BOSTON – A Colombian woman residing in Boston was arrested for identity theft offenses and stealing housing benefits.
Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, 58, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of misuse of a Social Security number, one count of making a false statement in an application for a United States passport and one count of theft of government money. Orovio-Hernandez appeared in federal court in Boston yesterday.
According to court documents, Orovio-Hernandez, a citizen of Colombia, applied for a United States passport and a Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles Real ID using the name and other biographical information of another individual. Additionally, Orovio-Hernandez is alleged to have stolen approximately $259,589 in Section 8 housing assistance benefits from October 2011 through January 2025.
The charge of misuse of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of up to five years of in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of making a false statement in an application for a United States passport provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of theft of government money provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. If convicted, the defendant will also be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of any sentenced imposed. 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; Matthew O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; Vicky Vazquez, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Regional Office; and Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Northeast Region made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the United States Postal Inspection Service. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the Indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
A man has admitted numerous offences after officers linked him to a series of sexual assaults on teenage girls near Clapham Common.
John Nyhan, 22 (09.02.03), of Ingrave Street, Wandsworth, pleaded guilty at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 13 February to three separate incidents of sexual assault and one count of harassment.
Detective Inspector Aaron Moon, whose team led the investigation, said: “Nyhan remains in custody following his guilty plea and will find out the details of his sentence in due course.
“We know that his offending has caused a lot of concern locally and I hope that his conviction will allay some of those fears. It’s possible that Nyhan may have committed further offences that have not yet been reported to police and I would encourage anyone who is yet to speak with us to please come forward.”
Detectives linked three sexual assaults committed between Wednesday, 8 January and Tuesday, 4 February in the Clapham Common area.
As a result of enquiries, Nyhan was identified and arrested on Tuesday, 11 February. He was charged two days later.
He will be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on a date yet to be confirmed.
NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today released a guide to help New Yorkers use the state’s Exempt Income Protection Act (EIPA) to protect their money from debt collectors. The EIPA is a state law that prevents debt collectors from draining consumers’ bank accounts, leaving them unable to cover the costs of basic needs. The law automatically protects a certain amount of money in people’s bank accounts from being frozen or seized, and also protects vital government benefits like Social Security, disability benefits, and veteran’s benefits. The Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) guide comes after Attorney General James recently secured $1 million from Netspend, a financial services company that illegally turned over its customers’ funds to debt collectors when those funds should have been protected under EIPA. The OAG’s guide will help New Yorkers use their rights under EIPA to protect their money and report debt collectors who are breaking the law to OAG.
“When banks allow debt collectors to wipe out New Yorkers’ bank accounts, they’re not only throwing vulnerable people into financial chaos, they’re breaking the law,” said Attorney General James. “New Yorkers should know how to protect their money from debt collectors so they can continue to pay their bills while they manage their debt. My office’s helpful guide provides valuable tips for New Yorkers to protect their funds and hold banks and debt collectors accountable when they break the law. I encourage anyone who has had their hard-earned money illegally seized or frozen to report it to my office.”
The EIPA automatically exempts a certain amount of money in people’s bank accounts from being frozen or seized. This protected amount is based on the minimum wage and is $3,960 for those in New York City, Long Island, or Westchester, and $3,720 for those anywhere else in New York as of January 2025. The EIPA also protects 90% of wages or salary earned in the 60 days before a debt collector attempts to seize funds.
Crucially, EIPA also protects government benefits and retirement funds from being frozen or seized, ensuring New Yorkers have enough money to pay their bills. These funds include:
Social Security;
Supplemental security income;
Disability benefits;
Unemployment insurance;
Workers compensation;
Veterans benefits;
Spousal support, alimony, or child support; and
Payments from public or private pensions and retirement accounts, such as 401(k)s or individual retirement accounts (IRAs).
Attorney General James has successfully secured restitution for New Yorkers whose funds were illegally seized by debt collectors. In April 2024, Attorney General James secured more than $700,000 from Pathward Bank for unlawfully freezing customer accounts and illegally transferring money to debt collectors in violation of EIPA. In February 2024, Attorney General James secured more than $650,000 from a debt collection law firm for filing frivolous lawsuits against vulnerable New York City tenants. In May 2022, Attorney General James and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau shut down a predatory debt collection operation that used deceptive and abusive tactics to illegally collect millions of dollars from hundreds of thousands of consumers.
The OAG’s guide includes the steps New Yorkers must take to use EIPA to protect their funds from being seized, as well as instructions on how to report violations to OAG. Any consumer who has had their money frozen or seized in violation of the law should report the violation to OAG’s Consumer Frauds Bureau online or by calling 1-800-771-7755.
This matter was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Ben Fishman and Chris Filburn, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Jane M. Azia and Deputy Bureau Chief Laura J. Levine, all of the Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau. Also assisting in this matter were Irene Kim of the Public Information and Correspondence Unit, under the supervision of Brandon Kennedy, Deputy Director of Public Information; Vanessa Ip, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Lucas McCullough, of the Office of the Chief Operating Officer; Jodi Burick, Kiersten Burns, Michaela Simmons, and Lisa O’Hara of the Information Technology Bureau. 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.
Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, introduced commonsense legislation to ease burdens and shield small businesses from excessive legal red tape. The Protect Small Businesses from Excessive Paperwork Act of 2025 would extend the filing deadline for businesses to report beneficial ownership information (BOI) until January 1, 2026, giving the U.S. Department of Treasury more time to educate business owners on the new reporting requirements, assess Biden administration BOI decisions, and ensure small businesses are not overburdened – and potentially held liable – with unclear and unnecessarily complicated regulations.
Senate Banking Committee members, including Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Katie Boyd Britt (R-Ala.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), joined Senator Scott on the legislation. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) also signed onto the bill.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and we need to ensure they have the necessary time and information to comply with reporting requirements from the federal government. This commonsense bill will ensure small businesses are protected and not overly burdened by unclear and unnecessarily complicated regulations – allowing them to focus on serving their customers while following the law,” said Senator Scott.
“The beneficial ownership reporting requirements of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) are excessive and overly burdensome, particularly for small businesses,” said Senator Tillis. “This commonsense legislation delays these unreasonable standards until January 1, 2026 for small business owners, providing further time for the courts to continue their examination of the constitutionality of the CTA.”
“Wyoming’s small businesses are the cornerstone of our state’s economy, yet Biden-era red tape continues to threaten Main Street,” said Senator Lummis. “It’s time for us to dethrone Biden’s unelected bureaucrats and cut red tape to create an environment where small businesses thrive, not drown in a sea of regulations.”
“Alabama’s small businesses do more than just keep our state running — they employ our friends and neighbors, provide invaluable goods and services, and make our communities and state so special,” said Senator Britt. “This commonsense legislation would pare back unnecessary and costly regulations while providing needed clarity and reprieve to job creators across Alabama and the nation.”
“Small businesses create jobs and power our economy,” said Senator Ricketts. “They deserve fair and clear rules, not burdensome and costly regulations. This bill cuts red tape and ensures our job creators can focus on growing their businesses, not navigating bureaucratic hurdles.”
“Small businesses are the backbone of our rural communities, and with limited staff and resources, the current reporting requirements place an unnecessary burden on our businesses,” said Senator Moran. “Extending the filing deadline allows small businesses the additional time they need to comply with updated guidelines and avoid harmful penalties.”
Representative Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) led companion legislation in the House, which passed on Monday by a vote of 408-0.
“Iowa’s economy is driven by small businesses – more than half of Iowans are employed by Main Street,” said Representative Nunn. “D.C. bureaucrats insist businesses comply with onerous red tape without considering the burden it puts on business operations. That has to change. Thank you, Chairman Scott, for joining me in this fight to roll back unnecessary regulations and simplify requirements for job creators while still adhering to the law.”
BACKGROUND: The Corporate Transparency Act was signed into law as part of the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act and established new reporting requirements around beneficial ownership for businesses.
During implementation of the rule, the U.S. Department of Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) failed to notify small businesses of the new reporting requirements. According to a survey by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), 80% of NFIB members have never heard of the new reporting requirements. Complicating matters further, according to the National Small Business Association (NSBA), the average small business owner will spend nearly $8,000 to comply with these new reporting requirements in the first year alone.
On January 23, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block the enforcement of these filing requirements. Now, small businesses across the country are expected to comply immediately or face harsh penalties. The Protect Small Businesses from Excessive Paperwork Act of 2025 would extend the filing deadline until January 1, 2026.
Source: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union
The AFL-CIO, AFGE, AFSCME, AFT, CWA, SEIU, Economic Policy Institute, and partner organizations are expanding their legal challenge to stop DOGE’s takeover of Americans’ private data
(Washington, D.C.)—A coalition of the AFL-CIO, unions, an economic think tank and partner organizations filed an amended lawsuit to protect the confidential information of America’s working people housed at the Department of Labor (DOL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
The lawsuit expands the initial challenge to the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE)’s attempt to raid the DOL for key information on America’s workers in order to hobble the agency tasked with protecting their rights, health and safety on the job, as Elon Musk expands his slash-and-burn approach to Americans’ private data and their most essential government services.
As the complaint lays out: “DOGE seeks to gain access to sensitive agency systems of data before courts can stop them, dismantle agencies before Congress can assert its Constitutional prerogatives in the federal budget, and intimidate and threaten employees who stand in their way, without regard for the consequences. The results have already been catastrophic. DOGE has seized control of some of the most carefully protected information systems housed at the Treasury Department, taken hold of all sensitive personnel information at the Office of Personnel Management, and dismantled an entire agency within a week.”
“Elon Musk and DOGE continue to jeopardize Americans’ most sensitive, personal data, and threaten our health, safety, rights, paychecks, and the essential services we depend on,” said AFL-CIOPresidentLiz Shuler. “Unions and allies will vigorously fight DOGE’s attempt to put working people at risk through reckless actions that endanger workers and our families. They must be stopped—and today we’re getting back in court to do just that.”
“What Elon Musk is doing is not an audit—it’s an illegal violation of American citizens’ most sensitive personal information by an unelected billionaire who seems to believe he has been delegated the powers of the elected president,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. “Unions and our allies will continue to stand up against Elon Musk and anyone else who thinks they can buy the government of the United States.”
“Together with our union partners and allies, we filed a lawsuit to protect working people from billionaires stealing their data. Elon Musk thinks his wealth and political contributions give him the right to disregard the law and masquerade as an elected official—but he is not,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “Working people deserve a government that will protect their privacy and hold corporations that break the law accountable. We call on the courts to address this unlawful corruption and ensure that our government remains for the people.”
“Elon Musk, under the guise of making bureaucracy more ‘efficient,’ is effectively eviscerating Americans’ privacy and fundamental freedoms,” said American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten. “This may be one of the biggest data hacks in U.S. history—I doubt anyone who voted for Donald Trump thought he would enable Musk to vacuum up their Social Security numbers, spousal details, and kids’ medical records for his own ends. Americans want a better life for themselves and their families: lower costs and higher wages. Yet Musk’s goal is evidently to weaponize this invasion of privacy to cut support for working families and ram through tax cuts for himself and his billionaire buddies. We are joining this lawsuit to stop the heist, end the chaos and confusion, and prevent Musk from causing irreparable harm to millions of American lives.”
“Elon Musk is a notorious union buster whose retaliation against workers exercising their union rights won praise from Donald Trump as thousands of CWA members went out on strike,” said Communications Workers of America (CWA) President Claude Cummings Jr. “Musk and the other billionaires who supported Trump aren’t looting our confidential records to find ways to help workers organize to join unions and collectively bargain. They aren’t feeding sensitive personal data into AI systems to make sure working families are able to secure the benefits they are entitled to or to stop the big banks from ripping us off. They are looking for ways to enrich themselves and punish anyone who stands in the way of their profits.”
