted smuggling of firearms. If convicted, Tejena Parraga faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, on February 19, 2025, Tejena Parraga fraudulently attempted to export a firearm and firearm part from the United States to Panama. Prior to the attempted exportation, Tejena Parraga concealed, received, bought or sold, or facilitated such, knowing the firearm and firearm part was intended for exportation contrary to any law or regulation of the United States.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie McNeff.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Whiteville man was sentenced today to 23 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. On February 9, 2024, Marion Lamont Flowers, age 43, pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, in 2020, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Whiteville Police Department, and the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) began investigating Flowers for drug trafficking. Between December 2020 and July 2021, law enforcement oversaw seven controlled purchases of cocaine and methamphetamine from Flowers. On July 20, 2021, a confidential informant arranged to purchase 1 kilogram of methamphetamine from Flowers. When Flowers arrived to make the sale, he was apprehended by law enforcement and taken into custody. A search of Flowers’ vehicle recovered 893.8 grams of methamphetamine (97% purity), more than $2000 in cash and a loaded PH 13 handgun. l
Based on surveillance during the investigation, Flowers was operating out of a hotel room at an EconoLodge. Agents executed search warrants on two rooms rented by Flowers and seized MDMA pills, Xanax pills, Alprazolam and Buprenorphine pills. They also seized 37 grams of cocaine base (crack), 249 grams of cocaine, 27 grams of fentanyl and nearly $4000 in cash.
Flowers has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 1995 when he was convicted of assault with intent to kill and robbery with a dangerous weapon for robbing a Hasty Mart Store. During the robbery, Flowers shot a customer in the neck. In 2004, he pled guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon after robbing a BB&T bank. In 2016, Flowers pled guilty to possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine and to delivering cocaine. As the sentencing judge noted at Flowers’ hearing, Flowers has also performed poorly while incarcerated, incurring over 30 infractions while serving time for previous convictions.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, the Whiteville Police Department and the Columbus County Sheriff investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Lemons prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:22-CR-00135-D-001.
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Source: Office of United States Attorneys
WACO, Texas – A Killeen man was sentenced in a federal court in Waco to 120 months in prison for buying and selling U.S. Army equipment that had been stolen by soldiers and former soldiers.
According to court documents, beginning in January 2017, Benjamin Alvarado Jr., 32, purchased thousands of military items, owned by the United States, from co-conspirators Darius Alston, Justin Wallas and Gabriel Taylor, and Kynyqus Bryant. The co-conspirators were U.S. Army soldiers stationed at Fort Cavazos and had participated in at least seven thefts of U.S. government property from Fort Cavazos. Collectively, they coordinated with Alvarado throughout the scheme through telecommunications and text messages.
Investigators with the Department of the Army Criminal Investigations Division (Army CID) traced several transactions through online sellers, such as eBay, to Alvarado, who, on Aug, 9, 2021, was discovered to be selling multiple M-50 gas masks similar to what had been reported stolen from Fort Cavazos. Alvarado was also selling filters for the masks, night vision device image intensifier tubes, Litefighter tents, and other miscellaneous sensitive property being transported in interstate and foreign commerce with a value of $5,000 or more.
Executed search warrants resulted in the recovery of more than 24,000 individual items stolen from the U.S. government, including, in addition to the items previously named, weapons parts, and Level III and Level IV body armor. The recovered properties were valued at approximately $2.75 million. Another search warrant led to the recovery of another $100,000 worth of military property at a Killeen storage building. The investigation also revealed that, on or about Jan. 5, 2021, Alvarado participated in the sale and transfer of a Joint Chemical Agent Detector M4A1 to a buyer in China through an intermediary in Delaware.
Alvarado stated he had purchased 90% of the 24,000 items seized from Bryant and Alston, who were assigned to the 553rd Combat Service Support Battalion. Taylor later confessed that he had participated as the lookout in a July 2021 robbery on Fort Cavazos, while other members of the conspiracy retrieved the items. Alston stated that he had conducted seven or eight theft operations with Bryant and the others, also as a lookout.
