NewzIntel.com

Category: Justice

  • MIL-OSI USA: Enhancing Safety and Reducing Fatalities on Roadways

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced that $90 million is now available to help local governments enhance safety and reduce fatalities on their roads, part of a comprehensive “Safe System” approach toward zero deaths being deployed by the State Department of Transportation to reduce fatalities on all highway systems across New York. The funding will support projects intended to prevent vehicles from inadvertently straying from their lanes and to lessen the severity of crashes that result from those instances. In New York State, about 40 percent of crash fatalities occur when a vehicle departs from its lane. The initiative is part of a multi-year, multi-agency action plan released last year by the New York State Department of Transportation to reduce such incidents and minimize the injuries and fatalities that result from them.

    “Safe highways save lives and through the adoption of a ‘Safe System’ approach, we are holistically looking at our highway systems to see where our safety investments can make the biggest difference in reducing fatalities,” Governor Hochul said. “The funding we are making available today will help local governments design and implement projects that will enhance the safety of their roadways and make it more likely that drivers reach their destination unharmed.”

    Striving to achieve a Safe System Approach toward Zero Deaths, the New York State Department of Transportation in the summer of 2024 released the Roadway Departure Safety Action Plan, which calls for comprehensive approach to be undertaken by NYSDOT and its partner agencies to reduce fatalities and serious injuries that result when vehicles inadvertently depart their lanes or the roadway. Under the plan, NYSDOT is focusing on engineering improvements, public education and awareness campaigns, and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee is coordinating law enforcement activities.

    State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “From day one, Governor Hochul has been laser focused on improving public safety, and that’s what our ‘Safe System’ approach toward zero deaths on highways is all about — reducing and preventing fatalities and serious injuries on our highways. Highway safety is a shared responsibility and the funding we are making available for local governments, combined with complementary enhancements to the state highway system, will hopefully have a major impact in reducing fatalities and serious injuries on New York’s highways.”

    Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer said, “Investing in innovative and effective programs like New York’s ‘Safe System’ will save lives and lower costs related to crashes. I was proud to lead the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Law to passage, which boosted funding for this critical road-safety program. Today Governor Hochul is ensuring local governments have the resources they need to lay the foundation for a safer future on our roads.”

    State Senator Jeremy Cooney said, “Millions of New Yorkers rely on our highway system every day to get from point A to point B. It’s only right that we do everything we can to keep these drivers safe. I’m grateful for the partnership of Governor Hochul and Commissioner Dominguez in keeping our roads safe and for their commitment towards pursuing zero highway fatalities in New York.”

    Assemblymember William Magnarelli said, “Safety on our local roads and highways is of paramount importance. This funding made available from Governor Hochul and the New York State Department of Transportation will help local governments prioritize safety and give motorists and the public more peace of mind when they travel on their local roads and highways in New York State.”

    New York State Association of Counties President Benjamin Boykin II said, “Counties are responsible for maintaining thousands of miles of roads and highways across New York State, and ensuring the safety of our residents is a top priority. This funding from Governor Hochul and the New York State Department of Transportation will help local governments make roadway improvements designed to reduce accidents and fatalities and make our roads safer for everyone.”

    New York State Association of Towns Executive Director Chris Koetzle said, “Safe roads are essential to thriving communities and a priority for towns. We deeply appreciate every dollar the State invests in helping local governments build and maintain safer roadways, ensuring the well-being of all who travel them.”

    New York State Conference of Mayors Executive Director Barbara Van Epps said, “Safer roads lead to safer communities. NYCOM thanks Governor Hochul for advancing this grant funding opportunity for our cities and villages. We look forward to partnering with her and the State Legislature to further enhance critical transportation funding for our local roads.”

    Funding for these projects is available through the Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Safety Improvement Program and may be used to support the design and construction of countermeasures intended to reduce roadway/lane departures and lessen the likelihood that departure-related crashes cause death or serious injury. Such countermeasures include, but are not limited to, enhanced striping, curve warning signs, rumble strips and median barriers. The funding compliments an additional $90 million that has also been set aside for NYSDOT to make safety enhancements on roads in the state highway system.

    A portion of the funds — about $10 million — has been set aside to support local municipalities in developing Local Road Safety Plans, which identify and analyze problem areas and prioritize potential safety improvements.

    Minimum available funds per local project is $250,000 and additional information about the funding and how local governments can propose projects is available here. The following entities are eligible to sponsor a project:

    • Counties, towns, villages and Native Nations
    • Metropolitan Planning Organizations
    • Counties interested in sponsoring a project on behalf of one or more municipalities within their county are also eligible to apply.

    About the Department of Transportation

    It is the mission of the New York State Department of Transportation to provide a safe, reliable, equitable and resilient transportation system that connects communities, enhances quality of life, protects the environment and supports the economic well-being of New York State.
    Lives are on the line; slow down and move over for highway workers!

    For more information, find us on Facebook, follow us on X or Instagram, or visit our website. For up-to-date travel information, call 511, visit www.511NY.org or download the free 511NY mobile app.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Manchester Man Pleads Guilty for His Role in a Conspiracy to Traffic Cocaine to New Hampshire through the United States Postal Service

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CONCORD – A Manchester man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Concord for his role in a conspiracy to traffic cocaine to New Hampshire through the United States Postal Service (USPS), Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.

    David Orme, age 52, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, namely, cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante scheduled sentencing for June 23, 2025. The defendant was indicted on December 20, 2023, along with five other defendants. To date, Orme is the fourth defendant convicted in the conspiracy. 

    According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, the defendant was involved in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that shipped cocaine from Puerto Rico to Manchester, New Hampshire. A coconspirator in Puerto Rico sent a package that contained approximately 500 grams of cocaine to an address in Manchester and the defendant signed for it using a fictitious name in a controlled delivery. Ultimately, law enforcement seized the package. Between September 2020 and December 2021, the DTO shipped over 5.6 kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Manchester for redistribution. 

    The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least three (3) years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    The United States Postal Inspection Service led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande is prosecuting the case. 

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Second Defendant Admits to Role in Bank Fraud Conspiracy Targeting Banks in Ten States

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PROVIDENCE – A second individual has admitted to a federal judge that he participated in a conspiracy to defraud banks in Rhode Island and at least nine other states of more than $140,000, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.

    Jaymark Larios, 23, of Bronx, NY, pleaded guilty today to a charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    According to information presented to the court, Larios and other members of the conspiracy recruited and organized individuals and obtained their photographs and personal identifying information (PII). The information was used by conspirators to create fraudulent IDs that contained their own photographs and the PII of some of the recruits.

    As part of the scheme, Larios and others obtained the PII of at least 28 victim individuals, including their names, dates of birth, addresses, Social Security numbers, and bank account information. They also obtained information of at least 20 business entities, including business names and banking information. The information collected was used to create fraudulent IDs and checks. Members of the conspiracy then traveled with their recruits to banks in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, and elsewhere to cash fraudulent checks created by members of the conspiracy.

    Through the scheme, conspirators attempted to defraud banks of a total of approximately $143,000, successfully defrauding twenty-two banks of a total of approximately $93,200.

    On February 27, 2025, Paul Keenan, 54, of Bronx, NY, admitted to his role in the conspiracy, pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 27, 2025.

    The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christine Lowell.

    The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the East Providence Police Department, with the assistance of the Portsmouth Police Department.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Indictment Charges Former Federal Correctional Officer in Chicago With Sexually Abusing Inmates

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHICAGO — A former correctional officer at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly sexually abusing four inmates while on duty.

    BRITTANY HALL, 31, of Chicago, sexually abused the inmates inside the MCC in December 2023, according to an indictment returned Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  At the time, Hall was a correctional officer for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, responsible for supervising inmates in Unit 12 of the MCC. Hall resigned from the BOP in 2024.

    The indictment charges Hall with five counts of sexual abuse of a ward, each of which is punishable by up to 15 years in federal prison, and three counts of abusive sexual contact, each of which is punishable by up to two years in federal prison.  Arraignment is scheduled for today at 1:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain.

    The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and William J. Hannah, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Midwest Regional Office of the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan L. Shih.

    The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Puerto Rico Man Pleads Guilty for His Role in a Conspiracy to Traffic Cocaine to New Hampshire through the United States Postal Service

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CONCORD – A man living in Puerto Rico pleaded guilty today in federal court in Concord for his role in a conspiracy to traffic cocaine to New Hampshire through the United States Postal Service (USPS), Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.

    Joshua Baez Core, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, namely, cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante scheduled sentencing for June 9, 2025. The defendant was indicted on December 20, 2023, along with five other defendants. To date, two co-conspirators have been convicted.

    According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, the defendant was involved in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that shipped cocaine from Puerto Rico to Manchester, New Hampshire. The defendant, based in Puerto Rico, would use fictitious sender information to send packages of cocaine through the mail to Manchester at the direction of his father, the leader of the DTO. The cocaine was often packaged in 500-gram or 1,000-gram bundles and hidden inside children’s games. After the defendant shipped each package, he would relay tracking information to his father, who would employ co-conspirators to track and retrieve the packages of cocaine for him at various addresses in Manchester. His father also sent the defendant suspected drug proceeds, in one instance sending him a parcel containing $11,000. Between September 2020 and December 2021, the DTO shipped over 5.6 kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Manchester for redistribution. 

    The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least three (3) years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    The United States Postal Inspection Service led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande is prosecuting the case. 

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Buffalo removes 2 illegal aliens, sexual predators to Honduras

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed two illegally present Honduran nationals convicted of felony sexual offenses, March 3.

    Rito Emanuel Reconco-Castro, 28, illegally entered the United States on an unknown date at an unknown location without being admitted or paroled by a U.S. Immigration official. The U.S Border Patrol encountered Reconco March 29, 2014, issued him a notice to appear, and placed him into removal proceedings. Suffolk County Court convicted Reconco of attempted rape in the first-degree June 11, 2021, and sentenced him to seven years in prison. An immigration judge issued Reconco a final order of removal Nov. 20, 2024. ICE arrested Reconco Feb. 7 upon his release from Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, New York.