“Every person in our country—regardless of race, occupation or political party affiliation—should have the comfort of knowing that their government is attempting to work in their best interests,” said Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President April Verrett. “No one deserves to have their privacy violated when they visit their doctor and seek care for their sick child. Nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals should be able to provide their patients with quality care without the threat of having their personal healthcare information being exposed to unelected billionaires. Medical privacy is the cornerstone of quality patient care and necessary for improving health outcomes across our nation. It is an injustice when our leaders willingly leave any person vulnerable to becoming a victim of fraud, scams, and discrimination. Today SEIU members and our allies are saying that working people will not back down to these attacks on our health and safety from the Trump-Musk Administration. We will not stop fighting to build a future where every worker, of every race and from every place, can join together in a union to win the wages, healthcare, and security we all deserve.”
“Elon Musk’s DOGE is illegally seizing Americans’ private data. No responsible policymaker—whatever their political party—should tolerate this, and we all have a moral obligation to stand up against Elon Musk’s takeover,” said Economic Policy Institute (EPI) President Heidi Shierholz.
The lawsuit was brought in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by the AFL-CIO and a coalition of unions representing workers across the federal government and public sector: the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), AFSCME, AFT, CWA and SEIU, as well as EPI, Economic Action Maryland Fund and Virginia Poverty Law Center.
I grew up in San Gabriel Valley — also referred to as SGV or the 626. SGV is an ethnoburb — an ethnic enclave — that grew out of the 1970s, with its own economy and ecosystem that includes banks, grocery stores, hair salons and restaurants.
Since many early Asian immigrants to this country were barred from accessing white institutions, working together to build and protect this ethnic ecosystem was a matter of survival and necessity.
Wei Li, a Chinese American geographer, first proposed the term “ethnoburb” to describe the hybridity of ethnic enclaves and middle-class suburbs: suburban ethnic clusters of people and businesses.
The ethnoburb demonstrates that we can create our own power and belonging — without learning English, without participating in white institutions, and Americanizing. It is a communal endeavour, one that requires everybody’s imagination and care.
The ‘Chinese Beverly Hills’
Fuelled by foreign capital, ethnoburb immigrants redefined the entire landscape of the suburb and instigated an economic boom. The growth of Chinese American banking institutions, along with the political and economic factors that prompted the migration of wealthy ethnic Chinese from Taiwan and Hong Kong, played an important role in facilitating the Chinese economic growth in Monterey Park, a city in San Gabriel Valley.
With their resources, Chinese immigrants bought homes and started businesses with distinct Chinese and Vietnamese language signs to cater to fellow Asian transplants. Valley Boulevard, which runs through 10 cities in San Gabriel Valley, became home to Asian-owned malls, commercial plazas, office complexes, shops, hotels and industrial plants, often with trilingual signage in Chinese, Vietnamese and English.
By the 1980s, Monterey Park was known as “the first suburban Chinatown,” converting San Gabriel Valley from predominantly white suburbs into an Asian-majority ecosystem with a conspicuous and diverse first-generation, unassimilated immigrant presence.
Bypassing urban Chinatowns for the suburbs
The ethnoburb troubles the American construction of the suburbs as static sites of whiteness and socioeconomic mobility.
The majority of new immigrants, especially those with resources, bypassed urban ethnic enclaves like Chinatown that previously served as immigrant gateway cities and settled immediately into suburbs instead.
Zhou also says the direct insertion of new Asian immigrants into traditionally white middle-class suburbs offends the conventional understanding of immigration and assimilation. Ethnoburb immigrants were non-white, didn’t always speak English, made considerably less effort to acculturate into whiteness, and many of them were already educated and affluent. They broke the bounds of the American imagination of an immigrant.
In addition to higher levels of education and incomes, many ethnoburb immigrants also possessed expansive and transnational social networks that shaped their reluctance to acculturate. They did not need to learn English or go through the ethnic enclave to reach a middle-class dream of financial stability.
The ethnoburb was not a “staging ground” for somewhere better or whiter. The ethnoburb was the final desired destination.
In actuality, contrary to popular conceptions, the ethnoburb was not apolitical or insular at all. It was and remains a site of resistance against the confining, white imagination of suburbia. With the emergence of Monterey Park as an Asian ethnoburb, questions over group identity, spatial boundaries, and the character of Monterey Park became politicized.
White hostility in an ‘all-American’ city
Nativist white residents were at the forefront of erecting boundaries of belonging that stigmatized first-generation immigrants. In addition to Asian businesses changing the esthetic and cultural identity of Monterey Park, Asian immigrants took on local politics. This direct insertion of unassimilated Asian immigrants into traditionally white suburbs and its institutions troubled conventional American understandings of who an immigrant is, the norms they should follow, and how they should behave.
Lily Lee Chen’s official portrait as mayor of Monterey Park, California, 1983. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
On Nov. 8, 1983, Lily Lee Chen, a first-generation immigrant from Taiwan, was inaugurated in Monterey Park as the first Chinese American mayor in the nation. Chen was relatable, charismatic, and not assimilated. The Los Angeles Times described Chen’s speech as “accented with pauses and grammatical errors, characteristic of someone speaking in their second language.”
In another Times article from 1985, Chen told the reporter that she enjoyed dressing in bright reds and jade greens, despite being told by her consultant to look more subdued because her bright colours made her appear “aggressive.” During her campaign, she was met with fierce resistance from white residents, who commonly took down her neighbourhood campaign signs.
As a response, Chen worked tirelessly on voter engagement among Asian Americans and Latinos, publishing multilingual voter handbooks, registering voters, and building relationships with ethnic communities, including working with Cesar Chavez to support the Latinos in Southern California.
The same year as Chen’s election, Monterey Park’s five-member city council became multiethnic, with two Mexican Americans, one Filipino American, one Chinese American, and one white council member.
As Monterey Park became touted as a “successful suburban melting pot” by journalists and even won an “All-American City” award in 1985 for its civic engagement and racial diversity, white flight accelerated and resentment festered among the minority of white residents.
The large influx and increasing influence of Chinese immigrants over a short period of time caused racial tension to build, with mounting struggles over cultural differences, language barriers, and explicit mistrust of immigrants. Chinese businesses, political candidates, religious institutions, and entrepreneurs became racialized targets of nativist animus.
A particularly contentious conflict emerged over the proliferation of business signs in languages other than English. In 1986, white hostility among the remaining white residents swept the council members of colour out of office, and replaced them with three long-established white residents, who promptly launched an anti-immigrant, “English-only” campaign attacking the proliferation of business signage in Chinese.
A scene from the 2010 play by Annette Lee about the English only movement from the 80s. 17-year-old Scarlett Wong, an ‘all-American teenager’ struggles with her neighbors who don’t speak English. Angry Asian Man/Annette Lee
The “English-only” movement in Monterey Park reflects the struggle to control the identity and narrative of a built environment. It represents the tension between America’s idea of how immigrants should assimilate, and how ethnoburb immigrants instead created their own unassimilable institutions and communities.
Frank Arcuri, one of the Monterey Park residents and community activists who started the “English-only” petition campaign, insisted, “Immigrants are welcome here, but they must realize that English is the language we use in America… They must realize they are making a negative impact on our city. They must adapt to our ways. They must use our language and respect our culture.”
The nativist, inflammatory rhetoric Arcuri employed to speak about immigrants is as American as apple pie, comparable to replacement theory touted by white nationalist conspiracists today.
The English-only conflict illustrates the deeper, ideological tensions behind an increasingly diverse and polyglot constituency, composed of politically active immigrants, and nostalgic white residents desperately (and at times violently) clinging on to institutional power and a homogeneous past.
Asian immigrants defied assimilation theories
Traditionally, sociologists of immigration and assimilation theorists believed that all immigrant groups would eventually assimilate and integrate into white Protestant American institutions, culture, and society. They argued that doing so would be in the best interests of immigrants. They were also all white scholars. For the most part, what they theorized was true for European immigrants.
However, Asian immigrants in the ethnoburb remained proudly unassimilable and trans-national. While the ethnoburb was their final destination, they maintained diasporic ties. Many with socioeconomic privilege shuttled back and forth to their home countries.
It is our diasporic connections to our motherlands and our ethnic communities, not necessarily our assimilation into whiteness, that help us thrive in the U.S.
Bianca Mabute-Louie is affiliated with Asian Texans for Justice.
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: OSCE Mission to BiH statement on the brutal killing in Kalesija
SARAJEVO, 13 February 2025 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission) expresses its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Inela Selimović and her son, who were killed last night in Kalesija.
This brutal crime once again presents a painful truth – domestic and gender-based violence remains a pervasive crisis, persisting despite promises and efforts. We cannot ignore this reminder that the ongoing inadequacy of the implementation of existing measures and preventive mechanisms, is creating an urgent need for stronger, better co-ordinated, more effective and accountable institutional responses to domestic and gender-based violence.
Actions delayed mean lives lost.
The Mission again urges relevant authorities to take immediate and concrete steps, including necessary improvements to legislation, to strengthen protection and prevention mechanisms, ensure adequate support for victims, and end impunity for domestic and gender-based criminal acts. These steps are critical in preventing future tragedies.
More concretely, the Mission calls on the FBiH Ministry of Justice and the FBiH Government of to return, with all urgency, the adoption of long-overdue FBiH Criminal Code amendments to their agenda. These amendments are crucial for aligning domestic legislation with the Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention). Further delays not only hinder necessary legal reforms but also put victims at greater risk.
The Mission remains committed to supporting the fight against violence and building a society where no one has to fear for their own safety or lives or those of their loved ones.
Once again, deeply shaken by this morning’s crime, we extend our most heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Inela Selimović and her son as well as to the community of Kalesija.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
FORT WAYNE – Yesterday, Jonathon Buck Eason, 37 years old, of Fort Wayne Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly Brady after pleading guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Eason was sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, on October 22, 2022, Fort Wayne police officers responded to a 911 call for assistance. Upon arrival, they spoke to an individual who reported being battered and threatened with a firearm by Easton. When Officers located Easton at his residence, they recovered a firearm from his pocket. Based on a prior felony conviction, Easton was prohibited from possessing the firearm.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with assistance from the Fort Wayne Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey R. Speith.
This case was also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Sacramento Field Office is now accepting applications for the Spring 2025 Sacramento FBI Teen Academy. All high school juniors—whether enrolled in public, private, charter, or home school—within the field office’s 34-county area of responsibility are eligible to apply. Ideal candidates are engaged with their respective academic and local communities; are curious about how the FBI serves their communities; and are eager to share the content with their peers. Students selected to attend the Sacramento FBI Teen Academy spend a full day at FBI Sacramento headquarters, interacting with FBI personnel at all levels, and engaging in unique experiences and discussions. Following graduation from the class, students are encouraged to share what they have learned to foster a safer, more informed community and inspire the next generation of FBI employees.
The Spring 2025 FBI Sacramento Teen Academy will be held on April 4, 2025, at the field office’s headquarters in Roseville. Applications, available online on the FBI Sacramento Field Office’s Community Outreach web page, are being accepted until 5 p.m. February 21, 2025. Instructions for completion of the form, required signatures, essay composition, and submission are included in the application package. The single-day class Teen Academy class FBI is offered at no charge to families; the class, materials, and supplies are offered at no charge. Meals and refreshments are generously provided by the Sacramento FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association. The FBI does not cover transportation necessary to attend the class.
Families will be notified of the status of the applications approximately two weeks prior to the class. Students selected from the pool of candidates and invited to attend the class must confirm their planned attendance or an alternate will take their place.
The FBI Sacramento Field Office serves the following 34 California’s counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Tuolumne, Trinity, Yolo, and Yuba.