On Sept. 3, 2019, Alvarado transferred a cashier’s check for $52,890.55 to a title company for a residence in Killeen. On July 7, 2021, Alvarado transferred a personal check for $50,000 to a licensed automobile dealer for the purchase of a 2013 McLaren MP4. Following the April 2022 indictment, Alvarado forfeited the house and the car.
Alvarado pleaded guilty on Oct. 31, 2023 to one count of theft of government property conspiracy, one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, two counts of money laundering, and one count of smuggling goods from the United States. On March 26, Alvarado was sentenced to 120 months custody in federal prison.
Alston, Wallas and Taylor were also sentenced with Alvarado. Alston and Wallas were each sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. Taylor was sentenced to five years of probation. Bryant was sentenced to five years of probation and incurred a $2,000 fine on March 24.
In addition to their sentences, Alston, Wallas, Taylor, and Bryant were ordered to pay $618,750 in restitution. Alvarado was ordered to pay a restitution of $2,367,780.12.
“Alvarado and his co-conspirators engaged in a massive scheme to steal, store and sell millions of dollars’ worth of U.S. military equipment—not only taking advantage of our government but placing personal profit over national security and military readiness,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “Thank you to all of the federal law enforcement agencies involved for provided their individual specialized investigative skills to this case and reinforcing the fact that criminals who engage in this illicit reckless behavior will be caught and prosecuted.”
“We traced Alvarado’s sales and profits, which helped lead the team to seize assets like his real estate, his bank accounts and his McLaren. There are no sports cars and lavish lifestyles for Alvarado in prison,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Lucy Tan, of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Houston Field Office. “The moment he left a money trail, it sealed his fate. As the law enforcement division of the IRS, we follow the money to bring criminals to justice.”
“These sentencings are a result of a highly successful joint investigative effort by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and our investigative partners” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Chad Gosch of the Department of Defense – Office of Inspector General, DCIS Southwest Field Office. “Ensuring the integrity of DoD supply chains, safeguarding taxpayer investments and, most importantly, protecting the warfighter are top priorities for DCIS.”
“This case highlights the partnership and commitment between Homeland Security Investigations and Army CID in securing the Homeland by targeting malicious actors stealing and exporting sensitive military equipment,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee. “HSI, in collaboration with law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively investigate and dismantle criminal networks that threaten the country’s national security.”
IRS-CI, DCIS, Army CID, the Department of State and HSI investigated the case with assistance from the Killeen Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Blanton prosecuted the case.
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Source: Office of United States Attorneys
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury has returned a 43-count indictment charging a music label owner and purported anti-gang activist who is a long-time leader of a South Los Angeles street gang with dozens of felonies, including fraud, robbery, extortion, tax evasion, embezzlement of donations to his charity that receives public money, and running a racketeering conspiracy in which he allegedly murdered an aspiring musician, the Justice Department announced today.
Eugene Henley, Jr., 58, a.k.a. “Big U,” of the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, two counts of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and extortion (Hobbs Act), one count of Hobbs Act robbery, nine counts of attempted Hobbs Act extortion, five counts of Hobbs Act extortion, one count of transportation of an individual in interstate commerce with intent that the individual engage in prostitution (Mann Act), 15 counts of wire fraud, five counts of embezzlement, conversion, and intentional misapplication of funds from an organization receiving federal funds, one count of bank fraud, one count of tax evasion, and two counts of willful failure to file a tax return.
Henley – a long-time member of the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips street gang – has been in federal custody since March 19 after being charged in a federal criminal complaint. His arraignment is scheduled for April 8 in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. He has a detention hearing scheduled for April 10, also in Los Angeles federal court.
Also charged in today’s indictment are:
These defendants are in federal custody and are expected to be arraigned in the coming weeks.