    Hugo Abraham Aguilar, 45, illegally entered the U.S. on an unknown date and location without being admitted by an immigration official. The Morris County prosecutor in Morristown, New Jersey arrested Aguilar Feb. 7, 2014, for sexual assault of a victim under 13 and he was found guilty of the charges. The Dover Police Department arrested Aguilar Nov. 6, 2017, for violating a judicial restraining order and he was found guilty of the charges.

    An immigration judge ordered Aguilar removed to Honduras May 11, 2018. Aguilar filed an appeal with the Board of Immigration Appeals, but the appeal was dismissed, Oct. 1, 2018. Aguilar then filed an appeal with the U.S Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, but the court denied the appeal July 10, 2024. ICE arrested Augilar during a traffic stop Feb. 2 and detained him, pending removal, to fulfill the judge’s order.

    Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-347-2423 or completing ICE’s online tip form.

    Learn more about ERO Buffalo’s mission to preserve public safety on X, @EROBuffalo.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Los Angeles, multiple agency case results in 2 Cuban nationals sentenced for fraudulent dispute scheme

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    LOS ANGELES – Two local area men were sentenced Feb. 24, in the Central District of California for their involvement in a fraudulent dispute scheme. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force conducted this investigation collaboratively with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

    “This conviction highlights our agency efforts to safeguard our economy as well as take dangerous criminals off the street,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Los Angeles Al Rossi. “The El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force will work tirelessly to ensure that perpetrators who prey on innocent victims and decide to undermine our financial infrastructure are brought to justice and held accountable for their actions.”

    Alejandro Munoz and Abel Pena-Garcia, who are identical twins, were involved in a fraudulent dispute scheme that targeted third party payment platforms, like PayPal and Square.

    Additionally, the two were suspected of defrauding the United States Treasury Department. Munoz was sentenced to 75 months confinement for Aggravated Identity Theft, with three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $477,396.74 in restitution. Pena-Garcia was sentenced to 41 months confinement for Attempt and Conspiracy, with three years of supervised release.

    Anyone with information on financial fraud are encouraged to call the Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.

    Learn more about ICE HSI’s mission to protect the U.S. economy in your community on X at @HSILosAngeles.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Conference – It’s In Your Hands

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    Lord Mayor Councillor Sarah Duffy and Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Kyle Savage launch It’s In Your Hands conference to support Ending Violence Against Women & Girls. Pictured along with Gary Scott, Safeguarding Officer and Alison Beattie from the Community Development Team.

    Violence against women and girls is a very serious challenge in our society. It is a problem that is hidden in plain sight and every day we see how it is affecting the lives of women and girls, wherever they learn, live, and work.

    Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council have been consistently campaigning for an end to violence against women and girls.

    As part of this campaign, they are hosting a conference designed to assist local organisations in addressing this issue and really making a difference.

    Entitled ‘It’s In Your Hands’, the conference aims to support organisations within the community to better understand the issues around ending violence against women and girls, to support them in changing attitudes and ultimately to help end this violence.

    A number of speakers will cover different topics including coercive control, partner violence, what a healthy relationship should look like and how we can educate everyone in our communities to prevent abuse and harm against women and girls.

    Dr Ngozi Anyadike-Danes is a Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Ulster University and was part of the research team that authored ‘Every Voice Matters! Violence Against Women in Northern Ireland’ Research Report. This research explores women’s experience of violence and abuse across their lifetime and the impacts that this has had on mental health, well-being and social functioning.

    Marcella Leonard MBE assists organisations strategically and operationally to have robust safeguarding for children and adults at risk. She will be considering the issue of sexual violence against women and girls in the context of exploring the signs and symptom of those experiencing this form of abuse, how they may present, the impact of trauma on individuals, and consideration of appropriate measures organisations/groups can implement to support the reporting/disclosure of abuse.

    “I am a huge advocate for this campaign and in our collective responsibility to end violence against women and girls,” commented the Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Sarah Duffy.

    “This conference which is free to attend, is a really important step as it is about making sure everyone understands that we all have a part to play in ending this. By coming together and having these conversations, we can help create a safer world where women and girls are treated with the respect they deserve.”

    The conference will take place on Monday 31 March, 9.30am to 4pm at Armagh City Hotel. To attend, please register here: https://evawgconference2025.eventbrite.co.uk

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man jailed for rape of 12-year-old following Metropolitan Police investigation

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    A man has been jailed for 16 years for grooming and raping a child – after investigators from the Metropolitan Police Service tracked him down using only phone data and CCTV footage.

    Richard Bosworth, 40 (13.07.1983), from Coalville in Leicestershire, was sentenced on Tuesday, 4 March, at Kingston Crown Court. He previously pleaded guilty on Wednesday, 23 October, 2024 to two counts of rape as well as seven other sexual offences, including sexual assault on a child under 13, engaging in sexual communication with a child, causing a child to watch a sexual act, two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, meeting a child following sexual grooming, and assault by digital penetration.

    Detective Inspector Kieran Curry, who led the investigation, said:

    “I commend the young survivor in this case for her courage. She found the strength to confide in officers, and her account of this appalling assault proved crucial in securing Bosworth’s conviction. Her and her family’s cooperation has put this dangerous predator behind bars.

    “Bosworth travelled from Leicestershire to abuse his victim in Twickenham. He is a devious offender, who ensured he left very little evidence for police to pursue.

    “It is a testament to our investigative teams that they succeeded in identifying Bosworth, combing over large amounts of CCTV evidence and phone data in order to apprehend him and secure a conviction.”

    On Monday, 23 September, 2024, police were contacted by the victim’s mother. She said her 12-year-old daughter had spoken to friends at school about being abused by a man who had reached out to her on the BeFriend social media platform, presenting himself as a young teenager.

    Investigators spoke to the girl, who said the man picked her up in his car in the early hours of Thursday, 19 September, 2024. He used a fake profile when communicating with the victim, grooming her for a month prior to the meeting. He left little evidence of his true identity.

    Officers in the case reached out to the Met’s Operation Atlas team, which specialises in digital manhunts. Having obtained the number associated with the fake BeFriend profile, investigators were able to trace the movement of a phone through London to the victim’s home, as it citied off various telecom masts. They then paired this with CCTV footage from the areas in question.

    Through these enquiries, investigators were able to single out a car. This was found to belong to Bosworth. On Tuesday, 1 October, officers arrested him at his home in Coalville. On the same day, he was charged with 10 counts of rape, all relating to the same incident on Thursday, 19 September.

    As well as serving 16 years in prison, Bosworth will be made to register for life as a sex offender.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bay Roberts — Man discharges firearm outside gas station in Bay Roberts, arrested and charged

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Following a report of a man discharging a firearm outside of a gas station in Bay Roberts on March 6, 2025, 25-year-old Curtis Peddle was arrested by Bay Roberts RCMP.

    Shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, police received a report from the business. A man armed with a long gun entered the store, spoke to the clerk and then exited the store. He fired off two rounds from the firearm on the parking lot of the business and departed the area in a pickup truck.

    A short time later, the identified man, Curtis Peddle, was located in the described truck on the Veteran’s Memorial Highway, near Mackinsons. He was provided commands to exit the vehicle, while officers had firearms drawn out at the ready. Peddle was taken into custody without further incident. A firearm and ammunition were located and seized.

    He attends court today and is charged with the following criminal offences:

    • Discharging a firearm while being reckless
    • Careless use of a firearm
    • Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
    • Unsafe storage of a firearm

    The investigation is continuing.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pair Sentenced to More Than 27 Years Combined in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

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

    FORT SMITH – A Van Buren, Arkansas woman and a Los Angeles, California man have been sentenced to more than 324 months, combined, in prison for crimes related to drug trafficking. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearings for the United States District Court in Fort Smith.

    According to court documents, in July of 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), along with investigators with the Fort Smith Police Department, initiated an investigation into a drug trafficking organization operating in the Fort Smith division responsible for distributing methamphetamine. During their investigations, investigators identified Whitney Laxton-Claybaugh, age 34, as a member of this local group. She was subsequently charged with various drug and money laundering offenses connected to drug trafficking.

    Laxton-Claybaughwas sentenced to 214 months in prison for Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments after she wired thousands of dollars in methamphetamine trafficking proceeds in an attempt to conceal the location, the source, the ownership, or the control of the funds derived from methamphetamine trafficking.

    Laxton-Claybaugh’s co-defendant, Alciviades Alvarado-Juarez, age 21, was subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison for Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Alvardo-Juarez was indicted by a Grand Jury after a search warrant by the Federal Bureau of Investigations of a Fort Smith hotel showed Alvardo-Juarez to be in possession of over five hundred grams of methamphetamine.

    U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigations, Fort Smith Resident Office, and the Fort Smith Police Department investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Allison prosecuted the case.

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

    Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Salem Man Faces Federal Charge for Illegally Possessing Molotov Cocktails

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    A Salem, Oregon man was arraigned in federal court today for possessing Molotov cocktails while attempting to destroy property at a Salem car dealership.

    Adam Matthew Lansky, 41, has been charged by criminal complaint with illegally possessing an unregistered destructive device.

    According to court documents, on January 20, 2025, officers from the Salem Police Department responded to a report of an individual throwing Molotov cocktails at a local car dealership. Later, on February 19, 2025, officers returned to the same dealership after a report of damage from what appeared to be bullets fired into a building and vehicle.

    Investigators soon linked Lansky to both incidents. Surveillance footage obtained from the car dealership appeared to show Lansky throwing Molotov cocktails that struck a dealership building and several vehicles, causing fires. Surveillance video from a patrol car captured a vehicle parked near the dealership while Lansky is alleged to have discharged multiple firearm rounds into a building and at least one vehicle. Investigators learned the vehicle was registered to Lansky and observed it at his residence.

    Lansky was arrested Tuesday without incident in Salem and made his first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.

    The case is being investigated by the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Salem Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Parakram Singh, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

    A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Convicted Crescent City Murderer Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Methamphetamine

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

    Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger today sentenced Francisco Javier Arroyo (31, Crescent City) to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. Arroyo pleaded guilty on September 25, 2024.   