Headline: Justice Department Announces Successful Conclusion of Agreement with Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office to Ensure Constitutional Policing
The Justice Department announced on Monday the successful conclusion of the United States’ agreement with the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) in Louisiana to end its pattern or practice of conducting arrests in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. After a thorough investigation, the United States found reasonable cause to believe that EPSO had unconstitutionally arrested and held people in jail without obtaining a warrant and without probable cause to believe the detained persons had committed a crime.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
FRESNO, Calif. — Dario Mata-Manzo, 33, a Mexican national residing in Fresno, was sentenced today to eight years and eight months in prison for distribution of methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
According to court documents, in June 2022, Mata-Manzo negotiated the sale of crystal methamphetamine for $1,200 per pound and subsequently delivered 8 pounds of the drug to undercover officers in Fresno. Court documents indicate that Mata-Manzo was connected to an interstate poly-drug trafficking organization.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, and the High Impact Investigation Team (HIIT), a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Initiative (HIDTA), which consists of personnel from the California Department of Justice, Fresno Police Department, Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Madera County Sheriff’s Office, Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, Kings County Sheriff’s Office, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar prosecuted the case.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
Spokane, Washington – On February 11, 2025, United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced Dustin T. Perrin, age 41, of Spokane, Washington, to 96 months in prison for several bank robberies. Judge Dimke also imposed 3 years of supervised release and restitution of $9,224.00.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, on October 13, 2023, Perrin entered the First Interstate Bank brank at 57th Avenue and Regal in Spokane. Perrin was wearing a wig under his hat. Perrin handed a bank teller a bag and a handwritten note demanding the teller put cash in a bag. Perrin also warned the teller about activating the silent alarm. The teller handed Perrin $1,986 in cash, and Perrin left the bank on a bike and headed north.
Perrin left the note at the bank. It was collected by law enforcement and sent to the Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory. DNA analysis later confirmed Perrin’s DNA on the note.
On November 17, 2023, Perrin rode his bike to the Numerica Credit Union branch on South Regal Street in Spokane, just a half mile from the bank Perrin robbed one month earlier. Perrin entered the bank, handed two bank tellers one bag each, and demanded the tellers put money in the bags. The tellers handed Perrin a total of $5,238 in cash. Perrin then left the bank on his bike.
Perrin went to a Wal-Mart store that night. A security camera recorded him spreading out a large amount of cash while making a purchase.
On January 22, 2024, Perrin rode his bike to a Washington Trust Bank branch located at 27 E. Indiana Avenue in Spokane. Perrin entered the bank wearing a blond wig. Perrin handed the teller a small bag and told the teller to put money in the bag. Perrin also warned the teller he had a gun and “not to do anything stupid,” while he pointed at a lump in his jacket. The teller handed Perrin $2,000 in cash, and Perrin left the bank on his bike.
“For the people of Eastern Washington, their banks should be places of trust and security – not fear,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Rich Barker. “Mr. Perrin’s repeated acts of intimidation and theft put innocent employees and community members at risk. As today’s sentence makes clear, violent crime will not be tolerated in Eastern Washington, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue working alongside our federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement partners to hold offenders accountable and protect the safety if neighborhoods and communities in Spokane and throughout Eastern Washington.”
“Today we, together with our law enforcement partners, are holding Mr. Perrin responsible for stealing from three different federally insured financial institutions,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “We are grateful no one was hurt, but this kind of violent crime terrorizes our communities nonetheless and is completely unacceptable.”
“Today’s successful prosecution of Mr. Perrin is a testament to the strong partnership of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners and our commitment to keep our community safe,” stated Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels.
This case was investigated by the FBI Spokane Regional Safe Streets Task Force and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nowles Heinrich.
The Justice Department announced on Monday the successful conclusion of the United States’ agreement with the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) in Louisiana to end its pattern or practice of conducting arrests in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. After a thorough investigation, the United States found reasonable cause to believe that EPSO had unconstitutionally arrested and held people in jail without obtaining a warrant and without probable cause to believe the detained persons had committed a crime.
Under the 2018 agreement, EPSO made specific reforms to address the constitutional violations. EPSO developed policies, provided training, and improved adequate supervision to deputies to end the pattern or practice of unlawful seizures. EPSO also increased transparency by collecting and reporting data on its Fourth Amendment activities. Because EPSO has demonstrated full compliance with the agreement, the agreement is now terminated and the United States’ investigation is closed. The United States appreciates and acknowledges the effort and industry that EPSO committed to improve policing practices in Evangeline Parish.
The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 prohibits state and local governments from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct by law enforcement officers that deprives individuals of federally-protected rights. The Act also allows the Justice Department to remedy such misconduct through civil litigation.
To read the original press release announcing the findings of the investigation, click here. To read the report of the investigation, click here. To read the original EPSO Settlement Agreement, click here. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
CHICAGO — A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico on a drug conspiracy charge for allegedly manufacturing and distributing fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and other drugs and importing them into the United States.
According to an indictment returned Monday in the Northern District of Illinois, CEFERINO ESPINOZA ANGULO, 43, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Mexico, employed dozens of gunmen in Mexico to protect and support the leadership of the Guzman faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, including Ivan Guzman-Salazar, Jesus Alfredo Guzman-Salazar, Ovidio Guzman-Lopez, and Joaquin Guzman-Lopez, collectively known as “the Chapitos.” The indictment alleges that Espinoza Angulo worked with others to obtain fentanyl precursor chemicals and to manufacture fentanyl for importation into the United States. Espinoza Angulo allegedly worked with others to transport the fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and ecstasy toward the U.S. border for importation into the country. The indictment accuses Espinoza Angulo of illegally using a machine gun in furtherance of his drug trafficking crime.
The Chapitos are the sons of Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as “El Chapo,” who led the Sinaloa Cartel before being convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn, N.Y., and sentenced to life in prison. The Chapitos allegedly assumed their father’s role as leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. The Chapitos have been charged with drug trafficking in other U.S. indictments.
The indictment against Espinoza Angulo charges him with drug conspiracy and a firearm offense, which are punishable by a maximum sentence of life in federal prison and a minimum of 30 years. Espinoza Angulo is believed to be residing in Mexico. A U.S. warrant has been issued for his arrest.
The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Antoinette T. Bacon, Supervisory Official of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Tara K. McGrath, United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, and Chad Yarbrough, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations Field Offices in Arizona and Spokane, Wash.; DEA Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit; FBI Field Offices in Washington, San Diego, and Los Angeles; and the Portland, Ore. Police Bureau, Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit, HIDTA Interdiction Taskforce. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle J. Parthum and Andrew C. Erskine of the Northern District of Illinois, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Sutton of the Southern District of California, and Trial Attorney Kirk Handrich of the Criminal Division’s Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Section at the Justice Department.
The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug trafficking organizations and other criminal networks that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local enforcement agencies.
“Our nation’s fentanyl crisis has devastated individuals and families in northern Illinois and throughout the country,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual. “Our office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt the production and trafficking of fentanyl and other dangerous narcotics before they can reach more victims.”
“As alleged, the defendant conspired to traffic dangerous drugs, including fentanyl, into the United States — and employed dozens of gunmen to protect his drug trafficking operation and the leadership of the Guzman faction of the Sinaloa Cartel,” said Supervisory Official Bacon. “Stopping Mexican cartels from poisoning our communities with fentanyl and other narcotics is a top priority of this Administration. Today’s indictment demonstrates that the Criminal Division is relentless in its pursuit of the drug traffickers who profit at the expense of the American people.”
“From San Diego to Chicago to D.C., we are united to bring down the traffickers pushing these poisons into American communities,” said U.S. Attorney McGrath. “We are attacking at every level — from street dealers to cartel leaders.”
“This indictment reinforces the FBI’s unwavering commitment to hold accountable those who endanger our communities and traffic violence and drugs across our borders,” said Assistant Director Yarbrough. “Let this serve as a clear message: if you engage in cartel activity, we will pursue you and bring you to justice. Together with our law enforcement partners at every level, we remain fully committed to protecting the American people and stopping the flow of these dangerous drugs into our nation.”
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
ST. LOUIS – U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming announced today that the Eastern District of Missouri collected $23.5 million in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2024. Of this amount, $11 million was collected in criminal actions and $12.5 million was collected in civil actions.
Additionally, the Eastern District of Missouri worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect $16.9 million in cases pursued jointly by these offices, the majority of which was collected in civil actions.
Among the civil settlements were two cases involving allegations of false claims for medical services. Total Access Urgent Care (TAUC) paid $9.1 million and a Festus pain management doctor, Dr. Nehal Modh paid $1.2 million.
Nearly $1 million of the total collected in criminal actions came from a continuing case against two Jefferson County chiropractors who aided their clients in committing disability fraud. So far, 27 patients have pleaded guilty and been ordered to repay their fraudulently-obtained disability payments. The chiropractors are currently in prison, and have also been ordered to pay restitution.
More than $880,000 was recovered in fiscal year 2024 from the garnishment of the retirement accounts belonging to two doctors who pleaded guilty in separate criminal cases. About $628,000 was recovered from Dr. Amy Swegan, who admitted accepting kickbacks from telemedicine companies involved in a nationwide fraud scheme. Nearly $255,000 was collected from Dr. Ashu Joshi, who distributed child pornography involving the daughter of a former patient.
“These cases show that our Financial Litigation Unit will aggressively pursue restitution for victims and taxpayers, even if it takes years after a case is resolved,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming.
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s office, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $5.6 million in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2024. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.
BOSTON – A Boston woman was sentenced in federal court in Boston for a scheme to fraudulently obtain pandemic-related relief funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Jameela Gross, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to time served (one day) to be followed by three years of supervised release. Gross has also been ordered to pay $18,750 in restitution. In September 2024, Gross pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Gross was arrested in February 2024 along with over 40 Heath Street Gang members/associates, who were charged with racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking, firearms charges and financial frauds, including COVID-related fraud.
Among other relief programs, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act created the PPP, a temporary loan program directed at small businesses. PPP loans were processed and funded by participating lenders and guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration. If the small business used the loan funds for permissible expenses, the loan could be forgiven.
In April 2021, Gross submitted a fraudulent PPP loan application on behalf of her purported photography business. The application contained multiple false statements, including false representations regarding the fictitious business’s income in 2020 and the purpose of the loan. Gross also submitted false tax records in support of her loan application. Based on the fraudulent application, Gross received approximately $18,750.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Hoefle and Lucy Sun of the Criminal Division 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.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
BOSTON – A Fall River woman pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to stealing Social Security benefits intended for her child.
Nancy Taylor, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of public funds. Chief U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for May 12, 2025. Taylor was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024.
From May 2016 through May 2022, Taylor embezzled approximately $86,994.58 in Social Security benefits that were intended for her minor child. In August 2014, when Taylor applied to receive benefits on behalf of her child as a representative payee, the Social Security Administration (SSA) informed her of her obligation to notify SSA if her child left her custody. However, Taylor did not notify SSA when she lost custody of her child in May 2016. Instead, Taylor called SSA in October 2021 to update contact information for the child so that she could continue receiving her child’s benefits. Further, in June 2022, Taylor visited an SSA field office to reactivate her receipt of her child’s benefits and provided two fraudulent forms claiming that her child still lived with her and that she spent all the Social Security benefits she received for her child’s care. In reality, Taylor used the vast majority of the stolen funds to pay her own bills.
The charge of theft of public funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
As cryptocurrency investment fraud scams blanket the nation, causing unprecedented financial and psychological hardship to tens of thousands of Americans, the FBI is stepping up with a hands-on measure to protect the public.
Operation Level Up is a proactive initiative to identify and notify victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud. Using sophisticated techniques, the FBI identifies victims who are actively being defrauded and promptly intervenes by contacting those victims.
Since the start of Operation Level Up over a year ago, the FBI has notified more than 4,300 victims spanning all 50 states. Of these victims, 76 percent were not aware they were being scammed. Through these notification efforts, the FBI has saved victims more than $285 million.
“The FBI is committed to protecting citizens from cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes,” said FBI Criminal Investigative Division Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough. “Unfortunately, we continue to see these scams grow and evolve every day. It doesn’t matter where the subjects are—we will use every tool at our disposal to stop them from targeting U.S. citizens. By raising awareness, we can prevent countless people from losing their savings and send a clear message to criminals that these schemes will not be tolerated.”
Cryptocurrency investment frauds are elaborate schemes that often involve unsolicited online contact, a long period of trust building, fake investment opportunities, and a false sense of urgency to send money, perpetrated by individuals typically located overseas who target victims in the United States.
In Operation Level Up, specially trained FBI and U.S. Secret Service Agents are contacting victims directly to prevent further victimization and financial loss. Agents also explain how these crimes work and how to avoid them in the future, outline how to file a report with federal law enforcement, and provide access to mental health and other resources to assist with the impacts of these crimes.