“As the indictment alleges, Mr. Henley led a criminal enterprise whose conduct ranged from murder to sophisticated fraud that included stealing from taxpayers and a charity,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally. “Eradicating gangs and organized crime is the Department of Justice’s top priority. Today’s charges against the leadership of this criminal outfit will make our neighborhoods in Los Angeles safer.”
According to the indictment returned on Wednesday, from 2010 until March 2025, Henley’s criminal group – identified in court documents as the “Big U Enterprise” – operated as a mafia-like organization that utilized Henley’s stature and long-standing association with the Rollin’ 60s and other street gangs to intimidate businesses and individuals in Los Angeles. Henley is widely regarded as a leader within the Rollin’ 60s and rose to prominence in the street gang during the 1980s.
While the Big U Enterprise at times partnered with the Rollin’ 60s and other criminal elements for mutual benefit, the Big U Enterprise is a distinct and independent criminal enterprise engaged in criminal activity including murder, extortion, robbery, trafficking and exploiting sex workers, fraud, and illegal gambling.
Not only did the enterprise expand its power through violence, fear, and intimidation, but it also used social media platforms, documentaries, podcasts, interviews, and Henley’s reputation and status as an “O.G.” (original gangster) to create fame for – and stoke fear of – the Big U Enterprise, its members, and its associates.
For example, in January 2021, Henley murdered a victim – identified in the indictment as “R.W.” – an aspiring musician signed to Uneek Music, Henley’s music label. Henley shot and killed R.W., who had recorded a defamatory song about Henley. Henley then dragged the victim’s body off Interstate 15 in Las Vegas and left it in a ditch.
Henley also committed other crimes, including fraudulently obtaining a COVID-19 business-relief loan for Uneek Music, which operated at a loss and was ineligible for such relief. He used his anti-gang charity, Developing Options, as a front for fraudulent activities and to insulate other members of the Big U Enterprise from law enforcement suspicion.
Henley further embezzled large donations that celebrities and award-winning companies made to Developing Options, which Henley immediately converted to his personal bank account. According to the indictment, Developing Options is primarily funded through the City of Los Angeles’s Mayor’s Office through the Gang Reduction Youth Development (GRYD) Foundation, portions of which receive federal funding, but also receives donations from prominent sources, including NBA players.
Finally, the indictment alleges that – as part of the racketeering conspiracy charge – that during the early morning hours of March 19, while law enforcement was arresting other members of the enterprise, Henley turned off his cellphones and fled his home. That day, Henley posted to the “Crenshaw Cougars” Instagram account, claiming racial profiling, blaming his co-defendants and opponents for the criminal charges filed against him in a federal criminal complaint, and instructing the public not to associate with his co-defendants and known opponents. Henley eventually surrendered to federal law enforcement without his phones.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Henley, Robinson, Martin would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the racketeering conspiracy count. The bank fraud count is punishable by up to 30 years in federal prison. The Hobbs Act conspiracy, robbery, and extortion and the wire fraud counts each carry a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. The Mann Act count and the theft concerning programs receiving federal funds count each carry a penalty of up to 10 years in federal prison. The tax evasion count carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison while the willful failure to pay file a tax return count is punishable by up to one year’s imprisonment.
The FBI’s Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force on Violent Gangs; IRS Criminal Investigation; the United States Department of Justice Office of Inspector General; the Los Angeles Police Department; and the North Las Vegas Police Department are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler and Jena A. MacCabe of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this case.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
ALBUQUERQUE – A Mentmore man is facing charges in federal court for allegedly assaulting and injuring a woman.
According to court records, on December 5, 2024, Alery Al Reid, 26, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, allegedly assaulted and strangled Jane Doe. Reid is accused of inflicting substantial bodily injury on Jane Doe, including extensive facial bruising, neck abrasions, and other injuries.