    According to the plea agreement and other court documents, from February through July 2021, Arroyo distributed methamphetamine and cocaine along with a number of conspirators, including Alejandro Alvarado (30, Crescent City), Miguel Angel Perez (29, Deland), Jose Martinez (43, Crescent City), Jonathan Arroyo Ontiveros (25, Crescent City), Noel Bueno Jr. (27, Crescent City) and others – all of whom lived in close proximity to one another in Crescent City. Miguel Angel Ortiz (29, Crescent City) also served as a courier to deliver multi-kilogram shipments of methamphetamine from Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia to the Crescent City neighborhood in which Arroyo and others operated. Arroyo delivered ounces of methamphetamine and cocaine primarily to Robert Wayne Watson (59, Seville), who operated out of his home in Seville. Watson then redistributed ounces of methamphetamine to mid-level dealers located throughout central Florida, including George Edward Sykes (46, Bunnell), Danny Wayne Holmes (61, Kathleen), Dina Dynnette Kempher (38, Satsuma), and David John Doerr (56, Astor).

    On July 16, 2021, the FBI arrested multiple individuals in Crescent City and Seville as part of this drug conspiracy. Around the same time, Arroyo was arrested in Missouri in connection with a triple homicide on July 13, 2021, in Crescent City. Arroyo was later convicted of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder for the surviving victims. He was sentenced to 22 years in Florida state prison. After his murder conviction in April 2024, Arroyo was transported to federal court to face charges for drug distribution occurring in 2021. Upon completing his state sentence, he will serve an additional 5 years and 10 months in federal prison. To date, 12 individuals have pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison terms in connection with this conspiracy.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.   

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Brentwood Man Charged with Making Interstate Threats to Bomb the Nashville Federal Courthouse

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

    NASHVILLE – Alexander Thompson, 35, of Brentwood, Tennessee, was arrested by federal agents and charged by criminal complaint with making threats in interstate commerce and making a threat in interstate commerce to damage or destroy a building or property by means of fire or an explosive, announced Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee.

    “We take dangerous threats to public spaces and public servants extremely seriously and will always act swiftly to hold those responsible accountable for their actions,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “People who work in courthouses, and citizens who attend proceedings there, should be free from threatening behavior.”

    According to the complaint, on March 2, 2025, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (“MNPD”) received a notification from a representative of the Tucker Carlson Network (“TCN”), stating that TCN had received an email from Email Address 1 that contained the following verbiage :

    “I wanted to update you. Within 1-2 weeks, I will firebomb the Fred D Thompson Federal building and Courthouse in downtown Nashville. Beyond this singular act of violence, I bear no hostility towards America itself, and would be calm and peaceful to arrest prior to this act (and afterwards). I do not wish to shoot or kill law enforcement, I am rational, nonsuicidal, and would like to live a long life, but the attacks, harassment, torture against myself at the hands of a bunch of criminals has become unbearable. But, the current American Government is no longer lawful and legitimate and must therefore be exposed and overthrown pursuant to Founding documents of the United States. Despite informing thousands of politicians, local and federal law-enforcement, and various other parties, the nightly torture via targeted dream incubation, attacks, harassment, etc. continue. There is a surveillance&control backdoor present on every device in the Country, likely the It is my duty as both a person and as an American to not only stop horrendous physical and digital attacks against myself, but also inform my nation that it is on the brink of totalitarianism. I view my actions through the lens of necessity as I have tried every other available means to cease the torture, attacks, and to inform my Country that it is in the midst of a coup against it(but not by me).

    Thank you, Alex”

    TCN provided a possible X (formerly Twitter) account bearing username @cryptokeeper434, with a display name of “Alex.” This account is believed to be utilized by Thompson due to recent posts made showing the production and testing of a device which resembled a “Molotov cocktail.” A review of the publicly available X account for @cryptokeeper434 showed the following posts and photos of concern:

    A review of the publicly available X page for @cryptokeeper434, revealed photos of the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building and Courthouse, which is located at 719 Church Street, in Nashville. The Thompson Courthouse houses numerous employees, including employees of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, the Office of Probation and Pretrial Services for the Middle District of Tennessee, the United States Marshals Service, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.

    On March 3, 2025, MNPD officers arrested Thompson at his place of work in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. An MNPD officer and a mental health co-op crisis intervention team member spoke with Thompson, after which he stated to another law enforcement officer words to the effect of: You read the email, I was going to bomb the building, I couldn’t change the system from the outside and I need to be arrested to effect change from the inside.

    On March 3, 2025, MNPD officers obtained a search warrant for Thompson’s residence to look for bomb making materials and other evidence of criminal conduct. During the execution of this warrant, investigators found multiple empty jars, wicks, and wax, consistent with the items depicted in the X posts above. Investigators also located a Molotov cocktail that was assembled and just missing a fuel source.

    If convicted, Thompson faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The FBI Nashville Field Office is investigating the case.

    Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire is prosecuting the case.

    A complaint is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    # # # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: various locations — Nova Scotia RCMP collaborates on national Project STEEL targeting online child sexual exploitation offenders

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Between February 17 and 28, Nova Scotia RCMP worked with provincial policing partners to participate in Project STEEL by executing search warrants targeting online child sexual exploitation offenders with a goal of safeguarding children. Multiple people were arrested and have been charged as the investigations advance.

    Over the twelve days of Project STEEL, multiple law enforcement partners from across Canada joined together for Project STEEL, which was jointly led by the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre (NCECC), the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).

    In Nova Scotia, Project STEEL was led by the RCMP’s Provincial Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit in partnership with Kentville Police Service. Officers conducted four search warrant executions that led to arrests and the seizure of items containing child pornography.

    • On February 18, Kentville Police Service led the execution of a search warrant at a home on Forest Hill Rd., with support from ICE and RCMP Digital Forensic Services (DFS) and seized a variety of electronic devices. During examination of items seized, investigators found child pornography on a cell phone. One person was arrested and will face charges related to possession and transmission of child pornography; he was released by police pending an upcoming court appearance.
    • On February 19, the ICE Unit, with assistance from RCMP DFS, Interview Assistance Team (IAT), Cybercrime Unit, and Commercial Crime Section, Guysborough County District RCMP, and the RCMP Antigonish Street Crime Enforcement Unit, attended a residence on Hwy. 16 in Boylston with a search warrant. Officers arrested one man and located child pornography on a cell phone that was seized at the scene. James Thornley, 24, of Boylston, has been charged with one count each of Possession of Child Pornography and Transmit Child Pornography. He was released on conditions pending a first court appearance at Antigonish Provincial Court on April 30.
    • On February 20, the ICE Unit, with RCMP DFS, IAT, Cybercrime Unit, Commercial Crime Section, and Eskasoni RCMP, attended a home on Ginger Root Ln. and found a substantial amount of child pornography saved and organized on seized devices. One person will face charges associated to possession and transmission of child pornography; he was released pending an upcoming court appearance. A second person arrested at this location was released without charges and is not believed to be associated to the offences.
    • On February 26, the ICE Unit, again with support from RCMP DFS, IAT, and Cybercrime Unit, Yarmouth Town RCMP, and Yarmouth Rural RCMP, executed a search warrant at a business on Hwy. 3 in Ste. Anne du Ruisseau. Officers arrested one man. While on scene, investigators located multiple computers and media storage devices found to contain child pornography, and two unsecured firearms, which were also seized. Stephen Doucette, 51, of Lower Argyle, is facing charges of Possession of Child Pornography, Accessing Child Pornography, Careless Storage of Firearm, and Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm. He was released pending a first court appearance at Yarmouth Provincial Court on April 28.

    Investigations are ongoing and will include further analysis of computers, phones, and other devices seized.

    Cpl. Oliver Roberts, Provincial ICE Unit, notes that collaboration between agencies is the most effective strategy to combatting online child sexual exploitation. No single agency can police these crimes alone.

    “Project STEEL has been a great success nationally, as well as here in Nova Scotia,” says Cpl. Oliver Roberts. “The coordinated execution of search warrants from Cape Breton to Yarmouth has highlighted the important work being done here and collaboratively across all jurisdictions. All police forces in this province are working hard every day to create and promote safe spaces for everyone, especially children.”

    In Nova Scotia, it is mandatory for citizens to report suspected child pornography; anyone who comes across child pornography material or recordings must report it to the police. Failure to report could result in penalties similar to those for failure to report child abuse under the Child and Family Services Act. Be a voice for children who are victims of sexual exploitation by reporting suspected offences to your local police or to Canada’s national tip line: www.cybertip.ca.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Recruitment of a Non-Executive Director for the Veterinary Medicines Directorate

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Recruitment of a Non-Executive Director for the Veterinary Medicines Directorate

    We are seeking a Non-Executive Director to join our Management Board and Chair the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC).

    Like many public sector boards, our Board is advisory – its role is to challenge and support executives in delivering strategy, policy and customer objectives, and achieving value for money.

    Critical to the effectiveness of the Board, is its ability to influence its stakeholders and to bring its collective wisdom to help to constantly improve the work and reputation of the Agency. 

    All our non-executives contribute to the Board’s work and the achievement of its objectives through Board and committee meetings, and other tasks assigned by the Chair.  

    For the non-executive Board member/ARAC Chair, the appointed person will:  

    • provide advice about strategy and policy, and the delivery of customer objectives 

    • provide effective oversight of financial and risk management 

    • ensure issues are explored from a range of viewpoints, promoting inclusion and engaging with stakeholders when necessary 

    • review and provide advice about performance, respecting the principles of good governance, supporting and holding the executive to account without becoming involved in the running of the business 

    • make well informed and impactful contributions to debate and discussion at Board meetings to aid collective decision-making 

    • maintain high personal standards in relation to personal behaviour and uphold the Nolan principles of public life 

    • as Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, provide advice to the Board and executives about financial probity, risk management and governance 

    • review and refresh the work of the Committee and effectively chair its meetings.  

    How to Apply 

    More information on the role and how to apply can be found on the Public Appointments page on gov.uk.

    Applications are to be received no later than noon, 31 March 2025. 

    If you have any questions please email director.support@vmd.gov.uk.

    Updates to this page

    Published 6 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fall River — RCMP Southeast Traffic Services seizes cannabis including edibles, liquid extract and shatter

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    RCMP Southeast Traffic Services (SETS) has arrested a man involved in illegal cannabis distribution.