In numerous instances, victims told the FBI that the notification stopped them from liquidating their entire retirement accounts, selling their homes, or taking out costly loans to continue investing in fake cryptocurrency applications. Due to the profound emotional toll these scams can have, dozens of victims contacted through Operation Level Up were referred to the FBI Victim Services Division and provided direct support and lifesaving measures.
The FBI also works through our legal attaché offices located around the world to collaborate with international law enforcement partners and share hundreds of foreign victims identified through Operation Level Up for intervention. Information about illicit applications, websites, and social media accounts are also collected from victims and shared with technology companies for their awareness.
Below are some tips to help protect yourself from these scams:
Do not release any financial or personal identifying information and do not send any money to someone you met online.
Do not invest solely based on the advice of someone you met online.
Do not download or use any unfamiliar applications or click on any links sent to you by someone you met online.
Do not pay any additional fees or taxes to withdraw money you have invested in a potential scheme.
Do not pay for services that claim to be able to recover lost funds, as these are often scams as well.
The FBI knows some individuals involved in criminal activity may try to discourage victims from heeding our warnings. It’s important to stay vigilant and cautious if someone advises you to disregard communications from the FBI or provides you with instructions on how to respond to the FBI.
The FBI is launching this public awareness campaign to educate the public, so no one falls victim to these fast-evolving schemes. We also want the public to have information readily available in case they are contacted by the FBI.
If an FBI agent contacts you via phone or email, the FBI will never ask for money, or ask to move communications to private messaging applications, or request bank account details or personal identifying information, other than confirming your identity with information already possessed. When they call or email, agents will provide you with methods you can use to confirm they are truly FBI agents. When in doubt, visit or call your local FBI field office for further clarification.
If you think you may be a potential victim, you should stop sending money immediately and file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
For more information about Operation Level Up and what to look out for, please visit fbi.gov/levelup and fbi.gov/scams.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
Protecting and preventing
Prevention and education are the keys to stopping these scammers. We know that some victims are reluctant to trust unsolicited warnings when they are initially contacted by the FBI. When victims receive these calls, FBI agents will offer ways to confirm their identities. The FBI will never ask you for your personally identifying information, for money, or to move your assets to a new account.
The FBI also knows some individuals involved in criminal activity may try to discourage victims from heeding our warnings. It’s important to stay vigilant and cautious if someone advises you to disregard communications from the FBI or provides you with instructions on how to respond to the FBI.
Operation Level Up outreach also helps the FBI gather additional leads and information about the criminals perpetrating these frauds. In addition to warning and helping victims, the FBI is pursuing a multi-pronged investigative approach to address the financial, infrastructure, and organized crime components operating the schemes.
The FBI will continue to work with domestic and international partners to identify, target, and disrupt criminal organizations facilitating these cryptocurrency confidence fraud schemes. In addition, the FBI shares illicit domains and accounts identified by Operation Level Up with the private sector so they can take any action they deem appropriate.
As part of National Apprenticeship Week 2025, the Apprenticeship Team at Coventry City Council hosted more than 25 employers for a School Apprenticeship Show.
The event held this week at Coventry Rugby Club brought together over 300 students.
Severn Trent, Coventry University, BUUK infrastructure, Land Rover and West Midlands Police were just a few of the organisations promoting the wealth of apprenticeship opportunities available.
The show provided an invaluable platform for young people to explore career pathways, engage with employers, and gain insights into how apprenticeships can be a direct route into skilled employment.
Employers from sectors such as construction, healthcare, digital, engineering, and the public sector were on hand to share information, answer questions, and inspire the next generation of apprentices.
Cllr Richard Brown, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources at the Council, said: “I’m really pleased that our own apprenticeship team is helping to bring together so many great organisations and so many young people.
“Events like this are such a great way to highlight the different career options that apprenticeships can be the springboard to.”
Zak Bhana, Apprenticeship and Career Pathways Advisor, at Coventry City Council, said: “The event was a real success. It was great to see so many Coventry-based employers getting involved and informing students about the different apprenticeship career pathways they have available.
“Apprenticeships provide fantastic opportunities for young people to earn while they learn, and this event highlighted just how many options there are locally.”
The Apprenticeship Show aligns with the Council’s commitment to supporting young people into meaningful careers and ensuring local businesses can connect with the talent they need.
A huge thank you to all the employers, students, and schools who took part in making this event such a success. If you’d like to find out more about apprenticeships in Coventry, please visit our Apprenticeships Hub or contact the team at coventry.gov.uk/apprenticeships
A New York man pleaded guilty yesterday in the Northern District of Georgia for his role in a scheme to defraud investors in connection with two commercial real estate investments.
According to court documents, Elchonon “Elie” Schwartz, 46, of New York City, engaged in a scheme to defraud investors who sought to invest in commercial real estate through the crowdfunding commercial real estate investing website CrowdStreet Marketplace (CrowdStreet). Beginning May 2022, Schwartz solicited investments through CrowdStreet for a large commercial real estate complex in Atlanta and ultimately raised approximately $54 million from about 654 investors. Beginning in November 2022, Schwartz solicited investments again through CrowdStreet in connection with a mixed-use building in Miami Beach, Florida, and ultimately raised approximately $8.8 million from about 167 investors. In total, Schwartz raised approximately $62.8 million from investors through CrowdStreet.
As part of the investment solicitation process, Schwartz executed agreements that stated, in part, that the funds raised from CrowdStreet investors would be held in segregated bank accounts controlled by Schwartz. In the documentation provided to CrowdStreet investors, Schwartz represented that he would only use the investors’ money to fund the investment in each property and that he had a fiduciary duty to safeguard the funds and to prohibit commingling or use of the money that did not benefit each investment.
Contrary to these representations, however, Schwartz misappropriated and converted the CrowdStreet investor funds for his own use. Schwartz directed substantially all the CrowdStreet investor money into his personal bank, personal brokerage account, and accounts for unrelated commercial real estate investments he controlled. For example, Schwartz used the CrowdStreet investor funds to purchase luxury watches, to invest in stocks and options in his brokerage account, and to pay for payroll expenses for his unrelated commercial real estate businesses. Ultimately, in mid-July 2023, the two corporate entities that Schwartz had formed to receive funds from CrowdStreet investors both filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Schwartz pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 19 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr. for the Northern District of Georgia, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Sean Burke of the FBI Atlanta Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Atlanta Field Office investigated the case. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement provided valuable assistance in the investigation.
Trial Attorney Matthew F. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Connors for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys David O’Neal and Christopher Huber for the Northern District of Georgia provided substantial assistance with the investigation and prosecution.
Following Governor Youngkin’s November announcement, Early Adopter Program Launches in Virginia, Highly Anticipated Defense Tech Drones, Body Cameras, AI Integration and International Expansion to Follow
This news follows: Wrap Technologies Launches Go-Forward Strategy, Advancing End-to-End Public Safety and Defense Solutions with New Virginia Facility
NORTON, Va., Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Wrap Technologies (NASDAQ: WRAP) (“Wrap” or, the “Company”) today announced the launch of its highly anticipated Managed Safety and Response (MSR) Connected Ecosystem in Virginia, with the aim of delivering a modern approach for law enforcement training, defensive tactics and real-time safety solutions. With past vocal support of Governor Glenn Youngkin and Virginia’s public safety institutions, Wrap hopes to establish the Commonwealth as a leader in next-generation policing solutions.
As early adopters, Virginia agencies will be the first to benefit from Wrap’s integrated approach, which combines enhanced training, automated support systems and a scalable ecosystem designed to seamlessly integrate follow-on technologies.
The Company is evolving to meet agency demand for integrated service delivery of disparate support technologies and embedded recurring training. This approach will see Wrap invest in a core group of world-class professional services leaders and then digitize value delivery through AI-powered workflows, ensuring exemplary customer satisfaction in its MSR service.
This announcement highlights Wrap’s strategic vision for the future of public safety, including:
A TAA-compliant, NON-Chinese supply chain for body cameras, aiming to ensure secure and reliable technology for law enforcement agencies advancing a first-in-class Made in America supply chain.
Newly Developed AI-powered reporting, leveraging body-worn camera audio to instantly generate high-quality, detailed incident reports—with the goal of reducing administrative workload and increasing accuracy.
The upcoming launch of a Drone as First Responder (DFR) program, featuring advanced payloads that enhance situational awareness, rapid response, and officer safety.
Advanced Defensive Tactics & Training – structured follow-on actions after BolaWrap deployment, aiming to ensure proper de-escalation techniques.
Connected Training, including in-person officer instruction and an exclusive video training library designed to coach officers in BolaWrap de-escalation approaches that align with today’s modern safety standards.
Comprehensive VR Training Expansion – all of our de-escalation scenarios are now included in Wrap’s immersive VR training system with opportunities for custom environment development.
Scot Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, stated: “We’ve listened to our customers. We heard their concerns and understood the challenges of adopting technologies due to complexity and lack of resources. Wrap is addressing this pain point by aiming to deliver a trusted, fully managed service that consolidates fragmented technologies into a cohesive solution. We believe our first-in-class MSR Connected Ecosystem simplifies adoption, reduces operational burden, and exceeds current market offerings thereby ensuring agencies have the tools, training, and support needed to enhance officer safety and effectiveness.”
Wrap is deeply committed to supporting law enforcement by delivering innovative, practical, and effective solutions that focus on officer safety, improving public trust, and streamlining operations. Wrap recognizes the challenges agencies face in adopting new technologies, integrating disparate tools, and ensuring officers receive the training and resources needed to operate effectively in the field.
Wrap’s MSR Connected Ecosystem is designed to bridge these gaps, which we believe provides a seamless, scalable, and intelligent platform that empowers officers to make better decisions, reduce risk, and enhance de-escalation efforts. By prioritizing trust, reliability, and continuous support, Wrap is dedicated to delivering cutting-edge solutions that truly serve those who protect and serve.
Governor Youngkin’s support to relocate Wrap’s facility to Southwest Virginia indicates alignment for this expansion to leverage innovative technologies that enhance public safety. By integrating advanced solutions like the MSR Connected Ecosystem, the Commonwealth aims to set a new standard in law enforcement practices, ensuring safer communities for all Virginians.
The MSR Connected Ecosystem is designed to reduce cognitive load and simplify decision-making in critical moments, transforming the way officers operate in the field. Wrap is advancing law enforcement capabilities by delivering fully managed safety services alongside essential response tools like BolaWrap, ensuring officers have the support they need when it matters most.
To learn more about Wrap Technologies and the Managed Safety and Response Connected Ecosystem, visit www.Wrap.com.
About Wrap Technologies, Inc.
Wrap Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: WRAP) is a leading global provider of advanced public safety solutions, integrating ultramodern technology, cutting-edge tools, and comprehensive services to address the complex, modern day challenges facing public safety organizations around the world. Guided by a no-harm principle, Wrap is dedicated to developing groundbreaking solutions that empower public safety agencies to safeguard the communities they serve in a manner that fosters stronger relationships, driving safer outcomes, empowering public safety and communities to move forward together.
Wrap’s BolaWrap® solution encompasses an innovative and patented hand-held remote restraint device, strategically engineered with Wrap’s no-harm guiding principle to proactively deter escalation by deploying a Kevlar® tether that safely restrains individuals from a distance. Combined with BolaWrap® training, certified by the esteemed International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST), Wrap enables officers from over 1000 agencies across the U.S. and 60 countries around the world, with the expertise to effectively use BolaWrap® as an early intervention measure, mitigating potential risks and injuries, averting tragic outcomes, with the goal to save lives with each wrap.
Wrap Reality™, the Company’s advanced virtual reality training system, is a fully immersive training simulator and comprehensive public safety training platform that equips first responders with the discipline and practice to prevent escalation, de-escalate conflicts, and apply appropriate tactical use-of-force measures to better perform in the field. By offering a growing range of real-life scenarios, Wrap Reality™ addresses the dynamic nature of modern law enforcement situations for positive public safety outcomes, building safer communities one decision at a time.