Reid is charged with assault by strangling and assault resulting in substantial bodily injury. Reid will remain with a third-party custodian on conditions of release pending trial, which has not been set. If convicted of the current charges, Reid faces 15 years in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jermond Santa Lowery, Jr., 29, of Charlotte, was sentenced in federal court today to seven years in prison for brandishing an AR-15 rifle during the robbery of a Waffle House, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
According to information in filed documents and court proceedings, on October 31, 2023, Lowery entered a Waffle House in Charlotte, where he brandished an AR-15 rifle. As the employees began to flee through the back door, Lowery shouted at the employees to get back and open the cash register, threatening to kill them. Court documents show that Lowery removed the cash register from the restaurant and fled the scene. CMPD officers arrested Lowery the next day.
On September 26, 2024, Lowery pleaded guilty to brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He remains in federal custody pending placement by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The investigation was handled by the FBI and CMPD.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Gilberto Alarcon-Holguin a/k/a Beto, 57, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a fine of $10,000,000.
According to the plea agreement, on October 14, 2017, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) seized 10 kilograms of cocaine from an identified co-conspirator. HSI obtained a phone number as a point of contact for the delivery of the cocaine, which was linked to co-conspirators of Alarcon-Holguin. On October 19, 2017, HSI conducted a controlled delivery of 10 bricks of “sham” cocaine, which had been wrapped in the same manner as the seized kilograms of cocaine, to a motel parking lot in Corfu, NY. The bag was given to co-conspirator Eduardo Valdez, who was on the phone with Alarcon-Holguin during the delivery. Following the controlled delivery, the New York State Police conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle Valdez was riding in. HSI seized $259,960 in cash as a result of the controlled delivery.
Subsequent investigation determined that Alarcon-Holguin had multiple communications with another co-conspirator, Edgar Pavia. Alarcon-Holguin provided instructions to Pavia about shipments of cocaine, packaging of money, and more, all of which was passed along to drug distributors supplied by Alarcon-Holguin in cities including Buffalo, and Louisville, KY. Alarcon-Holguin also passed information to Pavia that was separately conveyed to other co-conspirators, including those involved in the transportation of drugs. For example, on June 21, 2018, co-conspirator Adrian Goudelock received 40 kilograms of cocaine in Buffalo. Over the course of the conspiracy, Goudelock received multiple shipments of 10 kilograms of cocaine or more brokered by Pavia and supplied by Alarcon-Holguin. Alarcon-Holguin also provided instructions to Pavia on how Goudelock should wrap and mark money being sent back to Mexico. Specifically, Alarcon-Holguin told Pavia that Goudelock should wrap the money into 52 packages of $10,000 each.
Other deliveries organized by Alarcon-Holguin during the investigation included: 17 kilograms of cocaine seized from a co-conspirator in West Seneca, NY, and shipments of 10, 15, 20, and 40 kilograms of cocaine to a co-conspirator in Kentucky. In addition, approximately $1,144,735 in cash was seized from a commercial truck driver in Chicago, Illinois. During the course of the investigation, investigators seized approximately $2,600,000.
The plea is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie Feroleto; the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia; and Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Unit, under the direction of Brian Manaher, Director, Marine Operations. Additional assistance was provided by the New York National Guard and Homeland Security Investigations, El Paso, Texas. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Alarcon-Holguin.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 3, 2025, before Judge Sinatra.
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US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford
Washington, DC— Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) yesterday introduced the Cellphone Jamming Reform Act of 2025, legislation which would prevent inmates from using contraband cellphones in prisons by allowing state and federal prisons to use cellphone jamming technology. Congressman David Kustoff (TN-08) is leading companion legislation in the House.
Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and Jim Risch (R-ID) are cosponsoring the legislation. Rep. David Kustoff (R-RN) introduced companion legislation in the House.
“Cell phones are being slipped into jails and prisons, but federal policy prevents local law enforcement from jamming the cell signal. That needs to stop,” said Lankford. “After years of work and conversations with law enforcement, the Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Justice, and Oklahoma prison leadership, we finally have a bill to allow states to jam illegal cell phones in their prisons to prevent prisoners from contacting their victims or coordinating even more crime while they are incarcerated. This bill simply allows state and federal prisons to use cell phone jammers to ensure they have the tools they need to combat illegal activity in a prison.”