    On March 1, an officer from RCMP SETS observed on radar a Chevrolet Cruze travelling at 128 km/h in a 100 km/h zone of Hwy. 118. The officer completed a traffic stop on the vehicle.

    During the traffic stop, the officer observed a package containing cannabis within reach of the driver and smelled a strong odor of marihuana coming from the vehicle. The 37-year-old driver from Halifax was subsequently arrested.

    During a search of the vehicle officers found six pounds of fresh cannabis, cannabis edibles, liquid cannabis, shatter, cash and a cell phone.

    The man was later released on conditions. He is scheduled to appear in Dartmouth Provincial Court on May 20, at 9:30 a.m. to face a charge of Possession of Cannabis for the Purpose of Selling.

    Nova Scotians are encouraged to contact their nearest RCMP detachment or local police to report crime, including the illegal sale of drugs, in their communities. Anonymous tips can be made by calling Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submitting a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or using the P3 Tips app.

    File: 25-29184

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Update: Cases of drug users becoming unwell in Camden

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Police officers and partner organisations, including Camden Council, continue to investigate a series of incidents in which drug users in the Camden area have become unwell after taking what they thought was heroin.

    While enquiries continue, officers believe that 33 people have been taken unwell, with 17 of them having attended hospital. Officers are not aware of anyone in a life-threatening condition, however they continue to liaise with hospitals and other agencies.

    The first cases were reported to emergency service on the afternoon of Monday, 3 March, in the Hampstead Heath, Oval Road and Jamestown Road areas of Camden. Subsequent incidents have remained concentrated in the Camden area.

    Detective Chief Inspector Chris Soole, one of the senior officers policing Camden, said: “We continue to work alongside our partners, including the local council and health professionals, to establish the full circumstances and identify everyone who has been affected.

    “Analysis of substances recovered shows that what users believed to be heroin was in fact a dangerous synthetic opioid. It is clear that this remains in circulation, especially in the Camden area, and it causes an extreme reaction.

    “In one of the most recent cases, just after 8pm on Wednesday evening, Met officers gave emergency first aid to a man in cardiac arrest in Haverstock Road, Camden. He had taken what he thought was heroin and it is likely that the actions of those officers saved his life.

    “This is the fourth day of our response to this critical incident, and it is absolutely clear just how dangerous this substance really is. I urge anyone who may be at risk to take every possible precaution, including seeking support and advice from health professionals about alternatives to acquiring and taking illegal drugs. As I said on day one, my advice remains that people should not buy, sell or consume illegal drugs. They are illegal and the trade is not regulated, so there are always very serious risks. Please seek help.

    “There have been no arrests at this stage but urgent enquiries are ongoing. I urge anyone with information about drug dealers in your area to share what you know with police or, to remain anonymous, call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

    Cllr Anna Wright, Camden Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care, said: “These cases are extremely worrying and we are working together with the police and our partners in the community to do all we can to reduce further drug related harm.

    “We have targeted the work of outreach teams to the affected locations and are making additional support readily available to those who may need it, including access to life-saving Naloxone kits. We have also issued a drug alert to our local network of healthcare and accommodation providers.

    “Contaminated heroin continues to be an issue of national concern. In Camden, we are continuing to invest in our drug and alcohol services and raise awareness of how residents can access support including drop-in sessions in community venues, access to dedicated services for women, outreach prescription support and one-to-one support from Keyworkers.

    “If you or someone you know needs support with drug or alcohol use, please contact Change Grow Live on 020 7485 2722 or email Camden.referrals@cgl.org.uk.”

    Change Grow Live, Camden’s Drug and Alcohol Service, have issued the following advice:

    If you are with someone who is overdosing:

    • Call for an ambulance immediately
    • Administer naloxone if you have it. When you use naloxone, you should see it start to work in 2-3 minutes.
    • If the person has not responded after 2-3 minutes, give them another dose and wait for 2-3 minutes again.
    • The effects of naloxone will last for 20 minutes, but after that, they will wear off and the person will begin overdosing again. It’s important that the person still gets medical help during this time.
    • If you would like access naloxone please contact your local drug and alcohol services.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Delivers More Than $344,000 of Baby Formula to Bronx Families

    Source: US State of New York

    EW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that her office secured more than $344,000 worth of baby formula from Marine Park Distribution Inc. (Marine Park) for families in the Bronx. The donation is part of the $675,000 worth of baby formula that Attorney General James secured as a result of her settlement with Marine Park and its affiliate Formula Depot Inc. (Formula Depot) for illegal price gouging during the nationwide formula shortage in 2022. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that Marine Park and Formula Depot raised prices of formula during the shortage in violation of New York’s price gouging laws. At times, Marine Park doubled the price of a can of formula, charging its customers up to $36 for a can of formula that cost $18 before the shortage. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) will work with Roads to Success, a nonprofit in the Bronx, to distribute the formula to families in need.

    “Using a national emergency to raise prices on hardworking families who are struggling to find enough food for their children is despicable,” said Attorney General James. “Marine Park broke the law when they took advantage of a dangerous formula shortage to make even higher profits, and now they have to pay for it. Thanks to my office’s investigation, today we’re delivering essential baby formula to families in the Bronx. I thank Roads to Success for their work to distribute this formula to those in need, and I will continue to go after price gougers who try to cheat New Yorkers during a crisis.”

    “We are deeply grateful to Attorney General Letitia James and her office for their unwavering commitment to supporting families in need,” said Sheila Duke, CEO of Roads to Success. “Access to baby formula is not just a necessity, it is a lifeline for parents striving to provide for their children. At Roads to Success, we witness struggles of families facing food insecurity, and we know how critical this support is for the health and well-being of infants in our community. This generous donation will bring much-needed relief to Bronx families. We are honored to play a pivotal role in distributing these essential resources and remain committed to advocating for the well-being of the families we serve.”

    New York’s price gouging laws prohibit vendors from unconscionably increasing prices on goods that are vital to consumers’ health, safety, or welfare during market disruptions such as the 2022 formula shortage. In May 2022, Attorney General James issued warnings to more than 30 retailers across the state to stop overcharging for baby formula after consumers reported unreasonably high prices.

    Baby formula is a critical food source for the vast majority of infants across the country. Three out of four infants in the U.S. consume baby formula during the first six months of their lives. The 2022 shortage caused by a manufacturing plant closure and recall created significant hardship for families across New York as supplies dwindled and prices rose. An OAG investigation found that Marine Park, which sells baby formula to retailers, and Formula Depot, which sells to consumers online, raised prices over 60 percent more than was allowed under the law during the shortage, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars more in revenue. One consumer, who relied on Formula Depot for formula safe for babies with milk and soy allergies, bought a case of formula for $190, only to be charged $245 for the same case just a few weeks later.

    As a result of OAG’s investigation, Marine Park and Formula Depot must provide $675,000 of baby formula that Attorney General James will donate to New Yorkers in need by November 2025. In addition, the two companies are barred from future price gouging and have paid a $75,000 penalty to the state. In December 2024, Attorney General James made the first formula donation of 3,300 cans of baby formula worth about $140,000 to Foodlink in Rochester. Today’s donation will deliver 7,520 cans of powder formula and 3,510 bottles of liquid formula to families in the Bronx through Roads to Success, a nonprofit organization that runs a DYCD Cornerstone Program for youth and adults at the Boston Secor Community Center.

    Bronx residents face the highest rate of food insecurity in the state, with nearly one in three children lacking consistent access to enough food. Child poverty in the Bronx is higher than in any other county in New York, and Bronx residents use food pantries at a higher rate than residents of any other borough. The OAG’s formula donation will provide much-needed food assistance to families in need.

    “This donation provides necessary relief for Bronx families, ensuring parents don’t have to choose between feeding their children and affording other necessities,” said Senator Nathalia Fernandez. “I applaud Attorney General James for turning a bad situation into meaningful action—taking the greed of price gougers and using it to support the very people they tried to exploit.”

    “No parent should ever have to choose between feeding their child and paying their bills. The price gouging during the formula shortage was not only an exploitation of desperation but a direct attack on struggling families. Today’s victory is a testament to the power of accountability,” said Senator Robert Jackson. “I commend Attorney General James for standing firm against corporate greed and ensuring Bronx families receive the support they deserve. This donation is more than just baby formula—it’s a symbol of our unwavering commitment to economic justice, dignity, and the fundamental right of every child to be nourished and cared for.”

    “No parent should have to worry about how they will feed their child,” said Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz. “This significant donation of baby formula, secured by Attorney General James, will bring vital relief to Bronx families who have faced unnecessary hardship due to price gouging. I applaud Attorney General James for holding bad actors accountable and ensuring our communities receive the support they deserve.”

    “Today’s donation of over $344,000 worth of baby formula is a vital step in ensuring that Bronx families have access to the essential resources they need,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “We applaud Attorney General James for holding those who took advantage of vulnerable families accountable and securing these necessary goods for our community. As we continue to support families in need, we are reminded of the importance of protecting New Yorkers from unfair practices, especially during times of crisis.”

    Attorney General James has been a leader in the fight to protect New York consumers and guard against price gouging. In October 2024, Attorney General James led a multistate coalition urging congressional leaders to support a national ban on price gouging. In March and April 2024, Attorney General James distributed over 9,500 cans of baby formula in Buffalo and New York City from a settlement with Walgreens for price gouging during the formula shortage. In May 2023, Attorney General James secured a $100,000 settlement with Quality King Distributors, Inc. due to unconscionable price increases for Lysol products during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2023, Attorney General James announced price gouging rules to protect consumers and small businesses from corporate profiteering. The rules would strengthen enforcement of New York’s price gouging law. In April 2021, Attorney General James delivered 1.2 million eggs to food pantries throughout the state which were secured as part of an agreement with the nation’s largest egg producers for price gouging in the early months of the pandemic. 

    New Yorkers should report potential concerns about price gouging to the OAG by filing a complaint online or calling 800-771-7755.