Wrap’s Intrensic solution is a comprehensive, secure and efficient body worn camera and evidence collection and management solution designed with innovative technology to quickly capture, safely handle, securely store, and seamlessly track evidence, all while maintaining full transparency throughout the process. With meticulous consolidation and professional management of evidence, confidence in law enforcement and the justice system soars, fostering trust and reliability in court outcomes. Intrensic’s efficient system streamlines the entire process seamlessly, empowering all public safety providers to focus on what matters, expediting justice with integrity.
Wrap, the Wrap logo, BolaWrap®, Wrap Reality™ and Wrap Training Academy are trademarks of Wrap Technologies, Inc., some of which are registered in the U.S. and abroad. All other trade names used herein are either trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective holders.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements – Safe Harbor Statement This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “should”, “believe”, “target”, “project”, “goals”, “estimate”, “potential”, “predict”, “may”, “will”, “could”, “intend”, and variations of these terms or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Moreover, forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond the Company’s control. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including but not limited to: the Company’s ability to maintain compliance with the Nasdaq Capital Market’s listing standards; the Company’s ability to successfully implement training programs for the use of its products; the Company’s ability to manufacture and produce products for its customers; the Company’s ability to develop sales for its products; the market acceptance of existing and future products; the availability of funding to continue to finance operations; the complexity, expense and time associated with sales to law enforcement and government entities; the lengthy evaluation and sales cycle for the Company’s product solutions; product defects; litigation risks from alleged product-related injuries; risks of government regulations; the business impact of health crises or outbreaks of disease, such as epidemics or pandemics; the impact resulting from geopolitical conflicts and any resulting sanctions; the ability to obtain export licenses for counties outside of the United States; the ability to obtain patents and defend intellectual property against competitors; the impact of competitive products and solutions; and the Company’s ability to maintain and enhance its brand, as well as other risk factors mentioned in the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release and were based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections as well as the beliefs and assumptions of management. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or changes in its expectations.
ATHENS, Greece, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — IMPERIAL PETROLEUM INC. (NASDAQ: IMPP, the “Company”), a ship-owning company providing petroleum products, crude oil and dry bulk seaborne transportation services, announced today its unaudited financial and operating results for the fourth quarter and twelve months ended December 31, 2024.
OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Fleet operational utilization of 86.0% in Q4 24’ versus 68.5% in Q4 23’.
Almost 180% increase in Q4 24’ time charter days compared to Q4 23’, as two of our product tankers and one newly acquired bulk carrier were under time charter (“TC”) employment for the whole period.
For the 12M 24’ period our operational utilization was 78.3%. 69% of our fleet calendar days were dedicated to spot activity, while 29% to time charter activity.
Delivery of the product tanker, Clean Imperial on January 10, 2025. With this vessel addition, our tanker fleet totals nine ships.
Revenues of $26.2 million in Q4 24’ compared to $29.9 million in Q4 23’, representing a 12.4% decline due primarily to decreased spot market rates.
Net income of $3.9 million in Q4 24’ compared to $6.5 million in Q4 23’. In Q4 24’ we incurred a $3.3 million foreign exchange loss.
Cash and cash equivalents including time deposits of $206.7 million as of December 31, 2024, compared to $124.0 million as of December 31, 2023, representing a 66.7% increase.
For the 12M 24’ period our net income was $50.2 million, while our operating cash flow amounted to $77.7 million.
Recurring profitability and a debt-free capital structure facilitate robust cash flow generation and low breakeven points.
Fourth Quarter 2024 Results:
Revenues for the three months ended December 31, 2024 amounted to $26.2 million, a decrease of $3.7 million, or 12.4%, compared to revenues of $29.9 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to a decrease in the spot market rates.
Voyage expenses and vessels’ operating expenses fo r the three months ended December 31, 2024 were $8.5 million and $6.7 million, respectively, compared to $13.8 million and $5.7 million, respectively, for the three months ended December 31, 2023. The $5.3 million decrease in voyage expenses is mainly attributed to increased time charter activity leading to a decline of spot days by 10.3%. The decline in spot days along with the decrease in the Suez Canal transits compared to the same period of last year, led to decreased bunker consumption by 15.6% and lower port expenses by 44.9%. The $1.0 million increase in vessels’ operating expenses is primarily due to the increased size of our fleet by an average of 2.0 vessels between the two periods.
Drydocking costs for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were $0.2 million and $2.5 million, respectively. This decrease is due to the fact that during the three months ended December 31, 2024, no vessel underwent drydocking and charges related only to a drydocking which took place at the end of the third quarter of 2024, while one of our suezmax tankers and one of our handysize dry vessels underwent drydocking in the fourth quarter of last year.
General and administrative costs for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were $1.0 million and $1.2 million, respectively. This change is mainly attributed to the decrease in stock-based compensation costs.
Depreciation for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was $4.5 million and $3.5 million, respectively. The change is attributable to the increase in the average number of vessels in our fleet.
Management fees for each of the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were $0.4 million.
Interest and finance costs for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were $0.3 million and $0.01 million, respectively. The $0.3 million of costs for the three months ended December 31, 2024 relate mainly to accrued interest expense – related party in connection with the $14.0 million, part of the acquisition price of our bulk carrier, Neptulus, which is payable by May 2025.
Interest income for the three months ended December 31, 2024 was $2.3 million as compared to $2.0 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023. The $0.3 million increase is mainly attributed to a higher amount of funds placed under time deposits.
Foreign exchange gain/(loss) for the three months ended December 31, 2024 was a loss of $3.3 million as compared to a gain of $1.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023. The $3.3 million foreign exchange loss for the three months ended December 31, 2024, is mainly attributed to the decline in the euro/dollar exchange rate and to the higher amount of funds placed under time deposits in euro.
As a result of the above, for the three months ended December 31, 2024, the Company reported net income of $3.9 million, compared to net income of $6.5 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023. Dividends paid on Series A Preferred Shares amounted to $0.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2024. The weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding, basic, for the three months ended December 31, 2024 was 32.7 million. Earnings per share, basic and diluted, for the three months ended December 31, 2024 amounted to $0.10 and $0.10, respectively, compared to loss per share, basic and diluted, of $0.02 and $0.02, respectively, for the three months ended December 31, 2023.
Adjusted net income1 was $4.6 million corresponding to an Adjusted EPS1, basic of $0.12 for the three months ended December 31, 2024 compared to an Adjusted net income of $7.2 million corresponding to an Adjusted EPS, basic, of $0.01 for the same period of last year.
EBITDA1 for the three months ended December 31, 2024 amounted to $6.4 million, while Adjusted EBITDA1 for the three months ended December 31, 2024 amounted to $7.1 million.
An average of 11.0 vessels were owned by the Company during the three months ended December 31, 2024 compared to 9.0 vessels for the same period of 2023.
Twelve months 2024 Results:
Revenues for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 amounted to $147.5 million, representing a decrease of $36.2 million, or 19.7%, compared to revenues of $183.7 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to softer market spot rates. As of the end of 2024, daily spot market rates were about $22,000 for standard product tankers versus $33,000 as of the end of the same period of 2023 and $30,000 for standard suezmax tankers as opposed to $60,000 as of the end of the same period of 2023.
Voyage expenses and vessels’ operating expenses for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 were $52.0 million and $26.4 million, respectively, compared to $62.5 million and $25.6 million, respectively, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023. The $10.5 million decrease in voyage expenses is mainly attributed to a reduction in port expenses due to decreased transits through the Suez Canal and a decrease in voyage commissions resulting from lower market rates and consequently softer revenue generation. The $0.8 million increase in vessels’ operating expenses was primarily due to the increase in the average number of vessels.
Drydocking costs for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were $1.7 million and $6.6 million, respectively. This decrease is due to the fact that during the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 two tanker vessels underwent drydocking, while in the same period of last year three of our product tankers, one of our suezmax tankers and two of our drybulk carriers underwent drydocking.
General and administrative costs for each of the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were $4.9 million.
Depreciation for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 was $17.0 million, a $1.4 million increase from $15.6 million for the same period of last year, mainly due to the depreciation of the vessels added in the fleet during 2024.
Management fees for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were $1.7 million and $1.6 million, respectively. The increase of $0.1 million is attributable to the slight increase in the average number of vessels in our fleet.
Other operating income for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 was $1.9 million and related to the collection of a claim in connection with repairs undertaken in prior years.
Net loss on sale of vessel/ Net gain on sale of vessel – related party for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 was a loss of $1.6 million and related to the sale of the Aframax tanker Gstaad Grace II to a third party whereas net gain on sale of vessel for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 was $8.2 million and related to the sale of the Aframax tanker Afrapearl II (ex. Stealth Berana) to C3is Inc., a related party.
Impairment loss for the twelve months period ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 stood at nil and $9.0 million, and related to the spin-off of two drybulk carriers to C3is Inc. in 2023. The decline of drybulk vessels’ fair values, at the time of the spin off, compared to one year before when these vessels were acquired resulted in the incurrence of impairment loss.
Interest and finance costs for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were $0.4 million and $1.8 million, respectively. The $0.4 million of costs for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 relate mainly to accrued interest expense – related party in connection with the $14.0 million, part of the acquisition price of our bulk carrier, Neptulus, which is payable by May 2025. The $1.8 million of costs for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 related mainly to $1.3 million of interest charges incurred up to the full repayment of all outstanding loans concluded in April 2023 along with the full amortization of $0.5 million of loan related charges following the repayment of the Company’s outstanding debt.
Interest income for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was $8.3 million and $5.8 million, respectively. The increase is mainly attributed to the interest earned from the time deposits held by the Company as well as the interest income – related party for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 in connection with the $38.7 million of the sale price of the Aframax tanker Afrapearl II (ex. Stealth Berana) which was received in July 2024.
As a result of the above, the Company reported net income for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 of $50.2 million, compared to a net income of $71.1 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023. The weighted average number of shares outstanding, basic, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 was 29.9 million. Earnings per share, basic and diluted, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 amounted to $1.54 and $1.40, respectively, compared to earnings per share, basic and diluted, of $3.22 and $2.93 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023.
Adjusted Net Income was $55.1 million corresponding to an Adjusted EPS, basic of $1.70 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 compared to adjusted net income of $74.4 million, corresponding to an Adjusted EPS, basic of $3.39 for the same period of last year.
EBITDA for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 amounted to $59.2 million while Adjusted EBITDA for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 amounted to $64.2 million.
An average of 10.4 vessels were owned by the Company during the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 compared to 10.0 vessels for the same period of 2023.
As of December 31, 2024, cash and cash equivalents including time deposits amounted to $206.7 million and total bank debt amounted to nil.
1 EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS are non-GAAP measures. Refer to the reconciliation of these measures to the most directly comparable financial measure in accordance with GAAP set forth later in this release. Reconciliations of Adjusted Net Income, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income are set forth below.
Fleet Employment Table
As of February 13, 2025, the profile and deployment of our fleet is the following:
Name
Year Built
Country Built
Vessel Size (dwt)
Vessel Type
Employment Status
Expiration of Charter(1)
Tankers
Magic Wand
2008
Korea
47,000
MR product tanker
Spot
Clean Thrasher
2008
Korea
47,000
MR product tanker
Time Charter
May 2025
Clean Sanctuary (ex. Falcon Maryam)
2009
Korea
46,000
MR product tanker
Spot
Clean Nirvana
2008
Korea
50,000
MR product tanker
Spot
Clean Justice
2011
Japan
46,000
MR product tanker
Time Charter
August 2027
Aquadisiac
2008
Korea
51,000
MR product tanker
Spot
Clean Imperial
2009
Korea
40,000
MR product tanker
Time Charter
January 2026
Suez Enchanted
2007
Korea
160,000
Suezmax tanker
Spot
Suez Protopia
2008
Korea
160,000
Suezmax tanker
Spot
Drybulk Carriers(2)
Eco Wildfire
2013
Japan
33,000
Handysize drybulk
Time Charter
February 2025
Glorieuse
2012
Japan
38,000
Handysize drybulk
Time Charter
February 2025
Neptulus
2012
Japan
33,000
Handysize drybulk
Time Charter
March 2025
Fleet Total
751,000 dwt
(1) Earliest date charters could expire. (2) We have contracted to acquire seven Japanese built drybulk carriers, aggregating approximately 443,000 dwt, which are expected to be delivered to us between February 2025 and May 2025.