“For far too long, contraband cellphones have been a major security threat in our prisons, allowing criminals to coordinate crimes from behind bars. This legislation is a common-sense step to cut off their ability to threaten witnesses, organize drug trafficking, and endanger law-abiding citizens from within prison walls,” said Senator Cotton.
“Criminals are using contraband cellphones to commit crimes while in prison. The extent of coordinated criminal activity carried out by inmates is a serious threat to public safety,” said Congressman Kustoff. “As a former United States Attorney, I have seen first-hand the dangerous effects of contraband cellphone use to both law enforcement officers and our communities. It should be impossible for prisoners to organize gang activity, traffic drugs, and coordinate any other wrongdoing from behind bars. The Cellphone Jamming Reform Act is commonsense legislation that will crack down on cellphones in prisons and protect inmates, guards, and the public at large.”
Text of the legislation may be found here.
Background:
The use of contraband cellphones is widespread in both federal and state prison facilities. Inmates have used contraband cellphones to conduct illegal activities, including ordering hits on individuals outside of the prison walls, running illegal drug operations, conducting illegal business deals, facilitating sex trafficking, and organizing escapes which endanger correctional employees, other inmates, and members of the public.
Last year, two 13-year-old boys were killed at a birthday party in Atlanta after inmates in a Georgia prison used contraband cellphones to order their murder. In 2024, Georgia authorities confiscated more than 15,500 contraband cellphones and seized more than 8,000 in 2023.
In December 2024, two California inmates were convicted of murder, racketeering, and other RICO-related crimes for running a heroin and meth trafficking operation from their prison cells.
In 2018, a gang fight over territory using cellphones to trade contraband sparked a brawl inside the Lee Correctional Institution near Bishopville, South Carolina, and left seven inmates dead and 20 injured.
Bureau of Prisons Correctional officer Lt. Osvaldo Albarati was murdered in 2013 for interrupting an illicit contraband cellphone business. His actual assassination was initiated by an inmate using a contraband cellphone to contact the gunman as outlined in the indictment.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) reintroduced the Stop Supreme Court Leakers Act to criminalize individuals who leak confidential information from the Supreme Court of the United States.
“Individuals who aim to undermine the highest Court in our nation and intimidate its justices should be held accountable for their actions,” said Senator Blackburn. “The Stop Supreme Court Leakers Act is a vital piece of legislation, which would ensure that the Court’s work remains free from unwanted outside interference by cracking down on those who leak confidential information.”
“Supreme Court leaks should be a criminal offense. Leakers threaten the safety of justices, damage the Court’s reputation, and put lives at risk,”said Dr. Cassidy. “They must be held accountable, not celebrated.”
“Supreme Court justices must be able to carry out their responsibilities without the threat of their every action being leaked, whether to influence, embarrass, or threaten them. Such actions, which we’ve seen in recent years, only undermine public trust and the Supreme Court as an institution,” said Senator Hyde-Smith. “This legislation is needed to establish significant criminal penalties and fines for those who cross that line and betray the Court.”
The Stop Supreme Court Leakers Act requires a $10,000 fine and imposes up to a 10-year prison sentence on those who leak confidential information from the Supreme Court. Additionally, Cassidy’s legislation goes one step further by enforcing a seizure of profits derived from the leak which could include book deals or cable television contributor contracts.
The Stop Supreme Court Leakers Act criminalizes leaks of the following information:
Internal notes on cases heard by the Supreme Court of the United States.
Any communication between the Chief Justice or an associate justice and an employee or officer of the Supreme Court on a matter pending before the Supreme Court.
A draft opinion or a final opinion prior to the date on which such opinion is released to the public.
Personal information of the chief justice or an associate justice that is not otherwise legally available to the public.
Any other information designated to be confidential by the chief justice.