    This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Fishman, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Jane M. Azia and Deputy Bureau Chief Laura J. Levine, all of the Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau. Former Data Scientist Jasmine McAllister also assisted in this matter, under the supervision of Director of Research and Analytics Victoria Khan, Deputy Director Gautam Sisodia, and former Director Megan Thorsfeldt. The Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau is a part of the Division for Economic Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Chris D’Angelo and is overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Keeping Riders and Transit Workers Safe on Subways

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today marked one year since enacting her five-point subway safety plan by highlighting reductions in New York City transit crimes and her administration’s ongoing efforts to expand safety initiatives throughout the transit system. Last year, Governor Hochul announced a surge in State personnel to assist with NYPD bag checks, directing the MTA to accelerate camera installation throughout the system, and also increase the number of Subway Co-Response Outreach (SCOUT) teams throughout the system — which operate in addition to the existing Safe Options Support (SOS) teams. Earlier this year, Governor Hochul announced additional steps to increase law enforcement presence, expand public resources and strengthen mental health policies to make the transit system safer. These new measures included partnering with New York City officials to increase NYPD patrols on subway platforms and trains; installing new protective barriers on subway platforms to protect riders; upgrading fare gates and delaying egress on exit gates to help crack down on fare evasion; adding LED lighting throughout stations to increase visibility; and updating and strengthening key mental health laws to ensure that New Yorkers with severe mental illness are connected with care instead of being left to languish on subway trains and platforms.

    “Keeping New Yorkers safe is my top priority — and I’ll never stop working to ensure riders can rely on our subways to safely get wherever they need to go,” Governor Hochul said. “By adding uniformed officers to every train, fortifying our transit infrastructure, and expanding mental health outreach, we’ve made real progress in driving down transit crime. Working in partnership with law enforcement, district attorneys and mental health experts, we’re working to make the subways safer for every straphanger.”

    As a result of these initiatives, major transit crimes are down 29 percent and arrests are up 71 percent year to date. When looking at the same time period, major transit crimes are down 28 percent from pre-pandemic levels in 2019. In the first nine weeks of 2025, New York City is experiencing the lowest number of subway crimes in 30 years, outside of the pandemic. Crime is 55 percent lower than in 2001 and 32 percent lower than in 2013.

    MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “It’s not a mystery — more cops, more enforcement, and more effective mental health outreach and treatment directly cuts down on transit crime. Now we need legal changes proposed by Gov. Hochul that will ensure recidivist criminals aren’t free to keep preying on subway riders.”

    Governor’s Five Point Plan to Address Subway Safety

    Governor Hochul’s five-point plan utilizes State resources to protect New Yorkers on the subways. This includes surging State personnel to assist NYPD bag checks, a program bill that permits transit bans for individuals that assault other passengers, the addition of new cameras to protect conductor cabins, increased coordination between District Attorneys and law enforcement and an increased number of Subway Co-Response Outreach (SCOUT) teams throughout the system — which operate in addition to the existing SOS teams. These actions build on the Governor’s unprecedented investment in safety on the subways, from standing up SOS teams to directing the MTA to install cameras in every subway car. Governor Hochul also called on judges to use their expanded discretion to set bail to keep repeat offenders off the streets.

    Increasing Law Enforcement Presence Throughout the Transit System

    Governor Hochul is working in partnership with New York City to increase New York Police Department (NYPD) presence on platforms and trains by temporarily surging patrol levels in addition to the National Guardsmen that have been re-deployed into the transit system. Approximately 750 NYPD officers will be stationed across New York City with an additional 300 in the train cars themselves. The increase in enforcement will prioritize 30 subways stations and transit hubs that account for 50 percent of crime in the transit system.

    The Governor worked with New York City to increase police patrols on every overnight train for a six month time period. NYPD officers are working from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., and there are two uniformed officers onboard every subway train in service during those hours.

    This expansion of law enforcement patrols builds on the Governor’s previous announcement in December 2024 to add an additional 250 members of the National Guard to support subway safety, bringing the total to 1,000 National Guardsmen stationed at subway entrances in points throughout New York City.

    New Public Safety Resources To Protect Riders and Prevent Fare Evasion

    Governor Hochul will provide the funding to install platform edge barriers at more than 100 additional stations by the end of 2025. The selection of stations for the installation process will prioritize feasibility, including stations with standard car-stopping positions in segments of the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, F, M and L trains. Among these train lines, stations with higher ridership levels and island platforms will be prioritized.

    To address fare evasion, Governor Hochul will invest in modern fare gates in more than 20 stations across the system in 2025, and an additional 20 stations in 2026.

    Additionally, exit gates will delay egress at 150 additional stations in an effort to reduce fare evasion. At the Governor’s direction, the MTA will prioritize stations with higher ridership traffic, accessibility features and those with high fare evasion. The piloted design used in the roll-out was solicited through the MTA’s “Request for Information” to qualify the next generation of fare gates across the system. Initial installation is scheduled to begin at 42 St-Port Authority, Delancey St-Essex St and Roosevelt Av-Jackson Heights.

    The Governor will also provide funding to install LED lighting in all subway stations throughout the system which will increase visibility throughout the stations.

    Expanding Mental Health Partnerships and Resources

    Governor Hochul’s SOS initiative has successfully transitioned nearly 850 unhoused individuals into permanent housing and continues to make progress. SOS teams deployed across New York State often encounter individuals experiencing unmet medical and psychiatric needs. To address this gap, Governor Hochul is adding street medicine and street psychiatry providers to SOS teams statewide. These providers deliver timely care directly to individuals during outreach, improving access to psychiatric evaluations and medical treatment without requiring individuals to leave their belongings or seek care in hospitals. This approach is enhancing trust, building rapport and encouraging individuals to accept services and transition indoors, improving outcomes for New York’s most vulnerable residents.

    Additionally — to further help reduce homelessness in the subway system — Governor Hochul is working with the NYC Department of Homeless Services to expand their 24/7 “Welcome Center” model near end-of-line stations and will create spaces within stations that have a large presence of unhoused people for our mobile outreach teams to better connect and coordinate services.

    Governor Hochul previously announced a $20 million investment to expand the SCOUT Teams throughout the system to ten by the end of 2025, as a part of her five-point plan to protect New Yorkers on the subway. SCOUT teams are trained to address the most severe cases of mental health crisis within the subway system and assist New Yorkers in gaining access to mental health treatment and supportive housing.

    The Governor has made strengthening New York State’s mental health system a priority of her administration, landing historic investments in housing for people with mental illness and directing a large increase in inpatient psychiatric bed capacity at state-operated and community-based hospital systems. In addition, her initiatives have broadened prevention services, improved insurance coverage and expanded outpatient services for people with mental illness.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Massachusetts State Employee and Prison Inmate Charged with Conspiring to Smuggle K2-Laced Paper Into Federal Prison

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

    Inmate granted clemency on Jan. 17, 2025 reducing 2022 federal prison sentence for drug distribution

    BOSTON – A Bridgewater, Mass. woman and an inmate at the federal prison FMC Devens have been charged with conspiring to distribute a synthetic cannabinoid, also known as “K2,” into FMC Devens. The inmate had been granted clemency on Jan. 17, 2025 reducing his 2022 federal prison sentence for drug distribution. 

    Tasha Hammock, 43, an employee with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and Raymond Gaines, 45, an inmate at FMC Devens, are charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance analogue. Hammock was arrested yesterday and made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston. Gaines will make an initial appearance at a later date.

    On Jan. 25, 2022, Gaines was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court in Boston to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. At the time he committed the offenses, he was on federal judicial supervised release after serving a prison sentence resulting from a 2017 conviction for distributing cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a school. According to court records, in both prior cases Gaines was alleged to be an associate of the Orchard Park Trailblazers, a street gang in Boston. On Jan. 17, 2025, Gaines received an Executive Grant of Clemency, reducing his current federal sentence to five years in prison.  

    According to the charging document, on Aug. 18, 2024, Hammock, while visiting Gaines in the prison, surreptitiously passed K2-laced papers to Gaines, which he pocketed. In addition, Hammock allegedly previously handled money connected with the distribution of K2 to Gaines in FMC Devens, and she allegedly received K2 at her residence for distribution into the prison. The criminal complaint describes how law enforcement became interested in Hammock’s visits to Gaines after obtaining a cellphone that had allegedly been smuggled to an inmate in the prison (“Inmate A”). In September 2023, Inmate A allegedly sent messages on the cell phone to another person (“Person 1”), discussing obtaining K2 in prison. Inmate A allegedly told Person 1 that the drugs could be delivered to a particular address in Bridgewater – later determined to be Hammock’s residence – and that Inmate A’s “co” would arrange for the drugs to be brought into the prison from there.  

    As described in the charging document, K2 presents a health problem at FMC Devens, where inmates have become sick from smoking paper believed to contain K2, as well as prison staff who have been exposed to the secondary smoke.    

    The charge of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance analogue carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.   
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dartmouth — RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment arrests two people and seizes cocaine

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment (HRD) Street Crime Enforcement Unit (SCEU) has arrested two people and executed a search warrant in Dartmouth.

    On February 27, in relation to an ongoing drug trafficking investigation, RCMP HRD SCEU officers, with the assistance of RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment, safely arrested a 40-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman during a targeted traffic stop on a taxi travelling on Nantucket Ave in Dartmouth.

    Investigators then executed a search warrant at a residence on Charlottetown Way in Dartmouth, where they located and seized cocaine, methamphetamines, drug paraphernalia, cash and cell phones.

    The man and the woman were later released on conditions. They are scheduled to appear in Dartmouth Provincial Court on April 15, at 9:30 a.m. to face charges of Possession of Cocaine for the Purpose of Trafficking and Possession of Methamphetamines for the Purpose of Trafficking.

    Anyone with information about illicit drug or other criminal activity in the Halifax Regional Municipality is encouraged to contact police at 902-490-5020. To remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips app.

    File: 25-17741

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The king has a tricky diplomatic role to play in inviting Trump for a state visit

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Francesca Jackson, PhD candidate, Lancaster Law School, Lancaster University

    As monarch, King Charles III is bound by constitutional convention to remain politically neutral. But that hasn’t stopped the UK government from deploying the king to advance its foreign policy agenda.