CEOHarry Vafias Commented
For yet another year Imperial Petroleum demonstrated exceptional results; we continued to be consistent with profitability, cash flow generation and fleet growth across the quarters. Market conditions in 2024 were somewhat softer than 2023 when tanker rates oscillated around all time high levels. Nevertheless, our debt free fleet of eleven vessels managed to generate $50 million of profit and maintain an enviable cash base of $207 million. In the period ahead our key focus is to materialize our already announced fleet growth plans, sustain our profitable momentum and as always, seek opportunities to enhance the value of our Company.
Conference Call details:
On February 13, 2025 at 10:00 am ET, the company’s management will host a conference call to discuss the results and the company’s operations and outlook.
Online Registration:
Conference call participants should pre-register using the below link to receive the dial-in numbers and a personal PIN, which are required to access the conference call.
There will also be a live and then archived webcast of the conference call, through the IMPERIAL PETROLEUM INC. website (www.ImperialPetro.com). Participants to the live webcast should register on the website approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the webcast.
About IMPERIAL PETROLEUM INC.
IMPERIAL PETROLEUM INC. is a ship-owning company providing petroleum products, crude oil and drybulk seaborne transportation services. The Company owns a total of twelve vessels on the water – seven M.R. product tankers, two suezmax tankers and three handysize drybulk carriers – with a total capacity of 751,000 deadweight tons (dwt), and has contracted to acquire an additional seven drybulk carriers of 443,000 dwt aggregate capacity. Following these deliveries, the Company’s fleet will count a total of 19 vessels. IMPERIAL PETROLEUM INC.’s shares of common stock and 8.75% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market and trade under the symbols “IMPP” and “IMPPP,” respectively.
Forward-Looking Statements
Matters discussed in this release may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance and may include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, management’s examination of historical operating trends, data contained in our records and other data available from third parties. Although IMPERIAL PETROLEUM INC. believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond our control, IMPERIAL PETROLEUM INC. cannot assure you that it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. Important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies and currencies, geopolitical conditions, including any trade disruptions resulting from tariffs imposed by the United States or other countries, general market conditions, including changes in charter hire rates and vessel values, charter counterparty performance, changes in demand that may affect attitudes of time charterers to scheduled and unscheduled drydockings, changes in IMPERIAL PETROLEUM INC’s operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, ability to obtain financing and comply with covenants in our financing arrangements, actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, domestic and international political conditions, the conflict in Ukraine and related sanctions, the conflicts in the Middle East, potential disruption of shipping routes due to ongoing attacks by Houthis in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden or accidents and political events or acts by terrorists.
Risks and uncertainties are further described in reports filed by IMPERIAL PETROLEUM INC. with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Fleet List and Fleet Deployment For information on our fleet and further information: Visit our website at www.ImperialPetro.com
Company Contact: Fenia Sakellaris IMPERIAL PETROLEUM INC. E-mail: info@ImperialPetro.com
Fleet Data: The following key indicators highlight the Company’s operating performance during the periods ended December 31, 2023 and 2024.
FLEET DATA
Q4 2023
Q4 2024
12M 2023
12M 2024
Average number of vessels (1)
9.00
11.00
10.00
10.39
Period end number of owned vessels in fleet
9
11
9
11
Total calendar days for fleet (2)
828
1,012
3,650
3,801
Total voyage days for fleet (3)
789
1,010
3,481
3,700
Fleet utilization (4)
95.3
%
99.8
%
95.4
%
97.3
%
Total charter days for fleet (5)
160
446
1,058
1,092
Total spot market days for fleet (6)
629
564
2,423
2,608
Fleet operational utilization (7)
68.5
%
86.0
%
75.1
%
78.3
%
1) Average number of vessels is the number of owned vessels that constituted our fleet for the relevant period, as measured by the sum of the number of days each vessel was a part of our fleet during the period divided by the number of calendar days in that period. 2) Total calendar days for fleet are the total days the vessels we operated were in our possession for the relevant period including off-hire days associated with major repairs, drydockings or special or intermediate surveys. 3) Total voyage days for fleet reflect the total days the vessels we operated were in our possession for the relevant period net of off-hire days associated with major repairs, drydockings or special or intermediate surveys. 4) Fleet utilization is the percentage of time that our vessels were available for revenue generating voyage days, and is determined by dividing voyage days by fleet calendar days for the relevant period. 5) Total charter days for fleet are the number of voyage days the vessels operated on time or bareboat charters for the relevant period. 6) Total spot market charter days for fleet are the number of voyage days the vessels operated on spot market charters for the relevant period. 7) Fleet operational utilization is the percentage of time that our vessels generated revenue, and is determined by dividing voyage days excluding commercially idle days by fleet calendar days for the relevant period.
Reconciliation of Adjusted Net Income, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EPS:
Adjusted net income represents net income before impairment loss, net (gain)/loss on sale of vessel and share based compensation. EBITDA represents net income before interest and finance costs, interest income and depreciation. Adjusted EBITDA represents net income before interest and finance costs, interest income, depreciation, impairment loss, net (gain)/loss on sale of vessel and share based compensation. Adjusted EPS represents Adjusted net income attributable to common shareholders divided by the weighted average number of shares. EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted EPS are not recognized measurements under U.S. GAAP. Our calculation of EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted EPS may not be comparable to that reported by other companies in the shipping or other industries. In evaluating Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income and Adjusted EPS, you should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments in this presentation.
EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted EPS are included herein because they are a basis, upon which we and our investors assess our financial performance. They allow us to present our performance from period to period on a comparable basis and provide investors with a means of better evaluating and understanding our operating performance.
(Expressed in United States Dollars, except number of shares)
Third Quarter Ended December 31st,
Twelve Months Period Ended December 31st,
2023
2024
2023
2024
Net Income – Adjusted Net Income
Net income
6,463,943
3,917,661
71,134,002
50,157,772
Less/Plus net (gain)/loss on sale of vessel
—
—
(8,182,777
)
1,589,702
Plus impairment loss
—
—
8,996,023
—
Plus share based compensation
752,407
665,062
2,434,855
3,397,082
Adjusted Net Income
7,216,350
4,582,723
74,382,103
55,144,556
Net income – EBITDA
Net income
6,463,943
3,917,661
71,134,002
50,157,772
Plus interest and finance costs
11,139
276,622
1,821,908
398,320
Less interest income
(2,004,611
)
(2,268,975
)
(5,833,756
)
(8,305,517
)
Plus depreciation
3,485,073
4,466,447
15,629,116
16,991,900
EBITDA
7,955,544
6,391,755
82,751,270
59,242,475
Net income – Adjusted EBITDA
Net income
6,463,943
3,917,661
71,134,002
50,157,772
Less/Plus net (gain)/loss on sale of vessel
—
—
(8,182,777
)
1,589,702
Plus impairment loss
—
—
8,996,023
—
Plus share based compensation
752,407
665,062
2,434,855
3,397,082
Plus interest and finance costs
11,139
276,622
1,821,908
398,320
Less interest income
(2,004,611
)
(2,268,975
)
(5,833,756
)
(8,305,517
)
Plus depreciation
3,485,073
4,466,447
15,629,116
16,991,900
Adjusted EBITDA
8,707,951
7,056,817
85,999,371
64,229,259
EPS
Numerator
Net income
6,463,943
3,917,661
71,134,002
50,157,772
Less: Cumulative dividends on preferred shares
(462,225
)
(435,246
)
(2,130,254
)
(1,740,983
)
Less: Undistributed earnings allocated to non-vested shares
—
(122,899
)
(2,508,399
)
(2,311,172
)
Less: Deemed dividend from the conversion of the Series C Preferred Shares
(6,507,789
)
—
(6,507,789
)
—
Net (loss)/ income attributable to common shareholders, basic
(506,071
)
3,359,516
59,987,560
46,105,617
Denominator
Weighted average number of shares
23,566,153
32,729,505
18,601,539
29,933,920
EPS – Basic
(0.02
)
0.10
3.22
1.54
Adjusted EPS
Numerator
Adjusted net income
7,216,350
4,582,723
74,382,103
55,144,556
Less: Cumulative dividends on preferred shares
(462,225
)
(435,246
)
(2,130,254
)
(1,740,983
)
Less: Undistributed earnings allocated to non-vested shares
(12,908
)
(146,370
)
(2,638,768
)
(2,549,216
)
Less: Deemed dividend from the conversion of the Series C Preferred Shares
(6,507,789
)
—
(6,507,789
)
—
Adjusted net income attributable to common shareholders, basic
233,428
4,001,107
63,105,292
50,854,357
Denominator
Weighted average number of shares
23,566,153
32,729,505
18,601,539
29,933,920
Adjusted EPS, Basic
0.01
0.12
3.39
1.70
Imperial Petroleum Inc. Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Income (Expressed in United States Dollars, except for number of shares)
Quarters Ended December 31,
Twelve Month Periods Ended December 31,
2023
2024
2023
2024
Revenues
Revenues
29,881,814
26,211,665
183,725,820
147,479,980
Expenses
Voyage expenses
13,470,678
8,122,190
60,276,962
50,168,529
Voyage expenses – related party
348,535
338,262
2,253,979
1,856,361
Vessels’ operating expenses
5,541,258
6,561,878
25,295,851
26,044,734
Vessels’ operating expenses – related party
117,500
89,500
346,583
328,000
Drydocking costs
2,454,960
195,418
6,551,534
1,691,361
Management fees – related party
364,320
445,280
1,606,440
1,672,440
General and administrative expenses
1,173,120
994,777
4,934,468
4,894,070
Depreciation
3,485,073
4,466,447
15,629,116
16,991,900
Other operating income
—
—
—
(1,900,000
)
Impairment loss
—
—
8,996,023
—
Net gain on sale of vessel – related party
—
—
(8,182,777
)
—
Net loss on sale of vessel
—
—
—
1,589,702
Total expenses
26,955,444
21,213,752
117,708,179
103,337,097
Income from operations
2,926,370
4,997,913
66,017,641
44,142,883
Other (expenses)/income
Interest and finance costs
(11,139
)
(3,508
)
(1,821,908
)
(16,269
)
Interest expense – related party
—
(273,114
)
—
(382,051
)
Interest income
1,260,971
2,268,975
4,470,396
6,668,877
Interest income – related party
743,640
—
1,363,360
1,636,640
Dividend income from related party
191,667
191,667
404,167
762,500
Foreign exchange gain/(loss)
1,352,434
(3,264,272
)
700,346
(2,654,808
)
Other income/(expenses), net
3,537,573
(1,080,252
)
5,116,361
6,014,889
Net Income
6,463,943
3,917,661
71,134,002
50,157,772
Earnings per share
– Basic
(0.02
)
0.10
3.22
1.54
– Diluted
(0.02
)
0.10
2.93
1.40
Weighted average number of shares
-Basic
23,566,153
32,729,505
18,601,539
29,933,920
-Diluted
23,566,153
34,704,542
22,933,671
33,008,816
Imperial Petroleum Inc. Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheets (Expressed in United States Dollars)
December 31,
December 31,
2023
2024
Assets
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents
91,927,512
79,783,531
Time deposits
32,099,810
126,948,481
Receivables from related parties
37,906,821
—
Trade and other receivables
13,498,813
13,456,083
Other current assets
302,773
652,769
Inventories
7,291,123
7,306,356
Advances and prepayments
161,937
250,562
Total current assets
183,188,789
228,397,782
Non current assets
Operating lease right-of-use asset
—
78,761
Vessels, net
180,847,252
208,230,018
Investment in related party
12,798,500
12,798,500
Total non current assets
193,645,752
221,107,279
Total assets
376,834,541
449,505,061
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
Current liabilities
Trade accounts payable
8,277,118
5,243,872
Payable to related parties
2,324,334
18,725,514
Accrued liabilities
3,008,500
3,370,020
Operating lease liability, current portion
—
78,761
Deferred income
919,116
1,419,226
Total current liabilities
14,529,068
28,837,393
Total liabilities
14,529,068
28,837,393
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ equity
Common stock
332,573
382,755
Preferred Stock, Series A
7,959
7,959
Preferred Stock, Series B
160
160
Treasury stock
(5,885,727
)
(8,390,225
)
Additional paid-in capital
270,242,635
282,642,357
Retained earnings
97,607,873
146,024,662
Total stockholders’ equity
362,305,473
420,667,668
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
376,834,541
449,505,061
Imperial Petroleum Inc. Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Expressed in United States Dollars
Twelve Month Periods Ended December 31,
2023
2024
Cash flows from operating activities
Net income for the year
71,134,002
50,157,772
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash
provided by operating activities:
Depreciation
15,629,116
16,991,900
Amortization of deferred finance charges
474,039
—
Non – cash lease expense
62,609
71,237
Share based compensation
2,434,855
3,397,082
Impairment loss
8,996,023
—
Net gain on sale of vessel – related party
(8,182,777
)
—
Net loss on sale of vessel
—
1,589,702
Unrealized foreign exchange (gain)/loss on time deposits
(426,040
)
1,983,810
Dividend income from related party
(404,167
)
—
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
(Increase)/decrease in
Trade and other receivables
(6,477,912
)
42,730
Other current assets
(62,771
)
(349,996
)
Inventories
(1,908,513
)
(15,233
)
Changes in operating lease liabilities
(62,609
)
(71,237
)
Advances and prepayments
(181,990
)
(88,625
)
Due from related parties
(2,940,967
)
2,206,821
Increase/(decrease) in
Trade accounts payable
118,523
(2,173,926
)
Due to related parties
—
3,091,759
Accrued liabilities
1,383,841
361,520
Deferred income
(54,903
)
500,110
Net cash provided by operating activities
79,530,359
77,695,426
Cash flows from investing activities
Dividends income received
241,667
—
Proceeds from sale of vessel, net
3,865,890
41,153,578
Acquisition and improvement of vessels
(28,145,103
)
(74,672,266
)
Increase in bank time deposits
(167,501,480
)
(247,603,451
)
Maturity of bank time deposits
203,827,710
150,770,970
Proceeds from seller financing
—
35,700,000
Net cash provided by/(used in) investing activities
12,288,684
(94,651,169
)
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from exercise of stock options
—
475,000
Proceeds from equity offerings
29,070,586
—
Proceeds from warrants exercise
—
8,600,000
Stock issuance costs
(1,492,817
)
—
Issuance costs on warrants exercise
—
(22,178
)
Stock repurchase
(5,885,727
)
(2,504,498
)
Warrants repurchase
(1,521,738
)
—
Dividends paid on preferred shares
(2,130,254
)
(1,736,562
)
Loan repayments
(70,438,500
)
—
Cash retained by C3is Inc. at spin-off
(5,000,000
)
—
Net cash (used in)/provided by financing activities
(57,398,450
)
4,811,762
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
34,420,593
(12,143,981
)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year
57,506,919
91,927,512
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year
91,927,512
79,783,531
Cash breakdown
Cash and cash equivalents
91,927,512
79,783,531
Total cash and cash equivalents shown in the statements of cash flows
On February 6, 2025 at approximately 11:35 p.m., Humboldt RCMP received a report of an assault in a business parking lot in Humboldt, SK.
Officers responded along with local EMS. Investigation determined an adult male, who was armed with a machete, approached two other males in the parking lot. The two groups were not known to each other. During their interaction, one of the adult males was injured. The injured adult male was transported to hospital with injuries described as serious in nature. We do not have an update on his condition.
As a result of investigation, on February 7, officers located the adult male suspect in a parked vehicle on a rural property near Humboldt, SK. Officers approached the vehicle and determined the adult male was armed with a hatchet. The male threatened self-harm, also threatening police. Officers deployed a conducted energy device and the male was arrested. The male was taken to hospital with what were described as non-life threatening injuries.
48-year-old Dominic O’Rourke from Humboldt, SK is charged with:
one count, assault with a weapon, Section 267(a), Criminal Code;
one count, assault on peace officer with a weapon, Section 270.01(1)(a), Criminal Code; and
one count, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, Section 88(1), Criminal Code.
Dominic O’Rourke is scheduled to appear in court in Humboldt on March 3, 2025.
A New York man pleaded guilty yesterday in the Northern District of Georgia for his role in a scheme to defraud investors in connection with two commercial real estate investments.
According to court documents, Elchonon “Elie” Schwartz, 46, of New York City, engaged in a scheme to defraud investors who sought to invest in commercial real estate through the crowdfunding commercial real estate investing website CrowdStreet Marketplace (CrowdStreet). Beginning May 2022, Schwartz solicited investments through CrowdStreet for a large commercial real estate complex in Atlanta and ultimately raised approximately $54 million from about 654 investors. Beginning in November 2022, Schwartz solicited investments again through CrowdStreet in connection with a mixed-use building in Miami Beach, Florida, and ultimately raised approximately $8.8 million from about 167 investors. In total, Schwartz raised approximately $62.8 million from investors through CrowdStreet.
As part of the investment solicitation process, Schwartz executed agreements that stated, in part, that the funds raised from CrowdStreet investors would be held in segregated bank accounts controlled by Schwartz. In the documentation provided to CrowdStreet investors, Schwartz represented that he would only use the investors’ money to fund the investment in each property and that he had a fiduciary duty to safeguard the funds and to prohibit commingling or use of the money that did not benefit each investment.
Contrary to these representations, however, Schwartz misappropriated and converted the CrowdStreet investor funds for his own use. Schwartz directed substantially all the CrowdStreet investor money into his personal bank, personal brokerage account, and accounts for unrelated commercial real estate investments he controlled. For example, Schwartz used the CrowdStreet investor funds to purchase luxury watches, to invest in stocks and options in his brokerage account, and to pay for payroll expenses for his unrelated commercial real estate businesses. Ultimately, in mid-July 2023, the two corporate entities that Schwartz had formed to receive funds from CrowdStreet investors both filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Schwartz pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 19 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr. for the Northern District of Georgia, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Sean Burke of the FBI Atlanta Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Atlanta Field Office investigated the case. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement provided valuable assistance in the investigation.
Trial Attorney Matthew F. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Connors for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys David O’Neal and Christopher Huber for the Northern District of Georgia provided substantial assistance with the investigation and prosecution.
A London court has found Sam Kerr not guilty of the racially aggravated harassment of Metropolitan Police officer Stephen Lovell.
As captain of the Australian women’s national soccer team, Kerr was widely condemned when news broke she had used a “racial slur” against an officer during an altercation.
The high-profile incident sparked debate across the globe.
Initially, former Australian soccer player Craig Foster criticised Kerr’s behaviour before retracting it and publicly apologising to her.
Meanwhile, politicians and academics argued her comments did not amount to racism given the power dynamics at play: not only is Kerr of Indian descent, but official inquiries have found the Metropolitan Police to be institutionally racist.
Kerr has maintained she and her partner – United States’ women’s national team player Kristie Mewis – believed they were being kidnapped by a cab driver.
He refused to let them out of the cab after Kerr vomited, taking them to Twickenham police station instead of their destination.
There, Mewis broke the cab window in an attempt to get out of the vehicle.
At the station, Kerr reportedly appealed to officers to “understand the emergency that both of us felt”, referencing the 2021 abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a Metropolitan Police officer.
However, Kerr soon faced an allegation of racism after becoming distressed and antagonistic towards the officers.
Believing they were siding with the cab driver after forming negative preconceptions because of her skin colour, she repeated “you guys are stupid and white, you guys are fucking stupid and white”.
What are the legal ramifications in the UK?
Kerr pleaded not guilty to the offence of intentionally causing harassment, alarm, or distress to another by using threatening, abusive, or insulting words under Section 4A of the Public Order Act 1986, and to the racial aggravation of the offence per the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
She faced a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
Kerr accepted she used the words “fucking stupid and white”. But it still had to be proven she intended and caused harassment, alarm, or distress to Lovell and that the offence was racially motivated.
Initially, the Crown Prosecution Service concluded there was not enough evidence to charge Kerr.
But after receiving a request from the Metropolitan Police to review the case, and a new statement from Lovell about Kerr’s words making him feel “belittled” and “upset”, they authorised police to charge the athlete.
A jury found her not guilty after a seven-day trial.
Broadly speaking, public order offences criminalise words and behaviour that might breach the peace. Police have significant discretion to use these offences as tools to regulate people’s uses of public space.
In Australia and the UK, police have been shown to use these powers in discriminatory ways.
Kerr has conceded her behaviour was regrettable but the charge against her is difficult to align with the purpose of public order legislation.
What does it mean for Kerr’s soccer career?
It is unclear what this verdict means for Kerr’s career.
Her English club, Chelsea, is anticipating she will return from a long-term knee injury soon.
It is possible the club was kept in the loop about Kerr’s altercation with police from the beginning, as she reportedly threatened to involve its lawyers in the body-cam footage shown at trial.
The club is yet to make a statement about the trial or verdict.
Football Australia is in a different position though, having been blindsided by the news Kerr had been charged by police.
The fact Kerr is the captain of the Matildas, and the sport’s highest-profile marketing asset, adds layers of complexity to Football Australia’s decision-making.
CEO of Football Australia James Johnson declined to weigh in on Kerr’s captaincy until her trial concluded.
It is possible the governing body will impose a sanction, with Kerr falling afoul of clause 2.14 of their national code of conduct and ethics after being charged with a criminal offence.
Kerr could return to the pitch later this month, but has been left out of the Matildas squad for the SheBelieves Cup in the US because of her fitness.
With the AFC Women’s Asian Cup on the horizon, interim Matildas head coach Tom Sermanni no doubt hopes her recovery stays on track.
Meanwhile, Kerr is yet to play under Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor. She could prove crucial as the club chases an elusive UEFA Women’s Champions League title, but faces competition for her spot.
Megan McElhone 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.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Stefan Schmitt, Project Lead for International Technical Forensic Services Global Forensic Justice Center, Florida International University
As an expert in forensic anthropology and mass casualties in conflict, I was asked to evaluate what became known as the “Caesar photographs.” What was clear to me then, and is even more so now, is that those photos represented a systematic approach to torturing, killing and disappearing massive numbers of people by the Assad regime.
With Assad now gone, the newly formed government of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has vowed to seek justice for the crimes Syrians suffered under Assad. Doing so will be difficult, even with the civil war in Syria being one of the better monitored conflicts in recent history. Yet it is a task that is imperative for the sake of pursuing justice in a shattered country and reducing the likelihood of violence returning to Syria.
Estimates of those killed since the start of civil conflict in 2011 range anywhere from 100,000 to over 600,000, with civilian deaths accounting for at least 160,000.
Many of these deaths have been at the hands of the Assad regime. But different armed groups, including the al-Nusra Front and Islamic State group, have also been accused of atrocities.
From the perspective of holding perpetrators accountable, that could complicate matters. The leader of now ruling Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is the founder of the al-Nusra Front and might not be willing to hold his group or others accountable or acknowledge the crimes of that group.
An uncovered mass grave believed to contain the remains of civilians killed by the ousted Assad regime in Daraa, Syria. Bekir Kasim/Anadolu via Getty Images
Who investigates?
There are three dimensions of accounting for the missing following conflict. First, there is the task of identifying and repatriating the remains of those in mass graves to allow family and friends to grieve. Second, the rights of victims to know the truth about what happened to their loved ones needs to be addressed. And finally, the process needs to provide justice, accountability and reconciliation, regardless of who was responsible.
But before this can take place, the question of who is responsible for the accounting needs to be addressed.
Countries coming out of civil conflict have turned to different mechanisms, from truth commissions to criminal tribunals. In the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, special U.N. courts were set up to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of grievous crimes. These tribunals were created as independent judicial bodies dedicated to investigating and prosecuting those most responsible for the crimes that had been committed during conflict.
The nongovernmental Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala, or FAFG, has since 1993 formed a fundamental part of searching, identifying and repatriating the missing. FAFG collects personal information, DNA profiles and witness statements and is responsible for protecting the rights of victims’ families in Guatemala’s judicial system.
Its work continues to this day.
What crimes to include
As to the Syrian civil war, a decision over the scope of any investigation into the disappeared and dead will likewise have to be made.