    During their inaugural meeting, Keir Starmer presented Donald Trump with a letter from the king, inviting the president for a “truly historic” and “unprecedented” second state visit to the UK and a visit to the monarch’s private Balmoral residence.

    Later that week, the government arranged for the king to meet Volodymyr Zelensky at the royal countryside retreat of Sandringham, to show support for the Ukrainian leader following his disastrous meeting with Trump.

    The government is walking a tightrope: it wants to avoid tariffs from Trump, while continuing to support Zelensky and Ukraine. And it is using the king to help it do so.

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    It is not unusual for governments to use monarchs to boost international relations, particularly through state visits. The monarch has a huge amount of soft power and the pomp and ceremony of a state visit can help governments achieve their foreign affairs aims.

    State visits differ from regular diplomatic visits: they are the most formal way in which a foreign head of state can come to the UK, and happen just once or twice a year.

    Visitors are greeted by the king and other members of the royal family with a ceremonial welcome accompanied by gun salutes on the Horse Guards Parade ground in London. They then travel back to Buckingham Palace in a carriage procession, where they enjoy a formal state banquet at which the monarch toasts the visiting head of state.

    State visits are not cheap: Trump’s first visit cost £3.5 million in policing alone. But they can play a key role in diplomacy.

    A state visit to France by Queen Elizabeth II in 1972 helped seal the deal on the UK’s third attempt at joining the the European Economic Community. And in 2024, the UK’s defence partnership with Qatar was “strengthened” following the state visit of the Qatari emir.

    There is a danger that the monarch’s reputation is affected by hosting controversial heads of state. No doubt the palace PR team is less than enthused about the prospect of Charles being seen wining and dining Trump. The optics of hosting Trump during his first state visit reportedly put the late Queen Elizabeth in a “very difficult position”.

    But monarchs have little (if any) influence over who they host for a state visit. Charles will have been advised by the government to invite Trump in accordance with the cardinal convention. This fundamental constitutional principle requires the monarch to act on the advice of the government.

    Constitutional conventions are not legally binding. But in the UK’s constitutional monarchy, the monarch reigns but does not rule and power is exercised by democratically-elected ministers rather than the sovereign. Failure by the monarch to follow convention could spark a constitutional crisis, as fictional plays and dramas have long imagined.

    A royal invitation.
    Number 10 Flickr, CC BY-ND

    This is why the late queen had to host some controversial and less-than-democratic figures. It even once led her to hide in a bush to avoid encountering Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu in the Buckingham Palace gardens.

    And it is why Charles, on the government’s advice, will host Trump.

    Laying on the royal charm

    Usually, the public doesn’t see invitations for state visits, but we did see this particular letter. Signed “Yours most sincerely, Charles”, it feels particularly personal and designed to charm Trump, whose love of the British royal family is well known. The offer of an additional visit to Balmoral is a nod to the president’s mother, who was born in Scotland.

    The king’s invitation seems to have done the diplomatic trick. Trump ended his meeting with Starmer by stating: “I think we could very well end up with a real trade deal where the tariffs wouldn’t be necessary”.

    But the visit won’t be without controversy. In the days since, a petition asking for Trump’s invitation to be withdrawn has reached nearly 200,000 signatures. But Starmer has publicly dismissed calls to withdraw the invitation.

    No doubt Charles himself is less than thrilled to invite the president, both after his recent behaviour towards Zelensky and his decision to pull the US from the Paris agreement, given the king’s advocacy on environmental issues.

    Could the king raise such issues with Trump? Charles is bound by the doctrine of political neutrality: he must refrain from acting on political opinions. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be room for other senior royals not bound by the convention, like William, from doing so.

    Indeed, as prince of wales, Charles himself showed opposition to controversial leaders, effectively boycotting Chinese state visits in 1999 and 2015 allegedly in support for the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama.

    The monarch plays an important diplomatic role, especially during state visits. While the leaders they host may be controversial, the monarch must respect constitutional boundaries. Nevertheless, with an outspoken king and heir, this visit could prove to be even more unprecedented than it already is.

    Francesca Jackson 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. The king has a tricky diplomatic role to play in inviting Trump for a state visit – https://theconversation.com/the-king-has-a-tricky-diplomatic-role-to-play-in-inviting-trump-for-a-state-visit-251308

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Russia launching ‘suicide missions’ across strategic Dnipro river as pause in US aid hampers defence

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Veronika Poniscjakova, Deputy Director, Porstmouth Military Education Team, University of Portsmouth

    After publicly belittling Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in a White House meeting, Donald Trump has suspended US military aid to Ukraine and paused intelligence sharing. It is now clear that Ukraine is in trouble in both its political and military situations, and the latter will only worsen as the effects of the US aid suspension hit.

    Trump’s outburst has, to some extent, reinvigorated European support for the war-torn country. But Zelensky’s recent statement that “Ukraine is ready to negotiate about an end to the conflict” suggests that he recognises how precarious the situation has become.

    In Trump’s address to the US Congress on February 4, the US president welcomed this shift, and claimed that Russia was also ready for a truce.

    What would a negotiated peace look like? The side that holds the upper hand, both politically and militarily, will have a stronger position at the negotiating table.

    At the moment, the advantage is overwhelmingly with Russia, which is striving to press home its battlefield advantage and occupy as much territory as it can before a potential ceasefire. This is likely to mean a freezing of the conflict on its current lines of contact.

    The war has now lasted more than three years, and since Ukraine’s failed summer 2023 counteroffensive, there have been no major changes on the battlefield, except for Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August 2024. Kyiv had hoped that seizing this territory could serve as a bargaining chip in future peace negotiations.

    But even this has not gone according to plan, as Russia has been steadily reclaiming the area, aided by North Korean troops.

    Recent battlefield developments reaffirm the ongoing stalemate. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) (as of March 4), Russian forces continued offensives along various key strategic points in the east and south. While Russian advances continue to be slow, it’s a situation that could change quickly, particularly with the dramatic shutdown of US assistance.

    One of the key areas where Russia is now putting intense pressure on Ukrainian troops is in the Kherson oblast in the south of the country. Russian forces are reportedly attempting to cross the Dnipro river, aiming to establish footholds on the west (right) bank at four locations to allow them a clear run at the strategically important port city of Kherson.

    Russia has successfully negotiated river crossings during the three-year war, but this time, the situation seems more challenging. Recent reporting from the frontlines has described Russian assaults on Dnipro crossings as “suicide missions”, causing heavy Russian casualties.

    A high Russian body count is nothing new in this conflict. But why is Russia willing to sacrifice so many of its soldiers, particularly when the political prospects favour Putin and the Russians?

    Oleksandr Prokudin, the governor of Kherson, suggests that Russia is desperate to establish a foothold as crossing the Dnipro would open up Kherson oblast for further advances and could be used in negotiations to strengthen Russia’s claim over the entire region. The occupation of Kherson was listed by Russian defence minister, Andrei Belousov, as a key strategic goal for 2025.

    Strategic barrier

    Crossing the Dnipro will not be easy. Ukraine has tried and failed in the opposite direction on several occasions for example, in April and August 2023.

    At that stage, as part of the (ultimately unsuccessful) spring-summer offensive, Kyiv hoped crossing the river would be a major breakthrough that would lead to easier access to Crimea. This now looks like a lost cause – at least militarily.

    State of the conflict in Ukraine, March 5 2024.
    Institute for the Study of War

    The Dnipro is not only a natural barrier dividing the country into two parts. It’s also vital as a transport artery through the country and its dams provide energy.

    Russia realises this, and it has seen the river as one of Ukraine’s “centres of gravity”. On day one of the invasion, Russian forces made a beeline for the Dnipro, crossing and taking up positions that they were later forced to abandon as Ukraine fought back.

    Now, as Prokudin observed, Russia is once again throwing its troops at the river. A series of assaults in December 2024 were successfully repelled, but things have changed even in the few months since. Ukraine is in an increasingly difficult position.

    Ukraine’s military is facing increasingly critical troop shortages and has a far smaller population to draw on than Russia – something which is beginning to tell.

    And each day seems to bring further bad news. The US decision to pause intelligence sharing will mean its forces in the field will be virtually deaf and blind and at the mercy of Russian attacks on their positions (although there is reason to believe the pause may be reasonably shortlived).

    But, with the decision to halt military aid, it’s an indication of the Trump administration’s determination to force Kyiv into a peace deal – whether or not it’s acceptable to Ukraine.

    At this stage it looks almost inevitable that Ukraine will be unable to reclaim all the territory it has lost to Russia since 2014. Its best chance may be to secure what it still does control and go all-out to prevent further Russian advances. One of the ways it needs to do that right now is to ensure Russia does not establish a foothold across the Dnipro river.

    Veronika Poniscjakova 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. Russia launching ‘suicide missions’ across strategic Dnipro river as pause in US aid hampers defence – https://theconversation.com/russia-launching-suicide-missions-across-strategic-dnipro-river-as-pause-in-us-aid-hampers-defence-251439

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Healthcare Providers and Laboratory Marketers Agree to Pay Over $1.9M to Settle Kickback Allegations

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    COLUMBIA, S.C. — Gerald Congdon, M.D., of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, Gbenga Aluko, M.D., of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Anup Banerjee, M.D., of Gastonia, North Carolina, and their medical practices, as well as Curis Healthcare Inc., of Chicago, Illinois, Omar Hussain, of South Miami, Florida, and Saeed Medical Group Ltd. d/b/a Alliance Immediate and Primary Care, of Chicago, Illinois, agreed to pay a total of $1,913,808 to resolve alleged False Claims Act violations arising from their involvement in laboratory kickback schemes. The parties have agreed to cooperate with the Department of Justice’s investigations of other participants in the alleged schemes.

    The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, TRICARE, and other federally funded healthcare programs. The Anti-Kickback Statute is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.

    The settlements announced today resolve allegations that healthcare providers received kickbacks in return for their referrals to a laboratory in Anderson, South Carolina, and that a marketer and his marketing company received kickbacks from that South Carolina laboratory to arrange for laboratory testing referrals, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. The kickbacks allegedly resulted in the submission of false or fraudulent laboratory testing claims to Medicare and TRICARE in violation of the False Claims Act.