Will it include all those missing and in mass graves in areas held by al-Nusra, the Islamic State group and other armed groups, as well as those killed by Assad? The fact that groups and individuals that now form the government could have been involved in human rights violations may risk future investigations being skewed toward just the victims of Assad.
Even if the scope was narrowed to Assad’s crimes, it’s unclear how far back one should go. Assad rule in Syria began more than 50 years ago under Assad’s father, Hafez al Assad. And killings and disappearances date back to the elder’s time in power, including the 1982 massacre in the city of Hama in which an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 were killed.
The role of the state
Another fact-finding question concerns the sharing of information between civil society groups and the state.
The information gathered on the war by various NGOs so far is technically held or “owned” by such groups, not the Syrian state. This is for a good reason, as victims trust these organizations to protect information from the perpetrators, some of whom might form part of the new government.
The International Commission on Missing Persons, an NGO with its seat in the Netherlands, gained its reputation while identifying the dead from the conflict in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s and early 2000s. It has already collected and stored testimonies from over 76,200 Syrian relatives of more than 28,000 missing persons and has identified 66 mass grave locations. Other organizations have similar testimonies.
At some point, the state of Syria will need to be involved in the process. Legally and in practice, the state issues a citizen’s “civil identity” through things such as a birth certificate that establish a person with rights and responsibilities. In the same manner, the state issues death certificates in which the manner of death determines any judicial reactions – such as a criminal investigation in cases where the death is due to homicide.
The state is also important in resolving issues such as inheritance and widower status.
Identifying the remains from the mass graves is therefore not just a “technical” issue dependent on cutting-edge DNA laboratories and missing-persons databases. It is also something that any future Syrian state should work toward, and then own and take responsibility for.
Shifting responsibility away from the state to an international body would not really help Syria develop its own accountability mechanisms or hold the government to delivering justice for the victims and their families.
In my view, empowering victims in this transitional justice process needs to be a priority for the Syrian state. This includes the establishment of a transparent forensic and investigative effort to address the concerns of families searching for loved ones.
It should not, I believe, be outsourced. From my experience with similar processes elsewhere, it is important that Syrians become “experts” in all aspects of this process. No doubt, the task will take time and searching for the truth about what happened, and will involve perpetrators and victims alike.
It might well be a painful and painstaking process. But it is a necessary one if postconflict Syrian is to hold to account those who attempted to “erase” the identity of victims by disappearing them, burying them in mass graves, or leaving them under the bombed rubble of their neighborhoods.
Stefan Schmitt 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.
As we have written, American history is not a steady march toward greater equality, democracy and individual rights. America’s commitment to these liberal values has competed with an alternative set of illiberal values that hold that full American citizenship should be limited by race, ethnicity, gender and class.
The most famous example of this conflict is the Jim Crow era after Reconstruction, when many of the political and legal rights gained by African Americans in the Civil War era were swept away by disenfranchisement, segregation and discrimination. From roughly 1870 until 1940, democracy and equal rights were retreating, not advancing, leaving what was described in the 1960s by President Lyndon Johnson as “the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice.”
Today, the Trump administration is seeking to roll back America’s commitment to equality and engaging in a broad effort to limit – if not outright deny – the rights, liberties and benefits of democracy to all Americans.
President Donald Trump attacked the FAA’s DEI initiatives during a press conference on the D.C. plane crash.
Progress, then rollbacks
The biggest gains in African American rights came during the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War II and the Cold War, when the United States confronted enemies that Americans believed contradicted its liberal values – the British monarchy, Southern slaveholders, fascist dictators and communist tyrants. The United States highlighted its commitments to democracy and human rights as a way of contrasting itself from its enemies.
But once the pressures of war faded, America’s illiberal values reasserted themselves. With the end of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, the movement for greater equality stalled and many of the previous gains were rolled back.
The onset of World War II and then the Cold War forced Americans to renew their commitment to democracy and human rights for all Americans. This period is often described as the Second Reconstruction.
Like the First Reconstruction a century earlier, the federal government helped to ensure civil and voting rights for African Americans. These efforts laid the groundwork for advancing the political and civil rights of women, other racial and ethnic groups, immigrants, disabled persons and, eventually, members of the gay and lesbian community.
But like the First Reconstruction, these changes generated intense backlash.
Since his second inauguration, Trump has mounted a full-scale effort to undermine the policies of the Second Reconstruction. This effort has been masked as an attack on diversity, equity and inclusion – or DEI – policies. According to Trump and other critics of DEI, these policies are themselves racist, since they allegedly single out white Americans for shame and scorn.
The Trump administration’s effort to end DEI programs is really an attack on decades of efforts by the federal government to make good on the promise of America: to engage in rigorous nondiscrimination efforts and open up opportunities for all.
These diversity initiatives have for more than 50 years included requirements that beneficiaries of these policies must be qualified for the benefits they obtain.
But to Trump and many conservatives, such policies force employers to engage in racial and gender quotas to prove that they don’t discriminate. Furthermore, these efforts to end discrimination, according to Trump’s executive order, “diminish the importance of individual merit, aptitude, hard work, and determination,” leading to “disastrous consequences.”
In other words, Trump and others claim that efforts to end discrimination are themselves a form of discrimination and force the hiring of unqualified and incompetent people.
Trump made this view clear in his comments on the recent collision between a passenger airliner and a military helicopter in Washington, D.C. Before any formal investigation, Trump alleged that the crash resulted from Obama and Biden administration efforts to diversify the Federal Aviation Administration staff. Such efforts, he suggested, elevate unqualified people.
Efforts to reverse DEI have been accompanied by other antidiversity moves. One example: According to a news release, the Defense Department will no longer use “official resources” to mark “Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pride Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and National American Indian Heritage Month.”
Undoing 19th-century advances
The attack on DEI goes beyond the federal government. Other executive orders mandate that K-12 schools as well as colleges and universities end DEI programs, since they are “anti-American, subversive, harmful, and false ideologies.”
Such a policy will almost certainly prevent schools from honestly addressing the ways in which racial, ethnic and gender discrimination have influenced America’s past and present.
This provision was included in order to explicitly overturn the notorious 1857 Supreme Court decision, Dred Scott v. Sandford, that ruled that African Americans were not citizens and consequently “they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.”
Pushback capacity
A protester at a demonstration against the Trump administration at the Texas State Capitol on Feb. 5, 2025, in Austin, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images
How far can the Trump administration go in its efforts to undo the Second Reconstruction?
Numerous legal challenges have already been filed. In the case of the executive order limiting birthright citizenship, a lower federal court judge appointed by President Ronald Reagan blocked the order, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional.”
Many of these cases will ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court, which under Chief Justice John Roberts has been willing to overturn long-established equal rights precedents. Besides its 2012 gutting of the Voting Rights Act, in 2022 the court limited the reproductive rights of women by overturning its 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade. Most recently, in 2023 the court ended a 45-year precedent that allowed colleges and universities to engage in limited forms of affirmative action in order to achieve more student diversity.
Yet despite years of attacks by conservatives and now the Trump administration, most efforts to end discrimination and open doors to all Americans, including DEI, remain popular. And the groups empowered by the Second Reconstruction – racial and ethnic minorities, women, immigrants, the LGBTQ community – are far more numerous and have far more legal and political resources available with which to fight back than those that were aided by the First Reconstruction.
There are now no government pressures driving Americans to make greater progress toward democracy and equal rights for all, as in the relatively brief earlier periods of significant reform in America.
But those reforms have given many more Americans the capacity to push back against policies that violate both American values and American interests.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
Jackson, Miss. – Former Hinds County Sheriff Marshand Crisler was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for soliciting and accepting bribes and for knowingly providing ammunition to a convicted felon. Crisler was also ordered to pay a $15,000 fine.
Crisler, 55, was appointed as Sheriff of Hinds County in August 2021. The evidence at trial showed that shortly after becoming Sheriff, Crisler solicited and accepted $9,500 in cash bribes from a convicted felon over three months, from September through November of 2021. In exchange for that money, Crisler agreed to provide favors through his position as Hinds County Sheriff. These favors included sharing information concerning future criminal investigations involving the bribe payor, moving a jailed family member to a better place within the Hinds County Jail, and hiring the bribe payor to work at the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office. Crisler also gave ammunition to the bribe payor, knowing that the person was a convicted felon.
On November 8, 2024, a federal jury found Crisler guilty on all counts, following a three-day trial in U.S. District Court in Jackson.
It is against federal law for a public official to solicit or accept bribes, and it is also against federal law for anyone to provide firearm ammunition to a known convicted felon.
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bert Carraway and Charles W. Kirkham prosecuted the case.
We hope you will join us in March for the next offerings of our Orientation to Law Library Collections webinar, which will feature the State Law Library of Montana as part of our 50 State Law Libraries Outreach Project. The 50 State Law Libraries Outreach Project aims to strengthen the ties between the Law Library of Congress and state law libraries by sharing information about our collections, products, and services with one another and with the public. Franklin Runge, state law librarian, will present from the State Law Library of Montana during the webinar. The State Law Library of Montana presenter notes that:
“[t]he mission of the State Law Library of Montana is to provide legal information and resources, to enhance knowledge of the law and court system, and to facilitate equal access to justice statewide. The need for reliable legal information was a priority for early western settlers, and in 1881, the Law Library was established by the Territory of Montana’s Legislative Assembly. Over the past two years (2023-2024), 73% of our reference interactions have been with members of the general public. We also serve the legal research needs of Montana’s bench and bar through reference services, training opportunities, and maintaining relevant collections. In tandem with our access to justice and reference work, the Law Library is responsible for maintaining a comprehensive collection of Montana law. The present Constitution of Montana was drafted, adopted, and ratified in 1972, and it ushered in a period of transparency and accountability in state government. This transparency has resulted in the Law Library compiling and maintaining a fantastic collection of legislative histories, which are frequently requested by judges, lawyers, and historians.”
The Law Library will also offer A Lunch and Learn webinar, which will focus on using secondary sources to conduct legal research, and the Orientation to Legal Research webinar, which will focus on federal legislative history in March. We hope you will join us by registering for these upcoming webinars!
An Orientation to Law Library Collections featuring the State Law Library of Montana
Date: Thursday, March 6, 2025, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EST
Content: This webinar is designed for patrons who are familiar with legal research, and would instead prefer an introduction to the collections and services specific to the Law Library of Congress. Some of the resources attendees will learn about include the Law Library’s research guides, digital collections, and the Guide to Law Online, among others.
Instructors: Anna Price. Anna is a legal reference librarian at the Law Library. Anna holds a B.S. in communications from Ithaca College, a J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law, and an M.L.I.S. from the University of Washington iSchool.
Register here.
Flyer announcing the Lunch and Learn webinar titled, Using Secondary Sources in Legal Research. Created by Taylor Gulatsi.
A Lunch and Learn Webinar: Using Secondary Sources in Legal Research
Content: This webinar will provide an overview of secondary sources such as legal encyclopedias, treatises, and dictionaries. In addition, the webinar will provide practical examples to show how these resources are used in practice. The presentation will demonstrate how secondary sources are an important step in the legal research method and how they can guide researchers to primary sources. Many of the materials and content for this webinar have come from the Law Library’s research guide, Legal Research: A Guide to Secondary Resources.
Instructors: Olivia Kane-Cruz. Olivia Kane-Cruz is a legal reference librarian at the Law Library of Congress. Olivia holds a B.A. in political science from Humboldt State University (Cal Poly Humboldt), a J.D. and a master’s of environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School, and an M.L.I.S. from the University of Washington.
Register here.
An Orientation to Legal Research Webinar: Federal Legislative History
Content: This entry in the series provides an overview of U.S. federal legislative history resources, including information about the methods of identifying and locating them. In tackling this area of research, the focus will largely be on finding these documents online.
Instructor: Louis Myers. Louis Myers holds a B.A. in history from Kent State University, a J.D. from the University of Idaho College of Law, and an M.L.I.S. from Kent State University.
Register here.
To learn about other upcoming classes on domestic and foreign law topics, visit the Legal Research Institute. Please request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or [email protected].
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