    • Dr. Gerald Congdon, Coastal Urgent Care, LLC, and Coastal Wellness Center, LLC. Dr. Congdon and his medical practices in Pawleys Island and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina agreed to pay $400,000 to resolve allegations that from May 2016 to November 2021, they received thousands of dollars in remuneration disguised as purported office space rental and phlebotomy payments from the South Carolina laboratory in return for ordering testing.
    • Dr. Gbenga Aluko and Eagle Medical Center, PC. Dr. Aluko and his medical practice in Charlotte, North Carolina agreed to pay $250,000 to resolve allegations that from May 2016 to November 2021, they received thousands of dollars in remuneration disguised as purported office space rental, phlebotomy, and toxicology payments from the South Carolina laboratory in return for ordering testing.
    • Dr. Anup Banerjee and Gastonia Medical Specialty Clinic P.A. Dr. Banerjee and his medical practice in Gastonia, North Carolina agreed to pay $206,000 to resolve allegations that from April 2017 to November 2021, they received thousands of dollars in remuneration disguised as purported office space rental and phlebotomy payments from the South Carolina laboratory in return for ordering testing.
    • Omar Hussain and Curis Healthcare Inc. Hussain and his marketing company agreed to pay $817,808 to resolve allegations that from April 2020 to August 2021, Hussain and his company received commissions from the South Carolina laboratory as independent contractors based on the volume and/or value of the Medicare and TRICARE referrals for laboratory testing that they arranged for and/or recommended.
    • Saeed Medical Group Ltd., Omar Hussain, and Curis Healthcare Inc. Saeed Medical Group and Hussain and his marketing company agreed to pay $240,000 to resolve allegations that from April 2020 to August 2021, Saeed Medical Group received thousands of dollars in remuneration in the form of cash payments from Hussain and his company in return for ordering testing from the South Carolina laboratory.

    “Integrity must be the standard in our health care system,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews for the District of South Carolina. “Kickback schemes divert funds and focus away from patients and their medical needs.”

    “The public puts immense trust in medical professionals, and disdain for the rule of law damages that trust and erodes their credibility,” said Steve Jensen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia field office. “These settlements should serve as a reminder that the FBI and its partners are committed to holding medical practitioners accountable for kickbacks.”

    “Kickback schemes undermine medical decision-making and jeopardize the integrity of federally funded health care programs,” said Kelly Blackmon, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our commitment is to safeguard taxpayer-funded health care and the patients who rely on it, and we will rigorously pursue any allegations of False Claims Act violations.”

    “The trust of the American taxpayer and the wellbeing of our Service members are undermined when laboratories and physicians engage in collusive financial relationships,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “DCIS will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring to justice medical providers who illegally enrich themselves by prioritizing kickbacks over patient care.”

    The settlements were the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, with assistance from HHS-OIG, DCIS, and the FBI. The settlements announced today were handled by Senior Trial Counsel Christopher Terranova in the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Beth C. Warren in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina. The United States previously resolved allegations that physicians in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Texas received kickbacks from the same South Carolina laboratory.

    The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

    The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Death by firing squad set to resume in the US – but no matter the method, all means of execution come with a troubling history

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

    The firing squad chair in which Brad Sigmon will be strapped before three volunteers shoot him dead. South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP

    Barring any late developments, the U.S. is set to see its first execution by firing squad in 15 years on March 7, 2025.

    Photos released by the South Carolina Department of Corrections suggest that the prisoner, Brad Sigmon, will be strapped to a metal seat in the same small death chamber that has been the location of the state’s other executions by means of the electric chair and lethal injection. Sigmon, who was sentenced to death in 2002 for the brutal killing of his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat, chose death by firing squad over other forms of execution under a 2021 law that allows inmates that option.

    According to the state’s firing squad protocol, the condemned man will have a hood put over his head and a target placed on his heart. Three volunteers will then shoot him from a distance of 15 feet. They will stand behind a wall with a small opening.

    But this method of execution has raised concern over the safety of observers of the execution. Meanwhile, others object to the use of a firing squad as a relic of a brutal past not fitting for modern times.

    As someone who has studied execution methods in the U.S., I see the resumption of death by firing squad as part of a morbid search for “better” execution methods. It comes amid concern over botched lethal injection attempts and a scarcity of the drugs needed to carry out such executions.

    In 2020, the first Trump administration expanded how federal execution can be carried out to include ghoulish methods such as hanging, the electric chair, gas chamber and, indeed, the firing squad.

    But revisiting all methods reveals a checkered history. Each has, at one time or other, been touted as humane only to be sidelined because its use was found to be gruesome and offensive. Given that history, there are questions over whether the resumption of death by firing squad can serve any purpose other than continuing a death penalty system deemed to be a cruel outlier among modern societies.

    The noose and the chair

    Let’s start with hanging.

    Hanging was the execution method of choice throughout most of American history, and it was used in America’s last public execution in 1936, when Rainey Bethea was put to death in Owensboro, Kentucky. When done correctly, the noose killed by severing the spinal column, causing near instantaneous death.

    A large crowd watches as attendants adjust a black hood over Rainey Bethea in 1936.
    AP File Photo

    But, all too often, hanging resulted in a slow death by strangulation and sometimes even a beheading. Given this gruesome record and hanging’s association with the lynching of mainly Black men, by the end of the 19th century the search for other execution methods began in earnest.

    The first of those alternatives was the electric chair. At the time it was adopted, it was regarded as a truly modern instrument of death, a technological marvel in the business of state killing. Hailed by penal reformers as a humane alternative to hanging, the electric chair was first authorized in 1888 by New York state following the report of a commission that concluded: “The most potent agent known for the destruction of human life is electricity. … The velocity of the electric current is so great that the brain is paralyzed; it is indeed dead before the nerves can communicate a sense of shock.”

    Yet, right from the start, electrocution’s potency was a problem. Its first use in the 1890 execution of convicted murderer William Kemmler was horribly botched. Reports of the execution say that “after 2 minutes the execution chamber filled with the smell of burning flesh.” Newspapers called the execution a “historic bungle” and “disgusting, sickening and inhuman.”

    In spite of the Kemmler debacle, the electric chair quickly became popular, being seen as more efficient and less brutal than hanging. From the start of the 20th century until the 1980s, the number of death sentences carried out by this method far outstripped those of any other method.

    But electrocutions continued to go wrong, and eventually several dramatic botched executions in Florida helped turn the tide. Included were two executions – one in 1990, the other in 1997 – in which the condemned inmates caught fire.

    The gas chamber

    By the start of the 21st century, states all over the country were abandoning the electric chair. As Justice Carol W. Hunstein of the Supreme Court of Georgia explained, “Death by electrocution, with its specter of excruciating pain and its certainty of cooked brains and blistered bodies,” was no longer compatible with contemporary standards of decency.

    A gas chamber at San Quentin prison from 1959.
    AP Photo/Clarence Hamm

    One alternative to electrocution was the gas chamber, but it too has its own history of problems. First adopted in Nevada in 1922, executions using lethal gas were to take place while the condemned slept. Death row inmates were supposed to be housed in airtight, leak-proof prison cells, separate from other prisoners. On the day of the execution, valves would be opened that would fill the chamber with gas, killing the prisoner painlessly.

    This plan was soon abandoned because officials decided it would be impractical to implement it, and states constructed special gas chambers fitted with pipes, exhaust fans and glass windows on the front and back walls for witness viewing. But deaths by lethal gas were never pretty or easy to watch.

    Inmates regularly fought against breathing the gas as it entered the chamber. They convulsed, jerked, coughed, twisted and turned blue for several minutes before they died.

    Far from solving the problems associated with hangings or electrocutions, lethal gas introduced its own set of horrors to the institution of capital punishment. In fact, by the end of the 20th century, 5% of executions by lethal gas had been botched.

    As a result, states used gas as the sole method of execution only from 1924 to 1977, and it was last used in 1999. By then, the gas chamber had become a relic of the past because of its inability to deliver on its promise to be “swift and painless” and its association with the Nazi use of gas to kill millions during the Holocaust.

    Lethal injection

    Lethal injection was first considered by the state of New York in the late 1880s when it convened a blue ribbon commission to study alternatives to hanging. During deliberations, Dr. Julius Mount Bleyer invited the commission to envision a future in which a person condemned to death “could be executed on his bed in his cell with a 6-gram injection of sulfate of morphine.”

    But it wasn’t until 1977 that Oklahoma became the first state to introduce the method.

    Right from the start, administering lethal injections proved to be a complex procedure that was difficult to get right. In fact, during the first use of lethal injection by Texas in 1982, the team responsible repeatedly failed to insert an IV into a vein in the condemned man’s arm, splattering blood onto the sheet covering his body.

    Part of the problem is that medical ethics do not allow doctors to take part in choosing the drugs or administering them. In the place of doctors, prison officials are responsible for the lethal injection procedure. In addition, dosages of the drugs used are standardized rather than tailored to the needs of particular inmates as they would be in a medical procedure.

    Despite the effort to medicalize executions, the history of lethal injection has been anything but smooth, sterile and predictable. In fact, my research reveals that of the 1,054 executions carried out from 1982 to 2010 using the standard three-drug lethal injection protocol, more than 7% were botched.

    And as states, faced with a scarcity of the drugs needed, have experimented in finding new ingredients, my research shows that botched executions have occurred as much as 20% of the time.

    The firing squad

    Finally, the firing squad. Of all of America’s methods of execution, it has been least often used. From 1900 to 2010, only 35 of America’s 8,776 executions were carried out using this method, and since 1976 just three people have faced a firing squad, with the last one carried out in Utah in 2010.

    The execution chamber at Utah State Prison used in the United States’ last firing squad execution.
    AP Photo/Trent Nelson

    Critics point out that because death by guns evokes images of raw, frontier justice in a society awash in gun violence, this method mimicked something that the law wished to discourage. Nonetheless, Utah revived the firing squad in 2015 due to challenges to the state’s lethal injection protocol.

    While it has some contemporary proponents who claim it is the least cruel of all execution methods, the history of the firing squad is marked by gruesome mistakes when marksmen missed their target. In the 1951 execution of Eliseo Mares, for example, four executioners all shot into the wrong side of his chest, and he died slowly from blood loss.

    A cruel history, revived

    While authorities in South Carolina allow for death by firing squad, it cannot erase the cruelty that marks the method’s history – nor that of other means of execution.

    That history stands as a reminder of America’s failed quest to find a method of execution that is safe, reliable and humane.

    This article contains sections previous published in The Conversation articles from Dec. 4, 2020 and Nov. 30, 2022.

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

    – ref. Death by firing squad set to resume in the US – but no matter the method, all means of execution come with a troubling history – https://theconversation.com/death-by-firing-squad-set-to-resume-in-the-us-but-no-matter-the-method-all-means-of-execution-come-with-a-troubling-history-251579

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Staffordshire woman prosecuted for not removing illegal waste

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Staffordshire woman prosecuted for not removing illegal waste

    The Environment Agency has successfully prosecuted a 43-year-old Staffordshire woman for failing to remove illegal waste from land in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

    A pile of waste at the site.

    • Calls from members of public prompts Environment Agency investigation
    • Hundreds of tonnes of waste stored on rented land in Lichfield
    • Case heard at Cannock Magistrates Court on Tuesday 4 March 2025

    At Cannock Magistrates Court on 4 March 2025, Lissa Appleby, of Nankirks Lane, Anslow, near Burton-upon-Trent, pleaded guilty to a single offence and was fined £550. She was also ordered to pay a victim’s surcharge of £220.

    The court was told that officers from the Environment Agency visited the address she was renting at Mill Farm, Cappers Lane, Whittington, Lichfield on October 13, 2023. The visit came following calls from members of the public regarding waste issues. The address consisted of a domestic property, large grounds and a barn.

    Inside the barn several hundred tonnes of dry shredded waste was discovered, containing plastic sheeting, plastic textiles, metals, wood and cardboard.

    Following a period of rainfall, the defendant was initially requested to move the waste from outside to inside the barn area as a temporary measure. This was to stop further leachate contamination.

    She was also given guidance that an environmental permit would be required for the activities carried out or for the waste to be removed by a person who held the correct waste carriers’ licence.

    The Environment Agency issued a letter to immediately cease activities at the property, believing she was operating an illegal waste site.

    Officers visited the site again on 26 October 2023 and found that the waste remained. Some had been put inside the barn, although there was still a large pile outside.

    The defendant said she could not afford to clear the site.

    Officers served a notice on the defendant, instructing her to remove all the waste on site by 3 January 2024.

    However, a further site visit on 10 January 2024 found the waste remained.

    On 31 January 2024, the defendant vacated the property, informing the letting agents she would clear all the waste within a two-week period.

    But on 29 February 2024, another visit by the Environment Agency confirmed that all the original waste remained on site. Plus additional waste had been deposited within the barn.

    A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:

    This site posed a significant environmental threat due to the high risk of fire and potential impact to local communities and amenities. 

    As a regulator, the Environment Agency will not hesitate to pursue people that fail to meet their obligations. 

    Failure to comply with these legal requirements is a serious offence that can damage the environment, harm human health and undermine local legitimate waste companies.  

    If anyone is suspicious of waste activities they should call our 24/7 hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or Crimestoppers anonymously and in confidence on 0800 555 111.

    Background

    Lissa Appleby, on 4 January 2024, being the occupier of land, namely Mill Farm, Cappers Lane, Whittington, Lichfield, WS14 9JW, failed without reasonable excuse to comply with a notice dated 13th November 2023 to remove controlled waste from the land contrary to section 59ZB(2) and 59ZB(6) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

    Updates to this page

    Published 6 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Join Us on 3/27 for a Foreign and Comparative Law Webinar: Climate-Induced Migration: Responses in the Pacific

    Source: US Global Legal Monitor

    Join us on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at 9 a.m. EDT for our next foreign, comparative, and international law webinar, “Climate-Induced Migration: Responses in the Pacific.”

    Pacific Island nations have sought to increase global awareness of the impacts of climate change in the region and have pushed for greater mitigation of emissions and financing mechanisms to assist countries in adapting to rising sea levels and ocean acidification and to enhance resilience to extreme weather events. They have also highlighted the issue of climate-induced mobility, including displacement, planned relocation, and migration, and the need for this to be considered in discussions and policies at the international level.

    Media stories have referred to low-lying islands in the Pacific as “sinking,” with the rising sea level being an “existential threat” to some countries and creating “climate refugees.” Commentators pose questions about what might happen, including under international law, if a country were to “disappear” – what happens concerning sovereignty, territorial rights, and the citizenship rights of the people? Where would the population move to and what support would be provided to do so? What status would they have in a different country or countries? How would cultures and languages be maintained?

    In our March foreign, comparative, and international law webinar, we will look at some of the responses to the climate-induced migration issue in the Pacific. In particular, in 2023, Pacific Island leaders endorsed the Pacific Regional Framework on Climate Mobility, which “recognizes the urgent need to strengthen understanding, coordination and cooperation on climate change-related human mobility; to establish adequate human rights-based response and support mechanisms for people at risk; and to adopt a pro-active and planned approach to address climate mobility and enhance Pacific resilience and well-being.” In addition, the webinar will highlight the November 2023 agreement between Australia and Tuvalu, known as the Falepili Union, which includes an undertaking from Australia to create a “special mobility pathway” for Tuvaluans, with a focus on “mobility with dignity.”

    Please register here.

    The webinar will be presented by Kelly Buchanan, the Law Library’s foreign law specialist for the Pacific region. Kelly holds an LL.B. (Hons) and bachelor of arts degrees from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.

    Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: President Meloni meets with Unione delle Camere Penali Italiane

    Source: Government of Italy (English)

    A meeting was held at Palazzo Chigi this morning between the Government and representatives from the National Union of Italian Criminal Bar Associations (‘Unione delle Camere Penali Italiane’, ‘UCPI’), chaired by the President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni. The meeting was also attended by Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers Alfredo Mantovano, Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio, UCPI President Francesco Petrelli, UCPI Secretary Rinaldo Romanelli and, via video link, Vice-President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani.

    President Meloni expressed her gratitude to the lawyers for the great work they do every day to support justice and outlined the main characteristics of the constitutional reform in the process of being examined by Parliament, the aim of which is the separation of careers between judges and public prosecutors in order to ensure equality of arms between prosecution and defence.

    Minister Nordio and Undersecretary of State Mantovano also talked about the measures that have already been adopted and the actions taken by the Government to bring an end to prison overcrowding, which remains one of the Government’s goals.

    The Government will meet with Italian Criminal Bar Associations again in the future, in order to maintain a stable forum for discussion aimed at modernising the administration of justice.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Statement: Attorney General Mark Temple KC responds to JEP headline story on legal spend06 March 2025 ​​​The JEP’s recent reporting on the Law Officers’ Department is inaccurate, misleading and actively undermines the LOD staff who work so hard to enforce law and order and keep our Island safe. It is disappointing… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    06 March 2025

    ​​​The JEP’s recent reporting on the Law Officers’ Department is inaccurate, misleading and actively undermines the LOD staff who work so hard to enforce law and order and keep our Island safe. It is disappointing that the JEP published a Weekend Essay, the Headline to the JEP Weekend Edition (Law officers’ ‘obscene’ £1.6 million spending revealed’) and the Editor’s Column on Saturday 1 March 2025, all without first obtaining comment from the Law Officers’ Department (LOD).

    The headline figure of £1.6 million from October 2023 to September 2024 represents all the LOD’s external legal spend in a particularly demanding year.  This includes the unprecedented large investigations relating to the gas explosion at Haut du Mont and the sinking of the L’Ecume II fishing vessel, specialist Civil cases, Safeguarding cases, Mutual Legal Assistance cases, external Crown Advocates in local Jersey law firms, and major international financial crime cases which are vital to safeguarding the Island’s reputation as a financial centre.

    The time period also coincides with a huge increase in the numbers of Royal Court trials, particularly for offences involving Violence Against Women and Girls.  The LOD is improving prosecution and conviction rates for such offences but needs input from external lawyers specialising in such cases to achieve this.

    ​The vast majority of the LOD’s cases are advised on by LOD lawyers and staff without any instruction of external lawyers.  It is only in exceptional cases where there is a particular need for additional support or training that an external lawyer is also instructed. They do not write scripts for LOD Advocates to read but, where they are instructed, they may comment on drafts produced by LOD Advocates. 

    The JEP articles omit any mention of the fact that monies spent on external lawyers can be recovered from the opposing side in litigation or from the defendant in criminal cases, through confiscation or forfeiture orders, or through costs orders.  The LOD has recovered many millions which have been paid into the Criminal Offences Confiscation Fund or the Civil Asset Recovery Fund where they can be used for the projects for the benefit of the Island.  For example, the first major confiscation under the 2018 Forfeiture of Assets (Civil Proceedings) Law resulted in US$10 million paid into the COCF in 2019, and in 2020 the Doraville case resulted in US$5 million being retained for the Island.

    It is also wrong to suggest that there is no scrutiny of spending on external lawyers.  All spending is in accordance with the procedures set out in the Public Finances Manual.  Discounted rates are obtained for the work, the work is spread between providers to ensure competitive prices, the quality of the work is monitored.  The Department is subject to audit by the C&AG. 

    The LOD has also been subject to an annual on-site inspection by Lexcel since 2019, which is an independent quality assurance standard and to independent oversight by an Audit Committee set up in accordance with a recommendation from the C&AG.  The most recent Lexcel inspection report stated:  “It is clear to the assessor that the Lexcel standard remains fully embedded in practice and the standard runs through the heart of every aspect of the department’s functions resulting in a well-managed, cohesive and risk averse department.”

    The LOD does not have a Press Officer and was contacted by the JEP with a series of questions via the General Enquiries email box less than three hours before a deadline on a day when the Practice Director was away from the office.  We replied that we were unable to respond within the tight deadline but would reply the next week when the Practice Director returned to the office.  In view of the inaccuracies summarised above it is regrettable that the JEP chose to publish without waiting for any comment or input from the LOD.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –